Are Animal-Act Circuses Bad for Kids?
A thought provoking op-ed in The Miami Herald (written by a friend) highlights the animal cruelty prevalent in circuses that feature animal acts:
Fear and deprivation are inherent in the training of circus animals. You will not see a circus animal act without sticks, whips, electric prods or bullhooks. Watch for them. They may not be used in public, but they work because the animals have learned, over and over again, what they feel like.
When circus owners and promoters speak of using “positive reinforcement,” they don’t mention that for food rewards to be effective an animal must be experiencing intense hunger. Experimental psychologists know this. Partly because of such training and partly because of neglect, water and food deprivation are common, and death and disease are rampant.
No wonder several countries, including Austria, Costa Rica and Israel, have banned animal acts in circuses, as have a growing number of U.S. cities. Corporate sponsors such as MasterCard, Visa, General Mills and Sears have withdrawn their support.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has been repeatedly cited by the USDA for physical harm to animals, inadequate housing, failure to provide veterinary care, failure to provide for inspection of animals and records, and unsafe handling practices, meaning unsafe for the public. Good for kids?
Full article here.
And… We’re Live! Power Play on Cristina Radio SiriusXM Channel 146
I’m happy to share my first piece of big news for 2012: I’m co-hosting a new radio show on SiriusXM. My co-host is the smart and funny Bettina Inclán, who was recently named Director of Hispanic Outreach for the RNC. Our show airs on the newly launched Cristina Channel, named for Latina icon Cristina Saralegui and run by National Latino Broadcasting. From the release:
A new generation of political commentators from opposite sides of the aisle will face off in Power Play. Two fresh voices on the political scene, Republican Bettina Inclán and Democrat Alicia Menendez, serve up a savvy combination of politics, pop culture and social issues with a Latino twist. By sharing their unique perspectives as young Latina political strategists in the world of campaigns and elections, they provide listeners insider access to the 2012 elections and beyond. In addition, Power Play will cover the Republican primaries including broadcasting from some of the key races.
If you have SiriusXM, you can catch us live Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 pmET and rebroadcast throughout the week. You can also find us online at SiriusXM.com.
As always, a special “thank you” to my mother who is the only person listening at the moment and probably also the only person reading this blog post. Love you, Jane! xxx
Foreshadowing Some Big News!
More soon.
“Alternative to Romney” Race Heads to Florida
From my new piece at NBCLatino:
The “alternative to Romney” race will now drag the frontrunner through Florida, giving Republican Hispanics a legitimate opportunity to weigh in on their nominee and forcing Romney to find his way back to the middle on issues such as immigration faster than he would have liked.
Unlike the first three primary states, where Hispanics constitute less than 2% of the overall vote in each state, the Hispanic vote actually matters in Florida, even in a primary. In 2008, Florida’s Hispanic voters accounted for 12% of 2008 GOP primary voters; 54% broke for McCain, 24% for Giuliani, and only 14% for Romney.
In an effort to win over conservative voters, Romney has spent the past year espousing views formerly ascribed only to the GOP fringe, most recently promising to veto the DREAM Act. But as Florida approaches, Romney will need to pivot.
Romney’s Rejection of Choice Amounts to Harassment
From Politic365:
Poll after poll indicates that women swing voters are prioritizing bread and butter issues like jobs, the economy, healthcare and education over “social” issues like choice, immigration and gay rights.
But “personhood” initiatives and cuts to family planning programs aren’t just about reproductive freedom. This is a window into what the GOP and Mitt Romney represent and who would be protected in their America. By supporting such initiatives, Romney is telling women voters and their families that their freedom and rights over their own bodies — the freedom to protect one’s self from unintended pregnancy through safe and effective birth control, and the freedom to make the sad and impossible decision to terminate a life-threatening pregnancy — is of less importance to him than winning.
Read the full article here.
Family Secrets
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Video: I Get Sean Hannity to Admit That He Support Elements of the Obama Jobs Plan
From the way Conservative talk show host Sean Hannity criticizes President Obama’s jobs plan, you’d assume that there is literally nothing about this legislation that he finds appealing. This is interesting given how many elements of the plan are originally Republican proposals. But behold! I have discovered at least one matter on which Hannity supports the president: the payroll tax cut.
Want to learn more about how payroll tax cuts help to create jobs? Read this piece.
Who’s Afraid of Susana Martínez?
Susana Martínez, the first Latina governor in the United States, made waves earlier this month when she acknowledged that her grandparents had been undocumented immigrants. Immigration advocates, desperate to disarm Martínez, have pointed to her family history as a reason she should revisit her positions on immigration, including dropping her bid to repeal a state law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers’ licenses. Instead, this revelation seems to have upped the ante on Martínez ‘s anti-immigrant crusade. Recently, she took a swing at presidential hopeful Rick Perry for his support of in-state tuition for undocumented minors in Texas.
To believe that Martínez’s personal history would change her politics presumes that empathy or a recognition of hypocrisy — that she is a beneficiary of the very immigration loopholes that she is working to close — is enough to motivate Martinez to do the right thing. Quite the contrary. Anyone who has observed Martinez’s approach to immigration, stretching back to her campaign, would anticipate that begging Martinez to consider “her roots” only gives her an opportunity to prove once again that her actions are dictated by conviction — a tireless belief in law and order — over sentiment or identity. Why else would Martínez insist that the state Senate focus on this repeal during its 30 day special session when a similar repeal effort failed just months ago?
Upon learning of Martínez’s family history, one Democratic operative gleefully crowed, “She’s over.” National Republicans would never be able to promote someone whose personal story implicitly undermines the Republican narrative about undocumented immigrants destroying America. But Susana Martínez isn’t over. She’s just getting started. As Republicans try to strike a balance between courting the burgeoning Hispanic vote — particularly in important electoral college states like Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Florida and, yes, New Mexico — and shoring up their pro-enforcement, sometimes anti-immigrant base, who better to prove that these objectives are not mutually exclusive than a Latina governor, from a border state, who is nationally known for pushing restrictionist measures?
Video: On MSNBC Discussing the War on Everyday Americans
