Boycotts, Water, and the CLEAN Campaign (Part 2)

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Boycotts and a CLEAN Car Wash Update
Sometimes you have to find alternative ways to stay physically fit. So if your time is scarce and you have a passion for workers' rights, there may be no better physical activity than the boycott. It's lots of walking while outdoors, it's uniting with laborers, and it's tons of yelling to support "our team." Go to a boycott. It may not take your breath away, but you'll probably feel sore the next day.

I last wrote about unity, water, and the CLEAN Car Wash Campaign in Los Angeles. This week I spoke with Chloe, a representative from the campaign. She updated me on CLEAN's environmental work, it's health and safety efforts, and their collaborative work with numerous organizations. Seems that the boycott is just one of their efforts against corrupt car washes in LA. One of their most recent environmental victories: they partnered with the Coalition for Clean Air to pass various regulations with the Air Quality Board.

Water Conservation: Car Washes CAN be better ...
In terms of water conservation, I thought it'd be a good idea to wash my car on my own instead of taking it to a car wash -- this way I'd get some sun, work the muscles a little bit, and support the CLEAN Car Wash campaign. But according to Chloe and CLEAN, more water is wasted when we wash our cars on our own than at a car wash. Since a lot of car washes in LA recycle the water they use in special tanks and because they use pressurized hoses that use less water, it's often better to have your car cleaned at a car wash.

Toxic Sludge, Storm Drains, and Worker Health
Even if you do decide to wash your car on your own, the water we use goes straight to the storm drain, along with all the crud, soap, and motor oil it gathers up along the way and heads directly to the ocean. This sludge is toxic and adds to LA's water pollution. I don't know about you, but I don't look forward to wading in car wash sludge this summer at the beach or having it pollute our drinking water.

But imagine if your job required that you handle this thick dirty, toxic sludge. Unfortunately, the car wash workers that CLEAN collaborates with have stated that some car wash owners have them clean the water storage tanks and dispose loads of this toxic waste illegally in trash bins or in storm drains. Tire cleaner, motor oil, dirt and grime, and paint thinner, which is often used to work out hard-to-remove stains, are just some of the contents of this horrible mixture. And guess what, the workers aren't provided with adequate protective gear while cleaning out the tanks or while disposing the loads of sludge that has accumulated over time.

What can you do?
The CLEAN Campaign has put out an industry-wide call in the LA area for car washes that want to join the campaign and abide by labor and environmental regulations. Not a single car wash in the LA area has joined, though. For a list of some of the worst violators in LA, click here.

If you'd like to support the CLEAN campaign, you can start by linking to their website for more information -- be informed! Next, if you're in the LA area, join them for one of their regular boycotts at the Vermont Hand Wash in Hollywood. Click here if you'd like to contact them or get more information on their regular meetings. Be active and selectively choose your car wash. According to CLEAN, some of the things you can look for while patronizing full-service car washes include:

• Are the workers inside the wash tunnel wearing protective gear such as gloves, aprons, and boots?
• Are the workers in the detailing area wearing gloves and face masks to protect them from the chemicals used to clean your tires?
• Ask the owner, the manager on duty, or some of the workers if the workers are getting paid at least the minimum wage for all the hours worked.
• Does the owner provide drinking water to all of the workers?
• Is there a shady area where the workers can take a break or have a meal away from the dirty water and chemicals?
• Are workers given adequate time and space for breaks and meals?
  

If the answer is NO, to any of the questions above, look for another wash. Tell the owner or the manager on duty to contact CLEAN and join the campaign. Finally, TIP THE WORKERS WELL. Many workers report they work long hours for tips only. In 2007, state and federal employment investigators found that many car wash workers in the LA area are paid below the minimum wage in violation of state employment laws.



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Animal Rights: Campaigns against Dog Fighting?

The following post is from YouthNoise Play City—a community dedicated to changing the world through sports and play. PLAY ON!

To be honest ...

Have you ever been at a house party, a restaurant with family, at work, or even at school during a break and someone brings up a political issue--or any other issue for that matter--that completely flies over your head? Well I gotta admit, although I'm committed to bringing positive change to the communities I've grown up in and to the world at large, I've never really given much thought to animal rights. I believe that some of my dearest family members have been cats and dogs (below are examples), but I've never considered some of the animal rights issues and animal abuses brought up on YN this week ... until now.

