Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Ricardo Lagos, first socialist president of Chile since Salvador Alliende, to speak at Vanderbilt Thursday


George W. Bush and Ricardo Lagos
in Santiago, Chile Nov. 20, 2004

Economics Ph.D. from Duke University, finished presidency with 70% approval ratings and a $11.3 billion budget surplus

The face behind the "finger" pointed at Pinochet

Former president of Chile Ricardo Lagos will speak at Vanderbilt on Thursday. His profile at Brown University, where he teaches as a university professor at large, states that "[d]uring his term, Lagos was known for aggressively pursuing free-trade agreements, improving healthcare and education legislation, and addressing the crimes of Augusto Pinochet’s military regime."

Lagos left Chile following the military coup by Augusto Pinochet in 1973, and "[i]n 1978, he returned to Chile, where he became president of the Democratic Alliance, a coalition of parties opposed to Pinochet."

Wikipedia describes Lagos' opposition to Pinochet here, with a reference to the "finger" anecdote:
During the 1980s, Lagos assumed a fundamental role in the fight for the recovery of democracy. In addition to being one of the leaders of the Socialist Party of Chile, he became President of the Democratic Alliance, a force that grouped the majority of the democratic parties opposing the regime of General Augusto Pinochet. In 1983, he decided to leave his position as international civil employee in the United Nations. In December of that year, he became president of the Democratic Alliance. In 1987, as the president of the Committee of the Left for Free Elections, he called on all citizens and parties to enroll in the electoral registries to vote "no" in a 1988 national plebiscite on whether Pinochet should be allowed to remain president of Chile.

Lagos became the undisputed leader of Pinochet's opponents after appearing in the political television show De Cara al PaĆ­s where he indicated that "with the triumph of No, the country will prevent General Pinochet from being 25 years in power." Lagos then looked directly into the camera and accusingly raised his index finger to say directly to all viewers: "General Pinochet has not been honest with the country. I will remind you, General Pinochet, that on the day of the 1980 plebiscite you said that President Pinochet would not be a candidate in 1989. And now, you promise the country another eight years of tortures, murders, and human rights violations. It seems to me inadmissible that a Chilean can have so much hunger for power. You intend to stay in power for 25 years..." To this day, in Chile the phrase "the finger" or "Lagos' finger" refers to this memorable event; on that night, many people were convinced that the man would not survive to see the next day.
The same Wikipedia article describes Lagos' presidential legacy this way:
During Lagos' presidency, Free Trade Agreements were signed with the European Community, the United States, South Korea, the People's Republic of China and New Zealand, Singapore and Brunei (though some of his supporters in the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy consider that these agreements may have negative effects on the country); improvements were made in infrastructure and transport; an unemployment insurance was created, as well as the AUGE health program guaranteeing coverage for a number of medical conditions; the Chile Barrio housing program; compulsory schooling was extended to 12 years; the first divorce law in Chile was approved; monetary compensation to victims of torture under the Pinochet regime identified in the Valech Report was authorized; and, recently, a recast constitution was signed. He finished his six-year term with historic approval ratings above 70%.
The Wikipedia article for Chile states that in 2006, at the end of Lagos' term, "In 2006, the Government of Chile ran a surplus of $11.3 billion, equal to almost 8% of GDP."

The fact that Ricardo Lagos was a "socialist" president, and that another socialist president (Michele Bachelet, currently in office) was elected after Lagos' term was up, may not mean what Americans think, according to a 2006 article in the Catholic publication America Magazine:
The Socialist-led government of Bachelet, for example, and the successful administration of Ricardo Lagos before it have fully embraced the market as an engine for economic and social development and pursued friendly relations with the United States, including a free trade agreement in December 2003. Through a more competent state government pursuing an effective set of social policies in education and health, successive Chilean governments have managed to reduce the poverty level from 42 percent in 1992 to roughly 14 percent in 2005. Chile has had sound economic management and been rewarded with impressive economic performance. Much of this success can be attributed to the adoption of the economic reforms associated with the widely criticized Washington consensus.
Here is the press release from Vanderbilt University announcing Lagos' lecture Thursday:
Ricardo Lagos, a former Chilean president whose administration achieved strong economic growth while adopting democratic and social reforms, will address current issues facing Latin America during an Oct. 1 lecture at Vanderbilt University.

Lagos, who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006, will speak on “Latin American Challanges…After the Crisis” at noon in the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall at the Blair School of Music. The lecture will be streamed live at VUCast.

