Who would have thought that there would be two very important votes happening on November 4?

One vote, of course, is deciding which man goes to the White House. The other vote decides whether or not “to spread the wealth” of wireless telephone service.

Next Tuesday, while those who didn’t take advantage of early voting are waiting in long lines to cast their ballots for president, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be holding a vote of their own. They will decide among an array of important issues. One vote will be deciding whether or not to consider a proposal to cut funding to build new cell telephone towers in the rural parts of America.

What’s the big deal?

For the over 48 million people who live outside major city limits and do some of the nation’s hardest work and live in some of the remotest areas, not to have a tool at their disposal that the rest of the country, even the world, now sees as a necessity defies explanation.

Continue reading "Rural Americans need a vote come Election Day"

With only 24 hours to go before one of the most historical elections in recent memory comes to a close, it's interesting to put this election into perspective.

This picture underscores how the election has taken hold of the nation's imagination.

There is no doubt that Election 2008 will figure prominently in history books and be forever remembered as the election that heralded change in the presidential political process.

Yet, given all the excitement the nation has had during this election season and the unbridled interest from foreign news media, we wondered if people outside the U.S. really were as excited about this election as we are.

The question was posed to several Latina Lista contributors who live in Central and South America. Their answers, while not surprising, are enlightening and illustrate how our southern neighbors practice cautious optimism when it comes to expecting anything from the U.S.A.

For those who waited till the last minute to cast their vote, the predictable problems are being reported across the country: not enough voting machines, long, long lines and not carrying proper paperwork to the polls.

Voters in Orlando, Florida face long lines at the poll on election day.
(Source: LATimes)

The sad consequence of all these problems is that people are giving up and going home, or back to work, without casting their vote.

Bad news.

It's especially bad news in those states considered swing states: Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, New York and Ohio.

Compounding these problems are reports that some Latino voters in Colorado are being disenfranchised because they can't read the ballots in English. One might say, well, if you're a citizen you should be able to read English.

Not so if you didn't become a citizen until late in life or have reading problems. As anyone who has had the opportunity and interest to speak another language knows, it's far easier to speak a language without being able to read it fluently.

Yet, even these problems aren't taking away from the excitement this election is generating. A great site to tap into the pulse of the nation regarding this election is YouTube's Video Your Vote.

At this site, people who are documenting the 2008 voting experience have been uploading their videos throughout the day. From inspirational voting stories to video of the long lines and even a few videos of outright voter intimidation — "hello, do you not notice the camera?" — the site is something that history buffs will forever be looking at to catch a glimpse of this special moment in our nation's history.

Also, there seems to be as much anticipation for the watch parties as the voter turnouts.

For that reason, Latina Lista will be providing Live Election Night Coverage starting at 9:30 p.m.

But I'm not talking about blogging — we, a group of some incredibly talented and supportive fans of Latina Lista, will be videotaping for a live broadcast on Ustream.tv on what we've titled:

Latina Lista Election Night Coverage.

It seemed the only fitting way to put a final chapter on our coverage of this election.

President-elect Obama's acceptance speech:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference. It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America. It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

It's only been hours since Barack Obama won the U.S. presidency but there is already speculation among political pundits, and Latinos ourselves, as to how much the Latino vote actually helped Obama win.

What we know is that according to the Edison/Mitofsky Exit Poll 66 percent of Latino voters voted for the Obama/Biden ticket. And Angelo Falcon, president and founder of the National Institute for Latino Policy, seems to think that Latinos did impact the election.

However, since the Electoral College is based on the vote in each state and most are winner-take-all systems, the role of the Latino vote in key states appears to have been important. From the early exit polls, states where the non-Latino vote went for McCain and in which it appears that the Latino vote for Obama shifted the overall vote in favor of Obama were Florida, Colorado and New Mexico. These three states gave Obama 41 electoral votes of the 338 he had won as of this writing. More dicey are Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia. In this sense, it appears that Latinos did not play the role of a "swing vote" in this election.

But what does this really mean for the future?

Does it mean that the Democratic Party is falling back into the good graces of the Latino electorate?

Does it mean that the Republican Party will be bleeding even more Latino votes in the future?

No, on both counts.

Today the Department of Homeland Security released a sudden press release to say that ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers is leaving November 15.

