Magdaleno

Dear Sisters and Brothers

First, some news from Los Angeles:

This past Friday, Elana Zilberg, Barbara Grover, and I were having lunch at Rodeo Grill, a Mexican food court near the Homies Unidos office. We enjoyed the afternoon with Mirna Solorzano (acting Homies Unidos Director) and Delia, Alex Sanchez’s wife.

There we were talking and laughing, when Alex called Delia from lock-up and she handed me the phone.
It was great to hear his voice. He laughed when I told him that I was eating Mexican food on his behalf. In a recent letter he had asked me to represent him at all the food events. He said he was losing weight on the jail food, and he wanted me to eat for him. That’s the least I can do, I figured.

Alex and I began to talk about the conditions where he is being held when the phone connection was lost.
It was so good to hear Alex, and we tried to cheer up Delia. I will make it my job to stay connected with her and Alex throughout this process.

Jack Lieberman of Progressive Rags has designed some shirts and buttons for the cause. If you would like to purchase a shirt or button let me know. T-shirts are $20.00 and buttons $2.00. All the money from the sales goes to Alex’s family to help them survive while Alex is incarcerated. I obviously would hope some of you could buy many of each and give them to good activists.

Now, for my view of the news:
a.    Las Chinches … the bed bugs
b.    Education
c.     Obama speaks to NAACP
d.    What a joke
e.     Sins, Sinners, & Liars.
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LAS CHINCHES …
Sleep Tight And Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite

Seems that visitors to some eastern motels and hotels woke up recently with some interesting bites that itched. After seeing their doctors it was determined that they had been bitten by bed bugs…known in Mexico as CHINCHES.. but Bed Bugs or Chinches are most international and can be found in just about anywhere, including some very affluent neighborhoods.

Yep, those little blood suckers are making a comeback … they travel lightly and don’t know the phrase BIRTH CONTROL … they are pro life and have many babies quickly. They’ll hide in dark and damp places. The edges of mattresses are good places for nesting. Once a couple of bed bugs comes to visit they soon start having sex, (though I have never actually seen a Chinche have sex, I am sure that they do.) and soon they have many babies … and their babies have more babies and so on, and so on, and so on.

Before you know it you have an army of Chinches.. and guess what some are immune to some of our deadliest poisons..  they like cockroaches and others develop immunities and survive. They just might out live us all.

HERE IS A POEM I WROTE IN 1972 TO THOSE CHINCHES OR BED BUGS. First in Spanish, then in English.

La Cancion De Las Chinches

A las chinches
que muerden
en las orejas …
como me aguitan
A los pinches,
que me chingan
con mis sueldos
con mis hijos
A las chinches
que me chupan
la sangre de mI cuerpo
que me tumban.
A los pinches
que me oprimen
con sus mentiras
con sus pendejadas
A las chinches
A los pinches
que nos chupan la vida
hay, que pinches
son estas chinches

The Song of the Bedbugs
to the bedbugs
that bite
my ears …
how they irritate me
to the fuckers
that screw
with my wages
with my children
to the bedbugs
that suck
the blood out of my body
that knock me down
to the fuckers
that oppress me
with their lies
with their stupidity
to the bedbugs
to the fuckers
that suck the life out of us
oh, what fuckers
are these bedbugs

Education: Somehow We Have Our Priorities Mixed Up
In the US today we spend more money per person in prison than we do on education.

We don’t fund the after school programs and we don’t help those struggling with the system. We’re happy to just let them drop out and get in trouble.. then we somehow find the money to jail them …sometimes forever.

It used to be that we honored our teachers. And if we did honor them today and valued the lessons they could give our children then we would pay them top salaries and give them money for class room supplies.

When we skimp on our education we are doing a major disservice to our country and to our future. .

We got money for prison and instruments of war but nothing for our children.

When will we make the change and put our money in the right place.

Obama speaks at the NAACP Convention

WOW! What little I heard of the speech was great. And, the fact that he took up the cause of gay rights was most important. It is so wonderful of y’all to elect a president who can speak well and with so much thoughtfulness.

