DEAR SISTERS AND BROTHERS

It is very warm in Miami and the pool invites me in every afternoon to cool off and get my blood pressure down. Then all I have to do is watch Lou Dobbs on CNN and I get upset again that he can have a free hand to attack many decent individuals. And to think that CNN has him as their key host for the election results panels..

We need a good progressive television station that runs the news with good analysis 24 hours each day. Thank goodness for Keith Olberman on MSNBC. At least this is one program I can watch..

NOW FOR MY VIEW OF THE NEWS
a. attacks on immigrants in south Africa
b. burger king agrees
c. Hillary speaks and has to apologize
d. Tennis and all the jazz
e. Puerto Ricans vote
f. Obama speaks in south florida

THE HORRIFIC ATTACKS ON IMMIGRANTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Just can’t believe it

In the past week we have seen widespread violence against immigrants who had fled to South Africa for some economic Sanity. Roving groups of men mostly young have attacked these helpless immigrants beating them, burning their humble dwellings and autos. Many lives have been lost and the South African government has done nothing to protect these workers.

Many African nations have raised their protests to the highest levels of government. And yet no protection for these workers.

These youth and others don’t remember their recent history. During the days of Apartheid many ANC members and others fled the brutal repressive government of the Boars.. African, European and other western countries allowed for many to have safe haven until the change of government. While there was some tension in some areas there were no whole sale attacks on these immigrants.

Immigrants are not the cause of economic conditions but a pawn in this PROFIT AT ANY MEANS chess game played by the SUPER RICH…

In the USA HOMELAND SECURTY has arrested over 900 in California, and have given prison sentences to hundreds for using false identifications to get employment.

Immigration is a world wide economic symptom that can no be cured by killing and beating, nor by harsh regulations, laws and imprisonment. We must find a solution that goes beyond borders, race and cultures..

This HUMAN RIGHTS situation is one of the gravest and I others are waiting for the premier human rights organizations to organize world wide campaigns

Burger King finds a way to recognize farm workers
Celebrations of the CIW …the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

This past Thursday night I got a phone call from the leadership of CIW they were in Washington DC and were telling me of the good news that Burger King had signed… they were calling key supporter around the country to tell them that on Friday they would have a great press conference. To announce the agreement with Burger King. I am enclosing a piece done by a friend.

I had the pleasure of being the MC at the last two demonstrations in front of the Burger King Headquarters here in Miami and was asked by CIW to do this part of these actions. And I always enjoy a good demonstration…

Friends,

On behalf of the National Farm Worker Ministry and South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice, I’m delighted to be forwarding this wonderful news to you and to congratulate the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) on reaching an agreement with Miami-headquartered Burger King. Thanks to all of the wonderful people in South Florida and across the country who joined with the CIW to help make this happen.

But it doesn’t stop here. The Florida Tomato Grower’s Exchange has announced its intention to lift the $100,000 fine for each incident of cooperation with a CIW contract, but is still encouraging its members to not cooperate. Hopefully, the continued intention of Taco Bell parent corporation, Yum Brands, and rival burger corporation, McDonald’s, to participate in the agreements will encourage reluctant growers.

The terms of the agreement between Burger King and CIW include a penny more per pound of tomatoes picked, to be passed on directly to the workers, and a half a cent more to be paid to the growers to encourage participation and to cover any administrative costs. The details of the code of conduct are still being worked on.

Other restaurant chains and tomato purchasers still need to get on board. Fair food means no sweatshop conditions and no slavery in the fields anywhere!

So maybe when you next visit Subway, you could ask the manager when Subway plans to work out an agreement with the CIW. Let folks know that you are a Fair Food Alliance supporter!

Joyfully,
Jeanette
Coordinator, Quaker Peace Center
Southeast Florida Organizer, National Migrant Ministry

HILLARY RAISES ASSASSINATION ISSUE
DEFENDS LONG-RUNNING CAMPAIGN
While campaigning in North Dakota Hillary Clinton yesterday brought up the assassination of Sen. Robert Kennedy while defending her decision to stay in the race against Barack Obama.
“My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it,” she said, dismissing calls to drop out
There was a huge tidal wave of questions raise by many in the media and in political circles as to why she would use such language..She later issued an apology for the remark.
“I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and in particular the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever,” the former first lady said.
Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson defended the comments to The Post, “She was talking about the length of the race and using the ’68 election as an example of how long the races in the past have gone — she used her husband’s race in the same vein.”
There still many questions that need to answered and there will be many asking those questions.
TENNIS AND ALL THAT JAZZ
by Ira Moss

For the last five years, I’ve spent Memorial Day weekend at the Washington State High School Tennis Tournament, where the top players in the state gather for an intense competition to win state championships in both boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles play. This year I will be heading to Vancouver, Washington, just across the river from Portland, Oregon, a two and a half hour drive from my home in Seattle where I coach both boys’ and girls’ tennis at Garfield high school.

