Andres Useche's blog

some behind-the-scenes photos from films and vids I've directed

2011-11-01T06:09:00.001-07:00

I recently wrote a song in support of the DREAM Act that I hope record very soon and share it along with the music video. I'm also writing a feature film and I'll be posting some videos but in the meantime here are some behind-the-scenes photos of some of the projects I've had the pleasure to direct:

Sylvia Earle, Jennifer Aniston, Tatiana Hurtado, Sergio Naranjo, Naomi Watts, primazo/DP Brian Torres, James Gandolfini, Paul Rudd, Hayden Panettiere, producer Fisher Stevens, Woody Harrelson, Ben Stiller, Jason Mraz,Lina Esco, Courteney Cox, Mariska Hargitay

trailer for our Human Rights film "Aun Aqui" / avance de "Aún aquí" /UPDATED w/film

2011-06-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is the first TRAILER for " Aun Aqui " (Still Here) a film that depicts the plight of a young anti-war activist kidnapped in Colombia, South America and tells of her family's struggle to find her. Beyond politics, the film focuses instead on the basic universal human need for freedom. The prisoner holds on to her memories, attempting to retain her identity and her sanity but with the passage of time her sense of self fades and she discovers that we don't vanish when we are abducted but when we are forgotten. Her family may be dealing with limited possibilities and growing powerlessness but sometimes, what little we can do can make all the difference. "Aun Aqui".

1st trailer for "Aun Aqui" (aka "Still Here"),a film written, directed and scored by Andres Useche, the film stars Tatiana Hurtado, Sergio Naranjo and Martha Arcila Rincon.
It was produced by Andres Useche with Diseño Visual, la Universidad de Caldas, with art, cinematography and set construction by Imagen Mobil. Edited by Brian Torres and Andres Useche.
Full credits at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666561/fullcredits

Trailer edited by Andres Useche and Brian Torres.
Trailer Music written by Andres Useche and produced by George Shaw.

/trailer promocional de "Aún aquí", un corto dirigido por Andres Useche y producido con la Universidad de Caldas,con arte, iluminacion y escenografia por Imagen Mobil de Diseno Visual, cinematografia de Jaime Cesar Espinosa y edicion de Brian Torres y Andres Useche.
creditos completos en http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666561/fullcredits

poster, a few stills and behind the scenes photos:

Some behind the Scenes photos:

Andrés Useche (escritor/director) : "Este tributo a los desaparecidos y a sus familias es también un llamado al activismo pacifico. Hecho sin fondos ni sueldos, este cortometraje protagonizado por Tatiana Hurtado Ariza y Sergio Naranjo Velásquez es producto de la labor academica de los estudiantes de artes escénicas y de diseño visual de la Universidad de Caldas que participaron bajo mi dirección y a todos ellos quiero extenderles mi muy sincera gratitud.
los creditos completos (y algunas fotos detras-de-camaras) pueden verse en:
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666561/

ENGLISH:This is a tribute to the disappeared and the families of those kidnapped. It is also a call to peaceful activism. This is a no-budget student film starring Tatiana Hurtado Ariza and Sergio Naranjo Velásquez. It is the work of students from Visual Design and Performing arts of Universidad de Caldas in Colombia, who participated under my direction and to all of them I extend my sincere gratitude. For the full credits please visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1666561/

CREDITS
Writer, Director, Composer:
Andrés Useche
Cast:Tatiana Hurtado Ariza,Sergio Naranjo Velasquez,Martha Arcila Rincon,Juanita Garcia, Juan Salvador Mejia Carmona .Crew:Produced by:Andrés Useche, Departamento de Diseno Visual, Universidad de Caldas
Film Editing by: Brian Torres, Andrés Useche
Art and utilities: Carlos-Mario Arias-Monsalve, Paula-Andrea Betancourt-Prada, Mariana Botero-Arango, Leonardo Cardona-Florez, Leonardo Cardona-Florez, Alexa Chica-Montes, Diego-Armando Espitia-Chica, Harvey-Camilo Gonzalez-Vargas, Harvey-Camilo Gonzalez-Vargas, Juan-Camilo Martinez-Correa. Logo designer:Camilo Cadena
Photography by Jaime César Espinosa, Camera and Electrical Department:Harold-David Corrales-Villalobos .... lighting technician. Assistant Production Manager Juliana Gil Mejia

Oceans: Sylvia Earle's Journey (video)

2010-08-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Oceans - Sylvia Earle's Journey from Andres Useche on Vimeo.

As a director on this I had the amazing opportunity to learn directly from a true environmental hero, Sylvia Earle. Please heed her words of wisdom about the beauty and fragility of our marine life, watch Disney's Oceans, vote, volunteer or donate at takepart.com and support the Deep Search Foundation at deepdeep.org Please choose sustainable, healthy seafood.
Thank you
Andres

For Immigration Reform: Marching into the Light (Music Video) + tv interview

2010-07-08T08:51:00.001-07:00

I wrote this song in protest of SB1070. (UPDATE: Congratulations Arizona on voting Russell Pearce OUT of office! ) Share this video in support of immigration reform and the DREAM Act and please join us in the struggle to end discrimination and prejudice. (Free song download on music player on the left column <<<< )Let's cherish the diversity which has always been a part of these United States and which has propelled this nation into becoming, at its best, a beacon of hope, uniting our common dreams of equality and freedom for all. A. U.

SONG CREDITS: "Marching into the Light" Music and Lyrics by Andres Useche / Lead vocals and guitar: Andres Useche /
/Recorded and produced by: George Shaw. / Back-up Vocals: Oya Thomas, Hilary Fraser- Thomson, Valerie Stern, Grace J. Lee, Dawen Wang, Paul Kwo/ Electric Guitar: Eugene Huang /Piano, sequences: George Shaw

VIDEO CREDITS: Written and Directed by: Andres Useche / Edited by: Brian Torres and Andres Useche / Cinematography by: Martin Linss, Brian Torres, Andres Useche. Still photography by: Vinh Tran, Andres Useche, Bill Barber cc. Some shots by Eric Byler and Annabel Park also appear on the 9500 Liberty documentary. Special Thanks to : Carolina Camargo, Gabriela Ortiz.

Andres Useche interview on Immigration reform:

The Cove: My Friend is... (our new short) w/ Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Ben Stiller, Jason Mraz et al + interview

2010-04-22T01:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day! I recently directed "My Friend is..." and you can watch it here:

an interview i gave about why we were compelled to make it can be found here:http://mashable.com/2010/04/22/the-cove-psa/

You can take action to help save these dolphins. Please sign the petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/724/210/624/

Please share and repost our video! It features Jennifer Aniston, Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rudd, Ben Stiller, Woody Harrelson, Jason Mraz, Robin Williams, Naomi Watts, Courtney Cox , Mariska Hargitay, James Gandolfini, John Leguizamo, Evan Handler, Russell Simmons, James Kyson Lee, Rob Morrow, Tamlyn Tomita, Carrie Ann Inaba, Chris Tashima, and Richard Kind and others.

Here are the credits

Director: Andres Useche
Producer: Fisher Stevens, Chris Gartin, Lina Esco
Editor: Brian Torres, Andres Useche
Camera: Brian Torres, Derek Doneen
Original Music: Andres Useche, Trevor Wayne Howard
Re-recording Engineer: Greg Morgenstein

( Este es uno de los mas recientes videos que he dirigido, es una colaboracion con el productor ganador del Oscar Fisher Stevens, Lina Esco y Take Part e incluye todos los talentosos actores y musicos mencionadas mas arriba. Espero les guste y lo compartan. En el link mas arriba tambien se puede una entrevista que di sobre mi rol como director y el proyecto. gracias por ayudarnos )

Some behind the scenes photos:

nuevo articulo y portada de revista / new article and magazine cover

2009-12-21T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ayer salio un articulo nuevo sobre mi trabajo, y tambien una foto en la pagina principal de la revista Semana, un screen capture de la portada se puede ver aqui:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3091119&l=bddfa3e99c&id=602103891
y el articulo completo se puede leer aqui :
http://www.conexioncolombia.com/andres-useche-activista-cineasta-y-musico.html
Felices fiestas!
Andres

Above you'll find two links to a new magazine cover and article about my work.

Happy Holidays!

Andres

Esta noche en 96.3 FM, entrevista y retrospectiva

2009-09-09T10:13:00.000-07:00

Puedes escuchar una entrevista que dí a 96.3 FM, con retrospectiva de mi carrera esta noche a las 8 pm, .

Hour-long radio program tonight, which includes extensive interview and a career retrospective of yours truly.

music: Nine Inch Nails + Andres Useche (w kdna) = El Principio del Final

2009-08-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

You can now hear both Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and yours truly (Andres Useche with KDNA) on the song "El Principio del Final"
This second mix of the song can also be downloaded for free here or at this Nine Inch Nails website: http://remix.nin.com/play/mix?id=18075

check out new songs

2009-06-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

You can now find my new song "Soul of an Android" at my official website: www.andresuseche.com

Also new is the new rock version of Waking Shadows
that I have yet to record vocals for.

Videos: TV news interviews about our Obama grassroots efforts, songs, videos and what comes next

2009-04-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Two Interviews about the role of our videos and song played during the Obama campaign, about my career and about what comes next for all of us who volunteered.

Video:

Below is another, shorter interview I gave later that day (the day after performances on Obama's inaugural galas):
Video:

You can find the full music video question "Si se Puede Cambiar" at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ky8Hvq-F0U
and the later english version at Will.i.am's website
http://dipdive.com/member/Andres-Useche/tv/

In the second Univision interview I spoke also about the meaning of this democratic victory and the need for our continued engagement to be able to seize this opportunity to make real lasting change.

La entrevista en espanol para Agenda Washington (Univision) fue relizada en Enero 21, 2009. In the interview I also mentioned working with United for Obama and pointed to our page on youtube, I also want to praise the amazing work of Eric Byler and Annabel Park specifically.

Photos from both interviews

VIDEO: Our Obama Inaugural gala performances: sneak peek

2009-02-20T00:34:00.000-08:00

Footage from two of the Obama songs we performed at one of the inaugural galas we played in DC.

Here is our live rendition of the Si, Se Puede Cambiar song that I wrote during the primaries:

I wrote this next song specifically for Obama's inauguration as the president of the United sates. We premiered at the second Inaugural Ball I played, at Capitol Hill in Washinton DC.

Thanks to Zhibo who shot this and got it to us.

The band:
Andres Useche (vocals, guitar)
Mela Lee (backing vocals)
Karin Anna Cheung (backing vocals)
Tom Von Doom (bass)
Alex Burke (Keyboard)
Jason Throop (Drums)

At Will.i.am's Worlds on Fire party.

2009-02-04T14:59:00.000-08:00

At Will.i.am's Worlds on Fire party.

Aqui hay una entrevista en video que le di al canal de Will.i.am: Dipdive.

More Presidential Inauguration photos: Washington DC

2009-02-01T21:52:00.000-08:00

Blurry cellphone photos of some historical times:

Andres on TV channel 14 at 6 pacific, in DC giving an inteview about performing at Inaugural galas + more photos

2009-01-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

For more photos check last post.

More photos on last post (and more coming up:

Photos: Andres performs at Obama 2 Presidential Inaugural Galas and more DC

2009-01-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

Photos from Inaugural performances and from some of the TV interviews:

The band
Andres Useche (vocals and guitar)
Alex Burke (keyboards)
Mela Lee Clinton McClean (b. vocals)
Karin Anna Cheung (b. vocals)
Tom Staunton (bass)
Jason Throop (drums)

Ticket info: Andres in Washington DC to perform at two Presidential Inaugural Galas

2009-01-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

I landed in Washington last night and received a call to confirm my participation at The Latino Inaugural Gala Celebration at the Organization of America States(OAS) in Washington DC on January 19th.
You can purchase tickets online here:
http://www.puente-latino.com/gala/sale_ticket1.php
Some wonderful musicians will join me on the 20th to perform at the Presidential Inaugural Gala and Ball "We The People" at Capitol Hill.
You can get tickets to that here:
http://www.wethepeoplegala.com/tickets.html

I will be performing "Si, Se Puede Cambiar" and a brand new song written specifically for this momentous ocassion, the inauguration of our new President Barack Obama.