Here’s what I would add to one of Obama’s speeches .. NOW LET ME JUST MENTION MY CHUBBY CHICANO BROTHERS OUT THERE IN THE WILDERNESS .. I KNOW THAT THIS COUNTRY HAS ROOM FOR YOU AND WE HONOR YOUR HISTORY AND SENSE OF HUMOR .. SO LET US MAKE ROOM IN THIS AMERICA FOR THESE SPECIAL PEOPLE ..

then every one would applaud and the news media would go out looking for us to comment … meanwhile I would be there smiling and LMAO OR LOL

WHAT A JOKE …the Senate Republican opposition
The racial, sexist insults of the Republican senators still stink our senate hearing room .. and through all these attacks…Sonia Sotomayor was cool and smart.  In that politically charged atmosphere she came off smarter, more reasonable and much more humane than her attackers.  Yep, she is a wise Latina, a wise woman, and even a wiser American.

Sins, Sinners, & Liars
The famous C Street address in Washington. D.C. is where elected officials are supposed to receive spiritual guidance. instead it seems that it is a place where they politically try to cover up affairs and pay off the injured parties

Leisha Pickering accuses her husband former U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering of Mississippi of having an affair while he was a resident at the C street house where other so-called Christian Lawmakers live and go for religious direction. For those men having time getting a date I suggest that you go to 133 C street near the U.S. Capitol… and get a room .. everyone who lives there or is associated with this place seems to get some action.

Now back to South Carolina.. Seems that Mark Sanford is lying about some other expenses which show him flying first class on State money instead of the required coach… from our window it seems that he has been flying NO CLASS for some time.
………………………………………………………

The Wedding of William and Marchleen Hoffman

Recently, I once again had the pleasure of performing a wedding.

William came to live with me in Micronesia when I was the Peace Corps Director. While he was there he met Marchleen at my home, they fell in love, now have two children and now legally they are partners for life.

I have worked for years on Human Rights Issues with William’s father, Paul Hoffman, and it was good to be there with the whole family.

My best
Leno

PS: This past Saturday was Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday…AMANDLA!!!

PPS: And the 30th anniversary of the Sandinista victory against Somoza in Nicaragua!!!

 

Two nights ago I was on the basement stairs trekking laundry up and down from the washer when all of a sudden I was falling backward. There is no hand rail so I tried to brace myself with my right leg. I have knee replacement on both knees so my legs don’t have the strength of an ordinary leg.

 

My leg gave way and twisted out like a pretzel with my knee cap being dislocated, I glanced at the strange position of my leg and then I landed flat on my back with a hard thud, striking my head, back and elbows.

 

My fall was out of control. I don’t know how long I was there on the floor. But I remember first checking to see if my leg was straight. The knee cap had popped back in but the leg was already throbbing with pain.  I was afraid to find a bone sticking out of the flesh of my leg …I has thought the worst.

 

Everything hurt.. I did not know if I could standup.. no phone and no one knows I am down here in the basement. I was a concerned. .. it took a while but I scooted my butt onto the stairs one and then two and then I gingerly got up.  Great I thought at last I am standing up ..then I slowly and   carefully worked my way up the stairs..  Immediately I took a ton of Advil and sent an email to family telling of my fall just in case this was serious and out my control…

 

It took about ½ hour to get my now swollen and throbbing painful leg into the bed.. by then I noticed that my phone I phone  was too far to reach

 

By the next day I had friends and family checking up on me. When you take a hard unexpected fall anything can happen… Lisa Radelet in Boulder had a horrific fall some months ago and my friend Jim Garcia had a fall while jogging that injured more than what was visible at the moment. These falls can happen to anyone at anytime…

 

Besides the pain in the right leg  and a strange sensation on my left front of my head and bruises I seem to be healing… I am moving much slower but moving ..

 

NOW FOR MY VIEW OF THE NEWS

a.       got health plan

b.      sins and sinners

 

GOT HEALTH PLAN ????

 

Today the ever charming Della came to our office to talk to us about the changes to our health plan and options that we might consider. She is an independent insurance agent and was offering us many options.

 

As I sat there listening to Della I thought to myself. Here we are thinking about some increase to our health plan when many Americans have none. And for many who think they have good health plan, they find out only too  late that much of their serious and expensive medical  procedures are not covered.  The only answer for me is Single Payer .. or at least some kind of a public option.

 

Some Right Wing Senators call Single Pay or a Public Option as SOCIALIZED MEDICINE. This so called socialized medicine is working  well for Senators and Congressmen and women, our Military, our Seniors and all government employees.. hmmmm???

 

These right wing folks are being funded by the pharmaceuticals and the hospitals to challenge a good health system proposal that would protect everyone.. if the medical services industry would provide better and cheaper medical services than a public option then I am sure that many would choose them over the Public Option. After all wouldn’t a free market be what we are after.??  Let the private insurance providers have to hustle a little… might do them some good.

