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Ruben Navarrette: Commentaries

Disobedient brats no martyrs for freedom

When five students at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California, taunted Latino students by wearing T-shirts bearing the American flag on Cinco de Mayo, even though administrators had told students beforehand not to wear flag clothing that day, they caused a ruckus, divided a community and reignited the culture wars.

updated Fri May 21 2010 13:56:49

Disobedient brats no martyrs for freedom

When five students at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California, taunted Latino students by wearing T-shirts bearing the American flag on Cinco de Mayo, even though administrators had told students beforehand not to wear flag clothing that day, they caused a ruckus, divided a community and reignited the culture wars.

updated Thu May 13 2010 18:21:28

Rubio's troubling immigration flip-flop

For much of this election season, I saw a lot to admire in Marco Rubio. I liked the independence and courage he showed in going against the Republican Party establishment by challenging Gov. Charlie Crist in the U.S. Senate race in Florida. And when Rubio was viciously and unfairly attacked by presumptuous white liberals for not being authentically Latino, I liked him even more.

updated Thu May 06 2010 10:20:24

Stop profiling on terrorism and in Arizona

Michael Bloomberg is out a quarter. That's how much New York's mayor, who has an estimated net worth north of $15 billion, wagered that he knew exactly what type of person would try to set off a car bomb in Times Square.

updated Thu Apr 29 2010 08:55:46

Why let senior teachers get a free pass during layoffs?

As a frequent critic of teachers' unions for standing in the way of education reform, perpetuating a culture of low expectations and defending the interests of teachers even to the detriment of students, I'm accustomed to having union officials call me "anti-teacher."

updated Mon Apr 26 2010 07:52:05

What happened to McCain the maverick?

Dear Sen. John McCain:

updated Fri Apr 09 2010 14:03:51

Blame me for illegal immigrants

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, are demonstrating real leadership on a tough issue. The issue: immigration. Their solution: a comprehensive reform bill combining enforcement with earned legal status for illegal immigrants, which they appear ready to introduce any day now.

updated Fri Apr 02 2010 08:08:04

Jaime Escalante's lesson for teachers

Jaime Escalante was ahead of his time. And today, more than 30 years after the Bolivian-born math teacher put East Los Angeles' Garfield High School on the map by convening 14 students in his very first AP calculus class, the rest of the educational establishment is still trying to catch up.

updated Fri Mar 26 2010 08:13:58

California leads nation in wacky politics

California is referred to as a bellwether, a state that produces social trends and political movements that spread throughout the country.

updated Tue Mar 23 2010 17:17:44

Courage needed to reform immigration

The Obama administration needs an air traffic controller to manage its domestic policy agenda. The items are starting to pile up on the runway.

updated Tue Mar 23 2010 14:56:12

Moral courage needed on immigration

The Obama administration needs an air traffic controller to manage its domestic policy agenda. The items are starting to pile up on the runway.

updated Fri Mar 12 2010 10:52:54

Fury over sex offender's freedom

In the movie "Law Abiding Citizen," Gerard Butler plays a man who loses his family when his wife and daughter are raped and murdered. After the main culprit receives a light sentence as part of a plea bargain and gets released from prison much sooner than he should have, our hero goes all "Death Wish" on the creep. He kidnaps him, drugs him and surgically dissects him into two-dozen pieces.

updated Fri Mar 05 2010 10:23:18

Firing all the teachers was justified

In most high schools in America, they teach Shakespeare. But at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island, they're acting out a Shakespearean drama.

updated Fri Feb 26 2010 19:50:21

Let's hope health summit wasn't a fraud

There was a lot to appreciate in yesterday's bipartisan White House health care summit between President Obama and members of Congress.

updated Mon Feb 22 2010 16:36:33

Palin 'Family Guy' joke is hateful

Sarah Palin has awesome power. We already knew that she had the power to drive liberal Democrats crazy. They don't respect her, but they sure do fear her.

updated Fri Jan 29 2010 13:36:23

Running for the hills on immigration

Thirty-seven words. In this week's State of the Union address -- which was more than 7,000 words long and lasted longer than an hour -- all President Obama devoted to the issue of immigration reform was 37 measly words.

updated Thu Jan 21 2010 07:25:21

Obama team too busy spinning to listen

If the Obama White House was as good at listening to voters' concerns and adjusting their policy goals accordingly as they are at spinning Democratic losses in an attempt to contain the damage, they would probably have fewer losses to spin.

updated Fri Jan 15 2010 10:12:03

Where's Obama's leadership on race?

