The Princess & the Puppy

It's extremely hard not to look back on that day today...It is the first time Sept, 11th has been on a Tuesday since that horrible day

I still look for those buildings whenever I am near there, sometimes automatically looking...and then all of a sudden remembering. It's a day I would love to forget, but we must never forget.

I am thankful that today, Tuesday, Sept 11th, is a dreary dark, rainy day here in New York, as the lasty Tuesday Sept 11th, I remember being one of the most beautiful, crisp, comfortable, sunny days, with a clear blue sky, and not a cloud in the sky. However, at 8:53 our city, our country, and our lives changed forever...

By Chris Sattler

A Prayerful Remembrance

Father in Heaven,

We look to you for peace

in a world filled with anger.

We look to you for hope

in a world filled with despair.

We look to you for love

in a world filled with hatred.

May those who lost their lives,

find peace in your Kingdom.

May families and friends left behind,

find solace in your Love.

May a world shattered by these tragedies,

find healing in your strength.

Oh Merciful Lord,

Guide our future with your wisdom.

Bestow tranquility on our world.

Bring compassion to our hearts.

Amen.

Government Shutdown

Two friends sent e-mails letting me know that Puerto Rico wasn't the only one shutting down the government because now New Jersey was having a very similar situation.
For their benefit, I hope they can solve it soon.

I guess there's no real hardship that can last a hundred years nor people who can take it or resist it.

The cost of living has gone up, political battles, the closing of the Government, threats of the Islands credit being degraded, Puerto Ricans disalusioned pack their bags to immigrate, economic uncertainty, worried industries, an incompetant legislature that doesn't even know the amount of the sales tax they are approving, a Governor who is being investigated by the federals... Puerto Rico seems to have an urgent need of a "break of hope" like the one the singer Dagmar, tearful and touched, awarded in her old TV program to distressed viewers on the verge of despair.

Has the Supreme Court given us that break? Maybe...

Our population already felt like a ball from the World Football Cup. What a great amount of kicks we received in the political playing ground. The Governor and the Legislature has been running for months and kicking us with the crazy discussion around a contribution reform. Afterwards, with another kick, they take it away.The political party working the reform took extra part time without even scoring a goal. And the ball (our people) kept on taking the kicks and blows, from one side of the playground to the other, tumbling in their indefinate route. Finally in the final rounds and with the Supreme Court as referee or arbitrator, Jose Aponte (the President of the Legislature) tried to turn into the archer who would stop the governor's imminant goal if he was able to obtain the 7% appproval of the sales tax, which was approved by mistake by the Camara of Representatives. Mr Aponte, in an act that was qualified as moments of political insanity, even threatened to disobey the Supreme Court. But nothing was able to avoid the governor's GOALLLLL!!!!, when the 7% sales tax was passed by a mistake made precisely by the Camara of Representatives and backed by the Senate with complete awareness, action that was carried out by the Supreme Court.

After he made a show of his not accepting the 7% sales tax, the President of the Camera of Representatives ended complying with, as was his duty, the order of the Supreme to sign the project in 24 hours. The Governor already turned the contribution reform into a law by signing it as soon as it reached his hands yesterday with a smile from ear to ear.

Puerto Rico is extremely exhausted by this political game that kicked our souls inside out. We all need a break, a breath of air, a truce, a break to recharge our batteries and start working toward the future of our Island. The Legislature and the Governor has a great big task in their hands now.

They are already talking about bettering the recently approved contribution reform with a project of contribution relief that was taken away from us. If the people are going to be paying a 7% sales tax, it is just that the relief may arrive when they have to hand in their income tax papers because there will be money to award a contribution cut.

Which will be the next fuss after this Supreme Goal? Problems never stop here. No one can garantee a "break of hope" for us. Now we must roll up our sleeves, push this Island forward and stop the political battles, God willing.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day once more is here. Today is May 14th, Mother's Day in the United States and Canada and on the Island of Puerto Rico.

Personally I don't like this day ever since my mother passed away. What I dislike the most about it is the Mass celebrated in honor of all Mothers dead and alive in our Church. Father Alberto gets very sentimental on days like this one and you can see tears in the eyes of all those that no longer have their mother with them. I'm one of the ones that used to cry. But I must admit that this year I didn't shed any tears while listening to the priest which just goes to show that I have hardened. I don't know if I should consider that as a good thing or on the contrary, not good at all. I mean about becoming hard. It isn't that I don't miss my mother for I know I miss her very much. It's been 24 years, but it still feels like only yesterday that she passed away. All Mother's Day ever since have been and still are very sad days for me.

What I would really like is to go to bed on Saturday and wake up on the Monday after Mother's Day. I want to totally skip it and not have to go through it. It's too much of a sad day. Of course, whoever waits for Mother's Day to remember they have a mother ought to be ashamed of themselves. To me Mother's Day is every single day of the year. One should honor their mother all year round.

