APRIL  2014
Table of Contents

Editor: Mimi Lozano ©2000-2014

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ESTADO DE COAHUILA
LA CONFERENCIA BINACIONAL DE HISTORIA
Novena edición
21 y 22 de Marzo del 2014 
Photo sent by Welester Alvarado Carrillo Click

Letters to the Editor

Dear Mimi,
Once again, thank you for all your wonderful work. I recently just reviewed again the December 2013 Somos Primos edition. One article jumped out, and I don't know how I missed it, entitled "Last of the Wild West Los Alamitos Juan Orozco gunned Down and Forgotten". The article refers to a Mr. Phil Brigandi and his October 2013 presentation regarding Juan Orozco. I was unable to locate Mr Brigandi's OC Register article or other referred to information. But here is the good news….

Juan Orozco was my grandmother's (Victoria Moreno Grajeda) brother in law. My niece and I have for the past year have been piecing together Juan Orozco's history completely unaware of anyone doing the same.

Juan Orozco has not been forgotten! Amazing!
Best, Diana Williams  albarose26@earthlink.net

I recently took a DNA test because all research pointed to my Sephardic Heritage.. My test said I was 31.79% Jewish from Israel.  I have my Genealogy records back to 1500’s as my GGGGrandfather- 17 Generations back was the Son of the King of the Canary Islands… I am very proud to be Jewish and want to know even more.

Thank you for signing me up.
Blessings and Shalom~

P.O. 490
Midway City, CA 
92655-0490
mimilozano@aol.com
www.SomosPrimos.com 
714-894-8161

UNITED STATES

A Medal of Honor, long delayed Erevia at home in San Antonio. 
Cuento: Rick Leal, Pres. of  the Hispanic Medal of Honor Society, attended March 18 Event in DC 
List of the 24 Medal of Honor Recipients
24 Can’t Settle Score, Latino Vets See Racism Despite Medals by Bill Brigg
More on and other Medal of Honor Recipients

A Medal of Honor, long delayed Erevia at home in San Antonio. 
An image of his younger self is projected behind him. 
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-c1-medal-of-honor-20140314-dto,0,681651.htmlstory#ixzz2w3z9xizE 

Written by 
By Richard Simon

Reporting from San Antonio
March 14, 2014

Erevia never dwelt on not receiving the Medal of Honor. He moved on with his life and became a mail carrier, retiring in 2002 after 32 years at the Postal Service. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) More photos  John 'Mac' MacFarland, who wrote the recommendation, knew fellow soldier Santiago Jesse Erevia's bravery in Vietnam deserved the highest honor. But something stood in the way. 

Using an ammo crate as a chair and an Army tent as his office, Pfc. John "Mac" MacFarland set up his typewriter and began to write.

(Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times) More photos 

Army PFC Pfc. John "Mac" MacFarland in 1969. Shortly after the battle of Tam Ky in South Vietnam that year, MacFarland was assigned to write the Medal of Honor recommendation for Spc. 4 Santiago Jesse Erevia, whose "conspicuous gallantry" had saved many soldiers. 

He thought of writing Erevia to say he was sorry the recommendation fell short. But he never wrote. "This became one of the ghosts that haunted me," MacFarland said.

It wasn't until this year, 45 years after the battle, that MacFarland would learn the disturbing truth — the real reason Erevia had been denied the nation's highest military honor.

Erevia ran toward one of the bunkers and threw in a grenade, killing the soldier inside. He moved to a second bunker, bullets still flying around him, and tossed another grenade to knock it out too.

As MacFarland would later write about Erevia: "After reloading his rifles, he advanced toward the third bunker behind the suppressive fire emitted from his weapons." Once again, he took out the bunker with grenades.

When the call came, a woman announced that the president of the United States was on the line. "It was a short conversation," Erevia said. "He said that I deserved the Medal of Honor. He said that, for some reason, I was overlooked, but that he was making it right. I said, 'Thank you very much, sir.'"
The Pentagon has not released its Medal of Honor review, but in February the White House announced that to correct a historic injustice, the Medal of Honor would be awarded to 24 veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. They include Erevia and 16 other Latinos, one African American and a Jew.
Erevia is one of three surviving veterans who will receive the medal next week. He is honored, Erevia said, even if the wait lasted decades.

"I'm just glad I'm getting it while I'm alive," he said.

At a military store in San Antonio, Erevia's wife, Letici, helps him pick out a uniform for his Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on March 18. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) More photos

http://www.latimes.com/la-na-c1-medal-of-honor-
20140314-dto,0,681651.htmlstory#ixzz2w3z9xizE 

Left to right: Spc. 4 Santiago Jesse Erevia, Rick Leal, Sgt. 1st Class Jose Rodela. Both men served in the Army during the Vietnam War.

There were only three living who received the Medal of Honor on March 18, Erevia, Rodela and Staff Sgt. Melvin Morris.  There were twenty-one recipients, from World War II, Korea and Vietnam, who were honored posthumously. [U.S. Army / Associated Press]

Rick Cochran, (photographer)  was receiving emails from network wanting to interview me.  Unfortunately we were short of time...I was not prepared and timing was everything...The Network that called wanted me to go to there TV Studio to do the interview....etc. etc.   Yes, it was an opportunity but we had to catch a plane and had long drive from the Pentagon to Baltimore Maryland airport to catch last flight into San Francisco.. All in All ...I am grateful for the invite...It was FANTASTIC'....

I also went and walked into the Smithsonian Institute...got a lot to tell you' about the FUTURE Latino Museum. 

LIST OF MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS, MARCH 18, 2014 

The sources for the following list of Medal of Honor Recipients were 
TEXT:  National Public Radio
PHOTOS: The Color of Valor: 24 Minority Veterans Receive Long overdue Medal of Honor 
By Chelsea J. Carter and Halimah Abdullah, CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/18/politics/medal-of-honor-vets/index.html 

— Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia "distinguished himself May 21, 1969, while serving as a radio-telephone operator during a search-and-clear mission near Tam Ky City, in the Republic of Vietnam." A longer account of his valor includes this passage: "Under a hail of enemy fire, he continued to advance until he reached a location a few feet short of the first insurgent position. Disregarding the fire directed at him from the remaining bunkers, he pulled the pin on a hand grenade and advanced on the bunker, firing his rifles until he dropped the grenade into the bunker, thus destroying the fortification and killing the enemy soldier within." He lives in San Antonio.

Three living recipients of the Medal of Honor, Lt to Rt:
Sgt. 1st Class Melvin Morris
Master Sgt. Jose Rodela
Sgt. Santiago J. Erevia

MORE ON MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS 

Cesar Chavez, History is Made One-step at a Time 

A Movie About a Cause and a Legend
By Katharine A. Díaz

Labor leader César E. Chávez passed away in 1993 after a life's work of fighting for farmworkers' rights. Not only is César Chávez Day commemorated in several states and the César E. Chávez National Monument stands in his honor, now there comes a film about this legendary activist, Cesar Chavez, scheduled to hit movie screens on March 28.

Directed by Diego Luna, actor (Y tu mama también and Milk), director and producer (The Well), the movie stars Michael Peña (Walkout and American Hustle) in the leading role as Chávez; America Ferrera (Real Women Have Curves, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and TV's Ugly Betty) as Helen Chávez, the leader's wife; and Rosario Dawson (Alexander, Rent and Men in Black II) as Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union (UFW).  

Filmmakers focused on crucial periods of his life during the 1960's that included the Delano march, the grape boycott, his first hunger strike and the coming to the bargaining table with landowners. Peña brings those moments to life with a sensitive portrayal of the labor leader that allows us to feel the personal sacrifices he made in his life. Peña shows us that Chávez had a quiet resolve and respect for all, even the bad-guy growers.  

He also brings to life less-known incidences in the labor leader's fight. One such episode takes place during the grape boycott when Chavez travels to Europe to gain support for his cause and to block grape shipments sanctioned by the U.S. government intended for the European market. The scene in which he empties crate after crate of grapes off a bridge is all about sweet victory.  

Dolores Huerta, as portrayed by Dawson, is ever present. Her important role in the struggle may not be clearly defined in the movie, but it's clear that she was by Chavez's side every step of the way. Dawson captures her inner strength.  

Ferrera's portrayal of Chavez's wife gives us more insights into Chavez's character. Through her we see how he struggled to be a good husband and father and understand how his struggles were hers too.  

Actual footage and news clips of the time are seamlessly woven into the movie. Even when paired with the scenery, costuming, props, and casting from the film production, you believe you are back in the 1960's.  

Yet, the biggest sigh of relief comes not from the moment that news breaks that growers are willing to meet with the UFW, but for a production that is respectful of the great labor leader. That said, this dramatic biopic of one great Latino leader reinforces the urgency for many more. We need to all get out and support this movie because with its success there will be more. And perhaps the next one will be about Dolores Huerta, who continues the good fight.  

Katharine A. Díaz is a freelance writer and author of the award-winning cookbook Sabores Yucatecos: A Culinary Tour of the Yucatán (WPR Books: Comida, 2012).  

CUENTO

Diego Luna's César Chávez Should Be Required Viewing for All Americans
By Harvey Weinstein
Accessed: 26 March 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-weinstein/diego-lunas-cesar-chavez-_b_5030199.html

In my home growing up, there were four heroes -- John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and César Chávez. Chávez was a hero to the Kennedys, so naturally was a hero to us. He fought the odds for what he believed was right and that resilience and courage deserved respect. Those real-life stories like Chávez's were often what inspired my brother and me early on in our careers to choose films that we knew needed to be seen, even if they weren't guaranteed safe box office successes. Diego Luna's new film César Chávez is one of those films.

