by the El Reportero wire services

Álvaro Colom

GUATEMALA CITY– Promising to fight violence and drug trafficking, Álvaro Colom took control of his racked-by-crime country on Monday.

A center-left business Colom, said he would use social programs, would fix the court system, and crackdown on money laundering to combat the Central American countryʼs ills.

“You canʼt run a country if there is no justice,” he said at a swearing-in ceremony attended by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and other Latin American leaders.

Over 6,000 people were murdered last year in the country of 13 million people. Few criminal cases are ever solved.

Critics say the bookish new president is too weak to crush violent gangs that make Guatemala so dangerous.

His National Unity for Hope Party, or UNE, fell short of a majority in Congress, complicating prospects of legal changes.

Colom, 56, beat a right-wing former general who promised to use the army to crack down on crime.

A chain-smoking Colom, who practices a Mayan religion, he has pledged to improve the lot of Guatemalaʼs poor indigenous population.

Over half the children in Guatemala are chronically malnourished despite strong economic fundamentals that benefit a small coffee and sugar growing elite.

Also attending the inauguration were Brazilʼs Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, Nicaraguaʼs Daniel Ortega and Ecuadorʼs Rafael Correa, members of a new generation of leftist presidents in Latin America. (Reuters contributed to this news item.)

Zavala quits Mexican cabinet

Beatriz Zavala Peniche, the social development minister, resigned from the cabinet on 14 January to take a job with the ruling Partido Acción Nacional. Her resignation appeared to take President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa by surprise, even though she was taking a job at the ruling Partido Acción Nacional (PAN). It became clear, however, early today (15 January) that she had in fact been pushed. The government leaked reports claiming that 72% of the Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (Sedesol)ʼs 85 programmes had problems and that a December evaluation of ministersʼ performance over their first year had given the thumbs down to Zavala.

Referendum reverse prompts Chávez rethink

Venezuelaʼs President Hugo Chávez began 2008 in a markedly different manner to 2007. He granted an amnesty to political adversaries linked to the brief coup of 2002; carried out an extensive reshuffle of his cabinet which brought ostensibly moderate ministers to the fore; and promised to drop the more radical proposals rejected by voters in the referendum on constitutional reform on 2 December.

moderate influences in his cabinet – to pursue 21st century socialism. The lat-This time last year, Chávez announced the radicalisation of his Bolivarian Revolutionnationalising strategic sectors of the economy and replacing some of the morest developments are more likely to signal a change of tone rather than a change of direction.

Calderónʼs key year

This is the year that will set the tone for President Felipe Calderón Hinojosaʼs ­remaining fi ve years in offi ce. The key to Calderón presidency, just as was the case with his predecessor, Vicente Fox, is what happens in the US, and in particular in the US presidential elections.

­by Patricia Guadalupe

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The first session of the 11Oth Congress began in 2007 with a pair of significant f rsts for the Hispanic community:

Representative Nydia Velázquez of New York became the first Latina ever to chair a full congressional committee when she took over the House Small Business Committee, and Silvestre Reyes of Texas became the first Hispanic to chair the influential House Select Committee on Intelligence.

The year began with high expectations on a number of fronts, including immigration.

Democrats had largely run in 2006 on the promise that if they won control of Congress, they would certainly take up comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to legalize many of the estimated 12 million undocumented persons residing in the United States.

The Senate took on the issue almost immediately, but supporters were repeatedly blocked by a vocal anti-immigrant faction that took advantage of the fact that the Democrats held only a razor-thin majority in the upper chamber.

For legislation that normally requires at least 60 votes to pass, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) could count on no more than 51. He tried and failed a couple of times to move bills forward. By summer it became clear that reform was out of reach, at least until after the 2008 elections.

At least the Senate tried. Ho use leaders repeatedly declared they would not take up the issue if the Senate failed to pass it. It was a bitter pill for the millions who had anticipated a friendlier atmosphere on Capitol Hill. Congress also failed to pass the so-called Dream Act, which would have permitted some undocumented high school graduates to pay in-state tuition and to apply for legal residency.

Additionally, Congress was unsuccessful in passing legislation that would have granted temporary residency to undocumented agricultural workers. Ag JOBS failed to move, even with agribusiness support.

But not all was gloom and doom. Members did manage to pass the f rst increase in ten years in the federal minimum wage. Democrats touted the measure as a great benefit to Latino families.

KIDS HEALTH BILL VETOED

Latino advocates for expansion of the State Childrenʼs Health Insurance Program were disheartened by the legislatureʼs failure three times to override President Bushʼs veto. SCHIP targets children in families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to pay for their own coverage. Forty percent of Latino children with health insurance receive coverage through SCHIP.­

Supporters sought to expand the program from its current level of four million children to 10 million. The president vetoed the bill as too costly.

All three Latino senators, Republican Mel Martinez of Florida and Democrats Robert Menéndez of New Jersey and Ken Salazar of Colorado, voted for passage of the controversial legislation to expand wiretaps and eavesdropping without a court warrant measure the American Civil Liberties Union called unconstitutional and “un-American.”