Resigning Assistant Secretary of ICE Julie Myers.

According to the press release, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff claims that Myers told him about her resignation in September. In fact, he wants everyone to know that she told him in September:

Assistant Secretary Julie Myers has announced that she will depart the department on Nov. 15. Julie has been an extraordinary Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and when she approached me in mid-September to discuss her departure, I knew this would be a loss for the department. Julie has been a major force in transforming ICE into a 21st century law enforcement agency.

If that were the case, why wasn't this announced sooner? Since their boss wasn't running for re-election, the excuse, or maybe alibi is a better word, should not have been a factor in delaying announcing this piece of news.

As a result of its timing, many people inside and outside the blogosphere see a curious connection with Julie Myers' resignation and the fact that there is now an investigation into who leaked to the media the illegal immigration status of Barack Obama's aunt.

If there is anything we've learned in observing the people who serve in this administration it's that there are no coincidences or accidents — everything is a calculated move.

The clearest writing Latina Lista has found that intelligently connects the dots in this matter and illustrates the unlikelihood that Myers resignation is just odd timing is from Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone.

From this list of three careerist immigration officials and one deeply controversial political appointee the choice of a prime suspect isn’t difficult.

Julie Myers.

Myers is a loyal Bushie whose appointment was a clear case of nepotism — she is both the niece of Gen. Richard Myers and is married to John F. Wood the chief of staff for the homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff.

Myers was such a controversial pick that she was initially installed at ICE in 2006 via a recess appointment, and she was not confirmed by the Senate until last December.

If this still sounds implausible to you, let's remember that it is this same administration that was found guilty of leaking the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame to the media.

It is said that the Department of Homeland Security is conducting an internal investigation into who leaked the immigration status of Obama's aunt.

Just to keep appearances of transparency, Congress should demand the investigation be conducted by an outside law enforcement agency with its own independent investigators. The culprit should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for not just leaking the information but abusing the confidentiality they were entrusted by virtue of their position.

The truth will come out — but probably not until Obama's administration because if there is one expectation left of the Bush Administration it is to not have one, especially with one dealing with the truth.

Though Barack Obama has finalized his choice of Chief of Staff (Rahm Emanuel) and is already focused on putting his administration together, the buzz from Tuesday's election is still fresh on people's minds.

Therefore, we're posting some freshly edited video of Latina Lista's election night coverage from Dallas, Texas.

As in all parts of the country, people came together to watch the election. In Dallas, it was an area known as the Bishop Arts District which served as the headquarters for the Dallas Democratic Party.

In the video you are about to see, Latina Lista Special Correspondent, Rebecca Aguilar, interviews a local Latina politician, Dr. Elba Garcia who has some suggestions for Latinas, or anyone, who wants to run for political office.

Latina Lista thanks Manuel Vasquez from Doce Productions for being an awesome videographer and film editor and Rebecca Aguilar who illustrates why she was chosen Hispanic Journalist of the Year in 2007.

Latina Lista 04 from Doce Productions on Vimeo.

See more of Latina Lista's election night coverage

The election of Barack Obama forces the country to look at people of color and ethnicity in a new light and to begin a new conversation about dropping old labels and adopting new ones.

Barack Obama’s White House win signals more than just a break from “old politics.” It is the start of something bigger — the cracking of the shell of ethnic stereotypes that too many people of color or certain ethnicities still find themselves encased in courtesy of a national attitude that relies on assumptions rather than facts.

For the first time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s infamous words, “I have a dream…where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” rings practical and achievable.

Yes, there have always been Latinos, African-Americans, Asians and Native Americans who have achieved great accomplishments — graduated from Ivy League schools, attained top positions of influence in government and the corporate world, were Olympic athletes, media celebrities, community leaders, etc. — but Obama’s win serves as the prime example for everyone that it’s time to take a fresh look at how people of color and ethnicity are viewed.

And we can start by discarding the old tag of referring to people who fall into these categories as “minorities.”

The sociologist Louis Wirth popularized the term “minority” to mean “a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.”

As a result, it hasn’t taken long for the use of the term to gain negative connotations. Seeing that the term is used to describe members of those communities that are suffering the highest assaults from crime, poverty, low educational levels and high pregnancy rates, it’s a no-brainer that people associate the negative with the term.

However, there are valiant efforts being made to make the term a positive one.

