Thread: Unraveling Mystery...MATT, Free Trade Alliance,NAIPN

Originally Posted by PintoBean

A phone call to MATT elicited a refusal to share who their donors are...is that legal?

They don't have to tell you who the donors are but in there 501C status they have to disclose who and how much they got in donations. The only problem with that is we will not know untill the end of the fiscal year, when they have to file their income tax.

Michael

Which was done deliberately....they create the vehicle, launch the site with millions of dollars, and know we cannot track the money trail until after the ELECTIONS in November....must be someway around this?

Mexicans, Americans think together with help of Web site
Fred Owens 28.JUN.06


Lionel Sosa�s newest venture gives voice to everyone


Lionel Sosa of Floresville, along with a group of investors from San Antonio and Mexico, launched a Web site in May called �Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together� (MATT), which can be found at www.matt(DOT)org.

They launched it on Cinco de Mayo, a holiday that is celebrated on both sides of the border, choosing that day to emphasize an optimistic approach to problems of immigration, free trade, and cultural conflict.

Sosa sees the rising volume of argument over these issues as evidence of a great struggle that will yield new wealth and understanding.

Web sites are an ideal means to form participants into a community � like commercial sites, such as eBay, or social sites, such as MySpace. In order to involve millions of participants, Sosa used his experience and connections in Hispanic marketing. With a $5 million promotional budget, MATT was able to quickly gain national exposure.

In early June, Sosa spent $200,000 to advertise on the Alma Awards, which recognized achievements by Hispanic Americans in film and television, and starred Eva Longoria, not only a San Antonio native, but an international celebrity.

That kind of savvy marketing brings people to MATT. What users find, besides news on immigration issues and stories about the presidential election in Mexico, are discussion groups which are sometimes strong and vehement in tone.

What users will not find is a place where everyone already agrees.

Traditional media such as talk radio or newspapers have centralized control. The host of the radio show and the editor of the newspaper decide who gets to talk and for how long.

But an Internet discussion group such as MATT has no leader.

That does not mean anything goes. Participants will be blocked from the site if they use profanity or threatening language. It is a polite discussion, and the operative phrase is �thinking together,� in what Sosa hopes will become a grass-roots democratic think tank.

Postings from MATT
Here is a sampling of postings in the MATT discussion group:

�The concept of right and wrong, legal and illegal, seems to be selectively enforced. If you are illegal, the U.S. is at your disposal. If you are legal, you just follow the laws. A good lawyer (if there is such a thing) once said to me �Margie, laws are for honest people.�

�I have no problems finding good hard-working American workers, but then that might have something to do with the fact I treat them with respect, pay them a living wage, and worry about their well-being.

�When I traveled and worked abroad, I adapted to and embraced the culture of the country I was in, rather than expecting them to embrace my culture and my value systems. That is not the case with these illegals as is exhibited by their willingness to undercut our wage scales, as is evidenced by their willingness to live 20, 30 even 40 to a house so that they can send money back home ... sorry, we do not do that here in America, we have laws, customs and regulations that forbid it ...

�It seems interesting that in a country that celebrates St. Patrick�s Day way more than it is celebrated in Ireland, a country that celebrates Mardi Gras (a French term for Shrove Tuesday), we expect Mexicans to stop being Mexican. I believe this country is what it is today due to the mixture of all the cultures that make up this fabric we call America � each has brought and added to our culture. I am happy that I can have bagels and lox for breakfast, sushi for lunch, and chicharr�n en salsa verde for dinner. And, once in a while, I enjoy a hamburger.

�Regarding Mexicans stealing Americans� jobs, it is great demagoguery but not factual. I have a retail store and was looking for a sales assistant for about 18 months. The people who applied and were not employed did not lose the job because I hired illegals � they lost it because they were not qualified. After my long search I hired an immigrant from the Philippines!

�If we do not like Mexicans sending money home to their families because it is taking money out of our economy, how about we stop buying all the Chinese junk that is sold, and buy American instead?

�Please use a little bit of empathy and put yourself in someone else�s shoes. The next time you grab a Milky Way and sit down in front of the TV with the air conditioning on and complain because you have to get up to answer the phone, just think that it could be a lot worse ... and the only thing you have to thank for what you have, is the location written on your birth certificate.

These people aren�t doing anything that you or I wouldn�t do.

And no, coming legally isn�t a simple thing. That seems to be eveyone�s answer. Don�t you think that if it were really that simple people would do it. Very, very, very few people who apply for a visa even are recognized, you either have to know someone who�s here (relative) or have someone want to hire you from the U.S. And let�s say they do happen to respond, you get to look forward to five, 10, 15, even 20 years before the paperwork is done and you get a chance to come legally.