For decades, many directors and studios have wanted to create a film about Chávez, but it was Diego Luna, an actor who I've admired since Y Tu Mama Tambien came out well over a decade ago, who finally got a "yes" from the Chávez family. His production company Canana was behind another amazing film that I saw and loved at Cannes in 2011 called Miss Bala. Looking at the extreme violence taking place in Mexico's ongoing drug war, that movie had scathing visuals and even more cutting subject matter, and proved that Luna was the right man to be behind the camera of another socially-conscious film. This film has been in the works for more than four years, 
but we're finally able to see the fruits of Luna's painstaking

 efforts. He does a standout job as director, and has the support of cast that deserves applause as well. Any actor will tell you that the portrayal of a historical figure is one of the most difficult roles to play simply because of the weighty responsibility. Michael Pena, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, and John Malkovich rise to challenge.

I'm a great admirer Pantelion Films, Lionsgate and Participant Media and applaud them for putting out this film. I know we live in a world of competition, but I don't see my colleagues as simply competitors. My love for movies supersedes competition. Especially when it comes to a movie about someone as significant as Chávez -- competition doesn't matter. Pantelion and Lionsgate have a great history of bringing Latino films to the world's stage including Instructions Not Included, which went on to become the highest-grossing Spanish-language film in America. Teaming up with Participant Media rounds out the powerful trio behind this film. Jeff Skoll and Jim Berk have taken only one decade to amass a proven track record for great films at Participant -- The Help, Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck, An Inconvenient Truth, and Lincoln -- and those are just a few. If they were a baseball team, they would give the 1927 Yankees a run for their money. 

the better. I don't know if it was something they learned growing up that led to their string of successes, but if so then I am making a trip to their hometowns.

All kidding aside, this movie should be required viewing for all Americans. At a time when immigration reform is on every news channel and in every newspaper, this film shows a piece of the sacrifice so many made to come and live in America. While President Obama echoed Chavéz's mantra "si se puede" in 2008, I worry that our kids don't have the heroes today that I had growing up. President Obama and Secretary Clinton stand as proven leaders on the political stage, but where are today's leaders outside the political arena? This generation needs the inspiration I saw from Martin Luther King Jr. and Chávez when I was growing up. Parents should take their kids to see this film and make it a double feature. See MR. PEABODY or the MUPPETS film, but see CÉSAR CHÁVEZ too. Teachers should all go see this and tell their students to do the same. I know that sounds dictatorial for a film about a man who championed freedom and fairness, but I'm going ahead and declaring it.

 CUENTO: 

AMBASSADOR HECTOR P. GARCIA

By Daisy Wanda Garcia

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson had appointed Papa alternate ambassador to the United Nations. Everyone was excited about the appointment.  Many celebrations were held and articles in the Corpus Christi Caller Times described the event.  One published on September 17, 1967, was about a reception Dr. Cleo Garcia gave for my father at her home. Both Dr. Xico and Dr. J.A. attended the party.   Naturally, Papa moved to New York and left his medical practice in the capable hands of his sister and brother, Dr. Cleo Garcia and Dr. Xico Garcia.  Papa was pretty lonely without his family.

The U.S. Mission consisted of Arthur Goldberg, the permanent representative, 4 other representatives and 5 alternatives.  All ten carried the rank of ambassador.  Two or three mornings a week, the nine ambassadors met with Arthur Goldberg After the meeting, the representatives and alternates sat on the Security Council in the General Assembly and on various committees.  There were six standing committees and Papa was assigned to the Fourth Committee. One of the highpoints of Papa’s term at the United Nations happened when he delivered a position paper on nuclear weapons in Latin America in Spanish.  It was the first time a member of the U.S. Mission had delivered a speech in a foreign tongue.  [1][1]  Arthur Goldberg wrote to Garcia “there was universal pleasure among the Latin Americans over your  speaking in Spanish in the First Committee”. 

The job carried over to the evening hours as well.  Papa and his fellow delegates attended social functions.  Sometimes, Papa attended three functions a night. The delegates were expected to network and gain support for our government’s position on various issues. These were regarded as official receptions and protocol demanded that someone with ambassadorial rank represent the U.S. Papa concluded the interview with Ed Harte with these words, “It’s (United Nations) our only hope in the long run.  But for the present, it is only a conference a useful forum where we can keep the dialogue going.”

Later my family and I joined Papa in New York and spent time with him for Thanksgiving.  We ate our Thanksgiving meal in the United Nations dining room overlooking the Hudson River.   During my visit, I was privileged to meet Arthur Goldberg and other members of the U.S. delegation.  Papa showed us the sights and we rode an U.N. limousine with flags on the hood. The public would scrutinize us every time we alighted from the limo.  We departed New York with a deep respect and awareness of life in the diplomatic corps.

Among the dignitaries, visiting Papa in New York was Edward Harte, Publisher of the Corpus Christi Caller Times, Domingo Pena Corpus Christi Celebrity and James DeAnda, activist and prominent lawyer active in the prominent legal decisions affecting Hispanics.. Harte interviewed Papa and published the article “World Issues Close to Garcia” on November 1967.  The article described Papa’s typical workday and the behind the scenes details of the inner working of the U.S. delegation.  A typical workday for Papa began with a walk from his residence at the Roosevelt Hotel to his office.  When he arrived at work, he checked his calendar and read 50 to 100 messages that came in overnight from the State Department and other U.S. agencies throughout the world. 

When his term was over in December 20, 1967, Papa was glad to return to his life in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Many of the individuals in the diplomatic corps corresponded with Papa and remained lifelong friends.  In retrospect, I realize these were exciting times for me made possible by my father who was an extraordinary man.

Cinco de Mayo -- a truly Mexican American holiday

By David E. Hayes-Bautista. Los Angeles Times, Mar 5, 2014
http://www.latimes.com/topic/social-issues/14000000.topic  
 

Alex Miramontes pauses in the doorway of the Double Discount store in downtown Santa Ana 
to look over the Cinco de Mayo display in the window. (Los Angeles Times / May 4, 2012)

PAN AMERICAN DAY, APRIL 14^th 

Americans? Who are we? Everyone from here to the far end of South America? Really?
by Galal Kernahan

What is the Origin of a Pan American Day?

It was just 64 years later when these ideas were crowned with success. Meeting in Washington, on April 14^th. 1890, the First International Conference of American States established the International Union of American Republics, known as the OAS.

Believe in Your children's ability to Succeed 
by Esther Bonilla Read

THE NATlONAL CHlCANO MORATORlUM: AUGUST 29, 1970

A DAY IN THE LlFE OF THE CHICANO AND THE CHURCH IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Henry 's presences at 1970 Moratorium.

Dedicated to the Memory of Dr. Henry Casso – RIP: February 25, 2014

Originally prepared for CEHILA - 12/5/86. Revised 8/29/95 and 2/23/14
[Comisión Para el Estudio De La Historia de La Iglesia En America Latina y El Caribe.
By extension, CEHILA also includes Spanish Speaking Churches in the USA]

by Rev. Juan Romero

The Vietnam War was becoming ever more unpopular. Various demonstrations throughout the country protested the high toll of American and Vietnamese soldiers as well as civilian women, and children. The American Bishops issued a letter clarifying that a Catholic could be a conscientious objector to a specific war. The policy of the American government, however, continued to insist that a potential draftee could be deferred from military service only if he objected in conscience to all wars. The anti-war movement sharpened critical awareness about the war, and affected the lives of many people living in the United States, especially college-age students.

The three of us arrived at the mortuary at the same time as did another clerical trio made up on one bishop and two priests, this one of the Episcopal diocese of Los Angeles: Bishop Eric Bloy and Fathers John Luce, pastor of "The Parish of East L.A." better known as Epiphany Parish, and Oliver Garver, a future suffragan (auxiliary) Bishop of Los Angeles. During the movimiento years of the late 60's and early 70's, Epiphany parish was the base for much of Chicano activism in Los Angeles, including that of Rosalio Muñoz and the Moratorium.

After all of the visiting hierarchical clerics had signed the Guest Book, Father Casso added his signature with a special flourish while Bishop Flores consoled the widow and visited with mourners. Before departing, as part of a spontaneous prayer service, both Father Casso and Bishop Flores sang De 

DR. CARLOS MUÑOZ, JR. - KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED AT THE ANNUAL MLK & BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT DARTMOUTH, FEBRUARY 28, 2014

cmjr1040@gmail.com 

           Los Angeles is where I was exposed to gang life. First in the Segundo barrio and then in East Los Angeles where we moved when I was 12 years old. ELA, as folks call East Los Angeles, was much bigger than the El Paso Segundo barrio and therefore there were more gangs. I was too young to join a gang in El Paso, but when I was in middle school in Los Angeles, I did become a “card carrying” member of one. My gang nick name was “El Chino” –the Chinese guy.

By the time I was fifteen, I had grown tired of the violence in the streets and would hide out in the public library. Instead of hanging out at the corner with gang youth, I would go to baseball fields. Or play basketball at playgrounds. I walked away from my gang. By the time I got to high school, I had become a fairly good athlete and made the school’s varsity football and baseball teams. In addition to sports, I also became involved in student government and became student body president in my senior year.

