Opening Statement: May 2005

Days before my final exams and papers are to be turned in and I walk across the stage of graduation at the University of Maryland, I hope to offer here my humble "granito de arena" to the world of journalism.

I have spent the past years ravenously reading news, discussing the media to make sense of their coverage, and writing my own analysis of world events. I have been published in Left Turn, the Diamondback student newspaper, independent media sites and my work has been mirrored around the world. Unfortunately, while I spent my last semester at school productively writing on everything from Cuba, Haiti, Ward Churchill, the Pope and campus events, i was effectively blacklisted from the Diamondback. Other news sources seemed to black out the most important stories to me, such as the U.S. role in the coup in haiti and the continuing political violence against Lavalas party members.

This is my attempt not only to continue self-publishing as I have done on the controversial UMCP.ORG site, but to centralize it and take sole responsibility for its contents, while encouraging others in this struggle to contribute.

I will no doubt find people to disagree with my arguments and analysis. I fully expect that others, at times, will convince me to change my analysis, but that is the point of this endeavor. I expect to do nothing more or nothing less than push for truth. To those who push back, may you be inspired by the same inspiration of truth, peace, justice and liberty. But why the name?

In Cuba, they used to ask "¿Cómo andas?"

My reply was almost always: "En la luchita."

This is where you will always be able to find me.