We have much to celebrate!!

Today marks El Diez y Seis de Septiembre...Mexican independence from Spain!! Viva Mexico!!!

Also, Hispanic Heritage Month began September 15th and will run through October 15th. I encourage everyone to research our hispanic heritage and know their history. There is much to learn and appreciate. It's the time of year designated to recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the U.S. and to celebrate hispanic culture. The following is a list of Hispanic and Latino Americans who have represented our community well. Take a look. You may be surprised!

1. Oscar de la Renta (Dominican Republic), fashion designer; Dominican mother/Puerto Rican father.

2. Maria Conchita Alonso (Cuba/Venezuela), actress; born María Concepción Alonso Bustillo; Cuban-born Venezuelan.

3. Carolina Herrera (Venezuela), fashion designer; born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño.

4. Jessica Alba (Mexico), actress; mother is of Danish and French Canadian descent and father is of Mexican American descent.

5. Tatyana Ali (Panama), actress; mother is of Afro-Panamanian descent and father is of Indo-Trinidadian descent; better known for her role as "Ashley Banks" in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

6. Michelle Rodriguez (Dominican Republic/Puerto Rico), actress; born in Bexar County, TX to a Dominican mother and Puerto Rican father.

7. Sammy Davis, Jr. (Puerto Rico), actor, singer, tap dancer, and musician.

8. Benicio del Toro (Puerto Rico), actor; born Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez.

9. Catherine Bach (Mexico), actress; Mexican mother; better known as "Daisy Duke" of The Dukes of Hazard.

10. Antonio Banderas (Spain), actor, singer, and director; born José Antonio Domínguez Banderas.

11. Maurice Benard (Nicaragua), actor; born Mauricio Jose Morales; better known as "Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos Jr." on General Hospital.

12. Benjamin Bratt (Peru), actor; mother is from Peru and father was an American of German and English descent.

13. Lynda Carter (Mexico), actress and singer; Linda Jean Córdova Carter; father is an American of Irish descent and mother is a Mexican migrant; better known as "Wonder Woman."

14. Penelope Cruz (Spain), actress; born Penélope Cruz Sánchez.

15. Mark Consuelos (Spain/Mexico), actor; born Mark Andrew Consuelos to parents of Mexican and Italian ancestry.

16. Cameron Diaz (Cuba), actress; born Cameron Michelle Diaz; father is Cuban American and mother is of English, German, and Cherokee ancestry [explains her high cheek bones].

17. Hector Elizondo (Puerto Rico), actor

18. Emilio Estevez (Spain), actor, director, poet, and writer; father is Ramon Estevez (Martin Sheen).

19. Rita Hayworth (Spain), actress and dancer; born Margarita Carmen Cansino; attained fame as the 1940s greatest sex symbol.

20. Erik Estrada (Puerto Rico), actor; born Henry Enrique "Erik" Estrada.

21. America Ferrera (Honduras), actress; born Georgina America Ferrera to parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras during the 1970s.

22. Edward Furlong (Mexico), actor; of Mexican descent on his mother's side and also has Russian and possibly Native American ancestry.

23. Daisy Fuentes (Cuba), actress and model; Cuban father and Spanish mother.

24. Andy Garcia (Cuba), actor; born Andres Arturo Garcia.

25. Salma Hayek (Mexico), actress, producer, director, and activist; born Salma Valgarma Hayek; father is a Mexican of Lebanese descent and mother is a Mexican of Spanish descent; charitable work includes increasing awareness of violence against women and discrimination against immigrants; first Mexican national to get nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress; second of three Latin American actresses to achieve a Best Actress Oscar nomination; ranked 4th in the Latino Power 50, a list of the most powerful members of the Hollywood Latino community.

26. Joanna Kerns (Mexico), actress; born Joanne Crussie DeVarona; best known for her role as "Maggie Seaver" in Growing Pains.

27. John Leguizamo (Colombia/Puerto Rico), actor, comedian, voice actor, and producer; born John Alberto Leguizamo to a Puerto Rican father and Colombian mother; also describes himself as being of Amerindian and Mestizo heritage.

28. Eva Longoria Parker (Mexico), actress; born Eva Jacqueline Longoria in Corpus Christi, Texas to Mexican American parents; later married Tony Parker; participates in lots of charity work and is also an executive producer of Shine Global Inc.'s upcoming documentary "The Harvest," which is focused on the 500,000 child migrant farm workers in the U.S. and is currently helping them fundraise for the film.