In terms of academics, I was even a better student than athlete. I graduated with honors from middle school, but when I got to high school I was not given a college track academic major. At that time in history, there was a vulgar racist and sexist tracking system. If you were a male Mexican or African American, you were assigned the “Industrial Arts” major, meaning wood shop or auto shop. If you were a female, you were assigned a Home Economics or Business major. Prior to assigning me a major, the counselor asked me what my father did for a living. I told her that he worked with his hands in construction and she told me “that is a very honorable job, you should follow in his footsteps”. 

I went home that day to proudly tell my Dad that I would follow in his footsteps and he responded by saying “you go tell that “@@@%%” that I don’t want you to follow in my footsteps, that I want you to work with a pencil!” So I did and she assigned me to a business major because she told me it would prepare me for a job as a used car salesman or clerk who worked with pencils.

           My father did not know about college. He got as far as the 7^th grade. So all he wanted was for me to become a high school graduate. I made him happy because I did, and with honors. But I was not eligible to attend a 4 year university because as a Business major, I was not placed in algebra, chemistry, or science courses. I had to attend community college to make up those courses. Not having the basic introduction to Algebra, I mistakenly took an advanced algebra class and was getting a D grade toward the end of the semester. It was a blow to me. I lost confidence in my academic ability so I dropped out of college. I thought that maybe it was true that Mexicans did not have the intellectual capacity required for a higher education because we came from a “culture of poverty”. That was the racist image of my people that was promoted by white academics, social workers, and politicians.

           Like most poor Mexican American youth, I felt that I did not have any viable options for a good job so I did what most young men in my situation did, join the military, or volunteer for the draft. Before long I was in the U.S. Army a year after graduating from high school.

After basic training at Ford Ord, California, I was sent to the U.S. Army Information School at Fort Slocum in New York, because I scored high in the aptitude test, where I was trained to become a propaganda media specialist in radio and television. I learned all about the “evils” of Communism that were espoused by Karl Marx, Lenin, and Trotsky. After completion of my training, I was assigned to G2 (Army Intelligence) at Fort Bliss, Texas. It was located in the outskirts of El Paso, my hometown. I loved that assignment because I was able to reconnect with my father’s family. From there I was transferred to Seoul, South Korea, and assigned to the Headquarters of the Korean Advisory Military Advisory Group (KMAG) G2 section.

During my time there I witnessed a Coup d’ Etat that ended the Democratic government of South Korea and established a military dictatorship that lasted for about 30 years. That event started me wondering why I as a U.S. soldier who had been assigned to defend Democracy in that country, was not being ordered to defend the Democratic government of that country.

            After the Coup, I learned U.S. troops were being shipped to Vietnam and I was told to volunteer to become part of the Vietnam Military Advisory Group (VMAG). I refused. I thought to myself that something was rotten, not in Denmark, as Shakespeare had written in one of his plays, but that it was rotten elsewhere. 

I was only 22 years old at the time, and without a college education, and had not yet developed a critical political consciousness to enable me to articulate a critique of U.S. Foreign Policy, the Coup d’ Etat in South Korea, or the start of the Vietnam War. But it did start making me become more politically aware. After my discharge from the U.S. Army, I returned home determined to return to college. I was classified as a Vietnam War Era Veteran and that made me eligible for the G.I. bill that made it possible for me to pursue a higher education.

As an undergraduate, I learned that Mexican Americans had been segregated throughout the Southwest and forced to attend “Mexican Schools” until 1946, when the Mendez v. Westminster court case ended dejure segregation for Mexican Americans in California. I did not learn about that Case in a college class because the Mexican American experience was not being taught in the college curriculum. I had to learn about it by doing independent research.

The Mendez Case paved the way for the historic Supreme Court 1954 Brown vs. board of education Case that ended the dejure segregation of African American children in the South. Unfortunately, though de jure segregation for Mexican and African American students was terminated, by the Mendez and Brown cases, those students continued to experience de facto segregation.

In 1968, as a first year graduate student, I was elected as President of the United Mexican American Students (UMAS) and I decided to contribute to the organizing of high school student non-violent protests against de facto segregation and racism in the barrio schools of East Los Angeles. My inspiration came from Dr. King and his Southern civil rights movement.

Over 10,000 students walked out of the schools during the first week of March in 1968 and brought the nation’s largest school system to a standstill. It was the first time Mexican Americans had marched en masse against racial and ethnic inequality in the history of the United States. The walkouts ignited the start of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement that came to be known as the Chicano Movement.

Several weeks after the student strike. I was one of thirteen Mexican American student and civil rights activists who were indicted and imprisoned for “conspiracy to disrupt the educational system of the city of Los Angeles”.

            I was arrested in the early morning hours when I was writing a paper for a graduate seminar on “International Communism”. The police, wearing bullet proof vests, broke into my apartment and with guns drawn ordered me to fall on the floor so they could handcuff me, and asked me where my weapons were located.

 They ran upstairs looking for weapons and terrorized my family where they had been sleeping. Another officer saw a stack of books on my kitchen table where I was typing my paper. The books were authored by Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Leon Trostsky. He yelled, “We got the goods on this damn communist agitator!”

I was taken outside and one of the officers told me that he would take the handcuffs off if I wanted to make a run for it. I had a hunch I would be shot. I declined the offer. I was taken to the County Jail and thrown into a cell with men who had been arrested for felony crimes ranging from murder and armed robbery to rape and forging checks. None of them could believe that I was their cellmate for only organizing non-violent student protest! I told them I could not believe it either. In fact I was still in shock that I had been arrested.

We each faced 66 years in prison for the felony “crime” of conspiring to organize non-violent protest. Our attorneys decided to take our case to the California Supreme Court. But on the way there, 2 years later, the California State Appellate Court ruled in 1970 that we were innocent by virtue of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I thank God for that amendment and the civil liberties we enjoy every day. If it were not for that amendment, which as you know, grants us freedom of speech, I would be in prison today instead of being here with you.

When I was doing the research for my book on the Chicano Movement, I discovered that those of us who organized the student walkouts had been targets of the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program, known as COINTELPRO. The COINTELPRO included police and military intelligence agencies that conducted political surveillance of activists identified as the key leaders of other movements, like the Southern Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power movement, and the white Left during the 1960s. Activists were arrested on trumped up charges, undercover agent provocateurs and informants were placed in movement organizations, and character assassination stories about activists were leaked to newspapers throughout the nation. Dr. King was also a target of the COINTELPRO.

Our Chicano Movement adopted Dr. King’s philosophy of Non Violence and echoed his ideas for racial equality and social justice. Our movement connected us directly to the historic common ground of struggle that Mexican Americans have shared with African Americans. The difference is that whereas their ancestors were brought to the United States as slaves, our ancestors became a colonized people within the new boundaries of an expanding American Empire. It was a consequence of the war between Mexico and the United States that ended in 1848 with Mexico losing half of its territory. The northern part of Mexico became what is now known as the Southwestern United States.

From 1848 until the early 20th century, Mexicans were also lynched and could not vote unless they paid a poll tax they could not afford. In addition, as I mentioned earlier, Mexican children could not attend white schools. They were placed in dejure segregated “Mexican Schools”. Mexicans were not allowed in public places like swimming pools and restaurants. Signs reading “No Mexicans Allowed” were common throughout the Southwest during the time those that read “No Colored” and “No dogs” were common in the South.

As was the case with African Americans, Mexicans were considered a racially inferior people. During the 1920s and 30s, when the U.S. Congress engaged in debates over Mexican immigration, white politicians and academics gave testimony that categorized Mexicans as a menace to the dominant culture. The debate pitted those concerned with keeping America “racially pure” and protecting white workers from foreign competition, against those who argued that Mexican cheap labor was essential to capitalism.

Those representing right wing conservatives argued that Mexicans were a threat to the cultural and social fabric of American society. They defined Mexicans as the most “insidious mixture of white, Indian, and Negro blood strains ever produced”. Others argued that Mexicans “were eugenically as low powered as the Negro…. of low mentality, inherently criminal, and therefore a degenerate race that would afflict American society with an embarrassing race problem”.

These racist attitudes and beliefs about Mexicans and other Latinos continue to permeate our society at large. Today you can see that clearly in the state of Arizona and other states that have passed laws or are currently proposing laws that criminalize Latino undocumented immigrants.

In addition to inspiring me to contribute to the making of the Chicano Movement, Dr. King also inspired me to become part of the anti-Vietnam War movement. I had already participated in one the first major protest actions against the war that took place in Los Angeles in 1965 when President Lyndon Johnson visited that city. But Dr. King’s 1967 speech entitled “A time to Break Silence” helped me connect the war in Vietnam with the struggle against poverty and racial inequality at home.

In that speech, Dr. King spoke out against the War in Vietnam because the war was “the enemy of the poor”. He made clear the war not only drained funds away from meeting the human needs of the poor at home, but also sent black men to ostensibly fight and die for democracy abroad when it did not exist in Georgia or East Harlem at the time.

I could see how Mexican American soldiers were doing the same thing. Ostensibly fighting and dying for democracy abroad when it did not exist in ELA, the Segundo Barrio, and other barrios throughout the nation.

Today, we are once again confronted by critical and challenging times. As a matter of fact, I think we are currently living in the worst of times. A black President has not made a difference in making the times better. Our nation continues to follow a foreign policy of war instead of peace. And poverty and racism unfortunately remain alive and well.