Some African-Americans insist that President Obama should lead a national dialogue on race when there are high-profile racial incidents that capture the nation's attention. And, in that regard, at least one prominent and highly quotable African-American intellectual thinks Obama is falling down on the job.

updated Fri Jan 08 2010 08:00:29

Why Democrats are jumping ship

When exactly did the donkey become an endangered species?

updated Thu Dec 24 2009 12:13:30

My choice for 'Father of the Year'

For Father of the Year, my nomination goes to David Goldman. Hands down. In fact, for his persistence in tilting at windmills and challenging a foreign government to regain custody of his son and bring him home, Goldman should be named Father of the Last Five Years.

updated Fri Dec 18 2009 07:45:01

Violence based on hate has to stop

Don't look now, but Pennsylvania might be the new Mississippi.

updated Fri Dec 04 2009 08:28:24

Don't take life for granted

Sometimes, a film is so powerful that it haunts you long after you've left the theater. Usually, it's because of the weight of the message.

updated Fri Nov 27 2009 08:56:56

U.S. workers can't hide from competition

When I speak to college students, I always push two messages: If you work hard, take risks, leave your comfort zone and never give up, you can do anything you want to in life; and part of life is competition, because no matter what you want, you can bet that someone else wants it too.

updated Fri Oct 23 2009 10:13:10

Commentary: 'Wild Things' is scary, but so is life

Maurice Sendak is my king.

updated Wed Oct 21 2009 20:52:04

Commentary: Latinos are assimilating in the USA

Have you ever seen 47 million people hold their breath and hope for the best?

updated Fri Oct 09 2009 09:31:43

Commentary: Teen murders aren't about race

Those of us in the U.S. can be so smug about what we think we know about why some teenagers turn into bloodthirsty predators -- even when it turns out that we don't know much.

updated Fri Oct 02 2009 11:56:14

Commentary: Obama's silence on Chicago crime

When his stint in the White House is over, President Obama might just learn that Thomas Wolfe was right. You can't go home again.

updated Fri Sep 11 2009 07:09:30

Commentary: Left finds Obama not liberal enough

It's political déjà vu. It seems like just yesterday that hard-core conservatives were griping about a Republican president who wasn't dependably conservative.

updated Fri Sep 04 2009 11:23:15

Commentary: Get real about Afghanistan

As someone who often takes a conservative stance on issues, I once again find myself in the curious position of defending President Obama to disillusioned critics within his own liberal base. And once again, I'm glad to do it.

updated Fri Aug 28 2009 06:53:09

Commentary: Prosecuting CIA a foolish move

The Obama administration actually has me feeling sorry for the Central Intelligence Agency. This week, the administration hit the CIA with both barrels.

updated Fri Aug 21 2009 10:35:44

Commentary: Obama team flip-flops are showing

In order to diagnose what ails President Obama's push for health care reform, we need less heated rhetoric and more "Cool Hand Luke."

updated Fri Aug 07 2009 06:36:21

Commentary: Both parties wrong on spending

A deadline set by a Democratic White House for the passage of a health care reform bill came and went, and a Democratic-controlled Congress just shrugged. Congress adjourns Friday for August recess without passing a bill. And the debate is on life support.

updated Fri Jul 31 2009 09:13:18

Commentary: A toast to beer diplomacy

For the last two weeks, Americans have been divided into two feuding camps: "Team Gates" and "Team Crowley." But after Thursday, those terms seem antiquated.

updated Mon Jul 27 2009 06:37:02

Commentary: Why GOP senators misfired on judge

Judge Sonia Sotomayor cruised through her confirmation hearings without a scratch.

updated Wed Jul 15 2009 14:44:49

Commentary: Latino in the Ivy League

Sixteen years ago, after I wrote a memoir about my experience as a Latino in the Ivy League, I got a call from a retired Jewish obstetrician who saw his reflection in my words.