Tootsie lounging around the house, after using my laptop.

Big Head outside, trying to stay dry.

DOG'S Best Friend?

In response to the post about dog fighting and toys that glamourize violence, I think the toys pictured are similar to other homies toys we've seen in the past--they're not typical of Latino culture, but some people in Latino communities look like this, and live like this. Now, my personal opinion is that even "homies" know how to love their dogs, and that the majority of the people that would buy these toys/collectibles probably just aspire to some image of Machismo--and really don't fight their dogs. I'm not naive though, I'm sure a select few exist.

The image of "homies" fighting their dogs maintains and supports Latino stereotypes. At first glance, I would assume that the toymaker did not create a doll of some white college student in a letterman sweater with a name like Stewart fighting his pit bull. Then again, and I'm no economist, that 'market' probably wouldn't buy such collectibles. Though I'd bet such a subsector of society is guilty of dog fighting and Machismo just the same.

Kiki Luv, aunt and uncle's dog.

(Sadly enough, I bet if it was a Vick doll in a Falcon's jersey fighting his dog, the demand--and simultaneous outrage--would open up substantially across racial, class, and age divides ... but that's a whole other post altogether).

Lots of Questions, Few Answers. Please SPEAK UP!

1) How might a campaign use artistic imagery to speak out against animal abuse and dog fighting more specifically? What toys might be used?

2) Anyone know of an existing campaign against dog fighting or other animal fighting that uses creative messaging?

3) Should the toymakers of such dolls be held responsible for promoting animal abuse? If so, how? If not, why?

4) I don't like dog fighting, but it's okay to buy the toys, right?

Layla, 6 year old "Rot", rescued and adopted by a friend.

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Critical Race Studies (CRS): Muneer Ahmad at UCLA School of Law

Remembrance of things past: Hope for Peace, Justice, and Love.

Think of prisoners of war for a moment--friends and family of Vietnam or Iraq. Think of the Japanese Internment of the 1940's when thousands of Japanese Americans were interned within US borders, their assets seized, their lives decimated by one swift swoop of the US government's hand. Ponder for a moment the atrocity of the Armenian genocide, the Jewish Holocaust, and the numerous battles, skirmishes, coup d'etats around the world. This is recent history! There are people alive today that have lived through all of these events.

A look at the history of the 1900's reminds us that we've had two World Wars, each with disastrous effects, and a Cold War that economically, ideologically, and politically ravished numerous countries and destroyed whole lives. A look at the 1900's reveals progress--a movement forward, increase, development, advancement. But towards what exactly? One can only hope that we've learned the collective lessons of history about how brutal and evil humankind can be toward one another.

Saga at Guantanamo Bay: UCLA School of Law Critical Race Studies (CRS) Event:

The CRS Department held an event at UCLA with featured speaker Muneer Ahmad, a former defense attorney for a Guantanamo Bay detainee, who spoke of the the various human rights violations taking place at Guantanamo Bay.

A) He spoke about how the location of Guantanamo Bay (a military base near Cuba) and the rigorous protocol of speaking with detainees made it difficult to build and sustain trust with clients, an essential piece of the legal realm.

B) He spoke of inhumane living conditions, prisoner mistreatment and abuse, and the gray areas within US law that shelter human rights violations taking place at the base.

C) Muneer also mentioned the racism inherent in US policy and treatment of Guantanamo Bay detainees of past and present, from Haitians in the 90's to Middle Easterners post 9/11.

D) Finally, Muneer spoke of detainees who have have sought various methods to assert their own agency, often offering up their bodies in protest to inhumane conditions--the body is supposed to be that object one typically has domain over. So even though some detainees have used to the hunger strike method to combat mistreatment, MORE mistreatment results.

In response to the hunger strikers' tactics, officials have reportedly purchased the chairs at the left to force feed detainees.

First a detainee is offered food. If that is not accepted, the detainee is given IV fluids. If those are pulled out, then the detainee is given the chair and force fed--imagine someone shoving a thick nearly 40 inch tube through your nose or mouth and leaving it there so you can't vomit the food up.

One of the detainees has been on a hunger strike for over a year! He is force fed while restrained in the chair, twice daily.