Dr. King would remind us that conditions will get better sooner than later if we build a mass movement for social justice and peace. He courageously spoke truth to power to both liberals and conservatives. His words and criticism of political leaders, who remain part of the problem instead of the solution, and of those who remain passive during critical and challenging times, still ring true today. He would be the first to hold President Obama and the U.S. Congress accountable if they continue to ignore the poor and continue to pursue a foreign policy of intervention and war throughout the world.

Many of us have already broken the silence against the wars in the Middle East and elsewhere. But we need to remind those who have not, that Dr. King would also have wanted us to act and not be intimated by those who tell us it is unpatriotic to openly criticize our government and the President, regardless of race, during a time of war. Or, that speaking out against war means that we don’t support our soldiers. To the contrary, those of us who favor the immediate withdrawal of our troops, demand it precisely because we do support them and we want them home safe and out of harm’s way.

We have lost enough of our young men and women of all races and ethnicities. We must also speak out against the killing of any more innocent people in those countries. Finally, that we demand that all the 736 U.S. military based around the world be closed.

We must have the same courage Dr. King had during the Vietnam War and demand that the over three trillion dollars spent on war and military assistance in the Middle East must be diverted to fight poverty at home. It would be a better way to resolve the economic crisis confronting our nation today. We must demand that as Obama and the Congress have supported the bail out of the corporate, banking, and financial institutions responsible for that crisis, that they must now bail out the poor and the working underclass.

On the home front, we must demand that Obama’s Administration immediately cease its war against Latino undocumented immigrants. If Dr. King would be alive today, no doubt he would be speaking out in defense of the poor undocumented Latino immigrants who are forced to work as a cheap labor force. They are the most vulnerable to economic and social injustice. They are treated like criminals although they are innocent victims of what I call a government terrorist war led by the ICE, the enforcement immigration agency of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE military style raids take place at the workplace and at the homes of undocumented worker’s families.

Obama has gone down in history as the President who has deported the most number of people, almost 2 million at this point. He has also maintained a militarized border between Mexico and the U.S. and most recently has approved the use of drones as he has done elsewhere in the world. We must demand that President Obama and the Congress produce a comprehensive immigration policy based on the human rights of undocumented workers and their families.

We must also demand that that the Obama Administration, specifically, it’s Department of Justice, immediately do all within its power to stop the war against Black and Brown youth! Police shootings, and also by others, have become common occurrences especially in the large cities throughout our nation.

When Dr. King was assassinated in 1968, 12% of Americans lived in poverty. Today it is 15.1% and the Census Bureau expects it to rise to rise to 15.7%. In real numbers that adds up to over 46 million people living in poverty.

POVERTY BREAKDOWN BY RACE/ETHNICITY

(DATA FROM U.S. CENSUS BUREAU)

9.9% white

12.1% Asian 


25% Native American (28.4% on reservations)

26.6% Latino

27.4% black

More Women in poverty than Men:

11% White

27% Latina

28% Black

19% of our nation’s children live in poverty = 14 million – the data make clear that children of color are over represented in ranks of poor.

34% of black children

31% of Latino children

31% Native American children

13% Asian children

11% White children

61% of black and Latino children live in families that struggle to make ends meet. More than 35.8 million Americans used food stamps in 2012. Half of them were children. Tragically, those children will suffer more when the food stamp budget was drastically cut recently by the U.S. Congress.

EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY ALSO CONTINUES TO BE A REALITY UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.

The 1954 Brown v. the Board of Education and the 1946 Mendez v. Westminster that ended dejure segregation and opened the doors into white schools for black and Latino children. But today they continue to be victimized by de facto segregation in the poor and working class inner city school districts throughout the nation. Latinos are now the most segregated student population in the nation and they also have the highest drop out rate, or more accurately, the “Push Out Rate”.

In higher education, affirmative action diversity programs that were products of Dr. King’s civil rights movement and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement have been either terminated or watered down as a result of conservative opposition. The consequence is that Black and Latino student enrollments have drastically declined in public colleges and universities across the nation. For example, Black students at my campus are now largely invisible, except on the football and basketball teams. And Latinos, who are now the majority people of color population in my state, have also declined and remain underrepresented in institutions of higher education.

The following 2010 U.S. Census numbers tells us the consequence:

B.A. Degrees = Whites 18.5%, Black 11.6%, and Latino 8.9% Graduate/Professional Degrees = Whites 10.8%, Blacks 6.1%, and Latino 4.1%

(In terms of women, 30 percent of white women had a college degree or higher, compared to 21.4 percent of black women and a mere 14.9 percent of Latinas.)

Those who have led the struggle against Affirmative Action and diversity have been victorious because they have effectively co-opted Dr. King’s ideas and vision for a colorblind society. They have falsely redefined Affirmative Action as a “racist in reverse” policy discriminatory to White students. It is ironic that Ward Connerly, a conservative African American and a product of affirmative action, who served as a regent of the University of California, has been a prominent leader in the struggle against affirmative action and diversity throughout the nation.

Last year we celebrated the 50^th anniversary of Dr. King’s historic 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. It is the only one of his many speeches that is publicized during his holiday. The most quoted words from that speech were as follows:

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”.

Those who are against affirmative action, use that quote to include white children. But they ignore the fact that in that speech, Dr. King was making specific references to black racial inequality. Dr. King was well aware that white supremacy had created an institutionalized system of white privilege that has existed since it was instituted when our Republic was founded. He argued that laws or policies that allowed preferences to black people were legitimate because they didn’t disenfranchise other powerless groups of people. They instead contributed toward an equal playing field between people of color and the white majority.

If he were alive he would argue that affirmative action and diversity remain critically important today because African Americans and Latinos remain underrepresented in institutions of higher education and other dominant social and political institutions. In contrast, they are over represented in the prisons.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice, 40% of all prisoners are African Americans and 26.6% are Latinos.

But if we add up the Latino undocumented immigrants in prison, that includes children, the Latino prison population percentage adds up to the same African American 40%. That is not the type of affirmative action that Dr. King had in mind.

Prior to his assassination in 1968, Dr. King called for the nation to dedicate itself to a nonviolent War on Poverty. He had decided to build a multiracial coalition of all poor people, inclusive of white, black, indigenous, Latino, and Asian. As part of the building process, he had started organizing a Poor People’s march on Washington. Dr. King believed the time had come to transform civil rights struggles into a mass movement for human rights because War and Poverty negatively impacts all the American poor regardless of race and ethnicity.

If we want to truly honor Dr. King’s legacy, we must build Poor People’s coalitions, inclusive of the immigrant poor, both documented and undocumented, throughout our nation. And hopefully, those coalitions can lead toward the organizing of another march on Washington to demand that the Obama Presidency and the Congress declare a war on poverty. Not a temporary one like the one declared in 1964 by President Lyndon Johnson, but a permanent one that would last until poverty is eliminated!

Dr. King did not hesitate to speak truth to power no matter the consequences. We must do the same today. We must use his legacy as the inspiration for us to be active citizens beyond the time for elections.

The time has come for us to become active citizens in our communities, in our workplace, and on campus. We must become community organizers and continue to carry the torch for hope and fundamental, not symbolic change.

Dr. King’s ideas remain vibrant to those of us committed to social justice, human rights, and peace. The words he wrote and spoke on the issues of his time remain meaningful for us today. We must put them into practice and keep his revolutionary spirit alive and struggle to build an authentic Multiracial Democracy committed to social justice and peace at home and abroad.

Dr. King inspired me to have my own dream for an Authentic Multiracial Democracy. I would like to share my dream with you today.

I have a dream that Americans of all colors, ethnicities, cultures, religions, sexual preferences, the able and disabled, men and women, will give birth to an authentic Multiracial Democracy.

A Democracy that will promote and nurture racial and ethnic diversity and equality beyond symbolic tokenism.

A Democracy that will promote social, economic, and environmental justice, religious tolerance, and peace at home and abroad.

A Democracy with a government that will include a representative of every diverse group at the table of political power on behalf of the people, not the military- corporate- prison complex.

A Democracy with a national political multiparty electoral system where candidates for elective office include the poor and working class, not just those who are rich or middle class. With an electoral system where every vote will in fact be counted and not influenced by corporate lobbyists.

A Democracy where human needs are prioritized and not the needs of the rich and the corporations. And makes possible a government bureaucracy that assures the safety of our citizens, especially the poor, when natural disasters take place. No more Katrina’s!

A Democracy that honors all workers, those who are citizens and those who are not, the documented and the undocumented.

A Democracy that defines health care, housing, childcare, and education as Human Rights.

A Democracy that prioritizes youth as the most important investment for the future of our nation and builds more schools instead of prisons.

A Democracy that wages war against poverty and not sovereign nations that do not represent a direct threat to our security.

A Democracy that does not support dictatorships throughout the world.

A Democracy that will be based on love and compassion and not hate and greed.

In conclusion, I pass on to you the main lesson that I have learned during my years as a fighter for freedom and peace. And that lesson is that struggle is life and life is struggle. But most importantly, that victory is in the struggle!

CUENTO: 

Part 1

Portions of U.S. Law and Policies on Drug Problem Impractical,

A USAID Study 40 Years Ago Showed

By José M. Peña[i]  

Introduction. Many things happened to me and my family during my 35-years of work, as Foreign Services Officer (FSO), with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and as an International Consultant with private contractors, and the Organization of American States (OAS). It was a most productive period of our lives when my family and I were assigned – and lived – in eight different countries. I lived in three countries by myself. And, I went on Temporary Duty Assignments (TDY) to 26 other countries.