Continue reading Obama's election forces a new national dialogue on "multiculturals"

"Change" was the operative word for Barack Obama's campaign and it seems that there is another word that characterizes what an Obama Administration will bring to Washington — "transparency."

(Source: CNN)

Just hours after Obama delivered his speech after winning the presidency, his campaign workers erected the web site Change.gov. In what has become a signature trademark of this particular politician, the site reaches out to readers to include them every step of the way as Obama makes important decisions regarding key positions in his administration.

In perhaps one of the most telling examples of this transparency is the inclusion on the site of a link to the GSA Transition Directory. It's kind of like the playbook for members of the president-elect's team in getting a handle on how the federal government operates and what resources members of the new administration can look to for help.

An initial scan of the directory reveals a flowchart laying out the federal government from the branches to its departments, and interestingly, shows the one thing that takes precedence even over the Executive Branch — the Constitution.

Somehow, we don't think the current administration had much use for this flowchart or even the directory itself. And when it comes to transparency, well, in light of some new revelations regarding the uncharacteristic speed Bush aides are working to get new policies passed before their boss leaves office, transparency isn't a word of which this administration is too fond.

Identity politics, as defined by Wikipedia, is " political action to advance the interests of members of a group whose members are oppressed by virtue of a shared and marginalized identity (such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and neurological wiring). The term has been used principally in United States politics since the 1970s."

If it were not for Obama's eloquence and unflappable demeanor during the debates and on the campaign trail, there would be arguments made that Obama won the election based on what his election meant as the first President of color rather than the attributes he brings to the most stressful job in the world.

Though critics don't want to hear it, Obama is President who happens to be African-American.

His success in crossing that threshold mandated by the majority against any person of color who has ever run in an election against a white candidate speaks volumes for how far we as a society have come and how far African Americans have come to garner a "national" vote.

Looking at Obama's success, it's not illogical for Latinos to want to achieve the same thing — to be able to vote for a Latino candidate more for the qualifications they bring to the table rather than for a familiar surname or ancestral culture.

So, the question remains: Does the election of Obama mean that Latinos can now look past identity politics and vote solely based on qualifications?

The Latino blogosphere has been busily speculating about the chances of Gov. Bill Richardson being appointed Secretary of State in President-elect Obama's administration. It goes without saying that the governor is qualified for the position but word is that he faces stiff competition — "Sen. Kerry, Richard Holbrooke, a former senior U.S. diplomat; Sen. Richard Lugar, a Republican foreign-policy guru from Indiana; Sen. Chuck Hagel, the Nebraska Republican who is retiring; and Sen. Hillary Clinton."

Caricature of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

Yet, though the position of Secretary of State is generating a lot of buzz and is probably considered the crown of all political appointments, that's not the position I would like to see Gov. Richardson occupy. At this time in our country when people are starting to come down from the high of the Obama win and feeling again the painful divisiveness of punitive Bush policies, I feel Richardson can better serve the country and help heal it as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The unprecedented turnout of Latino voters for Barack Obama signaled not just a desire for change in the country but a change in how federal immigration policy is adversely impacting Latino communities.

The importance of the Latino vote is now an irrefutable fact. Not because Barack Obama was able to garner 67 percent of the Latino vote versus Sen. McCain’s 31 percent, but because Latinos turned out in record numbers in key battleground states turning the electoral college tide in Obama’s favor.

Analysts agree that without the Latino voters in these must-win states, Obama’s victory would have been questionable. So what happens now?

Since this is politics, the kind of support Latino voters gave the Democratic Party did come with strings attached. The big question is does that payback come in the form of a key Cabinet position going to a Latino/a or can it be satisfied with the Obama Administration addressing in his first 100 days an issue that was among the top three for Latino voters and one that has soured many against the Republican Party — immigration reform?

There’s no denying that it would be “sweet” to see Bill Richardson assume the position of Secretary of State in the Obama Administration. Yet, from examples of past administrations that have appointed Latinos/as to high positions within their “inner circles,” it’s one thing to have the ear of the President and quite another to have his attention.

So I vote that Obama make immigration reform a priority. Unlike the financial help being afforded Wall Street and debated for the auto industry, which takes a trickle down effect to reach Main Street USA, the Obama Administration can implement a form of help that would immediately relieve countless Latino communities across the nation — put a moratorium on immigration raids.