Garfield is an amazing place (in the interest of full disclosure, both my children went there). It’s an inner city public high school, the sort of place that has been endlessly attacked in certain circles as failing our kids and providing a third rate education. However, Garfield has tremendous diversity, with students from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan as well as African American, white and Asian students. They come to Garfield from all over the city, drawn by the AP college-level classes and the internationally famous jazz program.

Garfield’s jazz band has been a finalist in the Ellington high school jazz contest for an amazing 12 consecutive years, and this year finished second, narrowly losing out to its local competitor, Roosevelt high school. For mysterious reasons, the Seattle area consistently produces the best high school jazz musicians in the country. Three of the top four placements in the NYC contest this year went to Seattle schools.

Garfield is the public school of choice for many of Seattle’s brightest and most talented kids. Our tennis teams have benefited from this trend. We’ve had many outstanding musicians play tennis for Garfield, and our team GPAs are the highest of all state teams. The boys’ team has been undefeated three of the last four years, and the girls’ team has produced state level players for the last three years as well.

There seems to be an interesting connection between tennis, high academic achievement and jazz. I’m not sure how to explain it — perhaps it’s merely chance, but as a lover of the game, I have to think it’s something else. Tennis requires more than size, strength and athleticism. It’s a thinking person’s game that rewards discipline, decision-making, emotional control and proper technique — attributes also necessary for success in music and academics. Whatever the reasons, I consider myself one lucky guy to be able to do something I love — working with young people every day who restore my faith in America’s future.

PUERTO RICANS VOTE ON June 1st
I welcome the inclusion of the island in this primary process and just wish they could vote in the general… now wouldn’t that be great. My compromise since the island is split on the issue of statehood.. is that they be allowed and that their votes be counted as part of the Florida vote. More and more Puerto Ricans are moving to Florida and soon we will have more of this special population than New Jersey or New York.
We have a few days so if you know folks on the island than encourage them to vote… of course I would want every one to vote for Obama but I guess some will call the Hillary troops and try to get hem out
Obama SPEAKS IN BROWARD COUNTY..20,000 cheer
This is the county just north of MIAMI –DADE.. I went to this auditorium and joined a line of over 3,000 already forming a line at 1pm we were let in at 2pm and Barack finally spoke about 4:30 pm and no one was complaining … the Auditorium was filled with a wonderful mixture of Haitian, Latinos, whites, blacks and a sprinkling of native Americans and Asians. Soon we were over 20,000 voices cheering our candidate and hope.
When I was parking my car upon arriving at the venue I noticed a welcoming African American brother who was so excited to be at the event. I began talking to him and an older white woman who wanted to use my cell phone. On an urge of the moment I gave him one of my red OBGAMA SHIRTS AND ALSO ONE FOR HIS WIFE… I saw them after the event and they were most happy.. And wearing their red Obama shirts.
I ended up sitting with this older white woman and another wonderful woman Beatriz Balding a business woman who moved to the USA about 35 years ago from Argentina… I met her as I was standing there in line.
It was a wonderful celebration ..and while I had the pleasure to shake Baracks hand and mention Fannie Lou Hamer quote to him IAM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICK TIRED to him in Seattle almost two’ years ago … I had never been in a space where there was such a wonderful energy around this special spirit.
No political candidate has ever drawn these kinds of crowds and not since the Kennedy’s have ever attracted so many youth and so much diversity … and I am sure there were many republicans and independents in the crowd… the older white woman told me that for many years she had been a republican but with the help of her daughters she changed
And Beatriz told me that this is the first time she has been moved to attend such an event.
It was a good day for cheering and believing.. And of course Barack rocked.
———————————————————————————-
Summer is a time to enjoy mother earth Take a day or two … go for a walk …get out on the water or perhaps just take a drive to a new location. And enjoy all that Mother Earth has given us.. Enjoy and know that we must all protect her so that she can continue to give my best Leno

DEAR SISTERS AND BROTHERS

In the past days my house has been more like a dog pound.. we recently adopted a young and small dog now called LUNA and we were baby sitting my daughter Aviva’s boyfriends English bulldog whose name is LeeRoy … or could be Leee Roy.