For this reason, I would like to tell some of my many professional and personal stories in a series of installments over a period of months. For professional reasons, I will try to stay away from the highly technical side of my work – although citing some examples and parts of my experiences.

Part 1. These first few stories took place during my transfer from Panama to Miami to Washington, parts of my tour in the Stateside Office, and a time, about 40 years ago, when one of our studies showed that parts of the U.S. Law and Policy against the drug problem were on the wrong course or impractical.

Some Background. After being assigned overseas 14 years to Peru, Ecuador, Vietnam, and Colombia (stories that will come later), my family and I were stationed in a Regional Office in Panama for 2 ½ years. This office covered the Caribbean, 

Central, and South America. Some of my jobs included a Regional Bank (CABEI) in Honduras, televised education program in El Salvador, a family planning program in Costa Rica, integrated agricultural programs in two or three countries and the emergency assistance program to Nicaragua right after its earthquake of December 23, 1972. Thus, travel was heavy, but tolerable and I would get to see the family frequently.

While stationed in this regional office, a new Auditor General (R. Ganl --- full name intentionally omitted) took over the Office of Auditor General in Washington (AG). (Note: this office was renamed as the Office of the Inspector General (IG) and assigned more authority and more responsibilities at a later date; for this reason, I will use the two names interchangeably from now on). Almost immediately after assuming his office, this political appointee, made the decision that operating a Regional Office (RIG) from Panama was just too costly because it entailed the hiring of local staff, assignment of technical personal and their families, paying the rental of their homes, education for children, etc. So, he made the decision to close the Regional Office in Panama and transfer it to Miami, Florida. Yes, you read right (Miami, Florida). His idea was that the office would be rented close to the Miami Airport, so that personnel would be almost on 95%-98% travel, return to the U.S., turn in their work, and be on the next plane out. We would be covering the same huge area – Central, South America, and the Caribbean.  

With the Director of AID/W Audit Office (R. Des), he came to Panama, assembled all of us, and, with his odd biddy-eye look, informed us of his decision. Most of us thought his decision was ludicrous. In fact, it was really crazy and made no sense from any angle that you looked at. Some of us (me in particular) had the temerity of pointing all the faults in his reasoning and telling him that the travel factor, at 95%, would be intolerable. Wasted travel time to more distant locations and more per-diem costs could very well equal personnel and family costs paid in the Panama office. People would be quitting left and right, the marital situation would be untenable, and personnel morale would be disastrous. The Spanish language was essential; some of the U.S. Staff did not speak Spanish and we had six local people on our staff that was highly trained in our type of work; what would happen to them. He flatly told us that he was not concerned with that. The local staff would be terminated and that he did not give a damn about personnel and family hardships. In other words, this political-self-righteous-biddy-eyed nincompoop, who really did not seem to have good judgment, had made up his mind – probably to show his authority -- and no one was going to change it. He told us the Regional Auditor General of the Panama Office (Fred S.) would be leaving within the month and opening the Miami Office, the Deputy (Jim Gr) would be leaving in three months, and the office would be closed as 
soon as the school year was over. Fred S and Jim Gr were extremely competent office managers and all of us had very high regards for them. So, there was no reason whatsoever for closing the Panama office. But, that was the way it was going to be.  

Assignment to Miami. In my case, I had been in overseas close to 15 years (2 ½ years in Panama) so I requested to be transferred to the Washington D. C. principal office (to avoid the travel factor). However, I was given orders to go on Home Leave and transfer to Miami. My family (wife, four children, and a huge German Shepard named Sarge) and I quickly sold the two cars, packed up, and went on Home Leave to Austin, Texas.

Since we had had such good luck with an old beat-up Volkswagen Beatle – which we had bought locally -- we searched for and got a green Volkswagen station wagon in Austin. As some of you remember, these vehicles had the motor in the back and you could hardly fit any luggage in there. The luggage was usually placed on top of the station wagon.

The family had a ball in Austin. Since we owned a home there, there was no problem. We stayed there for a full month, traveled around Texas -- to Laredo to see my mother, to Monterrey, etc. We had a real fine time.

Time came to go to Miami. We loaded up the Station Wagon. I drove, wife sat in front with my youngest daughter (Melissa), the three oldest children (Joe, Jerry, and Linda) sat on the back seat and we put Sarge (the dog) on top of the motor part of the car just behind the back seat and all bags on top of the car. Sarge was an obedient and noble dog. He laid in the back very quietly – at first.

· We had traveled no more than a hundred miles towards Houston and different problems began. Old Sarge got too hot on top of the motor, so he jumped in the back seat with the kids. The back seat got too crowded, the kids started fighting with each other, and the disruptions got heated. We would stop at every rest stop, kids would let out some of the pent-up energy, and Sarge would stretch. Back into the car once again and the fighting would start all over again. Finally, Joe, the oldest, jumped where the motor was. How he stood that hot motor, I will never know.

Stopping for breaks and at night was a blissful time. Everybody would jump into swimming pools and cool down. We finally got to Orlando, Florida. As planned, the following two days were delightful. We stayed in a nice motel, went to Disney World, and just relaxed.

On the third day in Orlando, I called Jim Gr., Deputy in Miami, and was about to tell him that we were arriving in Miami the following day. He gave me a big surprise. Auditor General (R. Ganl) had either quit or been fired. The newly appointed Auditor General (Harry Cr), another political appointee, had now closed the Miami Regional Office. Since going back to Panama would be an embarrassment to the AG Office and be 

admitting the huge mistake, he had made a decision that the office would now be based in Washington D.C. In effect, there would be two distinct Regional Inspector General’s Office in Washington D. C. – one would cover the Stateside and the other Latin America. In sum, the Miami experiment had lasted no more than three months. It really represented a monumental embarrassment, mistake, and a waste of human and financial resources for the Government. (Note: The irony of this was that the Panama Regional Office was later reopened again and – because of the assignment of a pitiful manager who caused great staffing problems – it was closed again and sent to Washington once again. When this happened, I was transferred from Egypt, where I had functioned as the Deputy RIG, and assigned as the Deputy Regional Inspector General for Latin American to pacify and stabilize the staffing problem. At some later date, the office was once again transferred to Panama and to my knowledge, it is still there.)

Jim Gr. told me: “Don’t come here. This Office is now closed. Turn right around and go into Washington. You are now assigned to AG/Washington (meaning the Stateside RIG)…” Torn between happiness and confusion, we loaded up the station wagon the following day and proceeded to Washington D.C.  

Reassignment to Washington. It was in North Carolina that we had a problem with the car. As mentioned before, Old Sarge did not like being on top of the hot motor, so he would jump in the back seat with the kids, and Joe, being the oldest, would wind up taking Sarge’s place on top of the hot motor.

· Clipping along at 60 miles an hour, all of a sudden, I felt the steering wheel radically different. At almost the same time, I saw our front left tire next to my side window. While the car moved forward, that tire was racing backwards – and fast. I saw the back car try to avoid the tire, but it hit the car and bounced all around. That sight – of the front tire being at the same speed level of the driver – was the weirdest feeling I had ever had. Because of the weight on the car, the little gizmos that hold the tire rim and car busted and the front of the car no longer had a tire. At the same time, our left front of the car dipped down, the car began to careen all over the road, and somehow – probably a miracle of God – we did not overturn. I was able to eventually maneuver the car to a stop. How, even to this day, I don’t know. You have never seen a man so grateful that all of us -- including the people in the car behind -- were safe and sound.

Getting the car fixed took one whole day. And we finally got to Washington D.C. a few days afterwards. Buying a house was a real hassle; after we found the house and had signed the Purchase Contract, the previous owners did not want to move. It took four months and a lot of hardship to resolve the problem, but we finally moved into a nice comfortable home at 4207 Duvawn Street in Alexandria, Virginia.  

When I got to the office, in mid-1975, I was to be in a “Rotation Assignment” in Washington D.C. office (RIG/W). As it is still generally organized, the Office of the Auditor/Inspector General had its principal base in Washington D.C. and was organized into a number of offices – IG Office, Executive Office, General Counsel, Special and Investigative Office, an Assistant Audit/Inspector General in Washington (or RIG/W) and a number of regional offices.  

As stated before, with the reassignment of the Miami Regional Office to Washington, office space was shared by the two different “Regional Inspector Generals” – one to cover Stateside and the other for Latin America.

 
The Stateside RIG Office, where I was assigned, was composed by a huge number of people, many of which were

General Schedule Personnel (GS) and a number of us Foreign Service Officers (FSO) who were on rotation. This staff did work related to “Stateside” studies; the workload (contracts, centrally funded projects, etc.) was huge. Although I had been Chief Resident Auditor, and Audit Manager in the other countries, my title was downgraded and in theory, this assignment meant that my travel factor would be diminished and I would be permitted to study and improve myself ( as I later found out, this was sure a false theory).

I quickly reunited with many of my old friends from Vietnam, Panama, and other places. At that time, there were only about five Hispanics/Latinos in the AG Office. Carlos RC was there. He and his wife (Carmen) have always been my best friends – in fact, like brother and sister – ever since Vietnam. Other Latino friends included Rudy C., Joe V., and Roberto F.