 

 

In this debate many ask  if there is the world’s perfect system.????. I don’t think so … but we can surely do better as a country than we what are doing today. If you look to Europe or Canada you will see that single payer plan can work and is good for the public..

 

One of the growing new avenues for medical assistance is what is called MEDICAL TOURISM. This is where people go to another country for less expensive medical procedures. At first the boon was in the cosmetic surgery but now many who can organize it go abroad for major medical issues and actually save money. They most often get medical attention comparable to that in this country and sometimes much better.

 

 

SINS.. SINNERS AND STUPIDS..

 

James Hodson a British Diplomat is having to resign his post after a video surfaced of him titled

ADVENTURES OF MR. HODSON IN RUSSIA.. .in this video he frolics with two prostitutes. This had been an old trick by both sides during the cold war to catch their diplomats doing some un diplomatic liaisons. Now this is plain stupid.

 

Now it seems according to some news sources that former Presidential Candidate John Edwards and his lover and film maker Rielle Hunter made a video of them making love. This is worse than Mr. Hodsons tape because John and Rielle made it. It was not done by a third party spying on them.

 

I am sure that there is something at the movies or HBO that would be most interesting than watching either of these two videos. Now with cameras that can take photos and video we might get offered even more juicy items.

 

Recently I liked watching Sarah Palin (in a perverse way) dressed up in fishing gear hauling in Salmon and rambling on and on in who knows what language…I bet McCain wishes he had never met her.  And if you watch the news you will learn just how deep she goes into explaining her math about court expenses and other lies… ..

 

And hot lover Sen. John Ensign seems to have paid his lover a campaign staffer a bonus of almost $100,000  ($96,000) through his parents as some sort of severance and never reported it .. .the parents did this in $12,000 checks to avoid having to report it. Now this all needs to be investigated.

 

Meanwhile Gov. Mark Sanford is praying to his god, quoting scripture and trying to re-fall in love with his wife.. and that would be good for him given that she is the wealthy one in the family…

 

And then former quarterback Air Steve McNair is killed by this girlfriend. Some say that he was cheating on his girl friend and yes he was also cheating on his wife.. there probably a long line of women who had taken a number and were loading their guns..  

 

Tonight I am checking to ensure there are no videos of me and others (cant destroy videos and photos already in the hands of the FBI), I am paying off anyone I need to in pesos from Mexico and changing my address so no shooters can find me and I am not going fishing in hip wading boots and will not talk in a disconnected sentences to the media….

 

ONE TOMATO PLANT    

 

I have not done a lot of gardening this summer given that I am changing homes in August and moving to Beacon Hill in Seattle.  But I did do have one tomato plant that stands right next to the drive way … another friend has two and another has three so there is competition… it is great to have plants that you care for.  Between my tomato plant and my cat Estrella I have more than enough work taking care of these two. On the third week of August I move to Seattle and have two extra rooms and looking for roommates..

 

My Best

Leno

 

LOS ANGELES

I will be in Los Angeles to perfom a Wedding, visit friends DO some work on the case of Alex Sanchez and attend a meeting about a documentary of THE LAST FAST OF CESAR CHAVEZ. It will be a very busy four days.

206-618-9909

 

 

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers

 

I hope that you are all having a wonderful summer. During this time I need to remind you that we all need to give to an organization of our choosing. Obviously I would like you to donate to the Social Justice Fund in Seattle so that we can help others.

 

But the main idea is that we all give of our time and money to change the world.

 

There is a great movement called BOLDER GIVING that encourages donors to give all that they can to create change. If you go to this link you can see a u tube piece they posted of me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNJUOeiOnpU

 

NOW FOR MY VIEW OF THE NEWS

a.    Film of Cesar

b.    Crazy things

c.    We are all Alex

 

INVITATION TO JOIN YOUR VOICE AND SPIRIT WITH OTHERS REGARDING A FILM ABOUT

CESAR E. CHAVEZ

Friends,

I have a very special invitation for you.

All of you know that I spent my early years working for Cesar Chavez, and

was the first Executive Director of the Cesar E Chavez Foundation. And, you

all know how much Cesar and his work, his principles, his adherence to

non-violence, and his life deeply influenced mine.

Now, two wonderful filmmakers, Richard Perez and Molly O’Brien are making a

documentary about Cesar’s life, centering the story around his last fast in

1996. It’s not finished yet, but it’s a beautiful sharing of Cesar’s life,

and we want to make sure that it gets distributed far and wide, so that all

people can be inspired by his life and the example he set.