Si, Se Puede!
Thank you
Andres

I'll be giving a LIVE TV news interview today at 2pm pacific

2008-12-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

You can tune in to Mega News on the channel Mega TV (on Direct TV, and cable)
at 2pm to hear me speak about Barack Obama, my upcoming presidential inaugural show and more.

Andres confirmed to perform at OBAMA Presidential Innagural Gala and Ball

2008-12-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

I've accepted an invitation to perform at OBAMA Presidential Inaugural Gala and Ball: "We The People" on Jan 20th, at Capitol Hill , Washington DC.
I hope to see you there. Will share more details as they come.

Everyone who was A VOLUNTEER and wants to attend contact me privately.
I am going through a few other invitations to perform and will more than likely be in DC from the 15th to the 26th so i hope to see everyone at those performances or after.

A new interview I gave about my participation in the Obama movement and my earlier career is coming out today. I will post that later on.

Si!
Se Puede!

San Francisco and return to Pixar

2008-11-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

PHOTOS:

Meetings at Pixar : photos

2008-11-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

OBAMA VICTORY: a personal flashback celebration + new photos and interview links

2008-11-16T21:48:00.001-08:00

We did it. An NEW DAY is dawning... but this is only the beginning. As Barack so eloquently put it " This is victory alone is not the change we seek, it is only the chance to make that change" and under his leadership we MUST seize this opportunity to make it a reality. With Obama, Si, Se Puede!
A look back:

Battleground Victory: Governor Tim Kane, members of our United For Obama group's rejoice as Obama wins Virginia and the White house on November 4th, 2008:

volunteers translated and subtitled Si, Se Puede Cambiar into German, and you can find that video here, Korean , Vietnamese , in French , in Chinese , a multilingual version in eight languages:

A few updates:

Brazilian magazine Veja , Obama article

Interview I gave to KCAL News / CBS about the Palin-Biden debate

Link to the video:
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=79092@kcbs.dayport.com

A lengthy Spanish TV NEWS INTERVIEW I gave on Obama and the song can be found at:
http://www.mega.tv/EkEFEFkZVVutcLgLMP.html

More press related to our efforts:

From the Austin Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle

The Dallas Morning News

We want you: Election rocks to a new Latin beat

The Honolulu Star Bulletin

Here is a NEW link for a extensive newspaper interview I gave about Obama and my song (in Spanish), which came out today on print and at http://www.lapatria.com/Noticias/ver_noticia.aspx?CODNOT=52844&CODSEC=31

A related post-election radio interview that I gave in Spanish as well:
http://www.rcn.com.co/noticia.php3?nt=28050

A related article I wrote in English will come out in a print magazine in December, more details later. For now I leave you with some pictures, links and videos from my experiences trying to get Barack elected.
Thanks to all of you who voted, volunteered or otherwise supported soon-to-be President Obama!

Cellphone picture of Barack Obama's first appearance after being
elected for President of the United States on November 4:

Will.i.am put our video on his blog at www.dipdive.com/dip-approved/?p=15
Our subsequent Obama video is also up on his site: http://dipdive.com/member/Andres-Useche/tv/

Phonebanking right up to election day: Nov 4, 2008

For many more New Andres / Obama pictures here

MAKE HISTORY TODAY! Vote for change! Obama 08

2008-11-04T09:11:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready to phonebank all day today and hope you are getting ready to vote and volunteer. We've come a long way but it's not time to let up. Make history today, if you are in the USA and can vote, make your voice heard! Take a stand against a McCain and Palin, and the continuation of Bush policies they represent. Stand against illegal, pre-emtive wars and the unjust economic policies that benefit only the richest who don't need the help and destroy the middle class. Vote instead for affordable healthcare for everyone, for a tax CUT for 95 percent of working families, for college education for all, vote for change, vote for OBAMA 08 and bring about positive change to this world. Si, Se Puede!
Incidently I just got a message telling me that the latest version of my Si, Se Puede Cambiar video is on the front page of the www.dailykos.com today. Please visit and live your comments.
But most importantly own this election and stand on the right side of history.OBAMA 08!

My NEW OBAMA MUSIC VIDEO!

2008-10-31T04:07:00.000-07:00

The english version of Si, Se Puede Cambiar with lots of new footage (specially the later part). Please help us share this video and spread the word. OBAMA 08!

Download my new pro-OBAMA song for free and help spread the word: OBAMA/BIDEN 08..

2008-10-20T15:59:00.001-07:00

I just uploaded the new English version of my pro-Obama song Si, Se Puede Cambiar , you can hear it and download the MP3 here:
http://www.virb.com/useche
It's the first song.
Special thanks to Ben Joseph for flying in from Chicago to record this, getting us a studio and being my ideal collaborator. Thanks to Tom Vondoom for playing bass.
hope you guys and gals like it and spread it around... we are almost there! Election's coming up around the corner!
Will try to edit a music video and have it up soon! GO OBAMA!

After Debates OBAMA/BIDEN come out on top! + My views on KCAL news and CBS2

2008-10-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

According to CBS, CNN and FOX Obama WON the final debate by the biggest margin yet. Click here for CBS link

Watch the FINAL Obama/McCain debate HERE

Before that, i was interviewed by KCAL News / CBS about the Palin-Biden debate ( a few days ago while that debate was happening ):

Link to the video:
http://cbs2.com/video/?id=79092@kcbs.dayport.com
(more about that below).

I watched last night's presidential debate at Boulevard 3, in Hollywood (Thanks Becca and LACYD for the invite).

AFter the final debate:
"90 Percent," which features footage from the final debate, highlights how McCain voted with Bush 90 percent of the time. Click to WATCH

To see McCain defend his allegiance to Bush on Fox news, CLICK HERE

Back to Palin: On the VP debate we learned that can recite a memorized script and read her answers but it became obvious she couldn't articulate her own ideas. She avoided questions, often saying "what i want to talk about is blah, blah blah". There were no follow ups from the moderator(Republicans arranged this beforehand) so she could stick to her talking points. Her only spontaneous answer was that non-sense about the role and powers of the VicePresident. Her answer was not only wrong, unconstitutional but also dangerous, going further than Cheney has done so far. Even with her parroted talking points she was unable to articulate anything of substance, a health-care plan, an exit plan from Iraq, nothing, and I'm glad Joe Biden called her up on it.
If she doesn't show her own grasp of the issues, how could anybody feel comfortable about being a 72-year-old's heartbeat away from the presidency? She certainly hasn't done anything to erase these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrzXLYA_e6E

Biden on the other hand hammered home the importance of really changing the party ruling Washington and hit a home run revealing their Maverick claims for what they are, hollow political slogans to try divert from the fact that John McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time.

Thanks to Becca Dotten and LA County Young Democrats for inviting me to the debate-watching party. Here I'm pictured with her and State Controller John Chiang.

Just for fun:
What if McCain was elected and god-forbid something happened and Palin
became president? Click HERE for the answer (scary and hilarious).

Will.I.Am and Andres Useche: Yes we Can meets Si Se Puede Cambiar

2008-09-19T15:33:00.001-07:00

Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and yours truly. He first came to know me from my pro-Obama video Si, Se Puede Cambiar, which he put on his website DipDive long before he met me. This is the link www.dipdive.com/dip-approved/?p=15
He also put me on the hope.act.change poster and their website...

http://www.hopeactchange.com/media/view/4319
Will, a multiple Grammy award-winner, is the creator of the Wonderful YES WE CAN Obama video and a great, down to earth guy with a heart in the right place. In the photo up top we were throwing up peace signs but, alas, we were framed too closely.

We connected because we see eye to eye on the crisis this country is going through and agree on the way we can all help to move it forward. Obama 08 is an impotant part of that.
Here is his video Yes We Can and mine Si Se Puede Cambiar below
Yes We Can by Will.I.Am

Si Se Puede Cambiar by Andres Useche

and as an extra, here's Will.I.Am's and the Black Eyed Peas' "Where is the Love?" which he put out after we begun unjust and deceitful war.

We're doing all we can to make sure that we're all focused on the critical issues, the war and the economy and not he pity attacks the Republicans are using to try to distract the population. Time to think more about our economy and less about lipstick.
Si Se Puede!

Andres and Governor Bill Richardson working to get Obama elected in Las Vegas, great times with APAP and AAPI too

2008-09-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

I went to Las Vegas to volunteer and perform for Obama and had the pleasure of meeting with former presidential candidate Governor Bill Richardson, who turned out to be a big fan of my pro-Obama video "Si Se Puede Cambiar" which incidentally has surpassed the 350,000 viewer mark on youtube.
Thanks to my friends at APAP, AAPI and everybody responsible for organizing this trip. It was great meeting all of you. It's the home stretch and we have to keep at it, keep on with our struggle for greater justice and equality by making Barack Obama the next president of the United States of America. Si, Se puede!

new Andres / Obama photos

2008-08-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

meeting with Christian Bale

2008-07-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

I met with Bale in Culver City during the short break he to took while filming Terminator Salvation shoot, right before going to the Dark Knight premiere in London.
He was sporting the John Connor look and the first thing i said was
that I never thought I'd see his name and McG's together on the same credit sequence. Christian was developing a fascinating and challenging body of work, and putting him and the terminator franchise under the helm of the director of Charlie's Angels, wasn't exactly the most logical step to me. After a short silence, Christian assured me this was very different from everything McGinty, as he refers to him, had done so far. I kept the faith. I was hoping with with Bale on the lead and Johnathan Nolan's and Paul Harris' passes on the script, Salvation could prove a pleasant surprise.

But we mainly talked about other projects: Killing Pablo... Bale had been in talks with Joe Carnahan on this story of Colombian Mafioso Pablo Escobar, he said he loved the script but producers want to place many name actors in roles that Christian feels should go to unknown Colombian actors. He mentioned a rift between how "hollywood", or how realistic the movie should be, with Carnahan and Bale on one side and the suits on the other... guess who's on which side? Yup, as most of you know both Bale and Carnahan have shown great artistic integrity throughout their careers. Christian doesn't paint the producers as villains at all, merely recognizes that they are thinking simply in terms of money, that's it. Oh, and also, there is the issue of timing. Oliver Stone is competing with a similar project based on another book related to the events. We also talked a lot about writing and in particular the work of Joe's brother, Matthew Carnahan who we very much admire as a writer.

I greatly admire director Werner Herzog 's career (and he recently collaborated with Bale on Rescue Dawn) and was glad to hear he and Christian are good friends and were in the very early stages of developing another project together. Here's hoping more Herzog/Bale collaborations materialize. He was very friendly to me and his wife Sibi is an absolute sweetheart.
That's it, gotta go!

Film Festival photo + Miami Herald article

2008-07-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

At the DGA where our video was screened during the Asian Pacific Film Festival -

From left to right: Jack Song, Phil Yu, Panney Wei, Andres Useche, Tamlyn Tomita, Amyn Kaderali, Christine Chen, Warren Fu.

+

Election rocks to a new Latin beat for Obama
We want you: Election rocks to a new Latin beat

A new article by Jordan Levin that came out in today's Miami Herald talks about Latino musicians, actors and celebrities who are getting involved in the U.S. presidential campaign to an unprecedented degree this year, from voter-registration campaigns to online music videos for Barack Obama, the candidate drawing the most support from young Latinos.
This article references and/or quotes rocker Juanes, actress Rosario Dawson, singer Alejandro Saenz, Merengue legend Juan Luis Guerra, Mexican Rock band Mana, film actor John Leguizamo, pop singer Paulina Rubio, tv actor Wilmer Valderrama, Comedian George Lopez, producer Andres Levin, and filmmaker and signer-songwriter Andres Useche (yours truly).
A shorter online version of the article can be found at:

http://www.miamiherald.com/1043/story/585707.html

Si, Se Puede !

Newscast video of Andres Speaking live about Barack Obama

2008-06-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Here's the link:

http://www.mega.tv/EkEFEFkZVVutcLgLMP.html

It will stream in windows media, I'll try to upload a flash version at some point.
Here are some stills and a rough transcript English translation for non-Spanish speakers:

Maria Regina:
And now we go to Los Angeles where
we have singer-songwriter Andres Useche who supports
Barack Obama and demonstrates it clearly with a
song he composed about the senator.
Welcome Andres, tell us what drew you to Barack Obama's candidacy?