Anyway, work was awfully heavy, analytical, and stressful. At the time, there were no Word Processors; so, once all the field-work was done, there was a lot of analysis, write, rewrite, type, and retype. In subsequent parts, I will provide more stories. In this one, I want to discuss the following important story – related to the illicit drug problem – which was in the incipient stages back then and is most relevant at the present time.  

A Study Of Drug Enforcement Program. In any event, my special interest on the use of the "Weed," as well as conversion of Coca, to a form of medical pharmacopoeia dates back to that time – when I was assigned to the Washington Office. On/about June 18, 1971 – and using The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 as a basis -- President Nixon had declared his policy on the “War on Drugs.” Identical as today, the policies have been deterrent in nature and a massive attempt at curbing the inflow of illicit drugs into the U.S. Thus, there was a big emphasis on assisting less developed countries eradicate narcotic related agriculture (like Coca, Marihuana, etc. which are listed on Schedule 1 of The Controlled Substance Act.) and to implement "crop substitution" type of products.

(Note: Briefly, The Controlled Substance Act of 1970 contains five Schedules listing different types of drugs and categorizing them in diminishing order, according to their dangerous effect. Schedule 1, which lists the most dangerous drugs, contains a long list of drugs (including Marihuana or Cannabis, cocaine, opium, etc.) under three types of sub-categories: “…(a) the drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse; (b) the drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States; and, (c) there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision…” )  

A high official of the Agency, at the time, sent a request for a world-wide study of the programs. The question was whether restrictive drug programs -- and corollary "Crop Substitution" were, in actual practice, effective and made good economic sense for use in developing countries.

Sometime in 1975 or 1976, my friend Carlos and Frank A -- both FSO’s and Frank A being a nice officer of Japanese extraction -- were assigned to do the world-wide study of the “Drug Enforcement Assistance Programs.” Accordingly, their task was to determine the practicality of assistance programs and related policies.

As stated previously, Carlos, who was in charge of the review, and I have been like brothers since the time we served in Vietnam. Although I was assigned to another review -- and not supposed to be directly involved in the drug review --- I helped, and/or exchanged ideas, with my friend as the study took place, in its planning, its progress, the formulation of conclusions, and in writing the report. He and Frank A did all the field work and visited Bolivia, Colombia, Thailand, and other countries and did a tremendous amount of analysis, visitations, talking to U.S. and Host Country officials, field people, and required fieldwork.  

After visiting the producing sources (Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Thailand, etc.), the team drew many exceptional conclusions. However, after close to 40 years, I cannot recall them all. Nevertheless, the principal ones pointed to the fact that restrictive types of drug programs would be extremely costly and extremely difficult to monitor. The practicality of crop substitution in countries like Peru, Bolivia, and other countries was really questionable and the economic burdens imposed on the countries could be untenable. In fact, producers were totally against any changes. In one of his visits to Bolivia, Carlos witnessed a demonstration march, near the U.S. Embassy, by Coca producers chanting “…Gringos, pendejos, la Coca no es veneno…” (Gringos, you dumb jerks, Coca is not a poison..). In other words, parts of the Controlled Substance Act and the War on Drug Policy were faulty, impractical, and/or not realistic. As everyone knew at the time, Bolivia and Peru had grown and used Coca and the Weed since time immemorial. One other conclusion was that evidence seemed to indicate that the big consumers (including the U.S.) would continue their usual demand for the drugs. In sum, the conclusion of the study went against continuance of the then U.S. policy on these types of drugs.

· In fact, I can attest that Coca Leaves have some sort of medicinal attributes. My experience dates back to 1963, when I was assigned in Peru and had to make study of the PL 480 Food Program. To do the study, a local person on my staff, a chauffeur, and I travelled, by car, from Lima to Arequipa, to Puno, to Cusco, and return to Lima. Crossing the 19,000 foot mountain range from Arequipa to Puno, I got extremely sick from “Soroche” (altitude sickness). I was going every which way – extreme headaches, vomits, diarrhea, and the works. At those altitudes you can become dehydrated real fast. By the time we got to Puno, I was so sick that I thought death was near. As soon as I got to the hotel, the Manager said “I will fix you real quick.” They gave me “Mate de Coca” a tea made of Coca Leaves. All it took to fix me up was two or three cups of that tea. So, I can attest that Coca Leaves can serve a great medicinal purpose.  

Since the team felt that demand for drugs in the U.S. would continue to grow and that the production of the “illegal crops” (Marihuana, Coca and Opium) could not be disassociated from the economic needs or incentives at the source, attempting to stop or curb their production and inflow seemed like a lost cause.  

· In reality, their review showed that there was too much profit being made at every step of the system -- from the farmer to the end supplier and even to the consumer. 
 

For this reason, the best recommendations they could make were for a four-fold approach designed to limit the Systemic Profit Factor.

· The main recommendations were to: (a) legalize the use and sales of many drugs, (b) institute the required regulations so that the U.S. could obtain revenues through taxation of sales, (c) form Drug Addiction Clinics in the U.S to treat the addicts in a similar way as it is done for Alcoholism and in other countries; and (d) transfer to the “hard core addicts” the task of making their own decision to “go to a clinic to get control over their addiction” or “continue to use the stuff and die…” The Clinics would be financed from proceeds of the U.S. taxation on drugs.

When I saw and we discussed the fieldwork and recommended solutions, my reaction was that their points were the exact things needed, but had that strange feeling that the top people would not accept such radical views.

As you might imagine, the conclusions, concepts, and recommendations of the Original Draft Report were so controversial that they never saw the light of day. When the Office Big Wheels and Agency politicians saw the team’s conclusions, all hell broke loose and there was confusion and commotion galore. Because they never explained their actions, my guess is that because a mere Agency (out of many) would be challenging a flawed law instituted by the U.S. Congress and a Policy dictated by a President, they were not about to channel this controversial information and recommendations to higher echelons and/or to change courses. They began to consider that Carlos, Frank A, (and I guess me) were completely off their rocker. As a result, a good study never saw the light of day. It was changed so radically that the failing policies were allowed to continue their wayward course. 

Were the team and the above conclusions that wrong? It has now been close to 40 years since that study was made and history now shows the conclusions to have been greatly futuristic. Just look at these facts:  

· Enforcement efforts have been extraordinary. Since 1976, the U.S. has tried every conceivable enforcement avenue – increases in the Drug Enforcement Administration staff and responsibilities, participation of enforcement forces from the States, international agreements with different countries, crop substitution, eradication techniques (airplane spraying, burning, chopping, etc.), military interdictions and support (helicopters, drones, arms, ships, etc.), fences, dog detection, and incarcerations -- to curb the growth or flow of the Weed, Coca, Opium Poppies, etc. The costs of all these efforts have been astronomical. One Internet source says that the U.S. spends about $51 billion a year on the war on drugs.

· And yet, the demand for drugs continues to grow. The supplying countries have not stopped producing drugs. Why? Just as concluded in 1976, our country is the largest market for their products. In fact, drug consumption in the U.S. has grown and expanded into unusual types (Crack, Ecstasy, Molly, etc.). As long as the U.S. demand and profit continues to be high at every point of the system, the problem will persist and continue to grow. 

· And why? Because there is a profit factor at nearly every point of the illegal drug system. Just look at the constant newspaper headlines showing a number of ways enforcement is circumvented and the drugs are made available in the U.S. – organized crime (in the form of Cartels) have taken over parts of a number of countries (Mexico, Central America, etc.), use of human mules, tunnels found, submarines uncovered, airplanes used, NAFTA trucks used, ramps over the fence, violent cartel in-fighting and beheadings, Afghani warlords increasing Opium production, money laundering, armament smuggling, kidnappings, human trafficking, etc. Now, production is shifting to the U.S. (hydroponics and clandestine farms) etc. 

Prison population continue to be increased when non-violent people are incarcerated for possession of minor amounts of unlawful stuff or someone smokes a reefer, or is pictured puffing Mary Jane on a bong. For example, according to the Internet, drug related incarcerations grew from 50,000 in 1980 to 400,000 in 1997. Other statistics say that over 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the U.S. apparently for drug related crimes.

In fact, legal enforcement seems overloaded and the U.S. policy goes counter to the philosophical nature (addiction, demand, and profits) of the problem. Thus, if we were to hypothesize the outcome of finding a sensible resolution (to the problem) -- back then or today -- we probably would reach the same conclusion – as was done with liquor in 1933 -- not to throw good money at the two interrelated problems -- the drug demand of the U.S. and the pervasive Profit Factor that exists at every point in the system. 

Looking at it from an economic point-of-view, the analysis probably shows that the U.S. has reached (and passed) that critical "point of diminishing returns." In fact, we have thrown everything at the problem and everything has failed. If the point of diminishing return has been reached, the long historical negative lessons are then telling us that it is time that we cut our losses and begin to try other alternatives…

During this past 40 years there have also been certain Commissions and Presidents who have voiced appeals for decriminalization of Marihuana and other drugs. Also, it is most interesting that a group of Regional Leaders – Former Presidents of Latin America (Brazilian Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Columbian Cesar Gaviria, Mexican Ernesto Zedillo ) – presided, o/a February 13, 2009, over the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy. They issued a report which emphasizes several things: (a) the need to legalize certain types of drugs; (b) the need to find alternatives to eradication, interdiction, and penalizing drug use; (c) the need to treat drug users as patients and not criminals; and, (d) to encourage drug debate within the U.S. 

