by Rómulo Hernández

Is unconstitutional to confiscate the autos of the undocumented. Janitorial workers look for a place to put their work tools after the SFPD impounded their car despite of carrying a driver’s license from Washington. (photos by Marvin J. Ramírez)

“Pedro” was driving on Mission Street on Saturday, June 21st at 7:30 p.m. along with two co-workers “Maria” and “Rafael” (fictitious names for a real case).

At 22nd Street, they turned to the right. At approximately 20 meters while they were getting in position to park, they were surprised by several police agents who stopped him and asked him for his driver’s license. The officer said (as he wrote a traffic ticket) that the car had a hanging object in the inside mirror, which is “not allowed by the law.”

The three, obviously in fear, pulled over and got out of the van. Pedro showed his driver’s license and this motivated a second scolding. The agent informed him that he had to impound the car because the license was from Washington and that when a driver moves from another state he had between 10 to 21 days to get a new license, since every state has its own forms for a license or identification. According to the agents earlier Pedro, had confessed to them, that he had been in San Francisco for a long time.

Maria and Rafael did not have the strength to say anything. Pedro was almost babbling to respond to the agents. The three passengers in the car just stared. Pedro’s feet seemed not to obey him. Some neighbors, mostly Hispanics, surrounded the van and the police officers. At the arrival of the tow truck, the passengers proceeded to vacate the van: a mop, a vacuum cleaner, sweeping brushes and cleaning liquids.

While the confiscation victims showed visible sadness, to the arresting cops was like a motive of laughter. In the photo, the arresting officer (left) and a sargeant who legitimized the confiscation, laugh and asked to be photographed next to the impounded vehicle.

Those were their work tools of the trio who, every Saturday, from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. at dawn, while most part of the city party, they devote themselves to deodorize bathrooms, vacuum carpets and clean up commercial building in the area of Mission, the Hispanic quarter of San Francisco.

The incident was reported as case #080650233. The date hearing to try to rescue the vehicle is July 15.

How much will he have pay for rescuing his automobile?

Even if it is unknown how much,”Pedro ” will have to pay to rescue his car from the same city sanctuary that the Mayor of San Francisco so much promotes, which protects undocumented immigrants.

El Reportero consulted with social worker Erika Correa, who experienced a similar situation nearby a couple of months ago.

“My husband was driving without a license for approximately a block, and I was going next to him. We were going to our work here in the Mission. I showed the officer the car registration, proof of insurance and my driver’s license, but because the driver didn’t have a license, I should hand in the keys to the car. They told me I could get the car back on the following day.

It was not like that. They impounded the car for one month. They said generally the fine was approximately $1,600. In my case it was double, about $3,000.

This is unconstitutional, according to California Sen. Gil Cedilla.

Cedillo has become a reference when it comes to matters related to this topic. Precisely on his internet portal, he offers the following information.

Legal counseling

If your car is confiscated:

1. You have right to a hearing on the confiscation [CVC Section 14602.6 (b)]. Contact immediately by phone, letter or in person, the agency that ordered the confiscation and ask for a hearing.
2. Unless the tow company contact the legal owner of the vehicle within two working days via registered mail, the owner cannot be charged for more than 15 days of storage and towing charges [CVC Section 14602.6 (a) (2)].
3. You might have the right to legal recource. The city, county or state might be responsible legally for violating your constitutional rights. Look for legal counsel.

by the El Reportero’s news services

Nicanor Duarte

On 22 June preliminary results showed that around 80 percent of voters backed the vote on autonomy in Tarija.

Home to 85 percent of Bolivia’s natural gas reserves, Tarija is the fourth and final department to hold a vote on autonomy. The support for autonomy is not a surprise. Final results are scheduled to be released on 25 June, but two TV channels, ATB and Unitel put the “yes” vote at between 79 percent and 80 percent and the “no” vote at between 19.7 percent and 21 percent.

The TV channels reckoned that abstention at 34.8 percent, was the lowest registered in the four departments that have held autonomy referendums. The other three departments to hold referendums were Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando.

Together with Tarija, these departments form the Media Luna bloc.

Paraguay President resigns

Asuncion, Jun 23 Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte resigned to run for the Senate.

In his last message to the nation as head of state he reminded that Paraguay surmounted years of stagnation to achieve economic stability and sustained growth (6.8 points in 2007).

Exports also rose 193 per cent in 2007 above its neighbors, not just with soy, meat, software, plastic items, all products with value added.