Andres:
Thank you Maria Regina, the first thing that made a big impression on me was his early opposition to the war in Iraq. He displayed very sound judgment regarding the global situation when he foresaw what would happen there and also what would happen with Al Qaeda in the surrounding countries, also I thought he came across as a very honest person, who, for example, defended Latinos in front of a predominately African-American audience at Martin Luther King's church, as well as in the debates seen around the world, which led me to believe that he wasn't just fishing for the votes of whatever audience happened to be in front of him, but that he stood for what he believed was right, which is that we should accept the great diversity in this country and around the world, and reach a greater understanding among all nations and that he was communicating this attitude to the different groups.

And regarding the economy, he's shown he doesn't want to just put a temporary band-aid
to try to solve our grave problems which include the gasoline prices rising, and the economy declining, but he wants to follow through with a true energy revolution which is possible and he's figured out how to pay for, it seems to me that he can accomplish it if we all get involved. An important aspect of Barack Obama's candidacy is that he has brought in a lot of people into the fold that were never part of this process, like me, I never thought I would get involved politically, I was more or less well informed but a figure like him, honest, clear and eloquent, was needed to galvanize this young community from around the US who are struggling and are the ones who are going to make sure that all these promises are kept.

Camilo: I want to ask you, sorry to interrupt you... You've made an extraordinarily positive analysis of Obama, but we have to remind of viewers, to provide full disclosure, that Mr. Obama is in favor of building the wall along the US, Mexico border and that he would require that illegal immigrants learn English as a condition to legalize their situation. But aside from that, I want to ask you how how it's going for you with this song for Obama, popularity-wise...

Maria Regina:
Yeah because, it's one thing to support
(Camilo: Is that a fly? It's John McCain. McCain sent a fly in here! LAUGHTER)

It's one thing to support a candidate but to actually write a song for him and put it out there is something else, how is it going with that?

Andres:
The truth is that I'm not the only one, and it's to Barack Obama's credit that he's inspired so many of us to use whatever talents or abilities we have to push this movement forward. It's also important to mention, regarding what you said before about immigration, that we have two options right now, Barack Obama and John McCain.

And as you can see McCain has devolved, he has regressed to the far right to cater to that group with xenophobic, we could say, anti-immigrant tendencies, his perspective has changed so much, so sincerely I think, right now the clear choice, for us Latinos is Barack Obama.

Maria Regina:
Andres, to return to Camilo's question... is it going well with the song?

Camilo:
Have they played it on the radio?

Andres:
They have played it on the radio, and there are opportunities for me to write other songs for other causes I think are very important, but to me more than a professional accomplishment I had something to say and had to find a way to say it,
Often times we think we can't do anything, we let cynicism overcome us and we stay static, and truth is that there is so much we can do, whether you can sing or not, if you can stand up and join a group, it doesn't have to be Barack Obama's, whoever it is that you support, I think every person has the power to do something, make a call, invite or take someone to vote, it is something very important we can do, to get involved to achieve a better democracy.

Camilo (to Maria Regina):
It's cool that young people are doing this uh? People say that young people are apathetic, but here's an example of the youth getting involved in the electoral process.

Maria Regina:
And it's very true, what he is saying that no matter who you are going for, it's important to come out, to vote and that our voice is heard. Andres, I think that if someone from the Obama campaign is listening to us right now, they should get in touch with you, really.

Camilo:
Or from McCain's, you never know.

Andres:
No, no, not McCain.

Camilo:
No, but if democracy...

Maria Regina (to Camilo):
But it became perfectly clear that McCain isn't... at least to him... isn't an option.

Camilo:
I'm just saying... they might say they didn't like that, and they would like another...

Andres:
Maybe another against McCain.

Camilo:
Thank you very much

Andres:
You welcome, thank you Camilo and Maria

--

Upon watching it I also realize that I should have found a way to talk about my collaborators, Eric Byler, Warren Fu, Annabel Park, Loni Pham etc... or at least bring up the name of our song which the anchors never mentioned... but I'm happy I got out some of the more important stuff i wanted to say.

Go Obama

OBAMA wins: A personal look back at the primaries plus Barack speaks about the road ahead

2008-06-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

This is the end of a journey and the beginning of an even greater and transcendent struggle. All of us Democrats, independents and disgruntled Republicans must make our stand against McCain's policy of war and economic inequality.
It's our time to turn hope into action and dream into reality.

Here' are some personal flashbacks from the primaries:
(with cameos in the video or photos by Kerry Washington, , Hill Harper , Tatyana Ali , Jasmine Guy ,
and Eric Byler ,
Ken Leung,
Kal Penn
Kelly Hu
Annabel Park, State Senator Gil Cedillo, Wendy Carrillo, Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama and Barack Obama
and many, many others):

Above: In a more intimate setting Barack addresses HQ staff and volunteers about the path we've traveled, and the road ahead.

Hillary Clinton concedes:

I for one am grateful for Hillary Clinton's gracious speech and regardless of aggressions of the past, I welcome the Clinton supporters into the fold. We stand united against the war and against inequality. We stand together against the Bush-McCain domestic and foreign policies that have proved so disastrous. We seek, along with many independents and disgruntled Republicans, to turn the page and embrace a new era, when it is the majority of people of this nation, and this world that are the main beneficiaries of their and our collective efforts and not just the wealthiest.

VIDEO: Barack Obama becomes the Democratic nominee for President of the United States:

Something that might help bring those Latinos still making up their minds is Hillary's full endorsement and support of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Here they are on their first joint appearance of the general elections:

click here for the second part, Barack's speech

Si, Se Puede!

VIDEO: The Story of Stuff

2008-05-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

A fun and clear vision of economy and its impact on society and the environment.

Get the complete higher resolution version here:
http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Finally: EDWARDS ENDORSES OBAMA

2008-05-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Finally. Another strong ally joins our ranks in the race for the white house.
Hopefully this will help counter the, let's call it for what it is: the racist (anti)-vote. People who would vote for Hillary or Edwards in the General election because of these candidates' economic positions which are more middle-class and blue-collar friendly than McCain's, but would vote for McCain and not Obama despite the fact that Edwards and even Clinton emphatically claim that Barack is much closer in his approach to the economy than the Republican candidate. I'm not talking about the "hard working, white blue collar workers" which Clinton alludes to, but more clearly and specifically to people (white, blue-collar or otherwise) who in the scientific MSNBC poll admitted openly that race was an issue not to vote for Barack Obama. That's called racism and this irrationality could cause many to vote against their economic interests in November. It is this close-mindedness and bigotry which must be transcended for true progress to take place in this country. We can do better than that.

John Edwards to endorse Barack Obama

2008-05-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

Not only does Edwards say in the following video "I already voted for 'im" , when referring to the person he will endorse (around the 9:45 minute mark)... but when pressed earlier why he hadn't endorsed before he said "I might have missed something but I think Barack Obama has done pretty well without my endorsement". (around the 1:00 minute mark)
Judge for yourself:

What is more of a surprise is why Edwards didn't endorse Obama earlier when since while on the trail he delineated clearly the three candidates' positions. Edwards sided with Barack, calling him another agent of change, and said both of them were facing Hillary who represents the Status Quo.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BARACK and BARACKY, Hillarious, and sometimes, somewhat TRUE!

2008-05-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Empire Strikes Barack

And baRACKY

End Explotation and Trafficking : You are all I need video by RADIOHEAD

2008-05-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

VIDEO: McCain Endorser Pastor Hagee... doesn't this guy deserve more scrutiny?

2008-05-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

VIDEOS: John McCain Vs. John McCain

2008-04-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

VIDEOS:Obama on Fox News Sunday / Fox News Vs. Obama attack compilation

2008-04-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Fox news attacks on Barack Obama (a compilation and fact check):

Obama on Fox News Sunday ( Today: 4/27/08 )

part1

part 2

part 3

Part 4

Join Barack Obama, Will.i.am, myself and thousands of others calling for CHANGE

2008-04-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

You can now join Barack Obama, Will.i.am, John Legend, The Kennedys, Christine Chavez, Natalie Cole, Nia Long, Nikka Costa, myself and thousands of others calling for CHANGE:

Click HERE to join the conversation, to be part of will.i.am's video, watch my own "Si Se Puede Cambiar" (at Video Inspirations, leave your own video or text message, post a picture and connect to the growing community at HOPE.ACT.CHANGE.

(this is a screen capture of the website's main page... below is a bigger picture of the one they used at the top left, the ones on the right side on the screen keep changing as you'll see..)

Our "Si, se Puede Cambiar" video now on Link TV / surpasses 300,000 viewers on youtube

2008-04-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Our pro-Obama music video "Si, Se Puede Cambiar" has reached 301,794 hits, in one of the many versions up on youtube and mantains a rating of 4/5 stars. Today I was also contacted by the good folks at Link TV, who wanted to show it at their "Dear American Voter" section. You can also join the conversation here where they posted it this morning.

Cheers.

2 Videos: The Fabulous life of John McCain/ Out of touch with the Economy

2008-04-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

Someone is a bit out of touch...

The Race Card: Bill Clinton caught LYING on tape (again) + the Rev. Wright - Clinton-Lewinsky connection

2008-04-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, on WHYY Clinton blamed the Obama campaign for playing the race card, when it
was he who compared Obama to Jesse Jackson:

And today he denied saying it on camera:

See any pattern forming here? I consider blatant hypocrisy hard to overlook.
In his endorsement of Obama, Michael Moore revealed that the CLINTONs brought REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT to the White House for counseling during their marital crisis yet Obama refuses to use this against them.
He says:
" Finally, I want to say a word about the basic decency I have seen in Mr. Obama. Mrs. Clinton continues to throw the Rev. Wright up in his face as part of her mission to keep stoking the fears of White America. Every time she does this I shout at the TV, "Say it, Obama! Say that when she and her husband were having marital difficulties regarding Monica Lewinsky, who did she and Bill bring to the White House for 'spiritual counseling?' THE REVEREND JEREMIAH WRIGHT!"

But no, Obama won't throw that at her. It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be decent. She's been through enough hurt. And so he remains silent and takes the mud she throws in his face. "

This is a very relevant insight that confirms the different type of campaigns they are leading. It is a political, and hypocritical move in my opinon for Hillary not to take Jeremiah Wright's comments in context, when she know the man's character well enough to trust him with their spiritual guidance in that time of hardship. Hillary's attacks for Obama's connection to wright are similar to running with the ex-Weatherman connection accusations when Bill Clinton pardoned some of them. There is a desire to win no matter what the cost and an obvious duality at play here, that might be very common to politics as usual, but these are exactly the type of politics we're tired of.

Who is more "Elitist" ? Hypocritical attacks and what they reveal.

2008-04-14T08:47:00.001-07:00

Who is more elitist? John McCain who is worth 40 million and wants to continue Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest? A man who is willing send billions of dollars to perpetuate a war based on lies? Or is it Hillary Clinton who held an anti-union position while at the board of WALMART? OrMark Penn who, while working as HER chief strategist was lobbying for the Colombian FTA, a deal that hurt workers in the US AND in Colombia. A deal her campaign was supposed to be against? Or is it Bill Clinton who had a big role in starting NAFTA and said ""All These Economically Insecure White People... Are Scared To Death"?
I think it's these two candidates that are looking down to people if they think that they won't see through this hypocrisy. Barack Obama might now be worth 1 M, as a grammy-award winning author, but that pales in comparison with the Clinton's 100 M, and Barack came from a low-income, single-parent family. What's more important, his policies are the most just and beneficial towards the working and poor classes, that need the most help. Hillary has also taken the most money from special interests, and apparently doesn't care about the fate of the party as much as she does about winning, one way or the other. Like many, I wasn't opposed to an Obama/Hillary ticket, and in the past I might have considered campaigning for her if she had been the nominee, because the stakes of having someone as bent on war, and as economically unfair as McCain are to high. But the more desperate she gets the more hypocritical becomes and the harder it makes for us to make that commitment that we'll have a unified party at the end no matter what. If for some reason the popular vote and the will of the people were overturned by the superdelegates, we might have large wave of people losing heart and interest in the political process all over again.
So let's stop this non-sense
(video of Hillary trying to laugh off a question about FTA lobbyists funding her campaign):

and get back to business.

VIDEO:Out of touch? Barack Obama Reponds to Clinton and McCAin:

(Video: Barack Obama responds to McCain)

On TV, I just saw footage of Hillary in a manufacturing event PA (AAM) getting booed when she attacked Obama. Here's a link

VIDEO: Obama responds: Who is really out of touch?

