TORRANCE TRIBUNE April 9, 2015 Page 5 One Man’s Opinion Another Man’s Opinion One Day in the Great Hereafter Historic Call to Action Not Over Yet Finding Senior Housing can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be. “You can trust A Place for Mom to help you.” – Joan Lunden Call A Place for Mom. Our Advisors are trusted, local experts who can help you understand your options. Since 2000, we’ve helped over one million families fi nd senior living solutions that meet their unique needs. A Free Service for Families. (800) 605-7996 A Place for Mom is the nation’s largest senior living referral information service. We do not own, operate, endorse or recommend any senior living community. We are paid by partner communities, so our services are completely free to families. By Cristian Vasquez Tuesday, March 31 was one of our lessercelebrated holidays; it was Cesar Chavez Day. I still remember the day that he died. My mom and I were driving home, she had just picked my up from school, and we were listening to the radio. It’s hard to recall what was being played that April afternoon in 1993 on KLOVE, but what is clear is that we were crossing over the railroad tracks on Eucalyptus and Florence Avenue when the music stopped and the breaking news was broadcast. At the time, I knew what the average middle-school kid might know about the farm worker turned civil rights leader: he led boycotts, had support from Robert Kennedy and wanted better wages, working conditions and the right to unionize for farm workers. As a teen that meant little to me but by the time high school ended, his struggle made sense; it was noble and a worthy endeavor for him to take. Sadly, after I graduated high school, much like today, Chavez’s fight is far from over. The abuse of workers in the fields continues and the working conditions are still horrific. Many field workers today are underpaid, overworked, exposed to cancerous chemicals and in many cases the women are victims of sexual assault. And no, these aren’t isolated incidents as legitimate news organizations such as NPR have reported and documented said abuse. It is worth noting that there are still groups of people dedicated to improving the working and living conditions for farm workers, but the challenges are great and the fight far from over. I didn’t grow up in a family of farmworkers. The immigrants in my family worked in the service industry and in construction; however, they knew what it was like to work long and hard hours for not the best pay. As a result, they always stood in solidarity for those less fortunate than us. So when Chavez died, I knew it was a big loss but didn’t grasp the significance of his death. Today, thanks to the humanity in my parents, I can see beyond Chavez’s death and appreciate the goals he had in life. Furthermore, his death is a reminder to me that the fight he took on in the 1960s and 1970s is still relevant today. It’s common practice to honor people who made an impact on society by designating a day to pay tribute. If we want to honor the man’s legacy, we should apply at least a fraction of Chavez’s humanity to those around us that are in a world of hurt and struggle and stand up for them. If we see an injustice, no matter how small, we should act to correct it. We don’t have to start a nationwide boycott, nor do we have to take down any corporate entity to make a difference. Let’s just take the time to care for our neighbors much like Chavez did decades ago. Chavez made a choice, as did the thousands of people who supported him, and that decision was to help others. What better way to honor the human spirit than by emulating such kindness? • STARS & STRIPES A M E R I C A N M A D E C L O T H I N G S T O R E COME CHECK US OUT! 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Now, that’s good. www.ThinkGood.org © 2015 Goodwill, Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County 1107 Van Ness Ave.Torrance, CA 90501 • 310.320-3207 LEE 101 USA, WOOLRICH, SAVE KHAKI, MINNETONKA MOCCASIN, PENNY, JAN SPORT, DULUTH, REYN SPOONER, TRETORN, BALL, BURTON, STANCE, RAINBOW SANDALS, FILSON, TEVA, NEW YORK HAT, PADDY WAX, RICHER & POORER, SCHOTT USA, STRATHTAY Open Mondays through Saturdays Noon to 6pm By Gerry Chong One day, in the great hereafter, those two rascals, Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole were sharing “a bit of the sauce,” reliving their hilarious past. Spilling more than he drank, O’Toole asked, “Richard, my boy, did we have a go at that great movie, Becket, about the man who would be king?” Burton, his head in the clouds, eyes closed, and a smile on his lips,” Aye, Laddie, it was a whale of a tale, wasn’t it? Of kings and things, and fantasy and reality. And oh, so much fun! People thought we were serious, but we were just kidding. Didn’t they know? “Come on now, no one but a twit would trade a deserter, Bowe Bergdhal, for five Taliban leaders, would they? Bergdhal could face life in prison, which is more than we wanted to subject the Talibaners to. Hell, we wanted to get them back into the fray to make this more interesting, didn’t we? I mean we had bit of the sauce, but that was all in fun.” O’Toole, laughing, said, “Six months ago, we declared Yemen to be a high success for our policies, but we didn’t really want that so we changed policies. Now, today the last 100 of our troops were withdrawn, with visions of Vietnam dancing fresh in our memories. While the withdrawals were ongoing, the President watched a women’s college basketball game, and played a round of golf. “Since we don’t know how to fight al- Qaeda, we sent our former good friends to Yemen to fight for us. Yea, yea, way to go, Saudi’s. It’s about time you used some of those weapons we gave you.” “True, true,” said Richard. “Fair is fair. It’s fun to see guys with steam coming out of the tops of their turbans. It’s like ‘whadda ya mean we gotta shoot somebody? And more importantly, they’re gonna shoot back?’” “Now, wait, Richard, remember we’ve been negotiating a non-proliferation treaty with Iran, an international rogue nation who has defied six UN sanctions and nine non-UN sanctions, only to have them tell us they don’t want anything in writing! Hilarious! Did somebody do a lobotomy on John Kerry? “Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Iran’s Ayatollah declared he wants to see the “complete implementation of Islam in the West. ‘We will not rest until we have raised the banner of Islam over the White House,’ says he. To make the Ayatollah’s point, U.S. Four Star Admiral James “Ace” Lyons has declared ‘Iran is at war with the US; and that the Muslim Brotherhood has penetrated EVERY National Security and Intelligence Agency.’ Way to go, Administration. “Finally, to seal the surrender, The President removed Iran from the U.S. Terrorist List as a reward for fighting Terrorism! Honest to God, Richard. If you thought our reign as the men who would be King was an exercise in complete hilarity and alcoholic excess, what will they name this fiasco?” “Dunno, Peter, but I think I need a drink.” •
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