29. George Lopez (Mexico), actor and comedian

30. Jennifer Lopez (Puerto Rico), actress, singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, fashion designer, TV/film producer, and activist; in 2007 received the Artists for Amnesty International award "in recognition of her work as producer and star of Bordertown, a film exposing the ongoing numbers of hundreds of women in the border city of Juarez, Mexico." She also received special recognition and thanks from Norma Andrade, cofounder of Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa A. C. ("May Our Daughters Return Home, Civil Association"), an organization consisting of mothers and families of the murdered women of Juarez.

31. Mario Lopez (Mexico), actor; official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

32. Diego Luna (Mexico), actor

33. Cheech Marin (Mexico), actor and comedian; born Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin.

34. Alfred Molina (Spain), actor; born Alfredo Molina; father a Spaniard from Madrid and mother was an Italian

35. Ricardo Montalban (Mexico), actor; born Ricardo Gonzalo Pablo Francisco Dorito Donquavius Pedro Montalban y Merino.

36. Esai Morales (Puerto Rico), actor; born Esai Manuel Morales; describes himself as an "actovist" primarily and as one of the founders of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, taking inspiration from his mother, who was an organizer for the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union; also interested in environmental issues and was a founding board member of E.C.O. (Earth Communications Office).

37. Rita Moreno (Puerto Rico), actress, singer, and dancer; born Rosita Dolores Alverio; awards include Academy, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, and Tony awards; Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2004; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; in 2007 was inducted into the California Hall of Fame located at the California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts by Governor Schwarzeneggar and First Lady Maria Shriver.

38. Edward James Olmos (Mexico), actor and activist; Olmos has often been involved in social activism, especially those affecting the Latino community. During the 1992 Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles, when many people left the city, Olmos went out with a broom and worked to get communities cleaned up and rebuilt.

39. Rosie Perez (Puerto Rico), actress, dancer, choreographer, director, and activist; born Rosa Maria "Rosie" Perez; an activist for Puerto Rican rights--her film Yo Soy Boricua! Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!) documents her activism.

40. Joaquin Phoenix (Puerto Rico), actor; born Joaquin Rafael Bottom, formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix; a social activist, lending his support to a number of charities and humanitarian organizations, notably Amnesty International, The Art of Elysium, HEART, and the Peace Alliance, an organization which campaigns for a U.S. Dept. of Peace; member of P.E.T.A. and the organization In Defense of Animals and has actively campaigned on their behalf; narrated the film Earthlings, a video about the investigation of animal abuse in factory farms, pet mills, in industry and research; in 2004 was awarded the "Humanitarian Award" for his work and contribution.

41. Anthony Quinn (Mexico), actor, painter, and writer; born Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca; mother was of Aztec ancestry and his father of half Irish ancestry; father rode with Pancho Villa

42. Freddy Rodriguez (Puerto Rico), actor

43. Robert Rodriguez (Mexico), director; born Robert Anthony Rodriguez in San Antonio, TX.

44. Charlie Sheen (Spain), actor; born Carlos Irwin Estevez; on March 20, 2006, stated that he questions the U.S. government's account of the 9/11 attacks; during an interview stated that the collapse of the Twin Towers looked like a controlled demolition; urged critics to challenge him on the facts; has since become a prominent advocate of the 9/11 Truth movement; on Sept 8, 2009, appealed to President Obama to set up a new investigation into the attacks; characterized the 9/11 commission as a whitewash and alleged that the Bush administration may have been responsible for the attacks.

45. Martin Sheen (Spain), actor and activist; born Ramon Gerardo Antonio Estevez; mother is an immigrant from Ireland and father from Spain, near border of Portugal; supported the '65 farm worker movement with Cesar Chavez in Delano, CA; active in politics.

46. Jimmy Smits (Puerto Rico), actor; father a Surinamese immigrant of Dutch descent and mother was a Puerto Rican; helped found the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts to advance the presence of Latinos in the media, telecommunications and entertainment industries. Jimmy is also an advocate for diagnostic colorectal screening and has appeared in a public service commercial.

47. Madeleine Stowe (Costa Rica), actress; born Madeline Mora Stowe; mother immigrated from Costa Rica.

48. Bob Vila (Cuba), home improvement TV show host

49. Raquel Welch (Bolivia), actress; born Jo Raquel Tejada; mother was an Irish-American and father immigrated from Bolivia.

50. Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic), writer and poet; some of literary works include The Other Side (El Otro Lado) and The Woman I Kept To Myself.

51. Rudolfo Anaya (Mexico), novelist and poet; best known for his '72 novel Bless Me, Ultima; considered one of the founders of the canon of contemporary Chicano literature.

52. Sandra Cisneros (Mexico), novelist, poet, and short story writer; best known for her acclaimed first novel The House on Mango Street.

53. Christina Aguilera (Ecuador), singer; born Christina Maria Aguiler; charities include PETA, Defenders of Wildlife, Missing Kids, Natl Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations, Women's Cancer Research Fund, Natl Coalition Against Domestic Violence; a staunch supporter of the lesbian/gay/bi/transgender community; spokesperson for the World Hunger Relief.

54. Tatyana Ali (Panama), singer and actress; born Tatyana Marisol Ali.

55. Marc Anthony (Puerto Rico), singer and actor; born Marco Antonio Muniz.

56. Ruben Blades (Panama), singer and actor; born Ruben Blades Bellido de Luna.

57. Irene Cara (Cuba), singer

58. Mariah Carey (Venezuela), singer; charities include Make-A-Wish Foundation, among many others.

59. Emilio Estefan (Cuba), music producer

60. Gloria Estefan (Cuba), singer

61. Dave Navarro (Mexico), lead guitarist of "Jane's Addiction"

62. Linda Ronstadt (Mexico), singer; born Maria Linda Ronstadt.

63. Carlos Santana (Mexico), musician

64. Robert Trujillo (Mexico), bassist for "Metallica"

65. Ritchie Valens (Mexico), singer

66. Ralph Alvarez (Cuba), president and CEO of McDonald's Corporation

67. Richard Velasquez (Puerto Rico), first Puerto Rican automotive designer for Porsche

68. Cesar Chavez (Mexico), farm worker, labor leader, civil rights activist, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association later the United Farm Workers or UFW

69. Dolores Huerta (Mexico), labor leader, civil rights advocate, and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association later to be named United Farm Workers or UFW

70. Henry Cisneros (Mexico), former mayor of San Antonio and Secretary of HUD under Clinton

71. Bob Menendez (Mexico), U.S. Senator (D-New Jersey); only the 6th Hispanic to serve in the U.S. Senate.

72. Bill Richardson (Mexico), D-Governor of New Mexico

73. Sonia Sotomayor (Puerto Rico), newly-appointed Justice for the U.S. Supreme Court--first Hispanic to do so.

74. Nancy Lopez (Mexico), golfer

75. Chi Chi Rodriguez (Puerto Rico), golfer

76. Mark Sanchez (Mexico), NFL quarterback for the NY Jets

77. Jim Plunkett (Mexico), former NFL quarterback for the Oakland Raiders

78. Tom Flores (Mexico), former NFL head coach of the Oakland Raiders

79. Tony Gonzalez (Mexico), NFL football player--Atlanta Falcons

80. Manu Ginobili (Argentina), NBA basketball player--San Antonio Spurs

81. Rebecca Lobo (Cuba), WNBA basketball player

82. Alex Rodriguez (Dominican Republic), baseball player

83. Rick Sanchez (Cuba), newscaster for CNN

84. Geraldo Rivera (Puerto Rico), journalist

85. Soledad O'Brien (Cuba), newscaster for CNN

86. Salvador B. Castro, American educator and activist; known for his role in the 1968 East L.A. high school walkouts (a series of protests against unequal conditions in L.A. Unified School District schools

87. Hector P. Garcia, physician, surgeon, WWII vet, civil rights advocate, and founder of the American GI Forum, which provided Mexican-American vets a social and politcal network. The story of Felix Longoria propelled the American GI Forum to the forefront of the civil rights movement. In 1945, a Japanese sniper killed the Mexican American private Longoria in the Phillippines. His body was returned to Texas in 1949, where his widow's request of the use of the funeral chapel in Three Rivers was denied, the funeral director claiming that "the whites won't like it." García and the G.I. Forum intervened, petitioning then-senator Lyndon Johnson for redress of the outrage. Johnson secured the hero's burial in Arlingtion National Cemetary, where he became the first Mexican American to be awarded the honor. The issue garnered national attention. Following the incident, the G.I. Forum expanded into New Mexico and Colorado.

The preceding list is just the tip of the iceberg!!! Hope you were inspired!!!!

Racism?! In America?! Surely you jest!

