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Linea Abierta Programs for November 2005

Tuesday, November 1st

PROGRAM # 4652 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – THE WHITE HOUSE UNDER INDICTMENT.  A federal grand jury probing a CIA leak indicted a top official in yet another political blow to the already embattled White House. The criminal charges have renewed the debate on the reasons behind the war in Iraq. How is this Washington scandal being followed in Texas, the president’s territory?

Guests: Gabriel Rodriguez Nava, editor, U.S. and International Section, RUMBO newspapers, San Antonio, TX; Carlos Guerra, columnist, San Antonio Express News, San Antonio, TX.

ALSO, 2000 DEAD. The death toll for U.S. troops in the Iraq war reached 2,000. A number of those fatalities are from Texas. A relative of a soldier and a columnist join this edition to comment on the impact of this tragic landmark figure on the hometowns of fallen soldiers in Texas, the second state with the largest body count in the nation.

Guests: Beatriz Saldivar, activist and aunt of Daniel Torres, soldier who died in Iraq, Fort Worth, TX; Carlos Guerra, columnist, San Antonio Express News, San Antonio, TX.

Wednesday, November 2nd

PROGRAM # 4653 - 12:00 PDT
DAY OF THE DEAD. On this day, the dead come to life in the old Mexican tradition. Mexicans honor their dead with personal altars, offerings at the cemetery, yellow marigolds and holiday bread at home. This is a conversation with an altar-maker from Central California.

Guest: Jesús Ávila, Mixtec immigrant, organizer of community celebrations, San Luis Obispo, CA.

ALSO, MEXICAN REPATRIATION IN THE 1930s. About 2 million Mexicans and Mexican Americans were deported to Mexico during the Great Depression. After decades of wooing and recruiting by U.S. employers with support from the U.S. government, Mexicans suddenly found themselves rounded up and forced onto crowded trains across the border, now considered undesirable burdens on the nation. Dr. Cecilio Orozco, a retired university professor and historian in Fresno, tells his own story. He was born in Glendale, CA, and as a child he ended up on a deportation train with his parents, as part of President Hoover's repatriation program.

ALSO, APOLOGY LAW. State Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Garden Grove, has introduced bills in the California legislature to create a redress commission, a window for lawsuits and a fund to pay reparations for surviving deportees. Recently, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed most, but signed one requiring the state to apologize to the deportees.

Guests: Layla Razavi, legislative assistant, Sen. Joe Dunn, Sacramento, CA; Assemblyman Hector de la Torre, Democrat, Los Angeles.

PROGRAM # 4654 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Friday, November 4th

PROGRAM # 4655 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Monday, November 7th

PROGRAM # 4656 - 12:00 PDT
DISCOUNTS FOR PHARMACY COSTS. Two propositions in California’s special election ballot propose to help Californians to pay for medications. Proposition 78, supported by drug companies and the business sector, offers discounts on prescription drugs and does not allow the state to enforce the discounts. On the other hand, Proposition 79, endorsed by consumer organizations, requires the state to negotiate discount prices from the drug industry. This is a debate on the issue.

Guests: Lupe Alonzo-Diaz, executive director, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, Sacramento, CA; Dr. James Grisolia, member of the professional advisory board, Epilepsy Foundation for San Diego County.

ALSO, STATE SPENDING LIMITS. An initiative in California’s special election would give the governor more authority to make budget cuts and cap spending. What would Proposition 76 mean for government spending in health care and health-related programs? To answer this and other questions, Luis Arteaga, executive director of Latino Issues Forum in San Francisco joins this program.

PROGRAM # 4657 - 13:00 PDT
EVE OF CALIFORNIA SPECIAL ELECTION. On the eve of California’s special election ballot, this program provides basic information about the ballot and answers voters concerns. It also discusses information about campaign finances, the publicity war, the promises of political reform and other topics.

Guests: Moni Flores-Bauer, community relations coordinator, Guía Fácil para el Votante, Oakland, CA; Antonio González, president, William C. Velázquez Institute and South West Voter Registration and Education Project, Los Angeles.

Tuesday, November 8th

PROGRAM # 4658 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION – KENNEDY/MCCAIN BILL. Attorney Rosalba Piña joins this edition from Chicago to co-host the program. This week, Fabiola Rodriguez-Ciampioli, spokesperson for Sen. Harry Reid, leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, discusses Senators Kennedy and McCain joint bill to extend earned legalization for undocumented immigrants. Attorney Piña concludes the program answering calls from listeners on residence and citizenship.

PROGRAM # 4659 - 13:00 PDT
ELECTION-DAY REPORT. In this election-day edition, correspondents file news reports from the ballot box on voter turnout and the projected impact of the Latino vote.

Guests: Manuel Ocano, correspondent, San Diego, CA; Luis Arritola, contributor, Los Angeles, CA; Marcelo Gaete, senior director of programs, National Association of Latino Elected and Designated Officials, Los Angeles, CA.

