Annotations for Speaker: Maria Hinojosa

I'm Maria Hinojosa. This time on Latino USA, perspectives on the confirmation of John Ashcroft as the new U.S. Attorney General.

Also, a conversation with Latin American writer Eduardo Galeano and his unique views of American culture.

And a commentary on jazz, this and more, coming up on this edition of Latino USA.

I'm Maria Hinojosa.

After a grueling debate regarding his fitness to head the Justice Department, John Ashcroft has become the nation's new Attorney General. Among the estimated 200 organizations which opposed his confirmation were a number of leading Hispanic groups.

Latino USA's Maria Martin spoke to Latinos with varied perspectives on the Ashcroft nomination and has this report.

Commentator Fernando Gonzalez has some thoughts on the 10-part, 19- hour PBS documentary, which has been running on most public television stations.

Fernando Gonzalez is a Miami-based writer and a regular contributor to the Washington Post and Downbeat magazine.

Uruguayan writer and journalist Eduardo Galeano, who wrote the critically acclaimed book Las Venas Abiertas de Latinoamerica, The Open Veins of Latin America, sees the world from many different points of view.

Eduardo Galeano's latest work translated into English is entitled Upside Down, a primer for the looking glass world. We're honored to have Eduardo Galeano now join us on Latino USA.

So many people, so many Latinos and students of Latin America in this country look to you as more than a role model, as someone who is life-changing. I mean, certainly reading The Open Veins of Latin America changed my life. Is that a heavy burden? Do you want to have that burden, or is it okay to have that on your shoulders?

Your book is entitled Upside Down, and it's looking at your perspective on the world, but certainly your perspective also on North America, on the United States. And I'm wondering then how you see this migration, this constant migration of Latinos to this country, if this country from your perspective is so upside down. How do you interpret that they all continue wanting to come here?

So when you walk the streets of New York, for example, and this has happened to me more than once, where I will be walking down Broadway and I will hear my paisanos, mexicanos, my Mexican compatriots speaking in Nahuatl, or Zapotec. And to me, that's almost the upside down world, that they come here and now they want to dress like New Yorkers, and yet they're walking the streets of Broadway speaking centuries old languages.

So when you travel, do you feel hopeful or hopeless?

So what is the thing that you think is most horrifying about what we are living through today?

You also talk about your preoccupation with the commercialization of our world today.

And yet, do you ever see yourself kind of being sucked into it?

Uruguayan writer and journalist Eduardo Galeano, his latest book is Upside Down, a primer for the looking glass world. It's published by Metropolitan Books.

And for this week this has been Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture. Thanks so much for listening. Gracias por su atención. Latino USA was produced this week by Alex Avila, Deepa Donde and Walter Morgan and by executive producer Maria Martin. The contributing editor is Katie Davis. We had help this week from Maria Angeles Flores, Andy Valdez, Dean Graver, WLRN in Miami and Chris Sackis. Further information about Latino USA is available on the web at latinousa.org. You can also call our listener comment line at 1-800-535-5533 and our email address is lusa.npr.org. This week's program is number 408. Support for Latino USA comes from the Ford Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Center for Mexican American Studies and KUT Radio at the University of Texas at Austin. Additional support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and National Public Radio whose contributors include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. I'm Maria Hinojosa. Join us again next week for another edition of Latino USA.