Continue reading Sixty-seven percent of the Latino vote should be enough to pay for a moratorium on immigration raids

By Irete Lazo

Author Irete Lazo

Irete Lazo (a pseudonym) is the author of The Accidental Santera (Oct 2008, Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press). Lazo received her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, was an editor at Latina magazine and is currently a freelance science writer living near San Jose, California.

In a special Guest Voz post for Latina Lista, Lazo melds her journalistic objectivity and natural scientific skepticism to explain the often misunderstood religion of Santeria and why there is room in today's techno-centric society for good old-fashioned séances.

It was what CNN called one of two awkward moments in Barack Obama’s first news conference as president-elect. Obama assured the gathered press corps that, yes, he was consulting previous presidents on how best to transition into being the leader of the free world. And, just to be clear, those ex-presidents with whom he has been conversing are all among the living. “I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any séances,” he told a reporter.

In drawing attention to the misstep, the “Best Political Team on Television” was most likely referring to how the president-elect may have offended the former First Lady who, as it turns out, never held séances, though she did consult an astrologer. I’m sure the anchor was not thinking about how Obama had just dis’ed those who do hold séances, or misas. As a Santeria priestess, I have to say the off-handed comment gave me pause.

Last week, the Center for Public Policy Priorities released the most in-depth study on the attitude of the U.S. federal government towards undocumented children who are caught illegally entering the country without their parents.

The report, A Child Alone and Without Papers, contained a number of very disturbing revelations.

From children being mistreated by U.S. immigration authorities to Mexican children deported in the back of trucks.

Yet, the most appalling incident cited in this report was how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) purposely stonewalled, denied or ignored repeated requests and Freedom of Information Act requests to gather the necessary data to help with this report.

Their actions underscore the need for an initial course of action before the abuses and neglect of the undocumented children can be addressed — a dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security.

A while back there was a story out of Idaho of a 10-year-old girl who was impregnated by her mother's boyfriend. Last month, the mother, Isabel Chasarez, was sentenced to 1-10 years in the state penitentiary for not protecting her daughter.

Isabel Chasarez, mother of raped 10-year-old.
(Source: katu.com)

The boyfriend was charged with rape and jailed.

Had the mother sought out medical help before the pregnancy was too far along then the 10-year-old (who was raped at age 9) would not have had to experience her belly cut open in a C-section last May and endure the delivery of a 6-pound baby.

Whether it was the mother's ignorance, fear or religious convictions that doomed her and her daughter is up for speculation but one thing is clear — because she did not provide the necessary medical assistance to her daughter, she and her daughter's life are, for all practical purposes, destroyed. The mother will be deported to Mexico as soon as the courts determine that she has served enough of her sentence.

Now, imagine if the mother had taken her newly pregnant 10-year-old to the local clinic and asked the medical staff to terminate her daughter's pregnancy. One would imagine that the doctor would automatically want to comply.

Yet, a new ruling that the Bush Administration is clearing all hurdles for passage, that will become law very soon, would allow that doctor to deny that mother's request if he is against abortion — and aside from trying to find another doctor, there would be nothing that could be done about it.

Continue reading White House disregards own directive to push through damaging health regulation impacting uninsured women

A stunning display of bipartisan cooperation was seen in Washington today. No, it's not the transitional team of President-elect Obama.

National Immigration Forum, Press Conference, Rayburn Building, Capitol Hill, November 19, 2008.
(Source: Rodney Choice)

Rather, it's an even more unlikely group that featured small-town city council members, immigrant rights activists, diocesan priests, business owners, attorneys and law enforcement officials. Their mutual interest is the U.S.-Mexico border.

This group calls themselves the U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force and what they have accomplished takes citizen-generated contributions to new heights.

One of the cornerstones of attack against undocumented immigrants by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been identity theft.

DHS and other critics have consistently based their accusations that undocumented immigrants are criminals because they knowingly use Social Security numbers that do not belong to them. However, it's been conveniently overlooked that in many of these cases where false social security numbers were used, the workers received them either directly from their employers or with their help.

Yet, the accusation that the immigrants are solely to blame still stands with little attempt to lay the fault where it begins.

However, all of that may change now because of a stupid error with good intentions intended only to expedite salaries being paid.