Wednesday, November 9th

PROGRAM # 4660 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – ELECTIONS IN CALIFORNIA AND TEXAS. Lydia Camarillo, vicepresident of the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project in San Antonio, TX, comments on the defeat of the initiatives championed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in California, the turn out of Latino voters in Texas and the unsuccessful run of Fernando Ferrer for mayor of New York.

ALITO NOMINATION. President Bush nominated conservative Judge Samuel Alito to succeed retiring Justice Sandra O’Connor. Advocates for a Latino Justice are expressing concern and disappointment. Dr. Jose Roberto Juarez, Jr, professor at the School of Law at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, analyzes Alito’s record, including cases involving race-based discrimination, labor rights and deportation of immigrants.

ALSO, GULF COAST JUSTICE TOUR. A national delegation of community-based leaders travels to the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina known as “Cancer Alley.” Called the Gulf Coast Justice Tour, the delegation plans to meet with local groups and call for the protection of living wages and against health hazards for immigrants and communities of color during the revitalization of the region.

Guests: Arnoldo Garcia, senior program officer, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Oakland, CA; Genaro Lopez Rendon, Southwest Workers Union, San Antonio, TX.

PROGRAM # 4661 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Friday, November 11th

PROGRAM # 4662 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Monday, November 14th

PROGRAM # 4663 - 12:00 PDT
HELPING MIGRANTS BUY HOMES. Realtors and state agencies in the U.S. launch campaigns to attract Spanish-speakers without Social Security numbers, while anti-immigrant politicians promote bills to curtail mortgage loans for the undocumented. This program looks into the opportunities undocumented migrants when buying a home in the U.S. It also warns about the risks of predatory lending, including new practices of "Rent with an Option to Buy" contract scams.

Guests: Yamila Ayad, National board of directors, National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, San Marcos, CA; Alain Cisneros, Lead organizer, ACORN, Houston, TX.

Tuesday, November 15th

PROGRAM # 4664 - 12:00 PDT
GREENING LATINO COMMUNITIES. Civic leaders meet in Los Angeles to discuss ways to engage Latinos on environmental issues and build a network of young Latino leaders interested in the environment. Topics include environmentalism in Latino heritage, the fight for a California park bond to develop green areas in urban barrios, the greening of Los Angeles River, the advocacy for urban gardens and the consequences of U.S. farm policy on Mexico's migration.

Guests: Irma Muñoz,. president and founder, Mujeres de la Tierra, Los Angeles; Ed Reyes, councilmember, Los Angeles City Council; Luis Hernandez Navarro, article writer, La Jornada, Mexico City; Tezozomoc, leader, Movimiento de Campesinos del Centro Sur, Los Angeles; Eleaquin Vaquero, Club Tehuitzingo and Federacion Poblana, Los Angeles.

Wednesday, November 16th

PROGRAM # 4665 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – CRIMINAL OR SCAPEGOAT? The Mexican driver charged with negligent homicide in the deaths of 23 retirement home patients evacuated from Hurricane Rita, is expected to be released after a Grand Jury declined to indict him. The passengers died after the bus caught fire and exploded. Family members charge that the undocumented immigrant is now being made a scapegoat in this disaster-related tragedy. The Mexican government took Robles' legal defense and a representative comments on the story.

Guest: Ademir Olguin, press attache, Mexican Consulate, Houston, TX.

TRIAL AGAINST HUMANITARIANS. Humanitarian aid groups are urging federal authorities to drop charges of transporting undocumented immigrants against two college students. Shanti Sellz and Daniel Strauss were arrested on July while taking to emergency care in Tucson three Mexican undocumented immigrants who had been lost in the desert. Advocates say the government is penalizing life-saving Good Samaritan work.

Guests: Shanti Sellz, volunteer for the organization “No More Deaths” and indicted in the case, Tucson, AZ; Daniel Strauss, volunteer and indicted in the case, Jackson, WY; Prof. Guadalupe Castillo, co-director, Coalition for Human Rights, member of "No More Deaths", Tucson, AZ.

PROGRAM # 4666 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Friday, November 18th

PROGRAM # 4667 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Monday, November 21st

PROGRAM # 4668 - 12:00 PDT
RESTRICTIVE HOUSING REFORMS – Legislation approved by the U.S. House forbids non-profit agencies that work on federally-funded low-income housing projects from engaging in any voter registration or voter participation work. Housing and civil rights groups are opposing the anti-voter provisions.

Guest: Walkiria Pool, Asset Development Specialist, Community Development and Housing, National Council of la Raza, Washington, DC.

ALSO, MIGRANT HOMES. A conversation with California assemblymember Juan Arámbula and Anibal Hernandez, leading member of Housing California, on efforts to fund and build migrant worker housing, including a bond measure for affordable homes and emergency shelters, and the Joe Serna Jr. fund for farm worker housing.

Tuesday, November 22nd

PROGRAM # 4669 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION – Chicago attorney Rosalba Piña joins this program to comment on news developments and answer listener concerns. This week, Piña comments on a case before the Supreme Court. It’s the case of Humberto Fernández Vargas, a Mexican immigrant who applied to become permanent resident and ended up in jail and back to México, separated from his family, because of an old deportation order.