So the other day I am walking them with leashes on them both … they get into a bit of scrap and I being MACHO MARTINEZ.. .tried to break them apart with my bare hands.. Luna took a snap at my pinkie on my right hand. I did not know it until I was near the house but I was injured..… I was bleeding like crazy .. once I got the dogs in their crates I washed my hand and noticed the gash on my finger… it was worthy of 3-5 stitches.. I got it bandaged and then mopped up the blood I had left along the tiled floor…

By then my finger was beginning to hurt.. and I  wondered if I should bite Luna as a method of revenge.. or just give her a swift kick… hmmmm?/ instead I got her out of her crate and scratched her back and neck and decided to give her more walks and some training…

As a child I always joined my dog CHARLIE BOY in all his fights and often was bitten more than once.. but I have found that a dog bite hurts more now that one is older..

NOW FOR MY VIEW OF THE NEWS

            a. got marriage

            b. election items

            c. george bush

            d. back from new york

GOT MARRIAGE?????

The California Supreme Court took an important step into the future.. The Court recognized the importance of Gay Marriages. It was important to recognize that marriage was important and that a class of people should not be excluded from this right.

It should be noted that this state supreme court was not chosen by a liberal or progressive governor but by those wit ha conservative agenda. Perhaps other states will challenge the ban on gay marriage and begin to change their laws…

At one point in our history we banned inter racial marriages as late as 1928 and while this was held as a high and moral American value… it was wrong and it was finally changed.

Listening to the cheers and watching the hugs of all those in love who celebrated this decision it made me very happy to see their joy….and sad that I could not be there to celebrate with my fellow citizens.. It makes you feel better about this country of ours..

ELECTION ITEMS

Hilary Clinton wins in West Virginia by a huge margin. It should be noted that Barack only campaigned there one day and did not spend a lot of money. Hilary had a reason to celebrate. It is unfortunate that she had to mention HARD WORKING WHITE PEOPLE who she says support her. And never did mention HARD WORKING PEOPLE OF COLOR and their importance.

Barack Obama continues to get more super delegates daily. Right now it is about 4 per day and it is possible for this to increase in the days ahead. Recently John Edwards gave Obama his endorsement and you will soon see Edwards on the campaign trail

GEORGE BUSH

            How wrong can this man be?

While in Israel to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of this country took a swipe at Barack Obama and his willingness to negotiate with other governments. Bush accused Obama and other democrats indirectly of being willing to negotiate with terrorist and he threw in the issue of a US SENATOR who years ago thought that by negotiating with HITLER that they might have avoided the killing of so many individuals.

We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: ‘Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.’

“We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history. By President Bush

It should be noted that this senator was a republican and that Bush’s grandfather was supportive through some business dealings with the Nazis’.

A president should not use a public forum in a foreign country to attack another American Politician…This is wrong and should be condemned by everyone…

Back From New York

          Ira Moss

FILLING UP THE GAS TANK

It hurts every time I have to buy gas … it took over $70/00 to fill up the gas tank on my van. I have a hard time paying this but it is even more difficult for low wage workers. The price of gas has gone out of this world during this administration and the public should be outraged about the policies of George Bush.

So if you fill up your tank take the time to drive to the next demonstration…

My best

leno

DEAR SISTERS AND BROTHERS       

Last night we had two interesting primaries… Indiana which Clinton won by a narrow margin and North Carolina which Obama won hands down. Can this primary process continue or should it come to and end???

Today we found out that Hillary has lent her campaign another 6.4 Million Dollars. If she is not getting the financial support from her supporters than it should be clear that the funds and the delegates are not there for a victory.

In the next few days the super delegates will be wondering what to do and there should be some movement towards Obama. There are a lot of decisions to be made inside the Clinton Campaign in the next 72 hours..

NOW FOR MY VIEW OF THE NEWS

a.      Burma can’t wait

b.      death in detention

c.      new bill on detainees introduced  

d.      the Kentucky derby

e.      ariana huffington

BURMA CAN’T WAIT

       We must all help

Friends and Supporters,

thanks for the support so far…

As headlines have told us, Cyclone Nargis has hit Burma hard.  22,000 to 60,000 have passed and tens of thousands are missing….the Junta is doing nothing to help the people.

Fortunately, timing proves to be on our side, as we are in the midst of a month-long campaign to help the people of Burma.