I've seen restraints like these before. Typically a person is restrained to stop from hurting themselves or others, for example in a hospital ward. But never have I imagined that the dehumanizing concept of restraint could be used to thwart a perfectly sane person's attempt to protest unjust action.

(Original post created on 2/21/08)

Ya Basta!: Workers Protest in Los Angeles

"Fuck you! Pay me!"
Do you remember this line from Good Fellas? It kept ringing in my head as a proper heading to this post because the scene it comes from underscores the corruptibility of American Capitalism, and what some might legitimately call "Gangsterism"--the type of business where the importance given to and the transaction of money supersede human beings, business partnerships, and law. But I think the quote can be applied further--shined in another light--because it also serves as a reminder of the power of American Democracy, the "lil guy's right" to shout out when they've been wronged. And though it may seem vulgar, there are some things that are worse than offensive language. Read on.

The other day I catch a protest near Hollywood and Universal City (cinema and democracy, how poetic, huh?). Niemann Properties hired a contractor named Otoniel to assist in the completion of the housing units below. Otoniel turned around and subcontracted the work out, hiring a number of workers to accomplish the job. Fast forward $144,000 and a few months later, and the job is nearly complete. The problem is that a number of workers have yet to be paid for their work.

Beautiful homes just don't appear outta thin air:

What's being said:
Niemann Properties representative, Robert Sandler, stated that he believes there are approximately 20 people who have not received compensation for work completed. He continued by stating that Otoniel did not keep accurate records, and Niemann has no clear idea of how many workers were involved. They are also unsure about who was payed and who was not, how workers were payed, the names of the workers involved, and no record exists of their hourly rates!

A representative for the workers stated that they met with Niemann in September 2007 to discuss timely and accurate compensation, and argue that Niemann was aware of the payment discrepancies since the beginning stages of the project. One of the organizers of the event stated that actions like these are part of an ever-growing national Wage Claim Campaign that denounces the exploitation of workers and seeks to recover accurate and timely payment for for the work that workers complete.

A strength of American Democracy is the ability to stand up for yourself when you've been wronged. It's the ability to fight for what is yours.

You may not always win, but at least you can argue, struggle, and say it loud when someone has wronged you. Maybe you'll make the culprit think twice before they screw someone over again. In the process, you'll even make some headway for change. Enough is Enough!!!

Response to Los Angeles ICE Raids: Day of Love and Friendship

Valentine's Day Vigil
Heard there was a Vigil and Rally in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day to protest the Raids against immigrants (Immigration and Customs Enforcement Raids). I was surprised and inspired by how many people came out--it was 5pm and it was Valentine's Day! It's just one more sign that people are tired of the ICE Raids that dehumanize thousands of people nationally.


There were a number of organizations, clergy members, families, students, and community folks present. An air of solidarity pervaded the atmosphere. Perhaps the Spanish translation for the day is more appropriate, "Dia de Amistad Y Amor", Day of Friendship and Love, because it was an event marked by both.


Here's a list of some of the organizations that were present:
UNITE HERE!
CHIRLA
NILC
National Lawyers Guild
ACLU/SC
NDLON
Frente Contra Las Redadas

2/8/08, Local Press Conference: Clergy Denounce ICE Raids!
On Thursday (February 7, 2008) more than 100 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a printer supply manufacturer in Van Nuys (nearly 20 miles Northeast of Downtown LA), and ICE detained 120 employees accused of being in the country illegally. Various organizations held a press conference in front of the Los Angeles Federal Building the very next day.

During the conference, a number of clergy denounced the raids, calling them a form of terror in Los Angeles communities. Living in the Mid-Wilshire area of Los Angeles, Reverend Howard Dotson, a Presbyterian Pastor and key figure that works on family reunification issues in LA, said that ICE raids occur often in the local community. He continued by stating that anyone that supports family values must also be in support of reforming this nation's broken immigration policy and against the ICE raids taking place.

Reverend Dotson continued by stating that Jesus Christ and his family were also immigrants that fled persecution and sought material and physical safety. If Jesus were alive in today's times, he continued, then he is exactly the type of person that would be deemed illegal and would find himself in a similar situation as the immigrants that ICE detains, dehumanizes, and hauls off.


Will the road be repaved with a more humane immigration policy?

ICE that Burns: Raids in Los Angeles

"Only ten minutes left ... and I'm off the clock."