2008-04-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Well, Hillary, you're bringing this upon yourself.
Here's Barack Obama telling it like it is...

(video)

Mudslinging vs the Issues: Whose policies are the most "Elitist"?

2008-04-12T16:31:00.001-07:00

Alright. So Barack Obama could've used better phrasing, but the truth is that people are angry, sick tired and yes embittered by an economy rigged in favor of multinational corporations and not the working classes. The worse the economy gets, the more scapegoating there is. Anyone hurt lashes, out. Fairly and unfairly sometimes. Sometimes people hold on to what they believe to be certain, whether that is their religion or the sense of security they seek in guns, since they are not getting that feeling from the government. Obama obviously wasn't blaming the people but the system that for so long has worked against them. A system that has driven people to react, to stand up against in droves. The same people that have given Bush such a dismal approval rating. The same people reflected in the dramatic rise in democratic turnout and democratic fund raising. The same people who can see that Bush's catastrophic economic policies would be perpetuated by John McCain, who now, flip-flopping, endorses Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The same people who see Billions of dollars going to a war that was sold to us on the basis of WMDs that weren't there. A war that only profits Halliburton and private contractors, a war that could be continued and expanded for hundreds years if McCain was in power. The logic behind staying is as poor as the one to invade. If things calm down a bit it's supposed to encourage us to continue, and if violence rises it's proof we need to be there. We're there because attacks on Americans continue, but they attack us because we're invading. In the meantime Al-Qaeda which was nowhere to be seen in Iraq while Saddam was in power is growing there and in other countries. McCain wants to continue changing regimes and nation-building, when it's this country's economy that needs to be lifted.

And Hillary, Oh Hillary. I haven't attacked her, because I feel as Democrats we should leave it to our Republican opponent to try to sink the Democratic party, and not do it ourselves. But not her. I won't rehash every single misleading or out-of-line comment she or her husband has made but now this. Come on. I know Mark Penn's resignation is a big deal but why show such a desperation? After Hillary's chief strategist negotiated and even profited from lobbying of the same NAFTA agreement that you railed against while on the trail, the same deal that hits the working class so hard not only here but in Colombia, she has the gonads to attack Barack Obama for being an "Elitist"?

She knows very well what he meant, and it's this shady, hypocritical politics as usual that we don't want to continue having ruling our lives.
CNN which now seems on a never-ending loop of the word "bitter", without offering any context to the remarks had brief moment of lucidity early on:

Now I understand the requirements of the 24 hour news cycle, the need to sensationalize remarks and fuel ratings with controversy, but could we at least talk a bit more about the fact that the surge didn't work. That troop levels are going to end up being higher than pre-surge? That the Republicans continue to move the goal post for political convenience? That they are setting their sights on Iran, who was actually responsible for adverting some of the escalating violence?

If the press talks about elitism, I want them to really reveal whose economic policies are more democratic and beneficial for all, and not just for the richest corporations.
Go ahead, dissect McCain's economic "plan", and Clinton's and Obama's. Let's talk about elitism. Let's talk not only about the race issue, but the other elephant in the room, elitism. I would welcome that discussion. It's time to look under the surface instead of accepting this trivial war of the 2 second sound-bites.

War of the Virals: My pro-Obama song battles McCain and Clinton videos on Youtube's main page. Cast your vote!

2008-04-11T03:02:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, our video "Si Se Puede Cambiar" was chosen by YouTube to represent Obama in their first ever "Trendsetter Tuesday". We're featured on their main page along with Hillary and McCain videos. We're still there. You can also find us at their Political Highlights page. Here's a link to their blog entry about it. Our video has been viewed by over 288000 people and what's better, with a rating of 4/5 stars, it's beating the scores for the Clinton and McCain videos by far! Thanks for those who've voted. gObama!
You can still rate us if you go directly to our page
You can also DiGG it directly from the page now, (or here's here's a direct link for one of many Digg entries viewers have entered) and youtube's gotta bunch of new tools including Viewer Discovery Metrics that allowed us to see that the video has been watched in 193 countries and was most watched in the US, then Canada and then Germany. Incidentally one of the people who contacted me through youtube, offered to do a German translation of my song, and you can find that video here. Here are links to a Korean , version, another one in Vietnamese , in French , in Chinese and a multilingual version in eight languages.

Thanks to all the people volunteering to translate it into different languages and very special thanks to Captioned for Obama . You can contact them if you wish to translate my video or any Obama video into any other language.

Here's the multilingual one:

Here's the original posting of the video:

Thanks!

Bush's push, Mark Penn's resignation, Clinton, Obama and the controversial trade agreement: One Colombian's perspective

2008-04-07T08:41:00.001-07:00

As I'm typing I'm watching president Bush on the news, once again using fear to try force bad policy through congress. He just said that not helping Colombia, by passing the Trade Agreement, would do more damage to the American cause than all the South American dictators together. But the Trade Agreement would not help Colombia. President Uribe is a conservative whose policies are as damaging to the working classes of Colombia, as Bush's policies have been here in the US. As reported by the Wall Street Journal Barack Obama said he would oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement "because the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labor protections that we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements.”
This is such an important issue that Mark Penn, Chief strategist for Clinton's campaign resigned yesterday when it came to light that he had been hired to lobby on behalf of Uribe's government and in favor of the trade deal, while Hillary herself maintained a strong public opposition to a deal, which like NAFTA, has been detrimental to US economy as well as fairness to workers everywhere. As the United States drifts into recession, the true extent of Bush's damage to the economy becomes more evident as do McCain's plans to benefit only the wealthiest of Americans.

Explaining his opposition to the deal Barack Obama has also said:
"I'm concerned frankly about the reports there of the involvement of the Colombian administration with human rights violations and the suppression of workers." He's said that he thought it important that before any agreement was made that "basic human rights are being observed". Last year Mr Obama was one of eleven Senators to sign a strongly worded letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe condemning him for his outspoken remarks against human rights defenders, trade unionists and others seen as opposed to the Colombian regime. According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo Mr Obama also mentioned his concerns about links between members of Uribe's government and right-wing paramilitary death squads. Al Gore cited the same reasons last year for refusing to share a platform with Colombian President Uribe.
It is not only the people of the United States that are hungry for change, just like democratic turnouts and fund raising have skyrocketed in the US, people in many battered South American countries are committed to achieving better conditions through non-violent, democratic means. Hopefully Obama's victory in the States will facilitate
a tilt from corporate welfare to a more even playing field and fairness for all throughout the continent.

This video accompanies a letter (available at http://www.usleap.org/node/512) to Senators Durbin and Obama regarding the pending free trade agreement (FTA) between the US and Colombia. The letter was signed by 30 Illinois organizations who oppose the trade agreement.

40 years later: Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy today

2008-04-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

It was early evening, April 4, 1968 when a shot rang out in Memphis and the world lost a true champion of justice and equality. Martin Luther King Jr. was only 39 years old when he was assassinated, but his unwavering struggle against racism and segregation had already transformed America, changing the lives of millions and forging the path for future generations of leaders. Once an ally of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, Dr. King would also be accused of unpatriotic tendencies for his strong opposition to the Vietnam war, a stance that, largely vindicated, remains increasingly relevant today.

Though we have along way to go, it is fortunate that it's hard to imagine this country without Dr. King's influence. Before the sacrifices of his Civil Rights movement, scores of people were being discriminated, marginalized by their own government because of the color of their skin. And Dr. King achieved lasting changes through non-violence, through marches, demonstrations and the moral courage and truth behind his words.

Following Gandhi's footsteps, Dr.King waged a peaceful battle against prejudice. Unlike Bush or McCain, who would have us believe that one spreads peace through violence, and democracy through preemptive, illegal and unilateral war, Dr. King knew that our ways must reflect our true goals. For us to have any credibility, our actions must be consistent with our words.

Republican presidential candidate Johhn McCain was booed today after he recalled his vote against the creation of a holiday honoring King in 1983. McCain also voted oppose a state MLK holiday in 1987 (which he later supported) and a federal holiday in 1989. As recently as 1994 McCain voted to cut funding for the commission that promoted King's holiday. It is a very telling track record and McCain's push for war clashes decidedly with Dr. King's ideals.

I think what Dr. King would have thought of this war in Iraq is very clear when we listen to him speak about the war in Viet Nam:

Michael Eric Dyson, a Georgetown University sociology professor, Baptist minister and author says of Dr. King on Newsweek:
"He gave us a language to express our aspirations. He reimagined a new America of black and white and brown and red, together. His death radically altered white America's perception of his life and convinced many to make a real commitment to racial justice. There would be no Barack Obama without King. There would be no Kenneth Chenault without King. There would be no Michael Eric Dyson without King. The fact that I went to Princeton and got a Ph.D. and have taught at such wonderful universities as Georgetown, none of that would have happened without Martin Luther King Jr."

Barack Obama's candidacy brings us closer to the fulfillment of Dr. Kings dream.
One of my favorite of Obama's speeches so far is this one from Martin Luther King Jr's church on Dr. King's birthday. In it Obama holds the mirror up to the community listening directly and to us all when he denounces discrimination of all kinds, even amongst minorities:

here's Barack speaking today about MLK's legacy

And Barack's historic speech on race, in a way an assessment of how far we've come and how far we've yet to go in making Dr. King's dream a reality:

VIDEO: In the Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. John Legend sings U2

2008-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a short Martin Luther King biography which I hope to share with you soon. This man's non-violent struggle for justice and equality impacted the lives of millions of people and paved the way for possibilities that now seem within grasp. His stance against racism and the Vietnam war, his heartfelt, eloquent words will always be relevant.
The talented John Legend, a Barack Obama supporter who collaborated on the Yes We Can video, has recorded a beautiful new rendition of "In the Name of Love", U2's moving tribute to Dr. King from their 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire.

John Legend performs PRIDE (In The Name of Love)
Uploaded by ElectricArtists

In the Name of Love
Lyrics by U2

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come, he to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

(nobody like you...)

Early evening, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love...

Barack Obama protecting workers EVERYWHERE

2008-04-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is yet another reason why you've got to love this man's candidacy, he doesn't stop at protecting the US workers, he truly wants fair conditions around the world, case in point, my country of Origin, Colombia:
As reported by the Wall Street Journal Barack Obama said he would oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement that Bush is trying to quickly pass through congress "because the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labor protections that we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements.”
This is the kind of US leadership that not only this country, but this whole world needs.

To Edwards: What happened with your Change versus Status Quo rhetoric? No more Washington games, endorse Barack already!

Today's struggle against Bigotry and Racism: VIDEO

2008-04-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

I was recently approached to write a couple of biographies and I chose to write about Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. As we remember Dr. King's legacy in the anniversary of his tragic murder, I can't escape the universal resonance of his quest for equality. A struggle that not only improved conditions for our African-American brothers and sisters but that inspired all those fighting bigotry and discrimination, these two scourges of society which, sadly, still burden us today.

Here's a couple of videos from the 9500 Liberty Documentary series illustrating these problems today, as they apply to the controversial issue of immigration. (these videos come from Eric and Annabel who helped bring you the "Si se Puede Cambiar" video)

"You gotta fight for your right, but you gotta fight with peace, use your heart and your mind". Michael Betts, Manassas VA

Yesterday, on Cesar Chavez's birthday, presidential front-runner Barack Obama endorsed the plan to make the birthday of the labor organizer and civil rights leader a national holiday. "Si, Se Puede!"
Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur endorsed the plan as well.

Climate Change : We Can Solve It

2008-03-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Al Gore is at it again! Join his new global Climate Change initiative by visiting www.wecansolveit.com and send a message to our leaders to take action

VIDEO: How would you react to blatant discrimination?

2008-03-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here's an ABC video posted by Eric Byler a few days ago. ABC conducted an experiment on how people would react to public discrimination and bigotry. This is the result, shocking and even disgusting at times, when people endorsed such blatant attacks on civil rights and dignity, and even moving and profound as when the young woman stands for her friend or when the older man, father of a US soldier stood up for equality and decency. Brought tears to my eyes, please watch and share...