Duarte admitted to trouble in land distribution and mentioned $150 million investments on urban landless, admitting to failure to meet housing demands as well.

President elect Fernando Lugo will assume offi ce August 15.

The Paraguayan Congress will discuss the resignation Tuesday but several legislators’ decision not to attend may lead to poor quorum.

Government Colorado Party Legislator Candido Aguilera said that if the resignation is rejected they will try next week again.

‘Parapolítica’ purge bill is killed as Uribe gears up for new term

On 10 June an adverse vote in the senate’s fi rst committee buried the government’s ‘political reform’ bill, which despite its grandiose title was chiefl y designed to purge congress of legislators linked to paramilitary organisations. Already, 32 legislators have been jailed on charges of paramilitary connections, and another 30 are under investigation. Most of these belong to parties that supported the constitutional reform that allowed Uribe’s reelection.

Binational indigenous front meets in oaxaca

SANTIAGO DE JUXT-LAHUACA, OAXACA, MEXICO – The assembly of the Indigenous Front of Binational Organizations in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, one of the poorest areas in Mexico. A large percentage of the indigenous population of Oaxaca and other states has left to work in northern Mexico and in the United States.

The FIOB is a political organization of indigenous communities and migrants, with chapters in Mexico and the U.S. It advocates for the rights of migrants, and for the right not to migrate for economic development which would enable people to stay home.

Delegates discuss FIOB’s bylaws and political positions, vote to adopt them, and then elect new binational leadership in a democratic and open process. Julio Sandoval, a delegate from Baja California, recounts his experience as a political prisoner in the penitentiary of Ensenaada, where he was held for three years after leading a fight for housing for indigenous migrants. At the end of the assembly, Gaspar Rivera Salgado, newly elected as FIOB’s binational coordinator, addresses the delegates, and a group of Triqui women rise to their feet with a clenched-fist salute.

(Prensa Latina, Latin news contributed to this report.)

by Alex Meneses Miyashita

Andrés Rozental

Foreign policy analysts say it’s not clear yet which presidential candidate Boliviawould try to strengthen more the bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico.

They generally agreed that Mexico will not be a priority during the campaign and it will take some time before the elected candidate will act upon the bilateral relationship, as he will focus on domestic issues first.

Andres Rozental, Mexico ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1995 to 1997 and a current fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that until now neither candidate has talked about Mexico in concrete terms.

Both Barack Obama and John McCain have expressed their intent to visit Mexico at some point during their campaigns.

“Obama evidently arouses a lot of sympathy in Mexico,” Rozental said, because of his biracial background, young age and his underdog status against Hillary Clinton.

But, he said, neither candidate has expressed at length a position on issues of mutual interest or beneficial to Mexico.

Mexicans who follow the U.S. elections say they have more confidence in Democrat Barack Obama than Republican John McCain to address foreign-policy, 30 percent to 19 percent, according to a Pew Research Center survey released June 12.

This trend favoring Obama by considerable margins was seen in the majority of the 24 countries surveyed by the Center.

Rozental said that on the outset, McCain might be more in tune with the bilateral agenda as he might be more familiar with the country’s southern neighbor.

At the same time, he said, McCain’s switch of position on immigration during the campaign is viewed unfavorably in Mexico and will likely dent his support among U.S. Hispanic voters.

Jim Jones, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico during the Bill Clinton Administration, predicted that both candidates, in spite of policy differences on bilateral issues, would not be too far apart on their positions regarding them.

On trade, McCain supports NAFTA while Obama has called for renegotiation on labor and environmental concerns. Jones said those can be addressed without renegotiating the treaty.

On immigration, both candidates will likely emphasize border security fi rst, a guest worker program and eventually the status of the undocumented population, Jones said. He added that both candidates would talk about cooperating with Mexico to stem border violence.

But, he emphasized, the greatest debate during the campaign will not be on these, but issues such as Iraq and the economy.

Rozental said the huge challenge both candidates face in moving the bilateral relationship forward is changing what he called a strong “anti-immigrant” atmosphere in the country that blames domestic problems on external factors.

“If Obama or McCain can mobilize the population of this country to change that focus, then there would be a substantive change in the relationship with Mexico,” he said, adding that if this doesn’t happen, ‘’I think either of the candidates is the same.” Hispanic Link.

by Margine Quintanilla Romero

Free Hands law takes effect Driving while holding the cell with one hand, and with the other the wheel could become a thing of the past, or income for the government if drivers don’t change their habits.

