Magdaleno

Over the years I learned that you must learn to organize, march, rally and on occasion learn to laugh and to celebrate. Our opposition also often has much to laugh about given some of our statements and actions. Perhaps if we got together and laughed we could actually do good work for our country.

In one political campaign our US SENATE CANDIDATE whose last name was Dick .. We heard during the campaign of the many off color slogans the opposition created using her name. And on occasion over drinks at night our campaign staff tried to outdo our opposition by coming up with even more outrageous innuendos using the candidates last name. She the candidate did not always appreciate our ribald humor. But it was a difficult campaign and laughing helped us to continue the fight for what was right.

Today we have a problem that the statements and actions on one side are so harsh that I am afraid that they could evolve into more violence than just damaging property. In fact we have seen this violence at clinics that serve women who want abortions. I am worried that we will see even more violence. And fear that innocent people will be hurt.

In our response to violent statements and actions should not be more violence. We must be smarter and better that those who flame hatred and violence. We must be an example of the best of humanity.

And we must always be searching for common ground and perhaps if we get there we can laugh and work together…doesn’t mean you always have to agree.. Just be willing to listen…

Below you will find an adaption to a wonderful YES WE CAN u tube video that came out during the presidential campaign. I think that this will make you laugh till tears roll down your eyes..

check this out

NOW FOR MY VIEW OF THE NEWS

a.    They give the crazies the media attention
b.    Spring and violence have sprung
c.    Cesar Chavez according to Martha Garcia
d.    Old man in my bath room

GIVING ATTENTION TO THE CRAZIES AND FORGETTING THE RATIONAL

There were three key demonstrations in Washington DC on the 20-21 of March but only one really got news coverage.
There was the march for Immigration Reform which drew over 100,000, then there was the Anti War March which had 10’s of thousands and finally the Tea Baggers (anti-health bill) Rally which numbers ranged from about 300-1,000.

Fox News obviously gave more coverage to the TB folks but what was even worse was all the attention by other media sources to this small band of demonstrators who had racists and other horrific signs and cat calls coming from what we on another day would see as GOOD GRAND PARENTS.

In today’s environment we cannot get the media to be fair.. Thus we must find a better way to get our news to the public.. Perhaps via the internet and via Ethnic news. Often our movements doing pay enough attention to the Spanish speaking media and other ethnic press.

In the mean time let’s continue to gather our ideas, our supporters and do what we need to do to DELIVER ON CHANGE.

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Spring has Sprung and 
So Has Violence

The shot through his campaign office window and I have received threatening e mails claimed republican Congress man Eric Cantor of Virginia. This he said on the heels of calls and actions taken by elements of the right wing. And another Republican Congress woman has a recording of an awful call to her office

These horrific acts are minimal in number when you look at all those things done against Democrats. These have included racist and homophobic name calling, windows shot out and broken gas lines, vandalizing of homes and multiple threats including a fax with a noose sent to an Afro-American Congressman

Congressman Cantor criticized the Democrats for using these attacks as political canon fodder. At the same time Cantor was not willing to release the threatening emails he supposedly received. Me I don’t think that they exist. And the bullet according to the local police investigation was not shot at the building where Cantors office is located but instead was a bullet on its way down that accidently hit the building…. seems someone shot a bullet into the air and somehow hit the window on the way down. ..I have not heard of any sniper that shoots in this fashion. Recently a Mr. Norman Leboon has been arrested for making a threat on Cantor and his family .. I watched the rambling and bizarre video of Leboon.. he makes threats of harm coming to the President, Speaker of the House, and Leader of the Senate ..This man is nuts but still could be dangerous.. now I am still waiting for all those e mails that Cantor said he received.

Remember when Lou Dobbs claimed that people were shooting at his house and endangering his wife because of his immigration stance. Turns out it was a stray bullet that was far from the living quarters and no evidence that Lou was targeted

During the last presidential campaign we saw the beginnings of outrageous statements, signs and actions by those whose emotions were inflamed by Sarah Palin and others. This should have been curbed then by the leadership of the Republicans. There have been many major threats and property damage to Democrats.

Instead they threw gasoline on the fire by organizing screamers to go to the HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL MEETINGS and have these misguided citizens yell out the most incredible things. And this ultimately became the TEA BAGGERS PARTY… who have some of the most horrific signs and statements..And these rallies and actions have been encouraged by the republican leadership and Fox News.

And we will now see the Tea Bag Express .. a bus filled with misinformation and rabid spokespersons making 44 stops and spreading their hate and lies. This tour begins in Nevada targeting Senate Leader Harry Reid and ending in Washington DC on April 15th. At their opening rally near Harry Reid’s home town in Nevada they drew 5-7,000 primarily older Americans to hear Sara Palin and other spew their propaganda and their call to VOTE THEM OUT…

One of the organizers was asked about their rallies encouraging recent violence against Democrats he responded by saying WE ARE CONSTITUTIONALISTS AND THE PREMIER HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION …and I thought perhaps I should tell Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that they have serious competition… Perhaps you will get to see this so called premier human rights group in your community.. Please welcome them with the truth and common sense.