When my mother was with me Mother's Day was a time full of joy and happiness. Here's a poem I wrote for my mother today. I named it "Mother Dearest":

MOTHER DEAREST

Mother, you cradled me in your arms with your soul's song
One by one my soft little fingers interlacing with your own
Tireless you watched over me like a fearless keeper
Humbly teaching me to be honest, respectful, kind, and tender.
Everlasting memories of my childhood I now contemplate
Rather like mute witnesses of the being you forged in my fate.

Dutifully saying "thank you" I know is not
Enough to describe your gift of self-denial that
As my mother you bestowed on me.
Remembering the privilege of calling you MOM
Earnestly speaking I now say, not "Thank you", but "Gracias."
So today I affirm that I am and will always be
The continuation of your essence in time.

Carmen L. Iglesias Sierra
May 14, 2006
3:42 PM

Crisis in Puerto Rico

The Island of Enchantment has suddenly lost all its enchantment. We can now call it The Island of Desenchantment and Crisis because Puerto Rico is in crisis. We have been living days of anguish since the most dramatic and sad reality with regard to the deficit for the current fiscal year was announced over a week ago. Starting next Monday, May 1st. all the central government agencies will be closed down leaving some 120 million public servers without their salaries during the months of May and June. Why? Because our politicians are hard headed mules that prefer seeing the Island go into crisis instead of doing something to avoid the situation.

This all started back in November 2005 when we had our general elections. We have three principal political parties. After the election the government ended completely divided between two of them. The elected gobernor (executive Branch) belonged to one political party. And the legislature and the Camara belonged to the other political party. Everyone suspected this was going to bring serious problems to the Island. Well, the gobernor says that the budget for the fiscal year ending in June 2006 will be practically in zero at the end of April because there are no funds. That's what he says.

This means that millions of Puerto Ricans who work with the government will be on forced vacations during the months of May and June and will not get paid their salaries. In July lst. the new fiscal year begins and then there is the new budget for the next year. Probably at the end of that new fiscal year the same thing will be true before the end of it.

But, according to the Gobernor, there is no money to pay the public servers now. The money left will be used to pay the only ones that will be working: health , security and other essential government agencies like the police and the hospitals. Even the Board of Education will be closed down leaving all our students with an incomplete education for this school year which ends in May. All schools will be closed down starting on Monday and our students will not have the right to an education which is supposed to be guaranteed by our Constitution. It's a Constitutional right!

And why do I call our politicians hard headed mules. Because since they belong to two different political parties they don't want to agree on anything. The gobernor says that all he needs is for the legislature to approve a loan of $738 million dollars for operational expenses that will guarantee all the workers their salaries during May and June, but the legislature doesn't want to approve it because they belong to another political party and don't want to let the gobernor do anything. They prefer seeing most of the Puerto Ricans without a job because they believe the Gobernor is not saying the truth. The President of the Camera says the crisis doesn't really exist. The gobernor has his hands tied because the legislature doesn't want to approve the loan.

I'm really very worried because the possibility exists that on Monday a lot of people are going to be on strike, there's going to be a lot of rioting and this could mean dangerous situations.

But some people say that the gobernor is using phychological pressure with the people of Puerto Rico trying to scare the hell out of us so that we do something to make the legislators approve the loan. He's telling us to find out the names of our representatives in the government and phone, fax, visit, or e-mail them... and that we should put all our pressure to make them agree to the loan. These people say the gobernor is a liar and that there is money. How do we know who we're going to believe? This is something that had never happened before on this Island. All the legislators have been receiving thousands of phone calls and e-mail messages from our citizens who blame them for the crisis the Island is living. Some, including the Gobernor have received threats.

All this sounds incredible and it never should have happened. But ever since the elections last November our politicians have dedicated their time to fighting between themselves and doing absolutely nothing for the well-being of our people. And they have gotten paid all this time for doing nothing. They have the solution in their hands and they prefer sitting back and ignoring the situation.

All the phychological pressure the Gobernor is putting on our people could just be a strategy to force the Camera of Representatives to approve the loan he is requesting. That's what the President of the Camera of Representatives thinks.

Only God knows what's going to come of all of this crisis.

April 27 2006

4:00 PM

A Day For Earth: Everyone's Task

Every April 22nd, we celebrate "Earth Day". It's an international celebration since 1970. All creatures in our planet, even the most insignificant, are important to our ecosystem. It is everyone's responsibility to do what's in their power to help with the conservation of our environment. Then why is it that we celebrate this day once in the year and then we forget about it the rest of the 364 days left and we do nothing to help protect the earth for us and for the future generations?

We couldn't possibly live without the Earth. It is the esence of human existance, but it looks like in our daily living we forget its singular importance. The quality of our water and the conservation of our resources are subjects of great importance that should worry us all enough to get us into action and start protecting our environment.

Starting today, everyone should make it their business all year round to do what's up to them to take care of our home, the planet Earth. If you don't know what to do, check out www.earthday.gov that has suggestions offered by the government of the United States.

April 22, 2006

12:35 PM