Hispanic Fanatic

So we’re plummeting headlong into 2012, the supposed year when all of us will meet a fiery end because my Mayan ancestors made a creepy prediction centuries ago (actually, they did no such thing, but that’s another story).

If we’re all going to succumb this year, we might as well have fun. So I’m happy to announce another contest for movie tickets.

The movie in question is Contraband, a new thriller staring Mark Wahlberg.

What’s it about? Well, apparently Wahlberg is a former smuggler who is forced to get back into the business to save his family. He runs contraband and journeys to Panama to settle his brother’s debt before his son and wife are targeted by both the cops and hit men.

And I’m assuming there’s a car chase in there somewhere.

In any case, I will be giving out tickets to readers in one or more of the following cities:

Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Los Angeles
Miami
New York City
Phoenix
San Antonio
San Diego

All you have to do is comment on one of my posts (including this one) and you’ll be entered for the chance to win free passes to the film. Once again, your comment can be about anything, and if you’re stumped, just tell us your favorite Mark Wahlberg movie (personally, I’m going with The Departed).

The only thing you have to include in your comment is the city in which you intend to see the movie, so I can plan accordingly.

If you win, I’ll email the passes to you. By the way, I’m the sole person who will see your email addresses (unless you specifically want to share it in the body of your comment), so don’t worry about that.

I’ll announce the contest winners in the next week or so.

Until then, take Mark Wahlberg’s advice, and try to refrain from smuggling anything.

Happy New Year.

If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death.

The Bible — Numbers 35:30

The dignity of human life must never be taken away, even in the case of someone who has done great evil.

Pope John Paul II

Each of us has, to some degree, an unhealthy capacity for revenge. And that trait flows from us as individuals into society at large. This unflattering characteristic is one of the driving forces behind capital punishment.

As opposed to many political or cultural debates, there is no middle ground in this. You either want to string killers up or you don’t.

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Due to unusual circumstances that I won’t even get into, I found myself at a ritzy event, surrounded by wealthy individuals. I happened to be standing near the door, and I saw members of the one percent walk in.

For the most part, they were polite and just like you and me. However, the exceptions were numerous enough to notice.

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Once again, I’m happy to announce that I’ve collaborated on a post with the very insightful Louis Pagan. Our second joint effort can be found at HuffPo Latino. You can click here to see it.

Perhaps you officially need three instances to call something a trend or tradition, but I think two times is sufficient to say that we’re on a roll.

Twenty years ago, I had my only direct experience with racial set-asides. I won a hundred dollars in an essay contest for Hispanic teens. Of course, kids of any race could enter, but it was clearly aimed at Latinos. I can’t recall ever being part of another program that was, whether stated or implied, just for Hispanics.

As such, I’m still waiting for those affirmative action quotas that will rocket me to the top of any employer’s wish list. Supposedly, all I have to do is show up in an HR office, mention my last name, and sit back while all the qualified white candidates are shoved out windows to make way for me.

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