—————————————————————————-

ON JULY 18, PLEASE JOIN ME, RICHARD PEREZ, & MOLLY O’BRIEN AT AN INFORMAL

GATHERING IN SUPPORT OF THE FILM.

—————————————————————————-

We’re trying to brainstorm ways to create a groundswell of grassroots

support and word-of-mouth buzz for the film.

It’s an ³idea-raiser² NOT a fund-raiser.

We want your advice, thoughts, dreams, and your ideas. We want you to

support the film, too.

So, come on by and spend some time with us. Watch a clip of the film. Drink

some punch and share some great conversation.

DATE: SATURDAY, JULY 18

TIME: 6:00 PM

PLACE: the beautiful Silverlake home of Molly O’Brien

RSVP: beverleykeefe@gmail.com

//We’ll send along the address with your confirmation email.//

——————————-

ABOUT THE FILM:

——————————-

This was CESAR¹S LAST FAST: 36 days of self-sacrifice and deep spiritual

commitment to the fight for justice and dignity for America¹s poorest

workers.  This was the cause, La Causa, to which Cesar Chavez was willing to

give up his life.

For Cesar, it was time for dramatic action ­ an action that was inspired by

a power greater than any ideology or political doctrine.  He turned to his

faith:  a non-dogmatic devotion to Catholicism, a disciplined adherence to

the practice of yoga and vegetarianism, and a deep dedication to

non-violence that inspired his every action. While Cesar¹s faith and

spirituality were personal they had immense public repercussions.

CESAR¹S LAST FAST will shine a light on the spiritual landscape that

sustained Chavez through decades of struggle. Like Cesar, who espoused no

dogma and did not hide his personal convictions, this film too will explore

and embrace the power of conviction rather than shy away from it.

http://www.cesarslastfast.com

CRAZY THINGS GOIN ON:

a.      Sarah Palin will resign as governor of Alaska .. is she running for the Presidency, chair of the Republican Party or Pope..??? we will know more in the weeks ahead..she says she is responding to a higher calling.. what can that be some other 800 number ???

b.      Jenny Sanford the wife of Governor Mark Sanford is willing to forgive and cites the bible. Just when we thought she might be sane. ..she is looking to save this marriage even after Mark said the Argentina woman was his SOUL MATE.. whatever that means.

c.       Michael Jackson dies and more rumors abound about his life, his problems and his will.

d.      Bernie Madoff is getting a consultant to help him to get the right prison. Hmmm?? I did not know that you could choose the prison of your liking…

e.      Honduras has a military coup but wants t o call it democracy in action..

f.         Iran is boiling on the inside … while the government tries to keep a lid on change

g.      The Vatican is running a deficit …is it financial or spiritual? Or both??

 

YOU TOO ARE ALEX SANCHEZ

            When they attack one of us they attack us all. Thus we are all Alex and we must understand that this could happen to all of us in one form or another. While we have a new President and new head of the justice dept. we still have the same agents in the field.

I ask you to join our campaign to get Alex Sanchez bonded out and also get him a fair trial. We need you to stay in touch with the campaign by going to the web page for Homies Unidos or by writing to me …

We need your support and that of those with in your net work.

We will not stop until we get justice for Alex Sanchez

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GOING TO LOS ANGELES JULY 16-19

I hope to see as many of you as possible. I will try to find a central location to meet up with as many of you as time allows..  I will be staying at two different homes while in Los Angeles which will save me money.

THURSDAY July 16^th

            Arrives at 4 pm

            Tentative work on Alex Sanchez Case

Friday

            10am – 6pm open

           

            Dinner booked tentatively

Saturday

            10-am-4pm open  

6pm CESAR E CHAVEZ FILM DISCUSSION

If you would like to attend contact Beverley Keefe at Beverley@gmail.com

Sunday

            7:00 am Wedding of William and March in Hermosa Gardens

            Wedding goes on till about 8pm .. could use a date to go with me

            I will probably leave the  wedding  at about 4pm.

Monday

            10 am flight to Seattle

 

READING CAN BE MOST INTERESTING

One of my personal pleasures is reading.. .it is interesting and relaxing and gives me a chance to use my imagination… If you have young children in your midst please read to them as often as you can.. and when you don’t have anything to read then tell them stories..

This summer I am reading and working on my tan

 My best

leno