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Cesar E. Chavez…a man his movement and his supporters..Celebrate his birthday March 31st

On April 27, 1993, I was at his funeral along with 50,000 other mourners.  It was in Delano California and it was the celebration of the life of Cesar Chavez, President and founder of the United Farm Workers Union.  It was fitting that the funeral consisted of a procession, a march, because of the many marches Cesar had participated in and inspired. We walked from Delano to a place two miles out of town called Forty Acres, which had previously been the headquarters of the Union and where huge white tents had been erected for the ceremony.

I first met Cesar more than 20 years prior to his death when my husband, Jim and I, while on vacation in California, stopped by Delano to visit him.   Jim had known Cesar for several years.  As they renewed their friendship, I felt as if I were in the presence of greatness.

I’ve experienced this feeling one other time when I was fortunate enough to see Nelson Mandela when he spoke in Oakland CA shortly after his release from his 20 year imprisonment at Robin Island.

Like Nelson Mandela, Cesar Chavez was a soft spoken gentle man.  Having suffered discrimination and injustice did not make them bitter but emboldened them to espouse non-violence as their credo.

Cesar’s inspirations were Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.

Like Gandhi, Cesar participated in several fasts in order to bring attention to his cause.

I had the opportunity to see Cesar again when he visited Denver to give speeches to his supporters and to raise funds for the United Farm Workers.

Denver was a place that was very progressive and we were active in the boycotts of table and wine grapes, picketing liquor and grocery stores that sold these items from California, so Cesar made occasional stops at our city.

Cesar always stayed at supporters homes when he was away from home.  On one of his visits to Denver that had been arranged by Jim, Cesar was scheduled to stay at our house.  Unfortunately, that day he received a death threat, which sadly was not an isolated instance, so at the last minute his lodging location was changed.

Especially in the early days of his fledgling organizational efforts to bring better working conditions to the farm laborers, he and his followers were greeted with much violence in the form of verbal and physical abuses and many other humiliations.  In one instance a farm worker was run over by a truck and was killed right there on the picket line.  Nothing was done by the authorities.

In spite of these atrocities, Cesar remained loyal to his principle of non-violence and was able to influence his followers to follow suit.  His nonviolent standard also led him to oppose the Viet Nam War.

This remarkable stance of non- violence has been an inspiration to me.  If a person who is subjected to such indignities can remain non-violent, anything is possible.

Although it took many years of hard work, The United farm workers have many contracts now and have affected the lives of non-union farm workers as well.  The first union contracts required rest periods, toilets in the fields, clean drinking water, hand washing facilities, protective clothing against pesticide exposure, the banning of pesticide spraying while workers are in the fields, outlawing DDT and other dangerous pesticides.  These are accepted conditions in the state of California today.

The United Farm Workers now enjoy Health insurance and retirement benefits but, what Cesar considered his most valued accomplishment was the abolishment of the short handled hoe.  That infamous hoe forced the workers to bend over continually and subsequently crippled generations of farm workers.  This short handled hoe is in the Smithsonian Institution commemorating the contributions of Cesar Chavez.

Cesar began his career as a community organizer; he coined the phrase, ¡Sí Se Puede! This has been chanted on many a picket line and march.  Another former community organizer in his recent run for the Presidency used the same slogan Yes we can!  ¡Sí Se Puede!

At the funeral, we saw many friends from Colorado, including our great friend Magdaleno, who had been active in the farm labor and peace movements.   Thousands of farm workers from Florida to California attended the service as well as religious leaders celebrities and politicians, (we were sitting next to Jerry Brown and several of the Kennedys).

There were many speakers at the service, some made us laugh, some made us cry.  Cardinal Mahoney from Los Angeles officiated.  It was an inspirational ceremony, just as Cesar’s life was.

His plain pine coffin, built by his brother and carried those two miles by family and friends, was a symbol of his humility and his unassuming character.

It was a great honor and a privilege to have known this exceptional individual, Cesar Chavez, who dedicated his life for the benefit of this oppressed segment of our society, migrant farm workers.

Martha Martínez García
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THERE  WAS AN OLDER MAN IN MY BATHROOM THIS MORNING

Today as I was shaving and getting ready to head off to work on my next book when I looked up and saw a balding man with silver threads of hair in his beard and on his side burns. I wondered what he was doing in my bath room and if I should scream and call for help… instead I smiled at him and he smiled back. I guess he has nothing better to do than follow me around.

My best
leno