Were my friends and their conclusions, in 1976, wrong? Not by a long shot. In fact, I wrote many parts of this particular section nearly 4 years ago. Since then, many U.S. States have been finding that using the Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) portion of Marihuana for medicinal purposes help tremendously in alleviating the symptoms of a number of diseases and conditions. Over 16 States have now legalized Marihuana for medical purposes. Colorado and Washington States have legalized it for both recreational and medicinal. In 2013, the Country of Uruguay was the first in the Continent to legalize Marihuana country-wide. Portugal has a legalized system covering different drugs. Israel researches and allows the use of Marihuana for different medicinal purposes. Thus, the time has been reached for the remaining U.S. States to reassess this perennial problem and find more practical solutions.                  It seems to me that the four-fold recommendations (made in that ancient USAID draft report), combined with the recommendations -- made by the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy -- are still valid and merit reconsideration.  

Perhaps the recommendations might need some minor modifications; for instance, the U.S. might want to adopt a high profile publicity campaign – similar to the one on cigarettes – against the use of drugs.  

However, the recommendations should be adopted across the U.S. In this connection, it is estimated that if drugs were legally sold and taxed at a comparable tax as alcohol or cigarettes, the tax revenue to the U.S. Treasury would be over $46.7 billion annually -- this would certainly make a sizeable dent to our National debt.
 
Let me make one clarification on everything that I have said in this section. I don’t smoke and have never done, possessed, or dealt in drugs in my life (except the Mate de Coca in Puno) and I gave up alcohol over 25 years ago. So, I have no conflict of interest. My position only comes from Professional analysis, hindsight, intuition, and old age ... I certainly believe in the "dicho" que dice: "Mas sabe el Diablo por viejo que por Diablo..." (The Devil knows more from age than for being a Devil).  

Here is a final note: about five years after the USAID study, Frank A. developed Alzheimer’s disease at a very early age, was hospitalized for many years, and appears to have passed away. May he Rest in Peace. Carlos and I continue to see and feel each other like brothers. Forty years have passed since that study was made. We continue to believe that the course of the drug problem would have been very different if it had been re-directed towards a more constructive path -- at the right historical moment.  

Hopefully, things will now change in a manner that we envisioned the solution 40-years ago.  

[i] Jose M. Pena is author of a history book entitled “Inherit The Dust From The Four Winds of Revilla” and a number of articles. He worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development for over 30 years and served as its first Hispanic Regional Deputy Inspector General in two regions. He was also a Director for a Health Project in Guatemala and a Financial Consultant for the Organization of American States.

Los Angeles Convention Center
1201 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90015

NCLR is proud to exhibit its growth and success at the NCLR Annual Conference, representing the largest and most important gathering of the nation’s most influential individuals, organizations, institutions, and companies working with the Hispanic community. The NCLR Annual Conference has grown with its gente, providing a forum for people in the business of social change to learn about ongoing and emerging issues in the Hispanic community, connect with key community leaders, and generate partnerships with Hispanic community-based organizations.

The NCLR Annual Conference consists of four days of the most thorough and cutting-edge workshops addressing critical issues in the Latino community, five key meal events before an audience of 2,000, and presentations from speakers of national and international prominence.

The National Latino Family Expo is another exciting feature of the Conference. It is a truly unique venue where companies and organizations can build and enhance their relationships with Latino consumers, the fastest-growing market with a reputation for brand loyalty. With more than 200 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees, the Expo is free and open to the general public.

Somos Primos will have a booth.   Please let me know if you would like to share your family history at the booth.  Mimi

HISTORIC TIDBITS

Spanish discoveries in the United States in the Early 1500s
Extracts from pages, 258-260
Our Hispanic Roots, What History Failed to Tell Us, 
by Carlos B. Vega, Ph.D.

—The Gulf of Mexico, when first discovered by the Spaniards, was called "Spanish Sea." In the map of Johann Baptist Homann (circa 1730) it is named "Sinus Mexicanus."

—The present state of Oregon was discovered by the pilot Bartolome Ferrelo (a Portuguese in the service of Spain) in 1543. Ferrelo continued the expedition when Cabrillo died in that same year. He also discovered Cape Mendocino.

—The Pacific Ocean was discovered by Vasco Nuflez de Balboa in 1513, which he named "Mar del Sur" (South Sea). 
It was later renamed "Pacific Ocean" ("Mare Pacificum") by Magellan in 1520. It established that such an ocean divided America from Asia.

—When it was discovered by the Spaniards, Texas was named "Nuevas Filipinas" (New Philippines) also in honor King Philip II of Spain. And many years later, Domingo Teran de los Rios, the first governor of Texas appointed by Bernardo de Galvez on January 23, 1691, renamed Texas "Nuevo Reyno de la Montana de Santander y Santillana."

—In 1519 Alonso Alvarez de Pineda discovered the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and the coast of Texas, while

ascertaining that Florida was not an island but a peninsula. This discovery paved the way for the future exploration and settlement of North America. He was also credited with opening the sea route between Texas and Florida, and the first to come upon the mouth of the Mississippi River, which he named "Rio del Espiritu Santo."

—Many of the present-day territorial possessions of the United States in the South Pacific were discovered or explored by Spain.

The Marianas Islands were discovered by Magellan (under the service of Spain) in 1521. In 1565 the Spaniard Miguel Lopez de Legazpi took possession of the islands. The name "Marianas" was given by father Luis Diego Sanvitores in honor of Mariana de Austria, queen of Spain and wife of Philip IV. The island of Guam (in the Marianas) was also discovered by Magellan in 1521, and further, Sanvitores founded there a mission and several schools (1668). Spain ceded the island to the United States in the Treaty of Paris, 1898. And the Carolina Islands were discovered by the Spaniard Francisco Lazcano in 1686, which he named in honor of King Charles ("Carlos") II of Spain.

A LETTER SENT TO THE HISTORY CHANNEL 

Primos & Prima, recently I watched a Don Quixote film on TV, and I must say that I sometimes feel as if I’m chasing the impossible dream. Be that as it may, ref. earlier emails regarding the above topic. Below is a copy of a letter I mailed to the History Channel. One day, we’ll see Texas history rendered in a seamless manner from the arrival of our Spanish ancestors in 1519 to the present. Until then, we must continue to fight for justice and preserve the memory of our intrepid ancestors, founders of this great place we call Texas. Please share with family and friends.

Saludos, José Antonio “Joe” López    

Fourth, when the Anglos declared their independence from Mexico in 1836, they had no legal right to do so, since none were native-born citizens of Mexico. (The few native-born Texans (Tejanos) that did participate were later brutally betrayed by their Anglo allies.) Regardless, Texas is no longer independent. The Anglos traded their independence to join the U.S. as a slave state in 1845, causing the U.S. Mexico War of 1846-48. As a result, Mexico lost Texas, South Texas (then part of the State of Tamaulipas), and the entire Southwest.

The U.S. is increasingly browning (more exactly, re-browning). Thus, it is time for the general public to realize that a good portion of Mexican-descent citizens are not immigrants to the U.S. Our ancestors were already here when the U.S. took over half of its neighbor’s (Mexico) territory. Also, if you’re covering the ‘birth” of the Texas Rangers, please do not glamorize or sugar-coat it. Few people know that for generations, entire communities of Mexican-descent Texans lived in terror at the hands of this once rogue, unruly police force.

In closing, nowhere else in history has one ethnic group robbed another group of its heritage to embellish their own. Yet, that’s what Anglos have done with Texas history, the Álamo, and La Bahia Presidio in Goliad.

The bottom line? This is an opportunity for the History Channel to excel. In making yet another film on Texas history, you must tell it in a seamless, fair, and balanced manner. Audiences must no longer be deceived into thinking that the “birth” of Texas occurred in 1836 with the arrival of U.S. immigrants to Mexico. Thank you.

José Antonio López  

Juan, please allow me to add “un poquito mas” to your concern. As I like to remind folks, the 1836 Battles of the Alamo, Goliad, and San Jacinto are part of a chronological chapter of Mexico’s history; not the U.S.

There’s two key problems with the mainstream telling of Texas independence history. 

One, Anglos declaring independence from Mexico had no legal authority to do so, since none were native-born Texans. They rode under the Tejanos’ Federalist movement until the issue of slavery made the Anglos twist the Tejanos’ struggle in a different direction – total separation from Mexico. After Texas independence, Tejanos looked like the enemy (Mexico), worshipped as Catholics like the enemy, and spoke Spanish, just like the enemy. As such, the Anglos betrayed their Tejano allies in the most violent and brutal ways. That’s how Colonel Juan Seguín, whose Tejano cavalry won the Battle of San Jacinto for Sam Houston, was hounded out of San Antonio by Anglo vigilantes and forced to cross the Rio Grande. He died there in 1890. (It’s curious that it took Seguin, Texas citizens over 120 years to realize that he was a real Texas hero and with Mexico’s approval reburied his remains in Seguin.) By the way, Texas is no longer independent. The Anglos traded their independence to join the U.S. as a slave state in 1845, starting the U.S. Mexico War of 1846-48.

Two, Mexico did not lose Texas (and South Texas, then part of the state of Tamaulipas) and the Southwest) until 1848 (after the war).  In truth, nowhere else in history has one ethnic group robbed another group of its heritage to embellish their own. Yet, that’s what’s been done at the Alamo and La Bahia Presidio. It’s time that these awesome, historic structures be honored for their strength, beauty, and creativity of their Spanish Mexican builders. They must no longer be marketed only because armed expatriates from the U.S. died there.

