I hope I do really well on my DOC essay. I worked really hard on it and thought I did pretty well. I had it checked a few times with my friends and they said it was good and I appreciated all the help they gave, especially the stuff they said about it and the extra stuff from it. I put heart into some of the things I write. I very much wish I could change things about the world…about what’s wrong. I refuse to think any of it is human nature because if that were the case, humans are very sad. I have so much to say on racism, but that’s a little much to work on for me: to grasp and figure out what to do.

Finished up my ethnic studies brochure on the Aviation and Transportation Act passed last November. Airport screeners will be fired because they aren’t citizens, which the Act requires screeners to be. The vast majority are immigrants, and most of them are Pilipinos. A lot of them will be out of the job because a lot are not (yet) US citizens. Such an Act is an attempt to boost up airport security, but remember, the terrorist back in 9-11 didn’t bring anything illegal on the plane. Screeners seem to be a sort of scapegoat because such an Act basically says that you have to be a US citizen to be competent on the job. However loyal and qualified and experienced the screeners are, because they are not citizens, they will be fired by next November. It’s a hard job that mostly immigrants apply to (maybe because the company targets them), and it has a high turn over rate. They’re mostly Pilipinos, well, Pilipinos are like the third largest immigrants in this country, and they’re willing to work. Of the citizens who want it, how many of them are experienced and qualified? If we lose the qualified and experienced ones already, looks like we have a lot to worry about. Nice going, Congress. Put everybody at jeopardy. Why not just become citizens? Well, you need to be in the US for five years or so. Most screeners are holding out on citizenship because it takes a whole lot longer to petition for your family to come on over once you become a citizen. Why do screeners have to choose between their family and citizenship? Citizenship isn’t a measure of competence…just because you’re a citizen doesn’t mean you’ll do your job any better or you’re any less loyal to this country.

Oh, if you were interested, contact the San Diego Pilipino Workers Support Committee at SD Pilipnoworkers@yahoo.com. By the way, there’s a Community Forum Wednesday, June 5th, 6-8 PM. Operation Samahan: Youth to Youth Center, 2841 Highland Ave, National City.

I hate the fact that this increased patriotism has produced so much racism and the campaign against terrorism are hypocritical and meaningless when our own people are terrorized in our own country by our own people.