The legislation also allows the CIA to engage in “harsh” interrogation tactics without significant oversight. The ACLU and other groups criticized the Congress end Democrats in particular for “caving in to unwarranted hysteria” fueled by the White House in the fight against terrorism.

Lawmakers were more sublime about passage of a free trade agreement with Peru. Supporters celled its passage a major victory in a Congress controlled by Democrats who ere less inclined then Republicans to approve trade bills. As did its 1993 counterpart North American Free Trade Agreement (with Canada and Mexico), the pact allows for greater exchange of goods, relaxing some ­tariffs and removing other barriers.

Other Latin American trade pacts languished. Legislators declined to support one with Colombia, accusing its government of close ties with paramilitary groups. The government of Alvaro Uribe spent millions unsuccessfully lobbying the U.S. Congress to green- light a trade pact.

Congress came under fire for not making any signifi cant change in the Bush administrationʼs Iraq policy, which polls show to be strongly opposed by Latino voters.

Repeatedly blocked from passage was any legislation that contained en exit plan or troop departure date.

Legislators went home for the holiday recess after passing a massive budget bill that contained funding for nearly all federal agencies and departments except the Defense Department for fiscal year 2008, which began in October.

Democrats had originally sought e funding increase averaging seven percent, while the White House proposed just one percent. Democrats and the White House clashed over funding for a wide range of programs, including food stamps, student loans, home heating assistance for low-income families, rural healthcare and urban renewal funding, among others.

Republicans garnered enough support to reject a nearly $22 billion increase for domestic spending, and gained approval for most of the funding the president wanted for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

BORDER FENCING FUNDED

A little-known measure in the bill earmarks funding for fencing a portion of the U.S. Mexico border, but for just 300 miles, not the 700 supporters had originally proposed.

Congressional observers call this first session of the new Democratic majority a “mixed bag,” while congressional leaders argue that more change will come only with the election of more Democrats in 2003— enough to stop what they cell Republican obstructionism.

Republicans naturally disagree, arguing that they are the ones prioritizing what Latinos and others in the country want from Congress.

(Patricia Guadalupe has been covering Capitol Hill for Hispanic Link and other national media for 15 years.)

by Contessa Abono

Efforts to save St. Luke’s Hospital (photo by Stephen Morrison)

St. Luke’s is San Francisco’s only independent, private, non-profit, hospital and has served the lower Mission and South of Market neighborhoods of San Francisco since 1912 — but recently they have not been able to stay afloat.

According to a statement on St. Luke’s website their losses from 2001-2005 have ranged from $28 million to $33 million annually. The projected loss for this year is $33 million.

Because of their financial struggles St. Luke’s has turned to the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC), an affiliate of Sutter Health, and other stakeholders to help.

­At a November 10 meeting CPMC discussed plans to close the inpatient care at the end of 2009.

The Medical Executive Committee and physician leaders at St. Luke’s both agreed that St. Luke’s Hospital needs to remain open as an acute care hospital and that major decisions should be made with the input from physicians, nurses, other personnel, and especially the community.

Dr. Bonita Palmer, a family physician and one of the medical leaders trying to persevere the hospital, says that since the Nov. 10 meeting no other statements from CPMC have been issued.

“What has been a change is that the CPMC knows they can’t tells us what to do. They know that they have to listen to us,” says Palmer.

Palmer plans to work with the recently developed Coalition to Save St. Luke’s, which is made up by community groups, community activists, patients, advocates, St. Luke’s staff, and their labor unions.

At the Coalition to Save St. Luke’s second meeting held on Jan. 7 and attended by over 20 leaders from various community organizations, the members launched a plan to protest and draw public attention to the South of Market community hospital.

Jane Martin, a community organizer at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, is involved with low-income seniors who live in the area of the city served by St. Luke’s hospital.

Martin has joined the coalition and says the situation at the hospital now is very problematic “The 10th fl oor has been closed for the past months, leading to over crowing and problems with patent care on the 9th floor,” says Martin.

Martin says the community surrounding St. Luke’s should get involved with the preservation “everyone needs to get involved now in the fi ght to save our community hospital! Access to healthcare for the whole southeastern part of the city is at stake.”

Patients and community members are invited to attend the coalition’s next action on January 24–a rally and press conference at San Francisco’s City Hall.

“What’s good is that we are seeing more public awareness this meeting will be an opportunity for the larger community to save St. Luke’s,” says Palmer,

For more information on Save St. Luke’s Campaign contact bonita.ann.palmer@ecunet.org or visit: www.savestlukes.blogspot.com, ­www.stlukes-sf.org.

­

by the El Reportero news services

Evo Morales

On 1 January opposition prefects said that they would attend talks with the government despite the government’s refusal to accept their demands for autonomy.

The prefects are in such a weak political position that they have to accept the government’s terms for the negotiations on 7 January. The government has underlined its confidence in two ways. First, it started implementing its budget for 2008, ignoring the amendments made by the opposition-controlled senate.

Secondly, President Evo Morales attended a New Year’s Eve lunch with the military high command in which he said that if it was up to him he would not allow the current senior officers to move on to the retired list.

