Yes Kamala Can?
A weekly newsletter dedicated to Mexican American news, politics, and culture.
In today’s Daily Chela newsletter….
Spotlight: Luis J. Rodriguez
Election: Yes Kamala Can?
List: Our Fav Chicano Books
Podcast: Who Is Tim Walz?
Kamala Vows Border Security
More News and Links
Rodriguez: Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
Many in the U.S. have been led by churches, parties, and other organizations not in their best interests. Take the growth of White Christian Nationalism. First such a group is a contradiction in terms. Christianity, like all religions, belongs to no one nation or so-called race. And submitting to borders created for home markets by mercantilists and big corporations, and their cronies in politics, in another period and time makes no sense.
God is borderless. So is truth. So is healing. And every spiritual path that people expressed beneath their own cultural garment, for their own time and place, are valid to them.
Although I grew up Catholic and had forays into evangelical Christianity, these institutions were imposed on this land over 500 years ago. I engage in Indigenous spiritual practices honoring my roots among First Peoples of Mexico. My choice, my freedom.
Just the same, I’ve read the Gospels and Jesus never spoke out against reproductive rights or LGBTQ people or the undocumented. In the latter, these Christians attack mostly other Christians. Signs of “Mass Deportations Now” show up at Republican rallies. August marked five years since the El Paso mass shooting that targeted “Mexicans,” killing twenty-three people, including U.S. citizens.
Christians fighting Christians. Americans vs. Americans. That’s where we’re at today, and it’s only getting worse.
White Christian Nationalism is a mutation of Christ’s teachings. Yet many churches push this aberration, including among Mexican and Central American communities. The Gospels are clear. Jesus summarized all commandments into two: Love God above all else and love your neighbor as yourself. He had much to say about the rich and greedy. His acts were healing not hating, even against “sinners” or “enemies.”
Today White Christian Nationalists support Trump, a non-church going billionaire conman who married three times, had extramarital affairs, five children from different women, and felony convictions.
I’m not judging him, but I don’t have to. Some Christians, who would judge me for less, continue to back him although he was the “liar-in-chief”—more than 30,000 documented lies during his presidential term. And having gold statues of Trump or selling Bibles with U.S. founding documents to profit a campaign are un-Christian. He’s consistently broken Jesus’s commandments, but somehow, he’s the modern “savior”?
I’m not saying Democrats are saints. I’m not keen on either party, but many Democrats and others tend to align more with the values in the Gospels. This is not against Christianity. But at least follow Christ’s way—not make stuff up.
I work with Christians who agree with me. If there are to be revolutionary transformations in this country, Christians must be at the heart of it. Of course, so should Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Indigenous spiritual practitioners, and even atheists. Our values should align with a just, encompassing, and loving country that benefits all, not just the most powerful and wealthy against the most impacted by their policies and actions.
There’s a recent documentary film called “Bad Faith.” You can find it on streaming TV. It’s worth a watch to understand the recent incarnations of White Christian Nationalism (that now include Black and brown persons). They say “God is on their side” because they can’t justify their hypocrisy except to bring in the ultimate authority.
All fabrication. All misrepresentation. Like Trump.
Luis J. Rodriguez
Political Opinion Contributor
More Informative Things For You…
Election 2024: Yes Kamala Can?
Vice President Kamala Harris is off to a strong start. Since launching her presidential campaign, she has not only experienced a significant boost in fundraising and volunteer signups, but has had sizable rally attendance in swing states like Pennsylvania and Arizona.
In response, Former President Donald Trump has privately expressed frustration.
The upcoming Democratic National Convention is also generating a high level of interest, with a sharp increase in demand for tickets, venues, and hotel rooms.
Harris is set to make history as the first Black and Asian American woman to accept a major-party nomination, driving up excitement and activity around the event.
An Ipsos poll released on Thursday shows Harris leading former President Trump by 5 percentage points in the presidential race, up from a narrower lead in a July survey.
Despite this growing momentum, Harris has not yet participated in interviews or taken questions from the campaign trail since starting her bid. However, she indicated that she hopes to schedule an interview by the end of the month.
WATCH: Our Favorite Chicano Books Ranked
In our latest video list, we break down 10 of our favorite Chicano books. What Chicano books are on your list? Let us know!
Weekly Podcast: Who Is Tim Walz?
In last week’s podcast episode, Brandon discussed Tim Walz and the pros and cons of adding him to the Democrat ticket. This week, Brandon sits down with Johnny Murillo of Chicano Hollywood to discuss the latest in politics and election news. Don’t miss it!
Kamala Vows To Hire Thousands Of Border Agents In New Campaign Ad
In a new ad launched by the Kamala Campaign, presidential candidate Kamala Harris vows to crackdown on the border and hire thousand of new border agents.
In the ad, Kamala touts her experience as a former prosecutor and discusses the danger that gangs and cartels pose to the United States.
The ad, which is aimed at conservatives and moderate voters, represents a dramatic shift in traditional Democrat rhetoric.
Presidential Candidates Agree To Debate
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris announced last week that they will proceed with a debate scheduled for September 10.
Additionally, Trump has proposed two extra debate dates, September 4 and September 25, though these details are still to be finalized with Harris's campaign.
Battle Of Chapultepec: Mexico vs The United States
There are more than one hundred castles in the Americas. Virtually all of them were built between the late nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries as recreational homes, amusement parks, or tourist destinations, in republics that had long ago severed their ties with monarchies. Only one can be called a true historic castle, the Castle of Chapultepec in Mexico City, where monarchs—and a princess—once lived.
The home of Emperor Maximilian of Habsburg, the last European monarch in the Americas (1864-1867), attracts millions of tourists every year, eager to absorb the romantic atmosphere of the legendary alcazar, in whose corridors Empress Carlota once walked.
Watch now: American Homeboy Movie
American Homeboy explores the complex origins of pachuco and cholo culture which sprouted from American soil more than 100 years ago in response to wartime sentiment, social alienation, and government discrimination only to become a pop culture phenomenon.
More Links From Daily Chela
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