Saludos, José Antonio López
www.TejanosUnidos.org

Lino Garcia Jr., For the Express-News : March 7, 2014  

Historia verdadera de Tejas.
Hispanics were first to tame the West 
by Lino Garcia, Jr., Ph.D.

During the American Revolution, more than 100 ships were deployed from México and other parts of New Spain to aid in the fight against Britain.

In addition to Gov. Bernardo de Gálvez of Louisiana, other Hispanics who distinguished themselves in the American Revolution were Venezuelan-born Francisco de Miranda and Capt. Jorge Farragut. The Spanish colonies Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California donated troops, arms and money to support this conflict. Tejano cattlemen such as Santiago Seguín, Marcos Hernández, Manuel González, Carlos Martínez, Félix Gutiérrez and their “vaqueros” herded their cattle to Louisiana ports, helping to feed the soldiers fighting in the revolution.

Thus, it is clear Hispanics played a major role in the struggle for independence from Britain; however, most texts give enormous credit to France's Marquis de Lafayette and almost no credit or mention to Hispanic involvement.

I will also point out that during the 19th century, many Northerners migrated to the present Southwest, where they found towns and villages with civilized functions such as commerce, cattle drives, religion and schools already established, as well as the Christianization of American Indians. They also found roads cleared and farming that provided them with sustenance, including large herds of cattle, goats, pigs and domestic animals of all kinds, as well as wine, fruits, rice and other products, already cultivated long before the so-called “Westward movement” began, a movement popularized by Hollywood.

Many history school texts written by biased historians make it appear as if the Westward movement were the act of certain people who trail-blazed the area when, in reality, the heavy lifting, the earlier work and the sacrifice of human labor had already been done by early Hispanic settlers and explorers centuries before the so-called Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Of special interest is the horse, brought into this land by Hispanics, completely changing the life of the West and the native population. Thus, the Hispanic traditions of the “charros” and the “rodeo” were also born, introducing the “vaquero” culture later imitated heavily, through both language and dress, by the American cowboy.

So, when the so-called Westward movement got underway and a large segment of Northerners sought a new life in the then-Spanish Southwest, many American Indians had already been Christianized and Hispanized, thus helping those who answered the call of “Go West, young man” find a place without relatively much effort.

Without all of the above activity being accomplished by Hispanics, the so-called taming of the West would have been slow, bloody and difficult to achieve.

Source: José Antonio Crespo Francés
LGarcia@UPA.Edu

 Please note that the 2012 Texas Hispanic population was mostly between 30-50% plus in the whole state.
 Source: jose.angel.hernandez.phd@GMAIL.COM 

RARE FILM OF 1932 REVOLT IN WASHINGTON... 
quite a story. I had not heard of this. (seven-minute video) 

Alexander the Great  . . .  three deathbed ultimate wishes

CIVIL RIGHTS CUENTOS

Do you remember your involvement in activities seeking social justice, inclusion, and visibility?  Our youth need to know that we were trying to help.  All of the efforts together have brought us to this day.

We must let the American public know that we have been striving for acceptance, and many times our efforts have not been well received, or acknowledged.  I share several memories below, small incidences.  All of us together in small ways, or big ways have helped. Please share your memories in Somos Primos.  

 What is Your Nationality?  
December 1947

We secretly moved, with the help of friends and family to Manteca, a small town south of Stockton.  When we enrolled at Manteca High School, my education in diversity and Americanism kicked-in strong.  The Vice-principal was handling the task of enrolling us, what classes we had taken, our interests, etc.  I was on the college track.

He kept looking at my mom, questioning, puzzled.  She did not say a word. She did not fully understand what I was doing. My sister did not either.  Mom still had a bit of an accent.

Still stumbling,  the Vice-Principal was trying to ask what our ethnic background was.  Finally I said quietly, "Oh, if you want to know my ethnic background," I reached for the card.  Relieved, he handed it back. I took the card, crossed out Nationality, wrote Ethnic and handed it back to him.  My sister at that point did the same.

He looked carefully at the cards and did not say anything, just nodded. The following years, new cards were distributed. 
The cards were printed with Ethnic,  instead of Nationality.    

l soon learned that most of the non-Anglo families in Manteca were Portuguese or Italian, just a very small handful were of Mexicans heritage.   

I have always been respectful to teachers, my elders, and authority, but I was not going to be denied my citizenship. 
I am an American of Mexican heritage, and proud of both. 
I was glad that my action resulted in a good change.

July 4th Parade,1952, Stockton, CA
by Mimi Lozano

I was assigned a park in what would be considered the poorer side of Stockton, which now would be called low income families. Almost all the children were from Spanish speaking
homes.

The Park was a city block, opened on four sides to the street. It was well shaded with lots of trees and a small building small building with some sports equipment and table games. It was a busy little park with children of all ages. I believe the hours was between 9 AM and 5 PM. This worked out well for me because I was taking classes at the University of Pacific in the evening.

It was a good summer for me, and then a small challenge was presented. All the parks were invited to participate in the All- 

A short story, 1955

From 
Daniel R. Ayala

Since I receive a newsletter from my old High School on a regular basis I just happened to look up information recently about Mission H. S. Football Hall of Fame for my senior year. (1955) It appeared that another person was listed and my name was not mentioned. I was the first string quarterback, scored 96 points, did all of the kicking by punting, kicking off and extra points. The white boy who was the only one selected was a tenth grader, had scored 7 points and was the second string quarterback. Since I had in my possession an old album full of my High School exploits in Football, Basketball, Baseball and Track and Field I decided to contest the decision to omit my name in the Football Hall of Fame. My sister Mary was in the Tuberculosis Ward of the hospital during my High School career and was an avid fan of Mission H. S. activities. 

Extract, pgs. 66-67
Eyewitness, a Filmmaker's Memoir of the Chicano Movement 
by
Jesús Salvador Treviño

As we made plans for the demonstration, it occurred to me could contribute in a way I was never able to before. Not only I help plan and coordinate the demonstration, but I would film it the Konica Super 8 camera provided by New Communicators, using my Super 8 version of "Ya Basta!" and 

The morning was exhilarating. The boisterous crowd marched along Eastlake Avenue to the high school, and once there, people marched in an orderly albeit noisy double-file in front of the school. Here were all the activists whom I had come to know on a personal level: parents, students, clergy, community leaders.

Federal Opportunity to Save Historic Sites with Hispanic Civil Rights Connections

Sent by Tanya Bowers TBowers@savingplaces.org 

HONORING HISPANIC LEADERSHIP

Dearest Margo, Beto and Nora, 
[Margo Gutierrez; Nora Comstock; calderon Roberto]

Would you kindly help share the sad news of the tragic news of the passing of Laura Kathleen Padilla, que descansa en paz. Laura was a beloved scholar, teacher, mentor, and friend. She was an integral part of our community in Texas from 1999 – 2006, and of Mexican American scholars in the U.S. Southwest and beyond. She leaves her husband, Dr. Peter Clair Haney of the University of Lawrence at Kansas, her parents Kathleen and Elijio Padilla of Albuquerque, twin sister Sara Padilla, sisters Amy Padilla and Lisa Padilla Eaton, and a large and adoring clan and community. 

We are heartbroken and there are no words. So here is Laura herself, in a video presented by Latina Voices: http://vimeo.com/87750831 

Her dissertation, “Land of Enchantment, Land of Mi Chante: Four Arguments in New Mexican Literature,” is here: https://www.lib.utexas.edu/etd/d/2006/padillal88896/padillal88896.pdf

A post by Colorado College here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152042328878691&set=a.153401553690.119773.11037123690&type=1&theater 

thank you, Virginia Raymond
virginiaraymond@austin.rr.com
Austin

THE SIESTA IS OVER—DR. HENRY J. CASSO 
By Ray John de Aragon 

Many mysteries surround the life of the Blue Nun and she is the subject of numerous studies in and out of the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Casso was touched by her life and deeds and he made it a goal to have her also recognized as an enormous historical figure in our history. Dr. Casso firmly believed that learning about the past and through education many doors could be opened. “Sometimes one may stumble through a door, but eventully you will get to where you are going even if they are closed.”

  Ray J. de Aragon 
rdearagon@hotmail.com 

Congratulations' on the news . . . . you will have your articles on the wonderful work and accomplishments of your father, Dr. Hector Garcia. I admire and esteem your persistence, stick-to-it-ness for it is with such that future generations will know of him and his excellent work so that they can be esteemed and immolated.

May Our Lady of Guadalupe continue to shower Her blessings on your work.

Saludos.

Dr. Henry J. Casso

Latino soldiers
 Cebu, Phillipines, WW II

USA LATINO PATRIOTS

Gen. Robert Cardenas, top USAF test pilot.

http://www.spacefest.info/VI/Astros.html
Sent by Rick Leal  ggr1031@aol.com 

Video: 100 Years of Military Aviation in San Antonio

Airplanes in the military began in San Antonio at Ft. Sam Houston. The Air Force produced this video which is a very well done historical film that holds one’s interest.

Kelly AFB took over from Ft. Sam and played a huge part in this story. I feel very blessed to have had a 39 year career at Kelly AFB. I loved Kelly and cherish knowing and working with the dedicated civilians and military who were a part of it.

Today the AF has a huge presence in San Antonio at Randolph AFB and Lackland AFB. And, Ft. Sam Houston continues as a very large and major U.S. Army installation. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egfRC1VEfRA
Sent by Juan Marinez  jmarinezmaya@gmail.com