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Police to Enforce Immigration Laws in Costa Mesa
GUESTS: Bishop Jaime Soto with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange County, Arnoldo Garcia, Coordinator of Enforcement and Justice Program at the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

On December 7th the City Council of Costa Mesa approved by a 3-2 vote, to train Costa Mesa police in immigration law enforcement. The vote was reached shortly after 1 a.m. and followed several hours of public comments by numerous speakers. Scaled back from the original proposal introduced by mayor Allan Mansoor, which would have extended enforcement duties to patrol officers, the approved plan will allow undocumented immigrants to be reported by investigators and certain jail personnel. The Costa Mesa plan seeks to be a replication of the Orange County Sheriff’s proposal to formalize the relationship between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local agencies. If formalized, Costa Mesa would become the first city in the nation to have such an agreement. Concerned residents worry that such a move would create a climate of fear and division in the community. In fact, the City Council decision comes on the heels of the closing down of a day-laborer’s center in Costa Mesa that has angered many residents.

March for Immigrant Rights in Costa Mesa
GUEST: Coyotl Tezcalipoca, Costa Mesa student and activist

We turn next to a student at Orange Coast College who is involved in resisting immigration training for police. Coyotl Tezcalipoca is one of the organizers of a march taking place this afternoon to protest the City Council decision.

The march will be starting at 3 pm, from the corner of Bristol and Sunflower, at 3333 Bristol Street in Costa Mesa. For more information visit www.errorcollective.org, or email matlazinka@hotmail.com. Download the flyer for the march – English – Espanol.

Black Commentator
GUEST: Glen Ford, co-publisher of The Black Commentator

The Black Commentator is an online political magazine bringing you commentary, analysis and investigation from a black perspective. Today’s commentary is about Bush’s plan for Iraq.

The Black Commentator is online at www.blackcommentator.com.

Palestinian Authority Elections – an Assessment
GUEST: Mahmoud Ibrahim, Professor of History at Cal Poly Pomona

This August Israel officially ended its 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements, when the last of the over 8,600 Jewish settlers left the region. Gaza was recently turned over to the Palestinian National Authority. However, Israel just announced that it will impose an “aerial siege” on parts of Gaza, with troops shooting from helicopters or gunboats at anyone entering a so-called “no-go zone” near the border, as part of a new campaign. Gaza has been a stronghold of the Palestinian organization Hamas which plans to participate in upcoming legislative elections scheduled for January 25. The US House of Representatives passed a resolution 397-14, on December 16 that conditioned future financial aid to the Palestinian Authority on the exclusion of Hamas from the election. The European Union has joined the US in this call. Hamas recently won by a landslide in local elections in several West Bank towns. The Israeli Foreign Ministry warned that “If Hamas was ever to become a dominant force in Palestinian politics, that would be the end of the peace process.”

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day:

Today for Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the day, we present a reading of an anti-capitalist critique of Christmas by satirist and poet Brian Gage. He recently wrote a book called Burn Christmas! Burn about the Workers elves in Santa’s little sweatshop rising up for their rights. Here is Brian Gage reading Burn Christmas, Burn:

For more information visit www.briangage.com.