Commentary

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<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; When we think of California, we imagine the state that allowed the three of us to be who we are, a state that gave us the California Dream. For years now, that dream has been quickly slipping away and now it’s in danger of being lost forever.</p>

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<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; As our country remains mired in economic doldrums, the act of public protest has returned to the front pages of newspapers across the country. The Occupy Wall Street movements have given voice to people who feel that the political process as it stands leaves their viewpoints marginalized and ignored.</p>

<p><strong>Fronter NorteSur</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; A friend and I were having a conversation when he raised the issue of why the US never seems to detain its own big drug lords. I held that control of the US drug market was more diffuse, less centralized than in places like Mexico, where big traffickers come to dominate entire regions and even compete with state power. Occasionally, though, some dealers do get quite big on this side of the border and a few can even have profound impacts on politics and society.</p>

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<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; There are real problems and there are distractions. The former require our undivided attention and focus but it’s the latter that often make the morning headlines.</p>

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<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; In response to a new report out [last week] on families separated by deportation, I have to express my profound disgust with a system that has left more than 5000 citizen children in foster care because their parents were deported. These policies are un-American and deeply troubling.</p>