Si Se Puede Cambiar on Current.tv and wikipedia

2008-03-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine pointed out to me that someone up on wikipedia took the trouble of timing the appearances of the "public figures" on our Si Se Puede Cambiar video. (so for those who missed somebody here's the list as they posted it :

* Andres Useche - 00:01
* César Chávez[7] - 00:12
* Robert F. Kennedy - 00:17
* George W. Bush - 01:13
* Dick Cheney - 01:16
* John McCain - 01:22
* Barack Obama - 01:27
* Eric Byler - 01:54
* Annabel Park - 01:58
* Gil Cedillo -
* Ted Kennedy - 02:47
* Ken Leung[5] - 03:21
* Kal Penn[5] - 03:43
* Kelly Hu[5] - 03:47
* Michelle Obama - 04:05

Here's a photo of yours truly playing in Texas, courtesy of the Brazilian magazine Veja, notice the video playing in the giant screen in the background.

Here's the link to the full article about Obama, Clinton and McCain in which this photo appeared.

RICHARDSON endorses BARACK OBAMA

2008-03-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

"This is a man who understand us and will respect us" Said Richardson in Spanish ("Este es un hombre que nos entiende y nos va a respetar") in his glowing speech endorsing Barack Obama's candidacy for the presidency of the United States. As a former member of the Clinton administration this was an extremely difficult choice to make for the Governor of New Mexico, but his choice reflects what he believes is "best for the country" and was also by his exhaustion with the negative campaigning lead by Sen. Hillary Clinton. Governor Richardson also credited Obama's recent "historic speech" on race and unity as a factor that "cinched" his decision.
"He's a really good guy" "Who could've thrown me under the bus but he stood behind me" referring to a question Richardson missed on a debate, and Obama whispered it to him.
Richardson, part of the 90's Clinton administration and with impressive foreign policy experience said to Barack Obama: "You are a leader who has shown courage, judgment and wisdom throughout the years, you understand the security challenges of the 21st century and you will be an outstanding commander in chief. Above of all you will bring all America together. Your candidacy is a one in lifetime candidacy and you are a once -in-a-lifetime leader. You will make every American proud to be American, and I am proud today to endorse your candidacy as President of the United States of America ".
Wow! Watch the crowd go absolutely ballistic, chanting "Yes we Can" and after Richardson, "Si, Se Puede".

Barack Obama on Race and UNITY

2008-03-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
"A More Perfect Union"
Constitution Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union."

Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. Farmers and scholars; statesmen and patriots who had traveled across an ocean to escape tyranny and persecution finally made real their declaration of independence at a Philadelphia convention that lasted through the spring of 1787.

The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished. It was stained by this nation's original sin of slavery, a question that divided the colonies and brought the convention to a stalemate until the founders chose to allow the slave trade to continue for at least twenty more years, and to leave any final resolution to future generations.

Of course, the answer to the slavery question was already embedded within our Constitution - a Constitution that had at is very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time.

And yet words on a parchment would not be enough to deliver slaves from bondage, or provide men and women of every color and creed their full rights and obligations as citizens of the United States. What would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part - through protests and struggle, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience and always at great risk - to narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.

This belief comes from my unyielding faith in the decency and generosity of the American people. But it also comes from my own American story.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton's Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I've gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world's poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners - an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It's a story that hasn't made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts - that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either "too black" or "not black enough." We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we've heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it's based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we've heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely - just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren't simply controversial. They weren't simply a religious leader's effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country - a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright's comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems - two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn't all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God's work here on Earth - by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

In my first book, Dreams From My Father, I described the experience of my first service at Trinity:

"People began to shout, to rise from their seats and clap and cry out, a forceful wind carrying the reverend's voice up into the rafters....And in that single note - hope! - I heard something else; at the foot of that cross, inside the thousands of churches across the city, I imagined the stories of ordinary black people merging with the stories of David and Goliath, Moses and Pharaoh, the Christians in the lion's den, Ezekiel's field of dry bones. Those stories - of survival, and freedom, and hope - became our story, my story; the blood that had spilled was our blood, the tears our tears; until this black church, on this bright day, seemed once more a vessel carrying the story of a people into future generations and into a larger world. Our trials and triumphs became at once unique and universal, black and more than black; in chronicling our journey, the stories and songs gave us a means to reclaim memories that we didn't need to feel shame about...memories that all people might study and cherish - and with which we could start to rebuild."

That has been my experience at Trinity. Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety - the doctor and the welfare mom, the model student and the former gang-banger. Like other black churches, Trinity's services are full of raucous laughter and sometimes bawdy humor. They are full of dancing, clapping, screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear. The church contains in full the kindness and cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance, the struggles and successes, the love and yes, the bitterness and bias that make up the black experience in America.

And this helps explain, perhaps, my relationship with Reverend Wright. As imperfect as he may be, he has been like family to me. He strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children. Not once in my conversations with him have I heard him talk about any ethnic group in derogatory terms, or treat whites with whom he interacted with anything but courtesy and respect. He contains within him the contradictions - the good and the bad - of the community that he has served diligently for so many years.

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother - a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America - to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality.

The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through - a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today's black and white students.

Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners, or black homeowners could not access FHA mortgages, or blacks were excluded from unions, or the police force, or fire departments - meant that black families could not amass any meaningful wealth to bequeath to future generations. That history helps explain the wealth and income gap between black and white, and the concentrated pockets of poverty that persists in so many of today's urban and rural communities.

A lack of economic opportunity among black men, and the shame and frustration that came from not being able to provide for one's family, contributed to the erosion of black families - a problem that welfare policies for many years may have worsened. And the lack of basic services in so many urban black neighborhoods - parks for kids to play in, police walking the beat, regular garbage pick-up and building code enforcement - all helped create a cycle of violence, blight and neglect that continue to haunt us.

This is the reality in which Reverend Wright and other African-Americans of his generation grew up. They came of age in the late fifties and early sixties, a time when segregation was still the law of the land and opportunity was systematically constricted. What's remarkable is not how many failed in the face of discrimination, but rather how many men and women overcame the odds; how many were able to make a way out of no way for those like me who would come after them.

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn't make it - those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicians, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician's own failings.

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright's sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience - as far as they're concerned, no one's handed them anything, they've built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren't always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze - a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns - this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction - a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people - that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances - for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives - by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.

Ironically, this quintessentially American - and yes, conservative - notion of self-help found frequent expression in Reverend Wright's sermons. But what my former pastor too often failed to understand is that embarking on a program of self-help also requires a belief that society can change.

The profound mistake of Reverend Wright's sermons is not that he spoke about racism in our society. It's that he spoke as if our society was static; as if no progress has been made; as if this country - a country that has made it possible for one of his own members to run for the highest office in the land and build a coalition of white and black; Latino and Asian, rich and poor, young and old -- is still irrevocably bound to a tragic past. But what we know -- what we have seen - is that America can change. That is true genius of this nation. What we have already achieved gives us hope - the audacity to hope - for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds - by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world's great religions demand - that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother's keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister's keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle - as we did in the OJ trial - or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright's sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she's playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

This time we want to talk about how the lines in the Emergency Room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care; who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.

This time we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.

This time we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that never should've been authorized and never should've been waged, and we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them, and their families, and giving them the benefits they have earned.

I would not be running for President if I didn't believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King's birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother's problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn't. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, "I am here because of Ashley."

"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

Meeting Barack Obama and other recollections from Houston, TX

2008-03-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

My friends from United for Obama were kind enough to get me to Texas, for the first time in years, to campaign for Barack Obama. It was an exciting whirlwind of activity which still seems like a blur: I hadn't gotten out of the airport when we hooked up with Obama volunteers coming from all over the country, ( one of them, Rob, gave us tons of cool Obama buttons and t-shirts that even the rental car guy wanted to wear... we gave him some) I met with Senator Cedillo and the people of the HQ, some of which knew me from the Si Se Puede Cambiar video. There was the canvassing and precinct-walking : we were welcomed by some people but some tall white guy walking his dogs in a very affluent neighborhood warned us that "people 'round here don't like Obama, they got shotguns and will shoot you". HE actually said that, no Kidding. We kept going and laughed it off, sure the guy was a strong conservative doing his bit to try to derail the huge, record-breaking democratic turnouts, which was probably the case, but later on the car radio we heard a report of someone actually getting shot for walking through somebody's lawn while the shooter was talking to 911. Crazy. I also did some press, gave interviews, performed live, made some great new friends. Will post links later on. We also got some good footage but haven't uploaded it yet as Eric and Annabel are in Japan, and I'm just trying to catch up here in LA.

I have to say one of my fondest memories from this trip was seeing my brother who is thirteen but since last I saw him has grown from a kid to a deep-voiced , sweet-natured young man! He knew the lyrics to my song better than I did. It was a bit embarrassing that I wrote the song, granted very recently, but quite a few people know the lyrics already and I still rely on the the printed words every now and then. My little brother (or not so little anymore) joined me for a whole day, always helpful , and got a glimpse of this flurry of grassroots activity in what will no doubt be remembered as a historic time in US politics.

I got to see my dad and his wife but unfortunately didn't have time to see more of my extended family or friends. However it was also great to connect with strangers on the street for a common cause, the ideals and dreams that unite us deep down. It was specially touching to be greeted so warmly by the Obama supporters who recognized me on the street as the guy from the video, I have this particular woman in my mind right now as I type this, a large African-American woman who was driving out of a parking lot when she saw me from the window and slammed on the breaks. Screaming to her friend, she got off the car which was now blocking the entrance to the lot, rushed up to me and gave me one big, long hug, "You brought tears to my eyes" she kept repeating, she was so excited, her friend too, I was speechless. It is very humbling to think that whatever you are feeling at any given point in time, whatever you're trying to express, that there are so many people in the world feeling the exact same way, that we're all connected, and all we have to do is to discover that thread to find each other again. This song has been such thread for me.

Another great connection where the two great guys who interviewed me for the Brazilian magazine Veja, who I'd keep meeting over and over again on the campaign trail and kindly gave me a ride when Eric took off with the car to help out in another district in dire need of Obama visibility. Hanging out with Eric and Annabel was a treat as was meeting their friend Duarte and fellow volunteers Quan, Gerry, K.S. and Joanne.

I also did a live translation of Barack Obama's touching, rousing speech when we joined him at the George Brown Convention Center and we'll post some video from that at some point. Another memory that stands out is my brief interaction with Barack Obama after the event, with the enthusiastic crowd surrounding us, this was truly the eye of the hurricane but these things stand out for whatever reason: the genuine sense of honesty and down-to-earth recognition in his gaze,( he struck me as such real, genuine individual). Also his uncannily soft, skinny hands. You'd think they would've hardened by so much contact with his followers. The apparent ease of pronunciation of the few words Obama spoke in Spanish, and most of all, his Chanting "Sí, se Puede" with me as cameras flashed (except ours, Eric and company where still at the opposite end of the stage!), Anyway, now I have a better grasp of the man, not only the ideas that moved me into action, but also great attitude and energy of the man in person.
Quite a trip indeed.

Texas, here we come! Sen. Cedillo and Si Se Puede Cambiar Artists to join forces for Obama

2008-02-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

I'm pasting the United for Obama press release below:

8:40 AM - MEDIA ADVISORY: Obama Viral Video Artists Travel to Houston

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 28, 2008

OBAMA VIRAL VIDEO ARTISTS TRAVEL TO HOUSTON
Latino/Asian American Artists Behind "Si Se Puede Cambiar" Arrive Tomorrow

HOUSTON, TX – The artists behind the viral music video "Si Se Puede Cambiar" (Yes We Can Change) will fly to Houston, TX this weekend to volunteer for Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign. "Si Se Puede Cambiar" has now been posted to the internet with English, Vietnamese, and Korean subtitles, where it has been viewed more than 80,000 times in six days.

Singer/songwriter Andres Useche (30), an immigrant from Colombia whose father lives in Houston, will arrive in Texas on Saturday morning. He will volunteer on Latino outreach with California State Senator Gilbert Cedillo, who makes a cameo in Useche's video.

Useche said of his new hit song, "I felt disillusioned and powerless for many years as I watched our government fail us. But Obama's message awakened me. While volunteering for him, I experienced the spirit of renewed enthusiasm that has touched so many people, and this inspired me to write the song."