The Center for Latin American Studies at Vanderbilt is sponsoring this event, which is free and open to the public. “We are delighted to bring Lagos, one of the most influential and respected political leaders in Latin America, to campus,” Edward Fischer, director of the Center for Latin American Studies, said. “Lagos is a serious economist and human rights advocate who refuses to be confined into one discipline or role – similar to the work of our center.”

Lagos earned a law degree from the University of Chile and a doctorate in economics from Duke University. He then returned to Chile, where he began his political career as a member of Salvador Allende’s Socialist Party during the early 1970s. He spoke out courageously against General Augusto Pinochet’s human rights violations and was forced to flee first to Argentina and then to the United States, where he lived in exile for several years.

During the 1980s he returned to Chile and founded the Party for Democracy, which gained power through its “NO” campaign against the Pinochet legacy. During his time as minister of education, Lagos introduced a major policy to decentralize Chile’s education system. Later, as minister of public works, he engineered a unique and successful plan to revamp Chile’s road system.

In 2000 Lagos was elected the first socialist president of Chile since Allende was overthrown. Despite high unemployment and tensions with other South American nations regarding access to energy resources, Lagos enjoyed widespread popular support with approval ratings over 70 percent when his term ended. In 2007 he was appointed to his current position as the United Nations Special Envoy on Climate Change.

A reception will precede Lagos’ talk at 11 a.m. in the lobby of the Blair School, which is located at 2400 Blakemore Ave. Parking is available in the South Garage. For more information, call the Center for Latin American Studies at 615-322-2527.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Ketron's case-by-case review of immigrant behavior shifts to Department of Safety in SB 2158; I.D. card would be issued

State senator intervention is free, but the new process would cost $500

Speaker Ramsey and Deputy Speaker Ketron visit Hispanic Heritage Month networking lunch

A few weeks ago, I sat down across a lunch table from Tennessee State Senator Bill Ketron (R-13). Sen. Ketron's district comes within a stone's throw of my home, covering "western Rutherford County and all of Maury, Marshall and Lincoln counties," according to his web site. The site also points out that Ketron has been Deputy Speaker of the Senate since January 2009.

The event we attended was the Tennessee Hispanic Chamber of Commerce networking lunch celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, on September 3 at Chappy's on Church Street, in the Napoleon Banquet Room.

The conversation turned to state-level bills related to immigrants and immigration. Since I was across the centerpiece from Sen. Ketron, it was a little hard to hear. It seemed that I was hearing that Sen. Ketron supports the concept that people in the U.S. without a visa should nonetheless be able to identify themselves with I.D. issued here, and that "coming out of the shadows" is a good thing.

The background that led to this position seems to be that Sen. Ketron was once able to use his position in government to help someone get in line for either a visa or citizenship. I believe Ketron wrote a letter to the immigration authorities on behalf of this person.

Sen. Ketron thought there should be an easier way than having to go through your state senator.

His idea was that if a person comes here for a good reason and just wants to make a living and raise a family, coming clean and applying for immigration relief should be easier than it is currently. (For those who don't want to live here peacefully, they should be picked up and shipped out, he said.)

So what can a state senator do? For starters, he authored the bill identified as SB 2158. Under this bill, the State must issue an I.D. card to anyone proving identity and 15 days' residency in Tennessee. After two years of living with a trackable identity, good behavior gets the cardhold a letter from the state - just like the letter Sen. Ketron sent on behalf of his constituent - except instead of having to get the letter from a state senator, the cardholder gets it from the state itself (the bill is silent on which state agency would send the letter).

Here are some specifics about SB 2158:
  • What will appear on the i.d. card, at a minimum:
    the cardholder's name, photograph, date of birth, gender, and an expiration date.
  • How the state will verify the data on the card: the bill specifies the documents that establish identity and residence either by themselves or in combination with other documents, depending on the document.
  • What the state will charge: $500 for adults; $250 for minors. If the Department of Safety come up with a way to verify income, it can offer discounts or even waivers to low-income applicants.
  • Obligations imposed on recipients: any foreign citizen who applies for the card has to sign a form stating
    that the person pledges to learn the basics of the English language and abide by the laws of this state and country
  • Sending a letter to the immigration authorities to show good behavior: two years after issuance of the card, if "the person has not been convicted of any felony or Class A misdemeanor" and if "the person passes a test on the basics of the English language" then
    the state shall work with the appropriate federal agencies to help the person become a citizen of the United States.
  • Driving privileges conferred: none
In essence, Ketron wants to move the case-by-case review of good behavior at the state level from his office to the Department of Safety.