There is a terror in Los Angeles and a version of it goes like this: A woman is working and all of a sudden armed men and women bust through the doors and tell her and her co-workers to remain still. Her heart pounds a million miles per minute but her legs stay put.

The authorities yell at her to line up and begin prodding her and the others with verbal questions and comments. She and her co-workers are as scared and humiliated as cattle being herded to slaughter. Before she knows it, she's in a detention cell. Hours later, she emerges and her life will never be the same.

This is the story of one of the persons involved in a Los Angeles area Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Raid on Thursday where up to 100 people were moved from the San Fernando valley to an LA detention center for processing. Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, states that ICE raids are are an example of a failing immigration policy because they terrorize families and workers. She continued by stating that until Congress passes policy that appropriately responds to the complex nature of immigration processes, ICE should stop terrorizing these families.


Brief points of Note:

1) The ACLU and others state that only 2 counsel windows were provided for the 100+/- people that were detained -- If ICE is going to continue with these types of mass round ups, then it should abide by this country's legal concept of due process and provide adequate resources for all people to receive mass counsel in a timely fashion. It is unlawful to hold someone without counsel. All detainees must have quick and reliable access to counsel regardless of assumed legal status. If not, they must be let go.

2) In this particular case, families of the detainees came to post bond but were told to wait until Monday the 11th. ICE must also provide adequate resources for quick and accurate processing.


One woman's story ... The story of Thousands:
These workers were sent to a Federal detention center, not for murder or even the embezzlement of millions, but because they may or may not have crossed a line by crossing a line. And although they are tax-payers in this land, they do not reap all of its legal protections. They purchase thousands of items per year and pay millions in rent annually to landowners, which in turn contributes to the US economy and various social programs they often do not have access to. They are tax-paying, hard-working men and women that contribute to and sustain the US workforce and economy and they should be treated with dignity.

The Presidential Primary: Hillary, McCain, or Obama?

I'm at my local barber and we start talking about the propositions on the California Ballot, which naturally leads us to talk about the presidential candidate of our choice. I typically like to hear people out--get a feel for their views. But this was a discussion I'd lose some hair over.


"Two for one ... Get'em while they're hot!
He starts by telling me he's voting for Hillary Clinton because, "It's like getting two presidents for the price of one." I wasn't dumbfounded by his rhetorical banter even though it sounds very much like the rationale one would use to buy a t-shirt at a swap meet. But I'd heard the same argument earlier in the week, only it was from a colleague that makes six figures. The ground-breaking analysis across the board: "Bill. He was a great president. He's got a lot of knowledge and experience. You know he's gonna help Hillary out--they're married!"

People are talking about choosing a candidate based on family relationships. And we've been here before! Remember the big hoopla about little Bush and big Bush (and no, I'm not talking about Monica and Hillary). It's a tell tale sign of the current temperature of our democracy when Bill--or anyone for that matter--can be seen as a proxy for a presidential candidate. Either way shouldn't a candidate be capable of doing the job based on their own merit?

"Mc-Cane"
Now I figure the next candidate he's going to bring up is Obama (since he started with a Democrat). Nope. He continued, "And Mccain, well, he's served the country well and all. But he's ... I think he's a little too old. He's 71. And you know being a president is a stressful job!" WOW! Not only should one worry about family relations but also the age of a candidate. And the grim reaper seems to have a stiffy for older candidates.

Again, I had heard this argument before. People are definitely watching the same news sources for information. The argument is that there's a much higher chance of dying during a term if you're over the age of 65. Wasn't Kennedy 46 when he was assassinated? Lincoln, 56? I think a president has to worry about being too radical for the era they live in and making enemies more than their age. And who the hell is guaranteed tomorrow!? I didn't say this to him though. I wanted to hear more.

Durka Durka!
And then there was Obama. Up to this point, the tone was light, semi-analytical, and grounded in something that felt positive. But once the topic turned to Obama, he looked at my reflection sternly in the mirror, put the clippers down to his side, and said, "He's Muslim. His name is Barack ... Hussein ... Obama. You make the connection." I did, and it was a connection I'd been hearing all week. Being Muslim = being anti-American = Terrorist. He continued by saying how if anyone voted for Obama, our country would be in big trouble, especially with all of the radical political energy in Latin America--and of course we'd be just like them, a communist nation that suffers from civil unrest.