The opening words of the song — "For too long we have been sleeping, but we have been afraid to dream" — came to Useche while door-knocking in East Los Angeles with film director Eric Byler (36). The two began shooting the music video two days later on Super Tuesday, while Useche was still memorizing the lyrics. Byler, best known for South by Southwest award-winners CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES and AMERICANESE, said his favorite thing about the video is the volunteerism it captures. "We are a team that includes some talented artists, but more importantly we are a group of citizens who feel a responsibility to help move this country forward."

Byler and Annabel Park (39) fly to Houston on Friday morning from Baltimore, MD. Both are Asian American filmmakers who work closely with Latinos on the immigration issue. Park and Byler are co-directors of 9500 LIBERTY, an on-going series popular on YouTube documenting the politicization of the immigration issue in Northern Virginia. 9500 LIBERTY has generated 394,000 hits since October, including 132,000 for a video in which Park compares the Latino immigration experience to her own.

"The obstacles facing the Latino community today mirror my own immigration experience as a Korean American," said Park, who moved with her family to Houston at the age of nine. Tomorrow's return to Houston will be her first in two decades.

Park and Byler began their latest YouTube series, "United For Obama," on January 14th in Las Vegas, NV. The series chronicles road-trips, canvassing, and in-language phone calls (over 20,000 to Virginia from cities around the nation) on behalf of Sen. Obama. The videos include such celebrities as Kal Penn, Kelly Hu, Kerry Washington, and Tatyana Ali. But their most popular video by far is Useche's moving ballad.

Useche joined "United For Obama" after coming across their videos on the internet. "The internet has been a crucial component in this movement, and in our case in particular," Park said. "YouTube and Facebook have allowed us to collaborate with volunteers from around the country."

"Si Se Puede Cambiar" video and News

2008-02-27T20:33:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone, thanks for all your support. Thanks also to those who have sent press links for our video "Si Se Puede Cambiar" . I'll share some with the rest of you so you can post comments at those sites and help us keep doing our bit to rally the nation behind Barack Obama's message of hope.

From the Austin Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle

The Daily Kos

The Honolulu Star Bulletin

The Dallas Morning News
This is about both a song for hillary vs our video and song for Obama. Never mind the title, read on to see who's favored in it. This is a good one to leave comments on as some Hillary supporters are also posting.

I heard we were on Telemundo and another Spanish language channel, but that's all I know.

"Si Se Puede Cambiar: is also up at The Official Barack Obama for President page, (you have to scroll down as it was published on Feb 22), or if it's too late when you read this you can always reach the permanent link here at main blog in Spanish

Here's the video itself as hosted at my site where you can also download TWO versions of the song, one with Barack Obama and his supporters chanting in the background and one that's just me. You will also find the lyrics in Spanish and English. By the way, the response from English has been such that we've decided to record a version of the song in English that will eventually have its own video. More on this later, here's the video:

And here's a few other places where you can find it as well and comment and vote if you wish, there's the main youtube version
which at almost 50,000 hits and counting has received honors as one of the Most viewed and Top Rated videos this week in the category of News and Politics. Muchas gracias to those who've voted for it! Other uploads of the song have surfaced on youtube including some that have been subtitled into Vietnamese, Korean and more.
There's the copy version at Webcastr which had received 19k hits in the first couple days after the launch.
Thanks. Have a good one.

After the Ohio Presidential Debate

2008-02-27T18:57:00.001-08:00

In a debate in which Barack Obama stood calm and sounded extremely presidential as he succinctly answered every question, Hillary Clinton failed to clarify how she'd penalize those who simply couldn't afford health care as mandated by her plan, why she endorsed NAFTA and why Obama's statements about both facts are false according to her.
I have to give her props for finally stating she regrets her vote approving the launch of the war in Iraq, though this is a very sad case of "too little, too late".

I understand that she's no longer the front runner and is fighting to regain footing as hard as she can, I just hope she can do it with dignity and without playing into the interests of the Republican Party. As Congressman and Civil rights icon John Lewis said today " Something is happening in America, something unbelievable" referring to the undeniable emergence of an immense, new, diverse movement supporting Barack Obama. He has officially switched support from the Clintons, who he considers part of his extended family, to the Senator from Illinois.

Bob Cesca of the Huffington Post has a good point. Russert should have complemented his question regarding Farrakhan's support of Obama with a question for Clinton about the support she received from Ann Coulter who prefers her over McCain. Is she also now to blame for Bill Cunningham's endorsement of her candidacy? I don't think so. But with semantics she seemed to imply Obama was. Like the time when he answered truthfully about his weakness (being disorganized when it comes to the office, you and me buddy) and both Edwards and Hillary replied with another rehearsed line touting their sympathy for the common man, Obama was honest and tried to explain you can't reject something that hasn't been offered, they were playing semantics and if it was about words he would both denounce and reject Farrakhan's for his prejudiced views. But I'm glad Hillary gave him this chance to clarify. Whether it's Lou Dobbs, Cunningham, or Farrakhan, it's always good to denounce AND reject racism and bigotry, no matter what part of the population is being discriminated against. This debate also gave us a glimpse of that other reason why we like this guy aside from his policies. He's gracious to concede a point and compliment his opponent. He's confident enough to tell it like it is and more important of all, and all too rare in the political world, he's REAL.

United for Obama's "Si Se Puede (cambiar)" Press Release

2008-02-26T00:37:00.000-08:00

By Eric Byler

For Immediate Release
February 25, 2008

LATINO, ASIAN ARTISTS UNITE FOR OBAMA VIRAL VIDEO
***Spanish Language Obama Video Goes Viral With Mainstream Audience

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A pro-Obama music video intended for
Spanish-speaking voters in Texas has caught fire with a mainstream
on-line audiences across America, racking up over 56,000 hits in less
than three days, primarily from English speakers.

"Si Se Puede Cambiar" (Yes We Can Change)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ky8Hvq-F0U

"For too long we have been sleeping, but we have been afraid to
dream." So begins the Spanish language song "Si Se Puede Cambiar"
(Yes We Can Change) by Andres Useche (30), an immigrant from Colombia
living in Los Angeles. The song's emotional arc expresses Useche's
despair over the failures of the Bush administration, and the feeling
of empowerment and civic responsibility inspired by Senator Barack
Obama's candidacy.

"The lyrics were thoughts that have been growing within me, and I'm
sure, many others," explained Useche, who is fluent in both English
and Spanish. "Volunteering for this campaign focused my thoughts into
words that came out in a matter of hours."

The video was produced by "United For Obama," a team of Asian American
and Latino volunteers who have organized road-trips, canvassing, and
in-language phone calls (over 20,000 to Virginia from cities around
the nation) on behalf of Sen. Obama. Shot in five different states,
the video documents a wave of boots-on-the-ground volunteerism spurred
by its producers, Eric Byler (36) and Annabel Park (39), both Asian
American filmmaker/activists who work closely with Latinos on the
immigration issue. A swish-pan dissolve links Useche's Latino
outreach in East Los Angeles with Park's Korean American outreach in
Northern Virginia. The video was also shot in Maryland, New York,
and Nevada and features brief cameos by Asian American celebrities
Kelly Hu (X-Men 2), Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar), and Ken Leung (The
Sopranos).

"We don't want our communities to be the last to embrace this
movement," said Byler, a mixed race Chinese American best known for
the indie hit Charlotte Sometimes. "For various cultural reasons, we
probably will be the last statistically. But every person we bring
into the process is precious to us and precious to America, so this is
a precious time."

The video was co-directed and edited by Chinese American filmmaker
Warren Fu (32), who, like Useche, connected with Byler and Park
through YouTube. Fu, who directs music videos for such bands as The
Strokes, sent a YouTube message to YouTube.com/UnitedForObama after
seeing a video featuring actress Hu. Park responded suggesting he
edit the video being shot by Byler and Useche.

Fu points to unity across ethnic lines as an essential goal in his
artistic and political life. "We're Asian Americans collaborating
with Latino Americans with the goal of electing an African American
President," he said. "That in itself speaks volumes about the power
of this movement."

Webcastr CEO Tim Devine promised to promote the video sight unseen
based on a chance encounter with Useche. "I recognized his passion
for what he was doing, which I knew would show through to our Webcastr
viewers in the video he made," he said. Thanks to English subtitles,
the video received more than 19,000 hits on webcastr.com over the
weekend, and more than 36,000 on YouTube (despite the fact the video
sharing website was inoperative most of Sunday). The largest number
of hits were from English language websites like DailyKos.com.

"Although our target was Latino voters, it's exciting to see so many
English speakers embracing the message and sharing the video with
friends," Park said.

Si Se Puede Cambiar Launch report

2008-02-25T03:40:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone and thank you so much your support for our music video! Thanks for the messages and comments on Youtube. It's very inspiring to connect with so many that like us believe in Barack Obama's quest to stop this war, claim the government for the people, not the corporations, fight discrimination of all kinds, offer better opportunity to the underprivileged and engage with the world in a more humane and honest way.

For Barack Obama: "Si Se Puede Cambiar" Music Video

2008-02-22T18:08:00.000-08:00

Here's our video Si Se Puede

I wrote this song while campaigning with the grassroots group United for Obama.
Like many I've felt disfranchised for many years because I saw too many politicians playing games and not backing their promises with actions. In Barack Obama I found a leader that didn't bow down to corporate powers and who fought for what was right no matter what his audience was. He spoke of cutting gas emissions to automakers and spoke to the African-American community of the importance of ending discrimination but not only against them, but also by some of them, the discrimination against immigrants, the Jewish people or gays and lesbians. This struck a chord with me. We must fight discrimination of all kinds, not because it is personally convenient, but because it is the right thing to do. Because all of us as a society will be better off if we truly embrace equality and justice for all. Here is a man who not only offered a compassionate and effective way to offer healthcare to all but who also stood firm from the beginning against this despicable war when the position was unpopular.

I've heard people criticize him because he's a great speaker. They are really desperate if their attempt is put down his ability to energize people of all ages, genders and races to become active in the democratic process. What they are trying to ignore is the fact that we are not only responding to his eloquence, but also to the truth of his message. It is a message of a more balanced engagement with world, of an economy that is not rigged to benefit the few, a message of tolerance and progress.

It is this message that has awaken me, and so many of our young, from our long political slumber. It is this renewed enthusiasm that fuels this vast movement, and it is the plurality, the diversity of this movement which inspired me to write this song.

The lyrics were thoughts that have been growing within me, and I'm sure, many others, and as Barack galvanized our intentions, this campaign focused my thoughts into this words that came out in a matter of hours.

We recorded quickly and it is thanks to Eric Byler, Warren Fu, Loni Pham and Annabel Park that you are able to see the finished product so immediately after the fact.

It was a labor of deep-rooted conviction, born of a desire not to acerbate antagonism, but to help, in however small measure, to unite those of us who have been waiting for so long for a moment in which to step up and take charge in the betterment of this world. That's right, we can improve this world. It is not an impossibility. We can do it. Yes we can.

TX debate: After accusing Obama of plagiarism, Hillary scores with a line from Edwards

2008-02-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

During the CNN debate tonight in Austin, Texas, Hillary Clinton attacked Barack Obama for using two lines offered to him by his supporter Deval Patrick. She went on to elicit widespread booing by referring to him as "not change you can believe in, but change you can xerox". Throughout the debate the Senator from Illinois held the upper hand, calmly dismantling the pity accusations of his opponent while the former first lady turned in one of her more lackluster performances to date. By the end of the debate she seemed to connect emotionally with the audience in her best moment of the night. She spoke of the hardships of war veterans and regular Americans and capped it all with something she lifted from John Edwards. She said, "Whatever happens, we're going to be fine. You know, we have strong support from our families and our friends. I just hope that we'll be able to say the same thing about the American people, and that's what this election should be about."
Edwards expressed those same thoughts repeatedly in different ways during the trail sometimes mentioning his family as well.and sometimes simply saying "I'm going to be fine when this election is over. So is Barack Obama and so is Hillary Clinton....The question is whether America will be fine." as quoted in this Washington Post article: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/05/in_nh_edwards_fights_to_stay_i.html
Not a big deal, but in the context of her booed accusations of plagiarism it does come across a somewhat hypocritical.

Latinos por Obama 08 video

2008-02-21T00:36:00.000-08:00

Filmed on Feb. 11th at the University of Maryland. On the following day, Latinos in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC helped Barack Obama win the Potomac Primary.

