Page 4 August 29, 2013 One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion What has happened to us? In the past its criminal failings in Benghazi? Bill Seeks to Acknowledge By Gerry Chong the State Department lied to the public about five years, our country has become Did you squirm just a little when Homeland Everyone’s Role in History unrecognizable. The optimistic and patriotic Security bought more ammunition than the U.S. America is gone and in its place is a country Army while the President sought to limit arms By Cristian Vasquez people like Itliong, Velasco and Cruz, we discouraged by its economy and fearful of its sales to law-abiding citizens? Even today, the Assemblyman Rob Bonta wrote Assembly Bill are failing our public education system. loss of freedom. TSA, most of whose employees are not armed, 123 he wasn’t attempting to rewrite or distort I remember going through high school A wise man once said something to the ordered 3.5 million rounds. Why? history. The bill intends to do something that learning about many aspects of American effect that those who choose to trade their Perhaps it was when we learned that should have been done a very long time ago-- history such as the Civil War. In high school freedom for security often lose both. And so Obamacare contains a provision allowing require our public school system to educate our we learned about leaders from the North our journey to this double loss has accelerated government officials to visit “targeted” homes students about the role, contributions and such as Abraham Lincoln and Southern leaders in the first year of the Obama second term. containing “individuals who are serving or influence of Filipino Americans to the farm labor such as Jefferson Davis, but it wasn’t until Who could forget James Clapper, Director formerly served in the armed forces, including movement. When we think about the farm labor college that I discovered who Santos Benavides of National Intelligence, perjuring himself those having had multiple deployments outside movement of the 1960s, people like Cesar Chavez was and what he accomplished. Benavides was in sworn testimony before Congress the United States.” Why? and Dolores Huerta come to mind. Their struggles the highest ranking Mexican American to serve declaring the government has no surveillance How about when we found out that Arif and contributions to the movement were priceless, in the Confederacy (http://www.tshaonline.org/ programs against Americans. It took a Alikhan was named Assistant Secretary for but the influence of the Filipino American handbook/online/articles/fbe47). whistle blower to expose that government Policy Development in the Department of community was just as crucial to the movement It is wrong that in our school curriculum, harvests one billion phone conversations per day Homeland Security; Mohammed Elibiary is the as was the leadership of Huerta and Dolores. the role of such people gets lost and we and has the temerity to wiretap the government Obama Advisor for Homeland Security; and People like Larry Itliong, Pete Velasco and can go through the entire K-12 system officials of our allies at economic conferences. Kareem Shora was named to the Homeland Philip Vera Cruz were all key figures in the farm without ever having heard about a Benavides, Does “everybody do it,” as our President said? Security Advisory Council? Muslims all and labor movement in California, yet our state’s Itliong, Velasco or Cruz. Bonta’s bill is not asking The journey continued when the government none of whom have been publicly vetted. curriculum does not dedicate attention to their that our state’s board of education distort our disclosed it harvests all private emails and is Have these appointees affected our Middle contributions. Their leadership came at a critical history. The bill simply wants to acknowledge seeking approval to tap into all cell phone calls East foreign policy? turning point in the farm labor movement and the efforts made by all the different groups without a warrant. Did the Fourth Amendment On August 21, The New York Times reported it is unfair that children in our public schools of people who have contributed to our state’s prohibiting illegal search and seizure suddenly the government is making significant progress are not learning about these leaders. Our state and nation’s history. Particularly in California disappear? The road to perdition continues… on a facial recognition system that will enable has always attracted people from all over the with how big the farm labor movement was, Following the Boston tragedy, we know it to pick a face out of a crowd and target country and the world in search of a better life. it makes little sense to dedicate part of our the government has hundreds of thousands that individual. Every now and then certain individuals endure curriculum to that labor movement and not of cameras on the ground and drones in the During the Vietnam War, reporter Peter great hardships to ensure that others have the acknowledge the work and sacrifice made air so Big Brother can see all. When police Arnett was accused of an inaccurate quote opportunity to attain a better life. Requiring the by the Filipino American community. When can track records of all license plates or attributed to an American Major, saying, “We State Board of Education (SBE) to ensure that we ignore history and those who shape the the government hacks into reporters’ records at had to destroy the village in order to save it.” curriculum includes information on the role of events of our past, we are committing a great the Associated Press, have we been collectively Could the same analogy be applied to today’s all immigrants, including Filipino Americans, disservice to ourselves. By acknowledging violated? America? If we destroy the freedoms our in the history of the farm labor movement will everyone’s role in our history, we become Did you shudder when the IRS targeted country stands for, will we still be America help us to honor and respect our state’s history. better informed--and there is nothing wrong political opponents of the President, or when or something less? • If we continue to ignore the influence of with knowing more about ourselves… • Book Your Special Event In the From the Source CALIFORNIA MUSEUM OF FINE ART Political Q & A By Gerry Chong to pursue higher education. The From the Source question of the week “If a biological male competed as a girl, was: Governor Brown recently signed into would that create a playing field in which law AB1266, giving transgender children in females could not compete? If that young K-12 the right to select the gender of their man broke a female record, would that be sports teams and selection of their locker recognized only within California? Would rooms. How did you vote and why? our students be kept from reaching national Assemblyman Steve Bradford’s office levels of competition and therefore go unseen responded that the Assemblyman has been out by national college scouts because of our of town and was not available for comment, vote? How would issues such as steroids be but did vote in favor of the bill. addressed? How would Title IX scholarship Senator Ted Lieu responded: “I received programs be impacted? an excused absence on July 3 and was not “Efforts to pursue equality and stamp out present during the floor session. If I was discrimination are always a positive endeavor. on the floor, I would have voted ‘yes’ on But I was not asked to vote my feelings on AB1266. I believe children should not be a concept. The bill put before me and the discriminated against based on who they are.” legislature did not address my many questions Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi did not and concerns. respond to our question. “Many young people from lower-income The newly opened California Museum of Fine Art is now taking reservations for special events Senator Roderick Wright responded: “I neighborhoods in the communities I represent including social and business functions during the breakfast, lunch, cocktail or dinner hours. did not cast a vote on AB 1266 because I have worked very hard--on and off the sports Host your event in this 5,000 square-foot beautiful fine art venue surrounded by world-class had too many questions about its potential field-- to set themselves apart in the quest original art located in the heart of Downtown Old Torrance. impacts that the author and proponents were for scholarship opportunities to pursue higher unable to answer. As a former high school education and better their lives. Now that athlete and longtime supporter of the CIF this bill was passed and been signed into Track and Field Championships, I wanted to law, I can only hope that regulators will know how this would impact record-keeping in keep those children in mind and implement high school athletics and how it would affect the measure in a way that is responsible to students as they tried to secure scholarships them and their efforts.” • Sports from page 2 After many months away from the football date circled on their schedules. November field, UCLA and Mora are eager to begin 30 will mark the date of the next showdown For additional information, please call the season and show they were not, in fact, between UCLA and USC at the Coliseum. Charlene Nishimura, cell 213.709.8590. a fluke. UCLA’s season will begin on August That matchup and that matchup alone will 31 as the Bruins take on Nevada, while the determine who is the real winner in Los 1421 Marcelina Avenue - Downtown Torrance Trojans will start things off two days earlier Angeles and will leave us all wondering if www.californiamuseumoffineart.com in Hawaii. No matter how the seasons start the balance of power has taken a turn in yet and finish for each respective team, there is another direction, or has stayed relatively no doubting that both squads have only one status quo. •
Lawndale 08_29_13
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