Racism has been mentioned in the news lately by all the political pundits. Much has been speculated by Joe Wilson's outburst during President Obama's address. People are also gathering in front of the Capitol protesting Obama's plan for health care reform, claiming their protests are over big government. It boggles my mind that these people either don't remember or choose not to remember the big government under the Bush administration (hello? the Patriot Act?). We have people comparing Obama to Hitler, others claiming that Obama is not a U.S. citizen, still others claiming that our democracy is in danger of becoming a socialist country. I really don't think people know the meaning of socialism. Never mind that there are programs we use today that are socialist-based....medicare, the roads and highways we drive on, etc. Excuses, excuses. No one is talking or wants to talk about the pink elephant in the room. Sssshhhh ladies and gentlemen, the president...is....black. There, I said it. The fact is that racial tensions are still an issue in America. Want proof? Consider when Obama was called a liar by Joe Wilson. If "W" had been called a liar by a Democrat (especially a African-American Democrat), the GOP would have cried "bloody-murder" and started some form of radical punishment. Bottom line: Racism remains alive and well. The following is a true story. Dora, her sister Josie, Josie's husband Jabier, and I were victims of racism...yes folks...even here in conservative Midland. I will borrow Dora's words to tell the story.

The incident occurred on Saturday (09-05-09) between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM. The woman was pushing a shopping cart, which had space for her two kids. She was accompanied by her husband. My sister Josie, my brother-in-law Jabier, Sara, and I arrived at Sam's to pick up a birthday cake for our 75-year-old Mom, whose surprise birthday party we were hosting later that evening. The 4 of us had lunch first before we went to the bakery dept to get the cake. As is more often usual than not, no employees were to be found, so we waited around. There were two ladies ahead of us, both Hispanic like us, which will later be an important part of this story. Because we were second in line, we were standing a little bit outside the area, but not too far into the main aisle where other customers could not easily pass by. Apparently the woman thought she owned the entire store (probably cited eminent domain as her reasoning) and she blatantly ran her shopping cart, with two kids in tow, into my sister's side. She and her husband must have known what they did and probably thought they had just cause because they later claimed we were in the way. I happened to look up ahead to where the couple was heading (veggie dept) and the woman gave me a really wicked look and asked if I had a problem. My sister had just mentioned to us what they had done, so I replied to the couple that they ran into my sister with their shopping cart. They denied it and started saying some stupid things. They were yelling at us. I told them they should be ashamed as they had their children with them and they were obviously setting a negative example. They kept yelling and acting very foolishly so I attempted to calm the situation by saying, "God bless you." It was ridiculous, upsetting, and embarrassing for us. The woman and her husband (who are Anglo in case I forgot to mention it before) looked really ticked off and acted as if their actions were not a big deal. They walked further away towards the meat dept so I thought all was done until I saw my sister move ahead from where we were still standing near the bakery dept and she said (and I quote)..."Ma'am, that was totally uncalled for...you did not have to say that"...I asked Josie what was said or done. My sister indicated that the woman had called us a bunch of "damned Mexicans." Josie, for those who know her, is very friendly, peaceful, lovable, law-abiding, and as close to a true Christian one could hope to be. She is not one to look for trouble, she is the one who tries to bring solutions to a table and one who tries to keep others from fighting or such. For her to have to defend her family and herself in such a manner is really sad - it is sad for that one ignorant woman and her own family who heard those words come out of her mouth. It was quite evident that this woman and her husband knew that they had done something really awful as they hurried away to some other part of the store. Josie did not follow them because it is not her character. I did not follow them either as I normally would because of the children they had with them and because I was not going to allow anyone to ruin that day that we had planned for so many weeks to celebrate our beloved Mother's 75th birthday. We had too much to celebrate and too much to be grateful for and this one foolish woman and her husband were not going to rob us of that, so we let it go. Now remember the two Hispanic ladies ahead of us in the bakery line? They also heard all of this commotion and were shocked by the actions of the couple and that the woman had allowed such trash to leave her mouth.
Never in my 43 years of life had I ever been victim to a racial slur. Being a cleft-palate, I had endured much taunting about that, but never because of the color of my skin. Not to my face (or as close to my face as the cowardly woman said it under her breath). It offended me and it upset me. Those kind of feelings were new to me and it took every ounce of bravery to denounce the woman's actions and indeed turn the other cheek.
I felt bad for my sister because I knew she felt all of these things if not more as she was the one to hear those foolish words of belligerence. She is too smart and too classy to succumb to the kind of actions that are the apparent nature and character of that woman.
If that woman ever reads this blog posting or the posting I will surely place on a Midland, Texas forum, she should know that she did not break us. She did not shame us. She did not scare us. She did not make us cry. She made us stronger. We went home and had a fantastic party.