Filmado el 11 de Febrero en la Universidad de Maryland. Al dia siguiente, Latinos en Virginia, Maryland y Washington DC ayudaron a Barack Obama ganar esas elecciones primarias.

Obama wins ten states in a row

2008-02-20T02:04:00.000-08:00

It was a good night. I was working on the editing of the music video for my pro-Obama song Si Se Puede with Eric (Byler, director of Charlotte Sometimes)and remotely with Warren Fu (who's up in San Francisco also working on the new Indiana Jones film) when we heard the fantastic news that Obama was the projected winner in Wisconsin and then Hawaii, and the margins just kept growing after that. What a night.I'm tired now but we hope to have a final cut on our music video by tomorrow night.
In the meantime here is two clips to celebrate.

Colombia, the trade agreement and Barack Obama

2008-02-19T01:26:00.000-08:00

This video accompanies a letter (available at http://www.usleap.org/node/512) to Senators Durbin and Obama regarding the pending free trade agreement (FTA) between the US and Colombia. The letter was signed by 30 Illinois organizations who oppose the trade agreement...

Barack Obama Criticizes President Alvaro Uribe's remarks against human rights defenders

"I'm concerned frankly about the reports there of the involvement of the Colombian administration with human rights violations and the suppression of workers." This was how US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama described the situation in Colombia when explaining why he would oppose any free-trade agreement with the Latin American country. In remarks this week to the Miami-based TV station Univision, Obama reiterated his concern over the situation in Colombia and said that he thought it important that before any agreement was made that "basic human rights are being observed". Last year Mr Obama was one of eleven Senators to sign a strongly worded letter to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe condemning him for his outspoken remarks against human rights defenders, trade unionists and others seen as opposed to the Colombian regime. According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo
(http://www.eltiempo.com/economia/2008-02-12/ARTICULO-WEB-NOTA_INTERIOR-3955449.html)
Mr Obama also mentioned his conerns about links between members of the Colombian Government and rightwing paramilitary death squads. This was the reason cited by Al Gore last year for refusing to share a platform with Colombian President Uribe. Obama's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Hilary Clinton, also spoke out last
month about her own opposition to a free-trade agreement with Colombia due to continuing abuses against trade unionists.

New version of my song Si Se Puede

2008-02-16T02:56:00.000-08:00

I just finished recording and mixing Si Se Puede half an hour ago. Hear it at: www.virb.com/useche

Our Moment is Now - Barack Obama

2008-02-15T07:58:00.001-08:00

“When I am this party’s nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I supported Bush-Cheney policies of not talking to leaders that we don’t like. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it is ok for America to torture — because it is never ok… I will end the war in Iraq… I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century: nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. And I will send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, “You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now.”

Si Se Puede recording Sessions

2008-02-14T10:05:00.001-08:00

Last night I recorded backing vocals and another guitar track onto Si Se Puede. However we discovered a problem with the drums which we expect to solve tonight.

On the stump for Obama

2008-02-13T20:17:00.001-08:00

Here with California State Senator Gilbert Cedillo.
Discussing immigration policies, discrimination, xenophobia and ways forward towards tolerance and equality.

Si Se Puede Photos

2008-02-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

Just uploaded a bunch of photos from the impromptu live performances of my new song Si Se Puede and the recording of it soon after to http://www.flickr.com/photos/andres_useche/

My pro-Obama Si se Puede song now online!

2008-02-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Friends and family, last night I recorded a demo for the Si Se Puede Cambiar song I wrote in support of the Obama campaign. Please give it a listen at www.virb.com/useche
I'll be updating it as we get to record and mix new elements, and put the video together... but the basis is there.
Please help us get this anti-war, anti-discrimination message out! Share it with as many people as possible. It's a free download found at www.virb.com/useche
I'm also creating a page on the dreaded myspace to try to spread it as much as possible. Look for Andres Useche in music. Shortly we´ll make the video available on www.youtube.com/unitedforobama and other places.

Familia latina, anoche grabe un demo para la cancion Si Se Puede que escribi para apoyar la campaña del candidato Barack Obama a la presidencia de Estados Unidos de Norte America. Por favor escuchenla en www.virb.com/useche
La actualizare cuando puede poner el resto de elementos pero ahi esta la base.
Por favor ayudanos a expresar este mensaje de paz y contra la discriminacion. Comparte el link con cuanta gente sea posible. Se puede bajar gratiz de la red en www.virb.com/useche
Dentro de poco subiremos el video a www.youtube.com/united for Obama.
Gracias

Latinos for Obama + song news

2008-02-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hi! I'm rushing out to the recording studio to record the song I wrote in support of the campaign. In the meantime here's our Obama latino conversation including yours truly.

new political song: an update

2008-02-07T10:58:00.001-08:00

Spent super Tuesday phone-banking, precinct-walking, filming, interviewing and performing a song I wrote the day before in support of Obama. At a campaign headquarters it was captured for radio and tv... we'll be recording a more definitive audio version soon and use the video we've shot around the country to create a music video which we'll post next week.
Best,
Andres

Romney drops out

2008-02-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

Too bad there's already a clear front runner on the GOP side, but thank god it is anybody but Mitt Romney. He was fake, and flip-flopped to try to go for the more conservative base. He seemed to be catering to people as consumers and not citizens. His whole campaign looked like a giant, empty advertisement. But now we're left with McCain whose war hero status appeals to many who think patriotism can only be proven by fighting and killing other people (regardless of whether one is justly defending oneself or invading for monetary convenience)... What we need is a peace hero, not a war hero... anyway... If conservatives were honest with themselves they would move towards Huckabee right now. McCain's conservative credentials are less than spectacular... which is good, except McCain believes in a 100 year occupation of Iraq and a conflict-driven approach to foreign policy. With McCain, the democrat nominee, and Obama would be better at this, is to ask whether the people of the USA really have forgotten the pretenses on which we went into war, and if this approach in which we bomb, invade and occupy countries for a hundred years or more on the basis of lies is really going to foster good will around the world and whether this situation would really make the country more secure. Unlike real (or more regressive) conservatives, McCain might have more difficulty using the flags of bigotry, racism, xenophobia and homophobia to rally support amongst the uneducated and the prejudiced to support un-instigated, pre-emtive wars based on greed... or to trick people into going for economic policies that favor the few at the top of giant corporations and screw the poor and middle classes.

Kerry Washington, Kelly Hu,Tatyana Ali, yours truly and latinos for Obama interviews

2008-02-03T17:44:00.000-08:00

These are some videos my friends at http://www.youtube.com/unitedforobama have shot recently. I was interviewed for some of them and brought a few friends to contribute their thoughts on why, out of all the candidates left in the field, Barack Obama would be by far the best President not only for the minorities but for everyone who believes in equality and an end to discrimination, division and injustice.

Tatyana Ali (recording artist/actress Glory Road,Kiss the girls, Fresh Prince of Belaire)

Washington Kerry (actress: Ray, The Last King of Scotland, I think I love my wife )

Latinos por Obama (en espanol, including yours truly)

Kelly Hu ( actress : The Air I breathe, x2: xmen united )

Si se puede

2008-02-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

-Latinos, Barack Obama no se hecha para atrás en lo que dice. A diferencia de Hillary Clinton, Barack aun apoya las licencias de conducción y un camino humanitario hacia la legalización. Incluso enfrentando gran oposición el estuvo firme en contra de la guerra desde el principio, y no se dejo influenciar como Clinton que voto a favor una la guerra basada en mentiras que tantos muertes ha causado. Barack Obama tiene la integridad y honestidad para traer el cambio necesario a este país. El no le dice una cosa a un grupo y otra a otros solo para conseguir votos: En la iglesia de Martín Luther King Jr el le pidió a la audiencia afro-americana que dejaran atrás la discriminación a otros grupos y que valoraran a los inmigrantes no como competencia sino como compañeros en la busca de oportunidad... En el debate televisado por CNN, mientras Clinton mantuvo una posición hostil respecto a la influencia de los inmigrantes en la economía de otras minorías, Barack Obama le dijo de frente que no se le puede hechar la culpa a una minoría cuando obviamente el problema económico es uno que sufrimos todos y es causado por la falta de inversión en infra-estructura, educación etc. Una economía en la cual el país invierte billones y billones de dólares en una guerra sin razón. Barack Obama no quiere dividirnos como Hillary, el quiere unir al país y sanarlo. Inspirarnos a ayudarnos los unos a los otros y tener una política exterior que exhauste las posibilidades diplomáticas antes de iniciar cualquier guerra. Obama, con un trasfondo racial mixto, y familia inmigrante, simboliza la armonía entre las distintas etnias y minorías de estos Estados Unidos de Norte América. Unámonos apoyando a Obama. El peleará por una mayor justicia e igualdad para todos. No es un sueño vacio, es un sueño que se puede realizar si lo crees. Si se puede... Si crees y votas con tu mente y tu corazón. Escucha sus palabras: Si Se puede, si nos unimos y nos movilizamos para alcanzarlo. Si se puede, este es el momento. Escucha el cantar de las masas... Si se puede. Únete y grítalo con nosotros Si se puede.

YES WE CAN

2008-02-02T09:27:00.000-08:00

Have been hard at work campaigning for Obama in LA, helping out with videos giving and getting interviews and will be posting some later, I was just forwarded this one...

Great video featuring The Black Eyed Peas ' will.i.am, john legend, herbie hancock, nicole scherzinger, scarlett johansson, kate walsh, Tatyana Ali and others, singing along with the Yes We Can speech by Barack Obama... full version here www.yeswecansong.com

please share it with as many people as you can... the race is ON... WE ARE SO CLOSE... we can do it...
YES WE CAN

Senator Ted Kennedy Endorses Obama

2008-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

This is great news. Not surprising if you look at where Kennedy stands on the issues. The democratic icon had, like Obama, the good judgment to vote against the illegal pre-emtive Iraq war from the beginning. He has long stood for the middle class and the underprivileged, raising the minimum wage and voting against unfair tax breaks for the richest corporations. He has long fought for equality regardless of sex, race or sexual orientation going even further than Obama and as far as Al Gore in gay rights issues. His wealth of experience in the senate as the second-longest serving member comes as a huge boost to Obama's credibility. With Kerry also on his side, some of the older more conventional democrats might come around and give Barack another look.

BARACK OBAMA wins South Carolina

2008-01-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

I celebrate Obama's victory tonight with the same excitement I celebrated his victory in Iowa. With Kucinich out of the race, Obama takes the lead as my favorite in this election.

My favorite of Obama's speeches so far is this one from Martin Luther King Jr's church on Dr. King's day. In it Obama holds the mirror up to the community listening directly and to us all when he denounces discrimination among and between minorities. "The scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community," Obama points out in this great speech "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them," and "for too long, some of us have seen the immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity." Hear. Hear.
I wish he went as far as Ted Kennedy and Al Gore in gay rights issues though. Like Dr. King I believe that "We need a government determined to end discrimination" of ALL KINDS.

Tonight we also saw a big boost for Obama from the Kennedy camp:

A President Like My Father
By CAROLINE KENNEDY
Published: January 27, 2008

OVER the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished they could feel inspired and hopeful about America the way people did when my father was president. This sense is even more profound today. That is why I am supporting a presidential candidate in the Democratic primaries, Barack Obama. (Click to Read more)

South Carolina Victory speech:

Kucinch drops out of Presidential Race but vows to FIGHT ON

2008-01-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

The most consistently progressive candidate has dropped out.
Dennis consistently voted against the war and its funding, offered a not-for-profit health-care plan that was really universal, offered equal rights to all, including gays and lesbians, and had the courage to fight to restore habeas corpus, ratify kyoto protocols and seek impeachment for Bush and Cheney.

Thank you congressman Kucinich for illuminating these important issues for as long as you could. May you continue the fight in congress and beyond!

Now it's time for Obama.
---

Kucinich said all the energy that had gone into his presidential campaign will be "transitioned" to a new group: Integrity now. He gave few details of the organization but said his wife, Elizabeth, would play a major role. Please sign up at www.integritynow.org

Heath Ledger's Last Role

2008-01-22T13:56:00.000-08:00

Heath Ledger (1979 - 2008)

WNBC broke the news that Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. He was found face down in his bed with sleeping pills nearby. His family believes it was an accidental overdose and his scheduled meetings seem to imply that he didn't take his own life willingly. However, until toxicology results come in next week, it would be premature to conclude that we have lost yet another talent to addiction.