The new “free hands” law that restricts the use of cell phones while driving, might save thousands of lives, said a study published by Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

According to this information it is expected that of 4,000 deaths that the state of California registers at present, there should be 300 deceases less when this law takes effect on July 1.

The New York experience, which in the year 2001 became the first state with a ¯free hands” law, it indicated that the deaths in adverse conditions remained in a level more under several years after the law entered into effect, especially when there is bad weather or the highways are wetted, says the study.

Likewise, it reaffirms that the laws that demand “ free hands ” have limited the deaths in 30 to 60 percent.

These conclusions differ from previous studies that said that motorists who were  free hands ” were so distracted as those who were using the hand phones. These investigations are based on motorists’ polls, laboratory simulations and remarks on vehicles equipped with devices to record the behavior and the distractions of a motorist.

A cell could destroy you auto and also your life

On this topic Jed Kolko, attached investigator of PPIC, declared that it is possible that the motorists consider the technology “ free hands ” bothersome, and use the phone with less frequency. “Or they might change the minutes of conversation to moments when the conditions to drive are less dangerous ”, he said.

Nevertheless, for Kolko, the fact itself of having this law might serve as an educational function, a warning on the dangers of speaking while driving.

In spite of the questions without response on the way in which the cell phones affect the deaths toll when driving, and the motive of these, the results of the study suggest strategies to guide public policy. ¯Since the benefi ts of the laws ‘ free hands ’ depend on the conditions of conduction, it is logical to apply with more force the laws when the above mentioned conditions of conduction are more diffi cult. That can save lives ”, pointed out Kolko.

In the United States, the “free hands¯ laws are in effect in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and in the District of Columbia, as well as in several cities, among then Chicago and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The state of Washington also will have a ¯free hands¯ law that will take effect on July 1.

by los servicios de noticias de El Reportero

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

Thousands of people took to the streets in several cities around Argentina on 16 June to protest against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s refusal to negotiate with the farmers.

The nationwide protests were the largest since the meltdown of the economy in 2001. They indicated that Fernández has completely lost the population’s support during her dispute with the rural sector, which has now lasted more than three months.

The Farc’s four disasters

The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc) is reeling from four hammer blows. The guerrilla group’s two most senior leaders – Manuel Marulanda and Raúl Reyes – died in March. Moreover, the Farc’s most powerful international supporter, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, has turned his back on the group, while the Farc’s most prominent defender in Colombia Senator Piedad Córdoba has been totally discredited.

The defeat of the Farc, Latin America’s oldest and most resilient guerrilla group, for the fi rst time appears to be a genuine possibility.

Fury of Opus Dei in Latin America

Lawyer Ives Gandra Martins da Silva, the principal exponent of the fascist sect Opus Dei in Brazil, is concerned about the advancement of the left in Latin America. In an angry article in the column Trends / Debates of Folha de Sao Paulo, he distilled hatred and prejudice against Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, Fidel Castro and Lula.

He took advantage to also criticize a “lack of preparation” of governments in the outside world and to offer his courses to a new generation of political leaders. “In this world plagued by false leaders and fantastic mediocrity, I think it is worth the idea, as I proposed in my book, a ‘school of government’ Funded by governments.

“ In the environment of right-wing defense, a merchandising for his lucrative business!

In his elitist point of view, “the world reaps, at present, a remarkable harvest of pseudo leaders, populist and unprepared, leading more or less developed nations exclusively based on the power of communication with the people, especially with the design less favored”. This harvest, according to the leader of the sect, would include “the histrionic Venezuelan president – capable of creating unnecessary resistance by being unable to control his sudden offenses – which transforms the Colombian drug traffi cking industry of kidnappings into ‘idealistic’ guerrillas. The same can be said of Morales, who also wants to perpetuate in the power that begins with his encyclopedic and truculent ignorance, to divide the nation.”

The influence of the fascist sect

After criticizing President Lula for raising taxes affecting mainly banks, Ives Gandra closed the Latin American harvest with another fascistic schizophrenia. “It is to remind you that the three presidents are friends of a dictator who was shot without trial – the homicides perpetrated in the famous’ paredóns’ – far more people than Pinochet.” Besides lying about the reality of human rights in Cuba, he cannot hide his sympathy for the dictatorial regime of Chile, which has always had the active support of Opus Dei. Even when he criticizes the “disaster-prone presidency of George W. Bush,” Ives Gandra alerts about “the risk of voting in another populist unprepared to carry out their objective”- perhaps in a sickly reference to Barack Obama.

­