Barack is assumed to be different not because of his race, which people feared was as big an issue as gender for Hillary, but because--of all things--his name, which is linked to Islam and could mean he's a terrorist. And this time, one's daddy doesn't favor the candidate, since Barack's father was reportedly a practicing Muslim.



In the End, here's what I heard ...
It boils down to skewed ideology. Hillary really can't do the job because she's a woman, but she can do it better because of her personal experience and her husband's experience combined. Still the first woman presidential candidate, but at least we also get Bill.

Mccain can't do the job because he's too old, and quite frankly, too Republican for most Democrats--and I think his desire to continue the war in Iraq has gotten some people scared, regardless of party allegiance. Still a white POW, he's just too old to serve this country.

And Obama can't do the job because he's a closeted Muslim, which means he, being a person of color with a different name, could be a Terrorist in disguise. And since 9/11, we're supposed to be wary of Muslims. Still the first black presidential candidate, he's now potentially a Muslim and therefore practically a terrorist.

Interesting how the support of the war in Iraq boils down to lives lost, cost, and the notion of spreading or not spreading democracy (and the effective way of doing that). While back at home our war against terrorism is subtle, often beginning with religious beliefs--and terrorists are identifiable by the color of their skin and attire (rarely do we think of Timothy McVeigh or Ted Kacynski as your prototypical terrorists).

Yea, race is that subtle in our country. And sexism and ageism is right up there with racism.

Identity and Activism: Marjane Satrapi and Karen Brodkin

Saw the movie Persepolis today with some friends. The film is animated, primarily black and white, and has subtitles, but it's uncanny how easy one gets lost in the narrative. Persepolis is the story of Marjane Satrapi, a young girl who grows up in war-torn Iran during the Iranian Revolution (1978-82) and becomes an empowered woman right before our eyes.

The main characters in Persepolis are highly developed and idiosyncratic. An example of this development is Marjane's grandmother--sitting with her on the sofa in the poster above--whose class, sass, and wisdom is marvelously true-to-life and often humorous in the process. The dialogue too is warm, natural, and riveting. It moves Marjane's growth and maturation along, while also highlighting the multi-faceted experiences of war, tragedy, and human empowerment throughout. Persepolis underscores the force of narrative, which--shaping and empowering the mind and spirit--compels individuals, whole families, and communities to struggle to eliminate unjust practices taking place in the world. Often chaotic, this internal and external world influences the outgrowth of one's identity just as much as the narratives one is exposed to. Adapted from a graphic novel, Marjane's Persepolis is a must see.

The Power of Narrative in Los Angeles

The role that narrative plays on shaping a person's identity and their subsequent activism in political arenas was a recurring theme throughout the day. Earlier I attended a book talk with UCLA Anthropology Professor, Karen Brodkin, who introduced her book, Making Democracy Matter, and discussed some of the interviews she had with local activists working as organizers in LA's labor and immigrant rights world.

The event was titled, "What Makes a Social Movement a Movement?: Identity and Activism in Los Angeles". One of the major issues Brodkin highlighted is the role of activists in bearing witness of right and wrongdoing through action and also storytelling. Brodkin also believes that activists provide alternative interpretations of the typical and modern and therefore remake it. The power of their narrative is how they connect non-activists to activists by demystifying various lived realities and--because they have a foot in various worlds--are capable of bridging different and complex worlds.

"Guilty Until Proven Innocent": CRS at UCLA Panel

Went to a panel discussion put on by the UCLA School of Law's Critical Race Studies Program (CRS ) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). The panel was titled, "Guilty Until Proven Innocent: A Panel Discussion of Civil Rights Abuses Against Muslim Americans and Middle Easterners," and featured three very different speakers. Each speaker spoke to how the strength of US Democracy is being threatened by the US Government because certain agencies use tactics that undermine our constitutional rights, our civil liberties, and our human rights.

Georgetown Law Professor, Dr. David Cole, discussed what he calls the US Preventive Method, highlighted in his book, Less Safe, Less Free, which are some of the methods the US Government uses to counteract terrorism. Some examples include: Preventive Detention, which is the act of detaining a suspect simply because that person might do something wrong in the future, and Preventive War, which is a unilateral attack on another country because--for example--it might have particular weapons and it might provide said weapons to terrorists. Preventive war rejects International Law because it initiates an attack on another country without there first being an imminent threat of attack. Preventive detention rejects our human and civil rights because a person is detained without evidence and are considered suspects before they commit a crime.

