Juan of Words

Our First Official Meet Up

¿Qué les puedo decir? Tonight was everything I expected and much, much, more!  To all of you who made it out for the First Official Juan of Words Meet Up, that’s sounds kind of silly in writing, but it’s late y no puedo pensar en algo más ahorita, so perdon… thank you very much!

We met up at the “Green Lantern” Advance Screening in Houston, and really had a great time hanging out, albeit kind of briefly, before and after the movie.  It was in 3D, something we were all very pleasantly surprised with since we hadn’t been made aware of this until the last minute, and all in all it was a pretty good movie.  I could go on and on, pero mejor aquí están las fotos.

Alyssa, Isidoro, JJ, Jacob y yo

With my buddy & compadre, Paco

Michelle, pues yo otra vez, y Sarah

Rosemary, me, and Paco. Too bad the pic is fuzzy...

Con Rocio.

And of course, with my wife Anjelica

Official Rules: Green Lantern Advance Screening Houston

So here are the Official Rules.  As I said before, me encantaría llevarlos a todos conmigo, pero desafortunadamente there are only a certain number of passes.  So to make it fair for everyone, here’s what you need to do to win:

1. Make sure you’re available on Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. to attend the advance screening (this is really important since not everyone who wants to go will win tickets)

2. Leave a comment on this post with your name as it appears on Twitter or Facebook, and/or, if you want to, with your email address, so that I can get in contact with you.

3. The DEADLINE for entry will be Monday, June 13, 2011 at 6:00 p.m.

4. I will collect all the names posted on THIS BLOG ENTRY (not the previous one) and use Random.org to pick the winners, for lack of a better word, randomly.

5. Then I will contact you directly to let you know you won by Tuesday, June 14^th at 10:00 a.m.

I’ll be at the advance screening of the movie also, and would love to greet everyone personally… maybe take a couple of pictures for a later blog.  Of course, only if you’re okay with that.  So, there you go, those are the Official Rules.

Our Movie Night is going to be fun!

¡Suerte!

© 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Green Lantern Advance Screening Houston

© 2011 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

You remember those knock off ‘G.I. Joe’ figurines you could get at the grocery store for a quarter?  As a kid, those were my heroes.  My brothers and I would spend hours throwing those little green men around with their little plastic parachutes to see how fast they could fly into our make-believe battles and combats.  We’d hold them by the tip of their parachutes, lift our arms up as high as we could, and simultaneously drop them to see whose would make it down to the ground first.  Whosever did got dibs on choosing one of our toy cars first, for their transportation.

We were pretty simple boys.

Edgar, on the other hand, looked at the package of knock-off military figurines I bought him and asked what is that? Even after I explained it to him, how much fun my brothers and I had with them, he seemed a little confused.  Still, he took the toys and played with them, for all of one day, before he was no longer amused.  He’s much more of a comic book hero kid, he says.

He really is.

We can’t walk into any store without him finding the nearest comic-book-action-figure toy and pleading with us to buy it for him, his bedroom is plastered with posters of them all over the wall, he likes playing with them in the bathtub (he’d kill me if he knew I shared that with you… so shhhh), he can’t watch a commercial for any new comic book hero movie without saying I want to watch that, and when we pick up a happy meal for him, he doesn’t care about the food inside, all he wants to know is what super hero it comes with.  In the middle of his movie he’ll come running out of his room all excited to tell us what’s going on: it was awesome… this guy was trying to catch (insert action hero name here) and then he just turned around and knocked him across the room! We smile and say okay, Edgar… finish watching the rest of your movie.

He’s not the only one, which is why I was so excited to get the chance to offer passes to the Houston advance screening of the “Green Lantern” next week!  It will be the first local screening of the movie based on the DC Comic’s fearless intergalactic guardian, which opens nationwide next Friday.

I know a lot of you are fans and are looking forward to the movie, so give me an idea of how you think would be the best way to give away these tickets.  Por mi, yo los invitaría a todos, pero I don’t think they’d have enough room for all us at the AMC Studio 30… LOL!  I’ll do another post very, very soon (like probably later tonight) to let you know how we’ll be selecting the ticket winners, but I do want your input to make this as fair as possible, so please leave your comments below!