Wednesday, November 23rd

PROGRAM # 4670 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS-GUADALAJARA EDITION – PAISANO PROGRAM. This monthly edition aired in collaboration with the three-station network of Sistema Jalisciense de Radio Y TV in Western Mexico, provides information about the Mexican government plans to expedite transit across the border for the one million migrants who return home for the season’s holidays. The plans, known as Paisano program, were created to reduce bribery, encourage reports of abuse by federal agents and provide duty-free imports.

Guests: Beatriz Margain Charles, representative, Paisano Program, Chicago, IL; Arturo Gonzalez Ocampo, Instituto Nacional de Migracion, State of Jalisco, Guadalajara; Edgar Rodriguez Torres, deputy administrator, Mexican Customs Office, Guadalajara.

PROGRAM # 4671 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Friday, November 25th

PROGRAM # 4672 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

For November 28 - December 2, 2005
(Topics subject to last-minute change)

Monday, November 28th

PROGRAM # 4673 - 12:00 PDT
ZACATECAN POWER. This pre-taped program features interviews gathered at the annual conference of the Zacatecan Federation of Southern California, a pioneering coalition of hometown associations from North Central Mexico. Governor Amalia García, migrant state congressman Manuel de la Cruz, and émigré leader Efraín Jiménez talk about the community-development program Tres por Uno, citizen philanthropy, binational citizenship, migrant vote and lobbying, binational health insurance, and the politics of California’s immigrant governor Schwarzenegger.

Tuesday, November 29th

PROGRAM # 4674 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION - THE BINATIONAL VOTE. For the first time in history, Mexicans living abroad will be able to vote in Mexico’s presidential elections, but time is running out for millions. Will the Mexican government be able to register millions in a matter of weeks? Línea Abierta crosses the border to air live from a special voter registration center in Ciudad Juárez set up to help register migrant voters who travel from the U.S.

Guests: Lourdes Granillo, Coordinator, Voto de Mexicanos en el Exterior - Registro Federal de Electores, Instituto Federal Electoral, Mexico City; Arturo Meraz, Vocal del Registro Federal de Electores, State of Chihuahua; Roberto Soto Fierro, Vocal Ejecutivo Distrito 2, Instituto Federal Electoral, Ciudad Juarez, MX; Oscar Marquez, Vocal del Registro de Electores, Instituto Federal Electoral, Ciudad Juarez; Lorenzo Torres, Vocal secretario, IFE, Ciudad Juarez; Fernando Valdez, Consul adjunto de Mexico, Del Rio, TX; Maria Curry, miembra, Red Mexico-Americana, San Diego, CA; Fernando Velasco, reporter, XERF, Ciudad Acuna; Sara Shakir, news reporter, Radio Bilingue, Fresno, CA.

PROGRAM # 4675 - 13:00 PDT
WALLS AND BRIDGES. The U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juárez, the largest in the world, has ignited protests from Mexican border residents who complain of arbitrary rejections to their applications for “laser visas,” the cards that allow border residents to travel into the U.S. This program airs the day when President Bush visits the Border Patrol headquarters in El Paso, to announce his support to a large "virtual", high-tech wall along the border.

Guests: Raul Carreon, President, Organizacion Fronteriza de Rechazados de Visas Laser, Ciudad Juarez; Jose Luis Flores, Consejo Ciudadano por el Desarrollo Social, Ciudad Juarez; Pilar Ramirez, Centro de Derechos Humanos del Migrante, Ciudad Juarez; Hernan Ortiz, Organizacion Popular Independiente, Ciudad Juarez.

Wednesday, November 30th

PROGRAM # 4676 AND # 4677 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – WALLS AND BRIDGES II. Massive and arbitrary rejections of border crossing cards for local Mexican residents by the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juárez are raising questions about the U.S. commitment to help keep border families and communities together. In addition, issues such as the recent declaration of a border emergency in neighboring New Mexico and Arizona, the patrolling of vigilante groups, the calls for a 2000-mile high-tech fence, the record number of border crossing deaths, and the efforts by locals to build bridges of understanding across the border will all be discussed in this two-hour roundtable broadcast from the studios of KTEP, the station of The University of Texas at El Paso. This program airs in coincidence with President Bush's visit to El Paso, where he announced his support to new measures to fortify the border fence.

Guests: State Representative Norma Chavez, Chair, Legislative Border Committee, Austin, TX; Sen. Jeffrey Jones, Mexico's Senate, Mexico City; Diputado Salvador Gomez, Congress of the State of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, MX; Catalina Rocha, organizer, Organizacion Fronteriza de Rechazados de Visas Laser, Ciudad Juarez, MX; Aida Parada, former rejected applicant of Visa Laser, Ciudad Juarez; Dr. John Amaste, professor of Linguistics, Director, Center for Interamerican and Border Studies, University of Texas El Paso, El Paso, TX.

To tune in to this news service, check our Affiliate Stations page to find your nearest station. Also, the audio of these news stories will soon be available live in this same website.

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