Cole spoke briefly of a gentleman named Maher Arar who fell victim to preventive detention and coercive interrogation. Arar, who is a Canadian citizen, was to catch a connector flight from JFK to Canada. Seems the US Government felt he was connected to Al Qaeda and--after hours of interrogation and lying to his family-appointed lawyer--shipped Arar on a government chartered jet to Jordan and then to Syria, where he was detained for a year in solitary confinement in a cell that was the size of a grave. After countless interrogations, beatings, and electric shock, Syria could not corroborate the US claim that the man was in fact tied to Al Qaeda and sent him back to Canada. The Canadian government later compensated Arar with $11.5 million for their role in his detainment.

Dr. Layla Al-Marayati, Chairperson of KinderUSA highlighted personal and anecdotal experiences of how the US Government has had Muslim-serving organizations' budgets frozen, often destroying the organizations, their local and international social activism work, and various persons' reputation because they are black-listed in the process.

The last of the speakers, Dr. Maher Hathout, spoke on something dear to me because he provided a rationale to why people in Dr. Al-Marayati's anecdotes would continue to work tirelessly in social activism despite US Government efforts to prevent their work. The principles he used were familiar to me because they're also found in the Christian bible: charity, tending to the needs of orphans, widows, and aliens, and testifying against the various injustices that people face. He highlighted that Muslim-serving organizations will not falter in their work because they believe in these exact principles.

I had to leave the event early but if you would like to see a video recording of it, click here.

Homeless in Los Angeles: You Get What You Pay For.

There's a poster in the breakroom at work advertising a 5k family walk to fund raise for homelessness in Los Angeles on November 17th. Over 5,000 are expected to walk in what's being deemed LA's first walk of this sort. Approximately 35,000 are expected to march in DC, which celebrates its 10th anniversary for this same type of event.

I just hope more people come out and even more reach into their pockets to donate. After all, you get what you pay for.

Even the homeless know this all-too-real maxim. A recent article found that the homeless near skid row were given the opportunity to receive free snacks--soda, chips, candy--in return for signing petitions to qualify initiatives to be placed on the California ballot. Can't quite call it an incentive to sign, but free snacks to a hungry soul, I'd work for food.

Wouldn't it be nice if free food was available year-round to the homeless of skid row so that the incentive wouldn't be so enticing? You get what you pay for.

In related news, At&T is offering free Wi-Fi at more than 600 locations around Southern California "to help residents in Southern California in any way [they] can . . . By enabling free Wi-Fi at hundreds of AT&T hot spot locations, we’re hoping to provide families and friends with another way to stay connected — and to reconnect — throughout this difficult time.”

It's a bit ironic that LA is the homeless capital of the nation, but only now does AT&T consider offering free Wi-Fi so that families and friends can stay connected.

It's more ironic when you consider that some of the initiatives signed by the homeless of skid row deal with Internet gambling.

And the irony becomes sickening when one realizes that LA is notorious for dumping its mentally-ill homeless population on the streets of skid row, which some argue is a way to bring the issue to the spotlight and cleanse homelessness from the area to make way for new higher-cost housing (aka gentrification).

This could be AT&T's noble attempt to assist victims of the brush fires, but some think it may be a way to rectify bad press after the company tried to charge a family for not rescuing their sattelite dish of their charred home. Publicity . . . you get what you pay for.

Southern California Edison is one entity that could follow AT&T's lead, though. A recent LA Times Cover Story stated that at least 5 of the 12 brush fires that ravaged California were started as a result of downed power lines in remote areas. They're saying the cost per mile to replace above ground lines with underground lines is about $1 million (and this is in non-remote areas). Of course, Edison will replace the lines if ratepayers are willing to front the bill. I can almost hear my Nana, "Who put the damn things there in the first place?"

I don't think ratepayers will go for a hike in rates, but maybe Southern Californians can attempt to place an initiative on the ballot so that Edison picks up some of the cost. At least we know the homeless population would have our backs. Now, if only we had their back all year 'round.

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. What affects one directly, affects all indirectly." MLK