updated Mon Jun 29 2009 06:41:09

Commentary: Immigration reform takes courage

The advocates of comprehensive immigration reform have a message for their opponents: "Game on!"

updated Fri Jun 19 2009 06:36:24

Commentary: Obama must speak out on Iran

With Iran suffering a political earthquake, allow me to put in a good word for meddling.

updated Fri Jun 12 2009 06:48:37

Commentary: Hate crimes terrorize all of us

To think there are some people who still argue that the law shouldn't categorize some offenses as hate crimes and allow for enhanced criminal penalties.

updated Fri Jun 05 2009 08:59:24

Commentary: GOP plays identity politics, too

By nominating U.S. Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, President Obama made history. Meanwhile, conservatives -- by invoking the name of Miguel Estrada -- are coming close to rewriting it.

updated Wed May 27 2009 11:00:54

Commentary: Sotomayor made it on her own

Listen closely. I'm going to say three words that you don't often hear from columnists: I was wrong. What's more, I've never been so pleased to be proven wrong.

updated Fri May 22 2009 11:47:31

Commentary: On Gitmo, 2 show courage, 90 don't

Thursday's competing addresses on national security from President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney put into sharp focus the contrast between those who think the military prison at Guantanamo Bay makes us safe and those convinced it makes us less so.

updated Fri May 15 2009 12:37:46

Commentary: Obama rebuffs advice on top court

Things really have changed with the Obama presidency -- starting with the process for nominating a Supreme Court justice.

updated Fri May 08 2009 05:47:18

Commentary: Immigration and common sense

On the prickly subject of immigration raids, the judicial branch is moving in the right direction. And the executive branch is moving in all directions.

updated Mon May 04 2009 11:39:10

Commentary: Biden's voice feeds flu hysteria

The Obama administration forgot the first rule in a crisis: Never send Vice President Joe Biden to calm people's fears.

updated Fri May 01 2009 13:10:48

Commentary: It's time to end flu hysteria

The Obama administration forgot the first rule in a crisis: Never send Vice President Joe Biden to calm people's fears.

updated Fri Apr 24 2009 10:02:44

Commentary: Torture memos aren't criminal

For someone who insists he is personally opposed to torture, President Obama has a rhetorical knack for it.

updated Fri Apr 17 2009 13:36:05

Commentary: Obama treating Mexico as an equal

President Obama doesn't speak Spanish. But after his trip Thursday to Mexico City to meet with President Felipe Calderon, it's clear that the two leaders speak the same language.

updated Fri Apr 10 2009 10:13:25

Commentary: Do Obama, Biden agree on immigration?

The Obama administration's stance on immigration reform is like a never-ending telenovela with multiple plot twists --sometimes more than one in the same news cycle.

updated Fri Apr 03 2009 06:37:03

Commentary: Enforce laws vs. hiring illegal immigrants

Friday's new unemployment figures will underscore the fact that millions of Americans are either out of work or afraid they could end up that way.

updated Fri Mar 27 2009 13:30:23

Commentary: Obama is flunking economics

Welcome to March Madness on the Potomac.

updated Fri Mar 20 2009 06:00:46

Commentary: Spring break in a nation at war with drug lords

A lot of Americans are wondering: Is it safe to travel to Mexico? It depends where you go, and what your intentions are once you get there.

updated Fri Mar 13 2009 07:30:15

Commentary: Immigrants didn't cause your problems

Here's the good news: Authorities say that fewer illegal immigrants are crossing the U.S.-Mexican border. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that arrests along the U.S.-Mexico border in the last five months are down 24 percent from the same period last year.

updated Fri Mar 06 2009 07:59:15

Commentary: Obama driving down middle of the road

President Obama has clearly drifted to the center, even if neither the right nor the left wants to acknowledge it.

updated Fri Feb 27 2009 07:19:33

Commentary: What Mexico's drug war means for U.S.

You may have heard the rumor that, as a result of a bloody drug war that has claimed more than 7,000 lives since January 2007, Mexico is on the verge of being declared a "failed state."

updated Fri Feb 20 2009 14:12:45

Commentary: Time for immigration reform is now

Obviously, President Obama has a lot on his plate: two wars, an ailing economy, the mortgage crisis and more. But that doesn't relieve him of the obligation to serve up his plan for immigration reform.

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