It’s going to be fun!

Houston March for Dignity organizers vow to protest Arizona’s SB 1070 on May 1st

All defendants of human rights and civil liberties are urged to join a nonviolent demonstration against the new law, for comprehensive immigration reform

courtesy of PhotosByJoseMunoz.com

And so the battle continues.  With the signing of SB 1070 into law yesterday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) raised the stakes on the fight for comprehensive immigration reform in the United States.  Her state intends to require local police to enforce federal immigration laws by making it a state crime to be in the country illegally.  This despite broad opposition from Hispanic and human rights organizations far beyond Arizona’s borders, and including President Barrack Obama’s harsh words against the bill just hours earlier.

“Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others.  That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness which we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe,” President Obama stated at a televised press conference.  “In fact, I’ve instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation, but if we continue to fail to act on a federal level we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country.”

With their new authority, police in Arizona would be allowed to ask anyone whom they suspect are in the country illegally to prove their legal residency status in the United States by producing a valid “alien registration document,” including a green card, an Arizona divers license, or a passport.  If they are not able to produce these documents they would be subject to arrest, could be jailed up to six months and fined $2,500.  Harsher restrictions are also placed on anyone knowingly “concealing, harboring, or shielding an illegal immigrant.”  This law becomes the toughest anti-immigration law in the nation and marks a new level of assumed state government authority.

At a press conference in downtown Phoenix on Thursday where she was discussing border security, Brewer defended her state’s actions toward illegal immigration.

“I will not stop.  I will not be deterred.  I will not give ground when it comes to keeping us safe.  Securing the border might not be Arizona’s principal job, but we have no choice.  We must show resolve and courage where those who have failed to protect us have shown only weakness and delay.”

After signing SB 1070 into law she dismissed protesters’ concerns over racial profiling as “overreacting” and categorized opponents as “alarmists” and “cynics.”  Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union as well as the Mexican-American Defense Fund have already vowed to contest SB 1070’s constitutionality in the courts, before its anticipated late July-early August implementation.

Fighting SB 1070

Opponents of SB 1070 have called for various measures to protest the passage of this new law in Arizona.  Some have promised to boycott the state by avoiding travel or business into its borders until SB 1070 is declared unconstitutional, a candlelight vigil is planned for this evening in Washington, D.C. at Dupont Circle, a social media based petition urging President Obama to take action against the new law is circulating Twitter, and a nationwide March for Dignity and Respect for All, which was scheduled for Saturday, May 1, 2010, has taken on a new purpose and strength.

So far nonviolent demonstrations have been the focus of protesters, but some speculate this could change as tensions rise in Arizona over the next few days.  In Houston, organizers are calling all individuals who support human rights and civil liberties to participate in a May 1st March for Dignity and Respect for All, scheduled to begin at the intersection of Bellaire Blvd. and Renwick Dr. at 4 p.m.

“We are faced with an unprecedented choice,” says Cesar Espinosa, president of Immigrant Families and Students in the Struggle (FIEL).  “We can stay silent and let our community continue to be trampled on or we can say enough!  The time for people to stand up is now.  The time to stop to Arizona and other copy cat states is now!”

FIEL is one of the leading groups organizing Houston’s May 1^st March for Dignity and Respect for All.  Local blogger and activist, Stace Medellin believes inaction is an invitation for further violations of human rights and civil liberties in Houston and across the nation.

“Yesterday’s action by the state of Arizona proved that Congress and President Obama must make comprehensive immigration reform the top priority.  The May 1st Marches around the United States have been given a boost by the fact there are groups who are more than willing to violate individual civil rights and liberties of specific groups of people” he said.  “There’s no doubt that these types of actions can lead to other groups being targeted as history has shown us, so it is important that we show a united, diverse front in calling for federal reform that is fair and humane.”

For more information about Houston’s May 1^st March for Dignity and Respect for All, text the word “MARCH” to (832) 497-5035 to receive updates, or visit the website www.houstonmarches.info

©Juan of Words