The Surprise

The surprise 75th birthday party for Dora's mom was a huge success! Dora's mom was thoroughly surprised, although she will not totally admit it. Everyone had a great time. Also on the same night, the Texas Tech Red Raiders won their first game of the season against the Fighting Sioux from the University of North Dakota, 38-13. The next victims will be the Owls from Rice University. GO TECH!

Food 4 Thought: Should there be a clergy-laity distinction?

Periodically, I will include a special post--Food 4 Thought--to encourage readers to think "outside the box" about different topics...controversial or otherwise. Before I begin, I think I should include the following disclaimer: These special posts are NOT intended or designed to offend anyone or anything.

Most Reverend, Right Reverend, Father, Most Holy Father, Rabbi, His Eminence, His Excellency, His Holiness, His All-Holiness--these are some of the titles that distinguish the clergy of various religions from the laity. The separation of the clergy from the laity is common to many religions, but is the arrangement bibically-based, or is it a human tradition? And, if it's not biblically-based, should the arrangement be used at all?

I'm not a religious person, but I will include quotes from encyclopedias and the book most religions use as their guide to a good life (the Bible) to argue that there should not be a distinction between the clergy and the laity.

"In the New Testament and during the early apostolic times there is no mention of clergy or laity," writes Professor of Theology Cletus Wessels. The Encyclopedia of Christianity states: "There gradually arose a differentiation into clergy as the officeholders and the laity as the rest...'Ordinary' church members now came to be seen as an unqualified mass." That differentiation became prominent during the third century C.E.--more than two hundred years after Christ! If, then, the clergy-laity distinction is not based on the model set by Christ's apostles and other early Christians, does it make it wrong? Does it make it invalid? Does the Bible have anything to say on the matter?

In 2 Corinthians 3:5, 6, the Bible states that all Christians serve as God's ministers and that none is above or beneath the other. Spiritually, older men did, of course, serve as overseers, which included being shepherds and teachers. However, these men were not paid clerics. For the most part, they were ordinary working men with secular jobs. Moreover, they qualified to serve as overseers and teachers, not by attending religious seminaries, but by being diligent students of the Bible and by cultivating the spiritual qualities required by, what they considered, their Creator, or God.

The separation of a clergy class implies that a person must have a special calling to be a minister of God. Yet, the Bible says that all true Christians should serve God and praise his name (Romans 10:9, 10).

The clergy-laity distinction exalts the clergy class, an evidence being adulatory religious titles. Yet, Christ said: "He that conducts himself as a lesser one among all of you is the one that is great." (Luke 9:48) In harmony with that spirit of humility, he told his followers not to adopt religious titles. (Matthew 23:8-12) The picture I have in mind is when a member of the laity kisses the hand of a high-ranking member of the clergy. Unlike the clergy, Christ conducted himself as "a lesser one."

A paid clergy class can impose a heavy financial burden on the laity, especially when the former have lavish lifestyles.

Because a clergyman may depend on others for financial support, he might be tempted to dilute the Bible's message in order to please parishioners by "tickling their ears." (2 Timothy 4:3)

When the laity are Biblically uninformed, they can easily be misled by clerics, even exploited by them. Indeed, history contains many examples of such abuses. Examples include the sale of indulgences, the Spanish Inquisition, and even the burning of Bibles by clerics who wanted to keep the Bible out of the hands of the laity.

About two weeks ago, a Catholic friend of mine admitted that she does not agree with every teaching of the Church, but she admires the traditions. As I stated at the beginning of this post, I am not a religious person. However, it is my understanding that the goal of every Christian is to follow the example of Christ as recorded in the Bible. Christ was a humble person and when he preached, he did so on the road, on the side of mountains, from door-to-door, and from city-to-city. He didn't preach in fancy cathedrals and buildings. He admonished his followers to "keep their eyes simple." And when he preached, he did not arrange for a basket to be passed around for donations. And as for tradition, 1 Corinthians 4:6 states: "Do not go beyond the things that are written." Better yet, ask yourself the question that has been made famous: What would Jesus do? Based upon the book all Christians use--the Bible--Jesus would not support a clergy-laity distinction.