Since it confers no driving privileges, the proposed i.d. is the opposite of Tennessee's short-lived Certificate for Driving, which was legally valid for driving but was not valid as identification. As reported previously on HispanicNashville.com, Senator Ketron sponsored the 2004 legislation that stripped unvisaed immigrants of their drivers' licenses, was a "major backer" of the Certificate for Driving that same year on the condition that it would not be used as i.d., and in 2005 pushed for immigration- and language-related requirements for license plates and drivers' licenses. Ketron is also a current sponsor of SB0122 and SB0145 which condition public benefits on the federal "systematic alien verification for entitlements" or "SAVE" program, as well as SB1683 also known as the "Comprehensive Illegal Immigration Act." These most recent bills can be viewed onthe legislature's web site.

What's the status of SB 2158? Ketron made the point to the table that since the legislative session is two years long, the bill is still pending, even though the legislature doesn't resume meeting until January. The bill's own web page will be updated regularly once the legislature returns.

Constituents can call Sen. Ketron at 741-6853 or e-mail him at sen.bill.ketron@capitol.tn.gov

On a side note, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate Ron Ramsey stopped by the lunch table at one point and talked about how he had just been to Bristol. "That's an experience," he said.

Monday, September 28, 2009

Now happening this week: Tavares, SunTrust, XXY, Lagos, Arts Company, Women in Global Village, Conexion, and Celebration of Cultures


Photo by Tom Magliery. Licensed under Creative Commons.


September 29 - Nashville Business Breakfast featuring Carlos Tavares, Chairman, Management Committee - Americas, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. @ Lipscomb University



September 29 - Reception in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month @ SunTrust Plaza



September 30 - Screening of Argentina film XXY @ Vanderbilt University International Lens



October 1 - Latin American Challenges After the Crisis - A lecture by Former President of Chile Ricardo Lagos @ Vanderbilt University



October 1 - Celebrating Latino Arts & Culture Reception @ the arts company



October 1 - Women's Voices In The Global Village @ Scarritt-Bennett Center's Fondren Hall



October 2 - Conexion Americas Hispanic Heritage Celebration @ Historic Cannery Ballroom



October 3 - Celebration of Cultures @ Centennial Park







Original photo by Paul Wicks. Licensed under Creative Commons.


October 7 - 5th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Business Awards



October 9 - Second Annual Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition American Dream Breakfast @ Loews



October 9 - Colombian Party Cartel @ Limelight



October 10 - Fall Hispanic Fiesta at Vol State



October 10 - 30th Annual Germantown Oktoberfest



October 17 - Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan @ TPAC



October 24 - Cheekwood’s 10th Annual EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS



October 29 - "Animo" - YMCA Hispanic Achievers' 8th Annual Dinner @ Lipscomb



See also:

Nashville Los Ritmos Calendar

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ferguson Weir: modern American parenting with Latino DNA


Carrie Ferguson-Weir of the Tiki Tiki Blog and Bilingual in the Boonies lets her "inner traditional Latina mami" shine through in this video exploring a split personality of parenting.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Sister Cities World of Friendship, Walk As One, and RADR party are this week; more to come in September and October


Calendar by Jan Muder. Licensed under Creative Commons.

September 24 - Sister Cities of Nashville celebrates a World of Friendship @ Belle Meade Plantation Carriage House



September 26 - CommunityNashville’s 7th Annual Walk As One @ Bicentennial Mall



September 26 - Party to benefit RADR (Rescue and Aid for the Dominican Republic) @ Vanderbilt



September 29 - Nashville Business Breakfast featuring Carlos Tavares, Chairman, Management Committee - Americas, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. @ Lipscomb University



September 30 - Screening of Argentina film XXY @ Vanderbilt University International Lens








Calendar by Jan Muder. Licensed under Creative Commons.

October 1 - Latin American Challenges After the Crisis - A lecture by Former President of Chile Ricardo Lagos @ Vanderbilt University



October 2 - Conexion Americas Hispanic Heritage Celebration @ Historic Cannery Ballroom



October 3 - Celebration of Cultures @ Centennial Park



October 9 - Second Annual Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition American Dream Breakfast @ Loews



October 9 - Colombian Party Cartel @ Limelight



October 10 - Fall Hispanic Fiesta at Vol State



October 10 - 30th Annual Germantown Oktoberfest



October 17 - Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan @ TPAC



October 24 - Cheekwood’s 10th Annual EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS



October 29 - "Animo" - YMCA Hispanic Achievers' 8th Annual Dinner @ Lipscomb



See also:

Nashville Los Ritmos Calendar
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