HRAC, US Campaign for Burma and Fanista.com have organized a 30-day video campaign to educate Americans and others around the world about the military regime in Burma.  Our goal is to mobilize 1 million people to sign up to take action.  Just as the world came together to help free Nelson Mandela and South Africa in the 1980s, we are now organizing an effort to help Burma’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the people of Burma.

view the spots here…  Today’s spot with Eddie Izzard was directed by Anjelica Huston.
www.burmaitcantwait.org

I ask you to share these videos with as many people as possible. 

thanks again.

Jack

DEATH IN DETENTION

We need to call for a congressional investigation of the number and causes of death of immigrants being detained. There are serious concern about the treatment and well being of all Immigrants who are at the mercy of these private contractors who run these institutions..

You should google Detention Watch Network or email Andrea Black at ablack@detentionwatchnetwork.org and find out how you can become involved.

Better Health Care Sought for Detained Immigrants

By NINA BERNSTEIN and JULIA PRESTON

Published: May 7, 2008

The head of a Congressional subcommittee looking into complaints of inadequate medical care in immigration detention announced on Tuesday that she had introduced legislation to set mandatory standards for care and to require that all deaths be reported to the Justice Department and Congress.

“This should not be part of the debate about illegal immigration,” the chairwoman, Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, said of the bill, which she introduced late last week. “This is about whether the government is conducting itself according to the basic minimum standards of civilization.”

The need for the bill, she said, was underscored by an article in The New York Times on Monday about the 2007 death of Boubacar Bah, a 52-year-old tailor from Guinea. His name was one of 66 on a government list of detention deaths obtained from Immigration and Customs Enforcement by The Times under the Freedom of Information Act.

Tragedy overshadows unbeaten Big Brown’s Kentucky Derby win

By RICHARD ROSENBLATT –

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A day after Big Brown blazed across the finish line, the snapshot of Eight Belles down on the dirt set off a raging debate that extended far beyond the Kentucky Derby: Is horse racing now facing an image crisis?

With the memory of Barbaro still fresh, Eight Belles’ catastrophic breakdown Saturday put increasing focus on a sport already trying to overcome a decline in popularity.

Leno’s note..the Kentucky Derby is the horse racing event for the SUPER RICH … and it is a week long festival. Many of the grooms and most of those who clean the stalls and feed the horses are immigrants. And many undocumented.. There are a lot of people working in the shadows of this famous race and festivity.

 ARIANA HUFFINGTON

        WELCOME THE GREEKS

Last night I went to hear Ariana speak about her new book
Right Is Wrong: How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution, and Made Us All Less Safe.

It was a delightful presentation with a lot of good information. You need to take a moment and visit the Huffington Post… there is a lot of good information there for you. If you are well informed you can make good decisions.

My best

leno

Dear Sisters and Brothers

There are many more signs of the economy going sour….now folks are dumping their SUVs.. And many are defaulting on their auto loans… Car sales that are increasing are the ones for compacts and others that give better gas mileage… No matter what the president says we are in a recession.

Recently two friends in Miami told me that the mortgage companies were foreclosing on their land lords… and this is happening each and every day in every neighbor hood across the country….

Food and gas prices are taking their toll on the average citizens… reasonable health care has been out of the reach for many Americans and it is only going to get worse..

My hope is that the progressive foundations that fund community programs look at this economic situation and decide to fund programs that work on policy and immediate actions to give some relief to the working poor.

It we had the same commitment financially to the working men and women as we do for this most foolish occupation of Iraq we would be in a much better situation..

NOW FOR MY VEIW OF NEWS..

a.      former gang member

b.      how low can you go

c.       escape to new York

d.      got newsletter?

AHORA …FORMER GANG MEMBER CALLS ..

out of the blue came the call from a 713 area code… Houston Texas…

Hello this is leno I answered

Magdaleno this is Estela from El Salvador

Oh ya… I was not yet sure who this could be

It’s me Estela who was with HOMIES UNIDOS .. I just wanted to call and thank you for all you did for me. .

What me …?/ I asked. Still trying to picture her face…

Yes you gave me all those good words of encouragement and helped me and now I am in the states and doing good… I just wanted to call you and thank you … I got your phone number from Alex Sanchez at Homies Unidos in Los Angeles…

Alex had told me a couple of weeks ago that some woman was trying to reach me and could he give my number to her…

I guess what surprised me was that 8-10 years have past since I last saw Estela Arias… and did not expect to hear from her again… but it was nice to hear that I had done something good for some one… her father had petitioned for her and got her to the states.