�We are so sheltered here in America we forget how to feel compassion.

Come on America, show some warmth, why don�t you treat people the way you want to be treated? Oh and by the way, an eye for an eye just makes the whole world blind ...

These excerpts from the MATT discussion group show that the participants have not just different opinions about immigration issues, but also a very strong interest in getting it right. Lionel Sosa and the other investors in MATT believe the United States and Mexico will get it right if the �people think together� in discussion groups like this one.
For more information, go to www.matt(DOT)org.
fowens@wcn-online.com

Michael, have a link for this article? I'd like to post it somewhere.

http://wilsoncountynews.com/default.asp ... ws&he=.com


There is another article on him there if you look......

Michael

Great sounds like Bush is pushing Aztlan's agenda.

New article on the Houston Chronicle.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4024477.html

July 5, 2006, 12:58AM

Quiet debate on loud issues
Bilingual site provides forum for Americans, Mexicans to talk about problems
By LORI RODRIGUEZ
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Twice during a recent, prime-time Latino awards show featuring Jennifer Lopez, Andy Garcia and other Hollywood heavies, viewers saw commercials for a new, bilingual Web site with a daunting agenda.

Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together, or MATT.org, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit interactive Web site launched on Cinco de Mayo after thousands took to the streets in Houston and across the nation to protest U.S. House legislation that would make illegal immigration a felony. A compromise bill was passed May 25, but MATT founders see a continuing need for calm discussion in the fractious national debate over illegal immigration.

Co-founded by San Antonio advertising guru Lionel Sosa, the site is intended to be what he calls "a people's think tank" where grass-roots, cross-border users can discuss problems and seek innovative solutions. As of the end of June, 5 million people had logged on.

"The U.S. and Mexico are joined at the Rio Grande, and we're going to be joined forever. So why can't we work together to solve our problems?" said Sosa, the chief executive officer who has been plotting the site since last year.

Sosa is well-poised to lead the effort. He founded the largest Hispanic-owned advertising agency in the United States with clients including Coca-Cola and Burger King and was named last year among Time magazine's "25 Most Influential Hispanics." He also has masterminded Latino voter outreach for three Republican presidents, including both Bushes. His early Spanish-language television ads, which stressed traditional Hispanic values, were the first of their kind to air nationally.

MATT.org is backed by other deep-pocketed Latino businessmen, who anted up $5 million for the initial startup cost as well as an ongoing, multipronged media campaign.

In addition to the commercials during the ALMA (soul) talent awards, sponsored annually by the National Council of La Raza, television ads are running on Fox and CNN. Billboards for MATT.org are on roads in three test markets: San Antonio, Chicago and San Jose, Calif. Double-page ads are being placed in American, Continental and Southwest Airlines' in-flight magazines as well as Hispanic, Hispanic Business and similar slick publications.

Sosa is blunt in acknowledging that backers see the financial advantage of better U.S.-Mexico relations. Plans are to launch a sister site Sept. 16, Mexico's Independence Day. Mexicans and Americans Trading Together, or MATT.biz, would foster U.S.-Mexico business while promoting and funding the nonprofit MATT.org.

"Down the line, there will be a clear business advantage to supporting and participating in the sites, and the beauty of both is that the Internet has no borders," Sosa said.

MATT organizers think grass-roots, thoughtful dialogue between Americans and Mexicans on the most prickly issues that divide them ultimately will lead to greater understanding and solutions. There are regular essays on the site by leaders including U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros. The site also includes top news stories, opinion features and other educational fodder.

The ongoing interactive discussions are a mixed, albeit lively, bag. Many are passionate statements and slices of life from immigrants and Mexican-Americans about their pursuit of the American dream.

In a section called "Best of Matt," comments along these lines are featured:

"Ideas are the beginning of a respectful and open channel of communication between two nations who so desperately need each other. We have so many common interests and this opportunity to share our views are just a click away."

Surfing through the many blog conversations, however, reveals a far less than sanguine outlook. For instance:

"Ya know, Adolph Hitler once said 'cockroaches are a very nasty sub-species. They are very hard to exterminate but with time and patience, it can be done!' And, yes, he was referring to the Jews. But on the other hand, isn't this 'infestation' onto our soil something us AMERICANS should be concerned about," ventures one poster.

MATT leaders downplay the more extreme views voiced on the threads, saying those attitudes represent only a small portion of the dialogue. It seems like more though, especially when some members accuse MATT organizers of a pro-immigration, anti-border fence agenda Sosa flatly disputes.

"We want everyone who seeks solutions to our common problems to join us, whether they are conservative or liberal. ... All you need is an e-mail address. That's it. Everyone is welcome," Sosa said.

lori.rodriguez@chron.com