This comes as terrible news for film fans around the world, many of us eagerly awaiting his already legendary turn in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (The highly anticipated sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, a B.O. and critical success). Heath's post-production work on that feature had been completed recently as he was already deep in work as the co-star of Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. We don't yet know what will happen to that production but Heath's final portrayal of the "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown"(his words) as glimpsed in trailers uploaded onto the net has already fueled wild excitement and praise from from fans and professionals alike. Co-star Michael Kane, and other directors like Guillermo del Toro have been extremely enthusiastic about Ledger's take on the Joker, an intense performance which Heath recently revealed had affected his sleep patterns. Prior to that Ledger took the part of a drug addict in Neil Armfield's "Candy"(2006) and it could be SPECULATED that a deep commitment to his later roles may have taken a strong toll on his overall health and exacerbated some pre-existing tendency or condition. Again, that remains to be seen.

The 28-year-old actor is probably most widely remembered for his Oscar-nominated performance in Ang Lee's groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain.

It is tragic to lose not just such young life but a talent on the rise whose choices were getting better and better, as evidenced in part in his involvement in Todd Haynes' amazing Bob Dylan biopic "I'm not there".

He leaves behind a two-year-old daughter he had with actress Michelle Williams.

My deepest condolences.

A loyalty to Mankind as a whole: What we can learn from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr today

2008-01-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

The great Martin Luther King Jr. paved the way for greater equality in this country and around the world. Although we have long ways to go in many aspects, his victories over racism and segregation were so immense that we now take them for granted. Thankfully it's hard to imagine this country without his influence. And Dr. King achieved such changes through non-violence, through the virtue and truth behind his words, through his sacrifice and courageous resistance of so many of his followers. He stood valiantly against the unjust war in Viet Nam. What would he say about our world today?

Senator Obama recently gave a great speech in which he said "We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them," and "the scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community," also "for too long, some of us have seen the immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of companions in the fight for opportunity." Very important words and Obama deserves a lot of credit for addressing these issues. It is unfortunate however, that unlike Kucinich, Obama doesn't back his indictment of homophobia with support for true equality for our gay brothers and sisters who deserve the right to marry under the law if not necessarily under the gods of those religions that remain homophobic for whatever reason. "We need a government determined to end discrimination" of ALL KINDS.

It baffles me when those who are part of communities that have endured discrimination, don't come together against the discrimination of all others. The fight for equality must be a fight for justice, not just self-interest.

Some people have told me that type of equality in the the United States of today is simply unrealistic. It isn't here today. But there was a time when a woman's right to vote was unlikely, and racial integration was a dream. I believe that if enough voices unite for society to completely remove prejudice from law it will be forced to.

Hope and hard work can get you real change.... And leaders and their words will continue to inspire and educate. Courageous politicians can, as in they have in the past, excise prejudice from law. It took regular people like you and me to join M.L. King's dream and create the kind of pressure that Kennedy eventually recognized and supported and that led Lyndon B. Johnson sign the Civil Rigths act of 1964 into law( following the late Kennedy's wishes). We should never forget what can be, what is worth striving for.

Dr. King's message was one of peace of tolerance. Tolerance we should have for those of different color, religion or sexual orientation.

Dr. Martin Luther King was a follower of Ghandi's teachings and like him he waged a peaceful battle against prejudice. Unlike Bush, who would have us believe that one spreads peace through violence, and democracy by bombing nations preemptively, illegally and unilaterally whenever we want their natural resources. Dr. King knew that our ways must reflect our true goals. For us to have any credibility, our words must be consistent with our actions.

I think what Dr. King would have thought of this war in Iraq is evident when we listen to him speak about the war in Viet Nam:

What passes for a debate on MSNBC

2008-01-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

Why did the press try to keep the race feud goin? I'm glad they got heckled. I noticed Edwards and Clinton did the typical politician thing by obviously trying to answer with another endearing quality when asked for a weakness. Obama was more honest in this question and when Hillary tried to hit back and connect him to Bush, Obama was effective in quickly pointing out a big difference: You can be efficiently bureaucratic and prompt at executing the WRONG ideas.I think a question in which Edwards could have defended himself much better was when they asked about competing with two historic candidacies. I'm glad he was proud of his party for being at the forefront of equality but his wife Elizabeth said it best in an interview with Chris Mathews: Democrats fought in the sixties for the right of women and African Americans to compete on an even playing field, to be considered equally, not under or above their male white counterparts and now it's time to choose based on issues. This is exactly how I view it. I appreciate the symbolic significance of an Obama or Clinton win, but too much at stake to choose merely because gender or race. Barack (along with my other favorite, Kucinich)made a good case in the debate for being evaluated on the basis of his merits, not his race. But where was Kucinich? He would have had the guts to ask the hard questions and confront some of the other candidates' mediocre alternatives. It would have been an eye-opener and definitely more lively television if he had been there. Too bad NBC excluded him.

NBC resists judge ruling and appeals to silence candidate

2008-01-15T12:52:00.001-08:00

According to polls, Kucinich won the ABC debate. The man has a point and knows how to make it.It is a point General Electric,NBC's parent company (who also makes money through defense contracts) doesn't want you to hear. The point being this war is all about greed. The constitution is being trampled on for the benefit of CEOs and shareholders of corporations like GE and Halliburton. How much money has Halliburton made off this war? Do you know how much Cheney's stock has risen since then? These are questions that need to be asked, and Kucinich has the guts to do so! He must not be silenced!

Corporations VS true Democracy

2008-01-14T12:45:00.000-08:00

Kucinich has been excluded from latest debate and i can't help but feel it might be another example of corporations getting in the way of a true democracy in which we can all view and judge for ourselves. Kucinich is doing what most Obama and Edwards followers wish their candidates had the guts to do: Seek impeachment for the WMD lies which have cost so many lives on both sides of this conflict. True single-payer universal healthcare: Industrialized countries around the world believe good health is every citizen's right, and though democrats in general are tending towards this viewpoint, only Kucinich has the guts to face the wrath of the drug companies by offering a NOT-FOR-PROFIT system. Withdrawal from Iraq: Aside from Obama, the other Democratic candidates either Voted for the War in the first place, like senator Clinton, or seem too afraid to be labeled soft on terrorism. Nobody defends terrorism, but has anybody forgotten what they told us the war about? Iraq's WMDs? Which they didn't have? Why doesn't the US go after the many other dictators which the US has ties w... right. Saddam was armed by the US and sadly so was Bin Laden, he was trained by the CIA to fight the Russians in Afghanistan during the cold war. The Bush administration relies on xenophobia, fear-mongering and the people's misinformation to shove false invasion motives down our throats... and if some one like Kucinich is courageous enough to stand up and call them on it, somebody can just pull the plug and un-invite him from the debates. So much for democracy. To those who support the other Democratic candidates I say I respect your choice, I personally feel we have a strong set of contenders this time around, but in the interest of fairness and full disclosure, shouldn't we all want to hear all the candidates still in the race? My admiration great admiration for Obama would have been boosted if he and the other candidates had stood up for democracy and honest, uncensored debates.

The US candidates VS Science

2008-01-11T17:51:00.000-08:00

Where do the candidates stand on Evolution?
From ReasonOnline

and the Carpetbagger Report

REPUBLICANS:

* Mike Huckabee — Rejects evolutionary biology, but says it shouldn’t matter.

* John McCain — Has rejected, embraced, and rejected again intelligent-design creationism.

* Mitt Romney — Believes in evolution. “In my opinion, the science class is where to teach evolution.”

* Rudy Giuliani — Refuses to say and “successfully discouraged key advisors from speaking to Science about specific issues.”

* Duncan Hunter — Told the Creation Studies Institute that he would “support and encourage a more open approach to education in the presentation of scientific facts that contradict the theory of evolution.”

* Ron Paul — Rejects biological evolution as “a theory.”

* Fred Thompson — Has apparently never said publicly either way.

DEMOCRATS:

* Hillary Clinton — Believes in evolution.

* John Edwards — Believes in evolution.

* Barack Obama — Hasn’t been quoted on modern biology, but rejects intelligent-design creationism.

* Dennis Kucinich — Hasn’t been quoted on the subject.

* Mike Gravel — Has been rather emphatic on the subject. “My God, evolution is a fact, and if these people are disturbed by being the descendants of monkeys and fishes, they’ve got a mental problem. We can’t afford the psychiatric bill for them. That ends the story as far as I’m concerned.”

Richardson's out. Will Kucinich get his time in the sun?

2008-01-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

Richardson is out! There's only four democrats left standing. Does this mean that Kucinich will no longer be silenced? Voted the winner of ABC's first debate ( according to their own poll), Congressman Kucinich has been excluded from two important debates in which his important, vital message has been sorely missed. He wants a prompt withdrawal from Iraq. He's the only one for a NON-for-profit, truly universal, single-payer healthcare system. The only one for gay marriage which basically means basic equal rights regardless of your sexual orientation. He surely has the guts to stand for all that Democrats are supposed to stand for. Here's hoping he will get at least a chance to speak our minds in the next debates. In the meantime, here's Bill Moyers interviewing Kucinich in PBS.

Iraqis: conflicts caused by US military presence

2008-01-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

From Juan Cole's Informed Comment Blog:

2. Myth: Iraq has been "calm" in fall of 2007 and the Iraqi public, despite some grumbling, is not eager for the US to depart. Fact: in the past 6 weeks, there have been an average of 600 attacks a month, or 20 a day, which has held steady since the beginning of November. About 600 civilians are being killed in direct political violence per month, but that number excludes deaths of soldiers and police. Across the board, Iraqis believe that their conflicts are mainly caused by the US military presence and they are eager for it to end.

Click here to read his post: Top 10 Myths about Iraq

McGovern says : Bush must go.

2008-01-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

Although I'm very happy for Obama's recent and future victories... ( he did vote AGAINST the war!) Here is one issue in which I think Kucinich displays much more courage... His position on Impeachment for Cheney and Bush, an action also supported by former United States Representative, Senator, and Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern in a recent op-ed in the Washington Post.
Click here to read the article.

Kucinich's views embraced by democrats

2008-01-05T15:18:00.000-08:00

Newsweek and NPR link
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16912151

Barack OBAMA wins in Iowa

2008-01-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

It was great to see Obama clean up in Iowa and to see such extraordinary turnout for democrats, twice the Republican turn out, which tells me the US is ready for real change, away from this administration's bullying foreign policy, and the economic policies that benefit the few. A move towards greater equality, intelligence and diplomacy. I was also happy that Kucinich, my other favorite, endorsed Obama in Iowa and that Edwards won second place over Hillary. To me Obama and Edwards are better suited to make sure that the greed of corporations doesn't dictate policy within the US or how this country engages with the rest of the world.
Here's Barack's stirring Victory speech:

A dead soldier's last post from Iraq

2008-01-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

In respect for Andrew Olmsted's wishes I'll refrain from writing commentary other than to say that we mourn him and the thousands who have died in this war. Click Here to read the last post written by a real United States solider now dead, Major Andrew Olmsted.

Obama's closing Iowa speech

2007-12-28T01:21:00.000-08:00

Bhutto's death

2007-12-28T00:17:00.000-08:00

Today we mourn a great loss for the cause of Democracy.
We've also seen the right-wing or right-leaning candidates use this tragedy to push their bellicose foreign policy. But things aren't so simple. Bhutto knowingly, heroically did place herself in an extremely dangerous situation by standing with her upper body exposed through the sunroof of her vehicle, but it is also true that Musharraf did not provide her with the security requirements she requested and she had indeed put the blame on him if something like this happened. It is also true that Musharraf can be seen as a military tyrant who has taken 10 billion dollars from the US without securing the border with Afghanistan and has been either unwilling or uncapable of preventing radicals to take root in Pakistan. It is also true that the US administration has chosen to wage a war in an Iraq without WMD's and threatened Iran while taking the eye off the ball in the unstable, nuclear Pakistan.

CNN link:
Bhutto said she'd blamed Musharraf if killed

Don't just wish for Peace on Earth...

2007-12-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

Vote for it.

Here's Kucinich and Ani DiFranco

Over 1000 Attorneys step up against Bush's Unconstitutional Actions

2007-12-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

Link from the nation
Lawyers Stepping up