Jose Lara is the co-chair of the Association of Raza Educators, a group of Hispanic scholars who adhere to a teaching philosophy of creating not just students who excel in academics in the classroom but who are also socially conscious and can act to make a positive difference in their communities.

Jose Lara

Mr. Lara and members of his organization try to help the neediest Hispanic students achieve their academic dreams by fundraising for college scholarships. The ARE has identified the neediest Latino students as those who are undocumented, thus not eligible for federal aid.

While undocumented students cannot receive federal scholarships, they can receive private scholarships. Yet, the premier financial aid organization for Latino students, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, refuses to award undocumented students with any type of college scholarship.

Mr. Lara explains to Latina Lista why he and ARE are working to change that policy.

The Association of Raza Educators (ARE) ramped up its national campaign demanding the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) stop discriminating against undocumented students with a protest outside HSF headquarters in San Francisco on Thursday November 20th 2008. HSF has repeatedly emphasized that it “will not knowingly grant scholarships to individuals without legal status.”

There are an estimated 65,000 undocumented students who graduate from U.S. high schools each year. As a private organization, HSF is one of the few sources of financial aid undocumented students can turn to since they do not qualify for state or federal aid. Last year alone, HSF gave out over $26 million in scholarships, with none of that financial support going to undocumented students.

The Association of Raza Educators sent various letters imploring HSF to allow undocumented students an opportunity to apply, but HSF continues to refuse.

For too long the issue of immigration, illegal or otherwise, has been the catalyst that pits conservatives against liberals. Yet a new report warns that people need to get over their hang-ups about the whole issue of immigration and start facing a reality that is going to bring with it three new crisis that this country has never before faced.

The Reform Institute released a report today by demographer Dowell Myers titled Old Promises and New Blood: How Immigration Reform Can Help America Prosper in the Face of Baby Boomer Retirement .

The report outlines how the Baby Boomer generation dominates the current electorate and how its retirement over the next ten years will severely impact three precise areas and produce a crisis in each of them: An Entitlement Crisis — more retirees means greater demands on Social Security and Medicare; Workforce Crisis — more retirees means more open positions but there won't be enough of the younger generation to fill them; Home Sellers Crisis — more Baby Boomers downsizing means more homes on the market but a smaller-size younger generation won't be able to absorb all the homes for sale which will lead to an unstable housing market.

While the report goes on explaining how immigrants and their children will be able to fill the gaps and basically ease these inevitable crisis, it also reveals that the issue of immigration is looked at in such a wrong way by politicians, policy makers, pundits and extreme conservatives that instead of planning for the future success of this country, these people are laying the groundwork for significantly weakening it.

At Latina Lista, I often write to give voice to those I consider without one — the undocumented, the impoverished, those who are discriminated against because of the color of their skin or the accent in their voices and who are summarily dismissed by traditional media, politicians and the general "unenlightened" public.

Yet yesterday in Dallas, TX, a gross miscarriage of justice was carried out that underscored the fact that there actually exists a group more voiceless than Latinos presently.

Yesterday the federal government finally got what it had been after — the conviction of all five leaders of the Muslim charity The Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. Prosecutors and the Bush Administration are hailing the convictions as another blow to terrorism.

Protester holds signs declaring innocence of Holy Land Foundation.

The Muslim men were convicted on all 108 criminal counts against them, including support of terrorism, money laundering and tax fraud. The group was accused of funneling millions of dollars to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an Islamist organization the government declared to be a terrorist group in 1995.

All along, the Muslim men and their families have contended that they were giving money only to legitimate humanitarian aid for community welfare programs and Palestinian orphans. Needless to say, the government didn't buy it and didn't want the public to buy the possibility that they could be wrong yet again in labeling someone as a terrorist without credible evidence to support it.

So, the government did what it has become infamous under this administration for doing, it retried the accused on their terms and how they interpret the U.S. judicial system. One of their interpretations is that it's OK for secret witnesses to testify.

When it became evident that the federal government was on a "terrorist hunt," family members of the accused, at a loss to where to turn for help, reached out to different organizations. One of those organizations was LULAC which on February 2, 2008 adopted a resolution in support of the Holy Land Foundation's right to a just trial.

