something horrendous is happening

And, no, I am not talking about the destruction of our planet. I mean, that too, but something even more horrendous is happening.

You see, there is this group called Californians for Population Stabilization. You might think that they support a zero population growth, or Planned Parenthood, are pro-choice, and are concerned about the environment. You would be wrong. Dead wrong.

This group is against immigrants. Specifically, Latino immigrants.

As a result, they have done the most heinous thing imaginable. You may have even seen it. They have paid for an advertisement in which they blame global warming on Latin immigrants, there by calling on our citizenry to disallow them from our country. (you can find an article, including a link to the commercial HERE.)

This campaign is awful, for so many reasons. First of all, last time I checked this country has continuously worked towards anti-discrimination laws and supports equality for all. Secondly, it just isn’t true. Global warming is not caused by one thing or one group of people. That is why this is so hard to battle. It doesn’t have a face. It’s a matrix of lack of education, low cost of fuel, bad food production, television and over-consumption by Westerners (and let me tell you, that’s white folk.)

Lastly, and most importantly, have you ever wondered what the heck you would do without all the latino immigrants in this country? Have you? Who would pick your food from the fields? Who would cook your food at California Pizza Kitchen or Spago? Who would clean your house, or your yard, or park your car for you? Why people do not understand that this population is a net positive to our economy is dumbfounding.

But on top of that, these are not the people I see driving around in SUV’s. These are not the people I see at the malls buying item after item on new merchandise. These are not the people I see at Ralph’s buying frozen pizzas and sugary foods for their children. Nor are they the people with five TV’s to a household of three. They do not over spend on cosmetics or cell phones or clothing or toys or all the other crap you can imagine. And on top of that, I cannot even tell you how many times I have seen Latino families going through trash bins pulling out all the recyclable items, that YOU threw out. So you tell me who’s better for this planet?

In all honesty, they work hard so you don’t have to. Their presence keeps the cost of food and goods low, so our economy can keep going. It is the jerks on Wall Street, most of them white, that have hurt this economy and fueled global warming.

So I say to this group, and any other person, that discriminates towards our immigrants… shame on you. You live a life of luxury for no regard on how you attain that.

I challenge you to open your eyes to the blessings you have in your life. And when you do, I almost promise you, the first reaction will be to thank an immigrant.

gardasil, an update

About a week ago, I wrote about Gardasil and urged you all to ask your representatives to look into the matter. You can find the original post HERE.

The Los Angeles Times wrote an article about the same issue today and I wanted to make sure you all saw it. You can go HERE.

I have mixed opinions about the necessity of the HPV Vaccine. The one thing I do know, and I don’t want to sound like an alarmist or create propaganda, but I do fear that requiring immigrants to get something that is possibly unnecessary, and not fully researched, could create another Tuskegee Experiment.

Are these group of women unwilling participants in clinical trials? And, is that ethical?

I think the CDC needs to seriously reevaluate this requirement. They will only do that if you speak up against it.

Please refer to my original post about how to find your representative and an example letter of what you can send. Thank you.

going off subject

Hey. I need to go a bit off topic right now and write about something pretty important.

I read an article that the HPV Vaccine, Gardasil, is being required for all women seeking green cards.

This action is very discriminatory. And, it will silently be allowed if we don’t speak up.

I wrote a letter to my representative, and I am asking that you do the same. (You can see my letter below). Please go the article and click on the link to find your representative, copy and paste my letter (if you like), adjusting for your information, and send.

There are so many reasons I think this requirement is bad, and would I go as far to say… unconstitutional? Yes, I think I would.

I don’t care what your opinions are about immigration… this is wrong. When our own citizenry is not required to get this vaccination, when the jury is still out about the efficacy of this vaccination, yet we are requiring immigrants to get it, you know it is discriminatory. That is not the American way.

my letter:
Dear Congressman Berman -

I just read an article about how the HPV Vaccine, Gardasil, is being required for women applying for green cards.

I am writing you to urge you to look into this matter as it is an issue of discrimination.

First off, this vaccine is performed at a cost of about $400. Many of the immigrants coming to this country are already underprivileged, but this ensures their position in the lower class. And, by not allowing these women to apply for green cards unless they can afford this, we are making a statement that we only accept a certain socioeconomic class in our country.

Second, this is discriminatory because by requiring this vaccination, we are claiming that these women are sexually promiscuous; which many, if not all of them, are not. HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. If the person in question is in a monogamous relationship, there is no justifiable reason for this vaccination.

Lastly, and most importantly, this vaccination is not approved for women over the age of 26. Yet, we are requiring ALL women applying for the green card to get this vaccine. When it may not even be effective on them! That is ridiculous. You can go to the CDC website (http://www.cdc.gov/std/Hpv/STDFact-HPV-vaccine.htm#hpvvac1) for more information.

I ask you to use your voice to be against this requirement. It is not the way of this country to knowingly allow discrimination.

Thank you so much for your time.
Best,
Shelley Boyle
Studio City, CA