And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: "CATHERINE DAVIDS" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> FROM UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE FOR RELEASE: WEEK OF JULY 2, 1999 COLUMN OF THE AMERICAS by Patrisia Gonzales and Roberto Rodriguez HISPANIC HOBO CAUSING PANIC (NOTE TO EDITORS: In graf 10, Dona Chona has a tilde over the "n" in the first name.) Whether the media refers to Rafael Resendez-Ramirez as Mexican or Hispanic, the accused serial railroad killer is causing a nationwide panic. Housewives from Kentucky to Illinois and from Texas to California have been turning in gardeners and farm workers, believing they've spotted the nation's No. 1 fugitive -- a 5-foot-7, 150-pound, black-haired, brown-eyed, brown-skinned, south-of-the-border type. It's a serious issue, yet we can't resist poking fun at how the country goes into a panic every time they see short, dark, mustachioed, Spanish-speaking men. They're all suspected of being "illegal"; it's the Frito Bandito incarnate, except this guy, who has been described as a hobo, is not after your Fritos. To make it on the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list is serious business: He's suspected in at least a dozen killings, seems to be everywhere, and the FBI has reported hundreds of simultaneous sightings nationwide. We haven't seen this kind of hysteria since the infamous Richard "Night Stalker" Ramirez caused a similar scare in Los Angeles. By the way, the guy who played him in the movie bears a striking resemblance to both Richard Ramirez and Rafael Resendez-Ramirez. We hope he's not moonlighting as a gardener. To facilitate Resendez-Ramirez' capture, we will use the description by the Associated Press' Michael Pearson. He recently wrote: "His common looks -- 5-foot-7, about 150 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes -- fit the description of thousands of Hispanic immigrants." Our compliments to the writer, who bucked the media practice of referring to criminal south-of-the-border types as "Mexican nationals," whereas law-abiding types are usually referred to as "Hispanics." Additionally, we'd like to give law-enforcement types a heads-up: Hispanic "natives" look the same as Hispanic "immigrants." In fact, as a photo of Resendez-Ramirez will attest, he looks indigenous, a fact that may extend the search into this nation's reservations. But on to the capture. Since Pearson's description is an estimate and the suspect seems to change appearances as well as aliases (Pedro, Pancho, Jose ... and sometimes Dinky), we thought we'd be thorough by expanding the dragnet search to include any Hispanic-type who is under 6-feet tall and under 200 pounds. (If we include anyone fitting that description who sports a tattoo and a mustache, that actually might increase the pool, so we'll leave those two characteristics out). Now regarding the black hair, brown eyes and brown skin -- that certainly narrows the field. However, we would advise against automatically excluding light-skinned Hispanic types. As exhibit No. 1, we submit ex-Menudo star Ricky Martin; when he was younger (ala Michael Jackson), he certainly was darker. Of course, we're not suggesting that Martin should be considered a suspect, but no shoe should be left unturned. Anyway, as was indicated in Pearson's story, we too admit that "we all look alike," so that's why we would like to propose that this description be sent out to all law enforcement agencies. This, of course, would not encourage "racial profiling." If anything, it might simply aid officers in their jobs since we know that these types are more prone to commit crimes as opposed to people who don't match this description. We have to remember that no one is being singled out here; after all, the description is quite specific. And while we're at it, let's make sure the U.S. Border Patrol also has this description because it might help them in their work ... especially as they conduct immigration raids at churches, schools and fiestas in states such as Wyoming and Ohio. Of course, we're being facetious, but not completely because this hysteria is real. Psychic criminal consultant Dona Chona of Tucson, Ariz., told us that the fugitive has been seen in so many places that he must be Elvis' personal car washer. "He's like the 'Chupacabras' (goatsucker) that terrorized the country several years ago and even made it into an 'X-Files' episode." On a similar note, Martin Ortiz, director of the Center of Mexican-American Affairs at Whittier College in California, who is a life-member of the National Hobo Association, said that the profile was worded to fit all Latinos. "I fit the profile. But don't we all." Ortiz, who hails from Barrio Huarache in Wichita, Kan., and who rode the rails of the Southwest and Midwest as a teen-ager, said that law enforcement should not use these profiles. "It's an injustice to us." We're not sure if he meant that it's an injustice to people who fit the profile or to hobos. COPYRIGHT 1999 UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE * If anyone has seen the fugitive, please contact authorities at: 1-800-GetHobo Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&