“But,” Morales went on, “military traditions have to be respected and the traditional changes have to be made.” The outgoing heads of all the armed services, headed by General Wilfredo Vargas, have been in command since Morales took office in January 2005.

Mexico to track migrations over border

MEXICO CITY – Mexico plans to use cards with electronic chips to better track the movements of Central Americans who regularly cross the southern border to work or visit. Starting in March, the National Immigration Institute will distribute the cards to record the arrival and departure of so-called temporary workers and visitors. They will replace a non-electronic pass formerly given to foriegners who cross into Mexico, which has proven “easily alterable and subject to the discretion of migration agents,” the institute said Thursday.

The U.S. government has spent tens of millions of dollars issuing similar visa cards digitally embedded with the holder’s photo and fingerprints, but U.S. border inspectors almost never check them, and vehicle lanes are not equipped with the necessary scanners to read them, The Associated Press reported earlier this year.

Mexico detained more than 182,000 undocumented migrants in 2006, mostly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador en route to the United States. But many others cross legally from Guatemala and Belize to work or visit, and the new cards are meant to guarantee their security, the institute said.

Nicaragua court probes Volz case

MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Nicaragua’s Supreme Court on Wednesday said it had begun investigating two judges who overturned the 30-year sentence and conviction of an American in the killing of his Nicaraguan girlfriend.

Appellate Judges Roberto Rodriguez and Alejandro Estrada were on a three judge panel that freed Eric Volz, 28, of Nashville, Tenn., last week. The two cited “reasonable doubt” in overturning the conviction. The third judge voted to uphold the original verdict.

The decision sparked outrage among some Nicaraguans who allege the ­American received special treatment in the local justice system and should not have been released.

Rafael Solis, the Supreme Court’s vice president, said the two judges were scheduled to appear before investigators on January 8. The court will determine whether they acted inappropriately and turn its findings over to criminal investigators if any wrongdoing is found, Solis told a news conference.

Volz, a surfer-turnedreal-estate-broker, and a Nicaraguan man, Julio Martín Chamorro, were sentenced in February for the death of 25-year-old Doris Ivania Jiménez, who was found raped and strangled in a clothing store she owned in Rivas, 55 miles south of the Nicaraguan capital of Managua. The court upheld Chamorro’s conviction in the murder.

(Associated Press contributed to this report.)

by Alex Meneses Miyashita

Richard Rodríguez

In spite of isolation and some tension among Hispanics, blacks and Asians’ the three groups have mutual concerns, common values and optimistic outlooks, according to a survey and report released Dec. 12 by New America Media in Washington, D.C.

Projecting that racial and ethnic relations will continue to grow stronger, NAM founder Sandy Close urged media leaders of the groups to take leading roles in tackling national nativism and racism issues.

An overwhelming majority of Hispanics (92 5percent), blacks (89 percent) and Asians (88 percent), out of 1,105 respondents surveyed by Bendixen Asians—said there is some degree of racial tension among the groups.

­“We cannot ignore the fact that this is a serious problem,” pollster Sergio Bendixen said during the capital press conference. “It keeps people and their common interests to work together.”

Author and commentator Richard Rodriguez said, “It’s important not to see this information as static…We are bumping against each other, but we are also getting to know one another.”

The majority of respondents from each of these groups felt their communities were discriminated against, and most Hispanics and Asians credited blacks for leading the battle for civil rights.

Bendixen said leadership from members of these groups will play an essential role to strengthen the ties among these groups.

Cristina López, deputy executive director of the Center for Community Change, said it is time to move beyond acknowledging tensions exist and focus on finding ways to work together more efficiently.

“Sometime the media hypes those tensions more than necessary,” she assessed.

“We should do more’” she added, but defended the work community-based: organizations like the CCC do, stating, “We tend to overlook some of the positive things that are going on.”

Respondents (Hispanics 78 percent, blacks 69 percent and Asians 73 percent) agreed that ethnic media have an important role to play to bring each of these communities closer.

According to observers, mistrust derives from stereotypes these groups hold of one another due to a lack of racial and ethnic interaction.

For example, half of blacks responded Latino immigrants ere taking jobs away from them. Nearly half of Hispanics~ 44 percent, and Asians, 47 percent are “generally afraid” of blacks as they relate them to crime.

Nearly half of Hispanics, 46 percent, and 52 percent of blacks responded they felt disrespected by most Asian business owners.

At the same time, the poll found little interaction among the groups. The percentage of respondents who said they went to schools with people from their ­same race/ethnicity was 70 percent for Hispanics and 64 percent for blacks.

Majorities of Hispanics (73 percent), blacks (67 percent) and Asians (58 percent) said most of their friends are of the same race or ethnicity.

In spite of this, the survey found the groups shared similarities in common values and visions of the future.

For example, the survey revealed 64 percent of Hispanics, 83 percent of blacks and 76 percent of Asians prioritize spending “quality time” with family over making “as much money as possible” at work.

Overall, 61 percent of Hispanics, 66 percent of blacks and 62 percent of Asians predicted racial and ethnic relations will improve in the next 10 years. Hispanic Link.