It made me start thinking that I don’t thank enough all those who have helped me over the years to become the voice and presence that I have become for human rights… I know that I had a lot of help … sometimes I had to be picked up and put back together after serious mistakes… and it’s a wonder that I am still doing all this work…but I had a lot of helping hands and hearts along the way..

Take a minute today and call or write to someone who has made a difference in your life…

How low and how far back can you go?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24338217/page/8/
MR. RUSSERT:  David, we had in the debate–and Andrea–Hillary Clinton jumping on Barack Obama about William Ayers, the Weatherman, is one of the questions, and  Hayden, the former radical from the ’60s, has now written a piece which is basically saying, “Time out.” And he writes this, “Hillary is blind to her own roots in the sixties.  …  She was in Chicago for three nights during the 1968 street confrontations.  …  She was involved in the New Haven defense of Bobby Seale during his murder trial in 1970, as the lead scheduler of student monitors.

“Most significantly in terms of her recent attacks on Barack, after Yale law school, Hillary went to work for the left-wing Bay Area law firm of Treuhaft, Walker and Burnstein, which specialized in Black Panthers and West Coast labor leaders prosecuted for being communists.  Two of the firm’s partners, according to Treuhaft, were communists and two others `tolerated communists.’

“All these were honorable words and associations in my mind, but doesn’t she see how the Hillary of today would accuse the Hillary of the sixties of associating with black revolutionaries who fought gun battles with police officers, and defending pro-communist lawyers who backed communists?  Doesn’t the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, whom Hillary attacks today, represent the very essence of the black radicals Hillary was associating with in those days?”

Are we going to have a debate in November about past associations and pastors, or we going to have a debate about the war, health care and economy?

ESCAPE TO NEW YORK CITY

                                    By Ira Moss

I notice that when I opened my NY Times this morning I skipped past the front page with its obsessive coverage of Reverend Wright, the failing economy and the world wide shortage of manure (don’t get me started).
Instead, I settled into the “Dining Out” section, to read about the restaurants and latest food trends capturing New York City. My good reason was that I am flying to NY this weekend for the short reunion with old friends that brings me back every year at the start of spring. But the real reason was probably avoidance of the head line news which has become monotonous in its repetition of all that is wearing, tiresome, and stultifying. I needed something comforting and in these trying times, food works best for me. And so I took a virtual tour of New York City’s sandwich shops, reveling in such offerings as the Cemita Poblana, a sandwich from Mexico made from pork butt marinated in citrus, chilies, cinnamon and cumin, made on a griddle and served with shreds of fresh pineapple, soft avocado, chili peppers and papalo, described as “a fresh herb with the bite of watercress and the breath of cilantro” (I know I’ve got Leno’s attention by now). The article mentioned in passing that New Yorkers “got lucky” in the late 1990′s due to an influx of immigrants from the Mexican state of Puebla who brought there love of food and cooking with them and now provide the work force for many of the cities finest restaurants. As Anthony Bourdain, the NY restauranteur, author and TV personality has observed, there are very few restaurants in NY that could survive a crack down on undocumented workers.

When I was through day dreaming about the meals I would eat in NY, I reached for the sports section, but along the way stumbled over the obituaries, something I usually prefer to avoid. But the one about the death of Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman (no relation to Abbie) who died this week at age 102, caught my attention. Hoffman is the fellow responsible for bringing LSD to the world. Dr. Hoffman took acid hundreds of times and credited it for recreating a transcendent moment from his youth, when he first experienced a oneness with nature and was infused with “an indescribable sensation of joy, oneness and blissful security.” He believed that he had discovered a powerful therapeutic tool with great beneficial potential for mankind, but of course took no responsibility for its misuse at the hands of fools, knaves and profiteers. I was one of those sixty era kids that, prodded by the likes of  Timothy Leary (fool, knave and profiteer) “turned on, tuned in and dropped out”, at least for a while. Now, having reached my sixties, I was intrigued by Dr. Hoffman’s statement that his LSD day’s were long behind him. “I know LSD; I don’t need to take it any more,” he said. “Maybe when I die, like Aldous Huxley.” He went on to add that LSD had not altered his conception of death. I go back to where I came from, to where I was before I was born, that’s all.” And that’s enough.

GET THE NEWSLETTER AND FIND OUT WHATS UP WITH LENO AND HIS WORK

This week we are printing the first copy of our new newsletter for my work project here at SOUTH FLORIDA INTERFAITH WORKER JUSTICE.  This will let you know you know what I am up to and the challenges that low wages workers face..

Please send me your street address if you would like to receive this bit of news in the mail…that is to say via snail mail…

Get the news..

My best

leno