What ensued this past year and culminated yesterday was far from the kind of trial that should have happened in this country and leaves several families destroyed and a whole community evaluating what is there to give thanks for in a country whose leadership has successfully instilled a fearing and hating of Muslims while resurrecting a dark chapter in our country's history otherwise known as McCarthyism.

Thanksgiving has evolved far from the original intent of neighbor-getting-to-know-neighbor. Nowadays, the country is facing a surge in hate crimes and it’s time to set a new table to address the issue.

When it comes to celebrating Thanksgiving, everyone thinks it’s the holiday most closely observed in the same spirit as our forefathers —friends and family sitting at the same table sharing food and enjoying each other’s company.

Yet, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Since that first Thanksgiving, whether you believe it took place either in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621 or in St. Augustine, Florida in 1565, the holiday has evolved into one that is farther away from that original idyllic scene of pilgrims/ Spanish explorers breaking bread with Indians than reminiscent of it.

The idea behind Thanksgiving wasn’t to celebrate with family, since a lot of those first “immigrants” made the trip with only their immediate family members or solo, but to sit down with people who were their new, strange, and in many cases, unknown neighbors — and get to know them.

In that respect, we’ve drifted away from the original intent of the holiday to the point where we are facing yet another emerging crisis in this country — an increase in hate crimes.

Since Barack Obama’s presidential win, there has been an increase in reports of physical assaults, racially motivated graffiti and verbal harassment on people of color.

The most infamous case so far, since the election, has been the Long Island murder of Marcelo Lucero. Lucero was an Ecuadorian immigrant murdered by a gang of kids who were specifically looking to beat up someone who looked Latino.

The shock goes beyond putting words to the horrific crime but it’s not an isolated event when it comes to preying on people of color.

Continue reading Setting a place at the table to talk about race

For the last six years, Antonio (Tony) Garza has served as the United States ambassador to Mexico. Originally from Brownsville, Texas, Ambassador Garza's career has spanned over 10 years serving as a public official in Texas state government and with the Bush Administration.

Antonio Garza, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico

Ambassador Garza has been cited for his knowledge of Mexican affairs and long history of working with that country's officials in the area of security. In 2005, he married Mexican businesswoman María Asunción Aramburuzabala.

In a speech on November 20, 2008, in response to receiving the 2008 Amistad Award from the San Antonio-Mexico Friendship Council, Ambassador Garza delivered a blunt assessment of Mexico's drug cartel crisis and the role of the the United States in it.

He also revealed when he's stepping down from his position and what may lie in his future as he returns to the private sector.

Ricardo, thanks for that generous introduction. I’d also like to thank all of you for honoring me tonight with the Amistad Award. And to the San Antonio-Mexico Friendship Council, thanks to each and every one of you. You’ve been out on point keeping the relationship between the United States and Mexico strong, so it’s fair to say I should be applauding you.

San Antonians know better than most how important the familial, cultural and commercial ties are that link Mexico and the United States. And as I look at the list of past recipients, quite frankly, my name shouldn’t appear alongside Henry Cisneros, Tom Frost, and Juan Ramon de la Fuente. So I am more than honored, I am humbled.

Over the past six years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. And let me tell you, the best preparation for this post was growing up in South Texas, where I learned early on that neighbors not only help one another, they rely on each another.

Sixteen days ago America chose a new president, and what an election it was. Election night in Mexico City, I hosted nearly 1500 Mexicans, as we watched history unfold. At 10:15 that night, John McCain gave perhaps the most gracious concession speech ever offered, calling on all of us to line up behind our new president, at a time when our country faces extraordinary challenges both at home and abroad. A few minutes later, President-elect Obama echoed that call to unity, and asked us to focus on our shared future.

Many of you may know who I voted for in that election, but let me tell you something, that night, as always, I was proud to be an American. I was proud to watch two good men argue the issues until the end. I was proud to watch one graciously cede history's road to the other, and offer his support as we, as Americans, walk that road together. And I was especially proud that so many Mexicans had the chance to see American democracy at its finest. And I know every U.S. ambassador around the world felt that same way.

As Ambassador to Mexico, I’ve assumed a special trust and I have worked hard to bring the United States and Mexico closer. As all Texans know, we need Mexico to succeed in order for us to thrive. I grew up a few hundred miles south of here, during a time when the border was a far different place… more a state of mind than a physical barrier.