A First Corrido on the Iraq War
El Norte Digest
NCM, News Digest, Compiled and Edited by Marcelo Ballve, Posted: Apr 23, 2003
“El Norte” is a weekly report on news and views from the Latino press and communities. Traducción en Español
- A First Corrido on the Iraq War
- Central America Angry Over Sale of Data to U.S.
- Puerto Rico in Uproar Over Gay Rights
- Military Drones May Patrol U.S.-Mexico Border
- Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Fetch High Prices in Colombia
A well-known singer of Mexican corridos, popular ballads that often deal with social issues, has authored what is thought to be the first song in the genre to deal with the war in Iraq. The Fresno, Calif.-based songwriter, Pedro Rivera, dedicated his track, “War for Peace”, to the Latinos that died in the conflict, according to an April article in San Diego Spanish-language weekly, Enlace.
Enlace reported that Rivera had written the corrido at the personal request of María Celeste Arrarás, host of Al Rojo Vivo, a top-rated TV newsmagazine broadcast by U.S. Spanish-language network Telemundo.
“She asked me for it on Thursday, April 3, after seeing what happened with the Hispanics who died in battle, and I sat down that Friday and that same afternoon it was ready for taping in Los Angeles,” said Rivera, according to Enlace.
Corridos are sometimes known for their biting commentary. Rivera said that his corrido War for Peace, or Guerra por la Paz, was an elegy for the immigrant soldiers who died for their adopted country. But he also criticized the attitude of many Mexicans, who he said seemed too willing to sacrifice their lives in order to live the “American Dream,” since active military duty is thought to be a quick way to U.S. citizenship.
Central America Angry Over Sale of Data to U.S.
In Central America, the alleged illegal sale of private information, which made its way to U.S. data companies and the U.S. government, has triggered investigations and fears that the data will be used by U.S. officials to track down undocumented immigrants of Central American origin.
Nicaragua’s major daily, La Prensa, which is distributed in some parts of the United States, alleged in an April 19 investigative report that a Guatemalan company, Infor.net, had been freely selling private data on Nicaraguans, including top government officials, political figures and ordinary citizens. The article said the personal data — which included property ownership, criminal background and debt information — was sold to the highest bidder, including firms that supply data to the U.S. government. As part of its investigation, La Prensa said, reporters accessed Infor.net and its database, and were able to determine that Nicaragua’s police chief owed money to two banks.
In neighboring Honduras, Interior Minister Jorge Hernández said he was investigating the company Choice Point for the “serious crime” of selling confidential data, which was supplied to U.S. government agencies, according to an article by French news agency AFP, published by New York City Spanish-language daily, Hoy. Hernández said he feared the information could be used to monitor undocumented Hondurans in the United States.
Puerto Rico in Uproar Over Gay Rights
A series of legal cases has sparked a debate over gay rights in Puerto Rico, the U.S. island territory in the Caribbean. The Spanish-speaking island of 3.8 million, with deep-rooted religious traditions, has traditionally been more conservative than the U.S. mainland.
An April 20 column by Iván Román, bureau chief on the island for El Sentinel, the South Florida Spanish-language weekly, focused on the battle over gay rights being fought in island courts, amid street demonstrations on both sides of the issue.
A narrow majority decision by the Puerto Rico Supreme Court decided that gay couples did not fit the legal definition of marriage, and so abuse in same-sex unions could not be considered under spousal abuse statutes. Another issue is whether anti-sodomy laws, still on the books in Puerto Rico, will be preserved, although a majority of U.S. states have struck them down.
The overriding issue, according to Román, is whether Puerto Ricans will accept gays as integral members of their society and offer them legal protection from discrimination.
Puerto Rico Justice Secretary Anabelle Rodríguez asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision on spousal abuse, saying that gays needed equal protection.
But gay-rights opponents felt vindicated. "The legal matters are just one battle front. Ours is moral,” the Rev. Jorge Raschke, a Protestant minister, was quoted as saying. “This is not San Francisco. What we want is for our culture in Puerto Rico to be respected."
Military Drones May Patrol U.S.-Mexico Border
In a development that is sure to alarm human rights activists, The Arizona Republic reported that there is momentum building in the U.S. Congress to approve patrols by unmanned military aircraft along the border with Mexico.
The paper cited Rep. John Shadegg, an Arizona Republican and member of the new Homeland Security Committee who said, “I am extremely supportive of the idea.” Powerful Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia also authored a letter to President Bush, saying that he found the idea of drone patrols along the border, “compelling,” the paper said.
Military helicopters such as the Black Hawk have sometimes conducted reconnaissance and anti-drug missions along the border. But so far concerns for privacy and civil liberties have been a factor, besides the expense involved, in blocking any such flights by drones like the Predator, which has been used in Afghanistan and Yemen to fire missiles at suspected terrorists.
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, also quoted by the newspaper said, “You may see unmanned drones” on the border. Ever since Sept. 11, U.S. officials have focused on employing more technology solutions to gain control of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.
Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Fetch High Prices in Colombia
The hottest new commodities in Colombia’s sophisticated security market are highly trained bomb-sniffing dogs, which are in such demand that their prices are skyrocketing and some companies have been caught selling fakes. The dogs are used at shopping malls, hotels and dance clubs to detect explosives and calm clients’ fears after a rash of rebel attacks in urban areas, El Nuevo Herald, the Miami-based Spanish-language daily, reported April 22.
The paper said the price of the bomb-sniffing dogs had increased by 500 percent over recent months, after a car bomb attack earlier this year on the El Nogal private club in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, where 36 people died. The dogs typically begin training only 16 hours after they are born, when they are made to sniff different classes of explosives, before being suckled, so that the dogs associate the smell of bombs with the reward of food, the paper said. A well-trained bomb sniffing dog can sell for up to $10,000.
The demand for the dogs is so high that some unscrupulous security companies have sold “fake” bomb-sniffing dogs that had not received proper training, the paper said. The dogs have found 250 tons of explosives nationwide in 2002 and the first months of 2003. The main rebel group, the FARC, has offered a $500 bounty for every bomb-sniffing canine that is killed.
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