Author: marga (Page 112 of 158)

Last night I got a message from someone in Colombia telling me about the disappearance of his sister – a woman with no political activities at all, save for some union work. I published the notice and was about to write the letters asking the government to investigate what happened, when I find out her body has appeared. The brother, now, is being threatened.
Y hoy, en el día de los muertos!

This election’s California ballot includes a yes or no vote on a myriad of judges. Of course, we’ve never heard of most of them so it’s hard to decide who to vote for. To make it easier, we decided to vote for those who were appointed by Democratic governors and against those appointed by Republican ones. This meant that we voted yes for Sandra Margulies and Maria Rivera and no for everyone else.

One of the many things I like about Mike (my husband, for the uninitiated) is that he manages to be both cynical and optimistic at the same time. He tends to have a pretty objective view about the world around him. The greatest of evil, and the pettiest of corruption may surprise him – but he’s pretty aware and understanding of everything in between. He starts by thinking the best of people, but he understands when they show their weaknesses. This is not to say he’s not disappointed – sometimes he is – but that his expectations are measured. And yet, he believes in the power of people to change things. Perhaps not dramatically, but every revolution – and evolution – starts with one step. So he’s an activist – whether in the global escale on behalf of human rights everywhere, in the national arena, working to get Bush out, or acting locally to improve our schools and keep tabs on city council. Mostly, Mike cares and he thinks caring can make a difference. It’s nice to be married to someone you don’t just love, but like so much.

As my faithful readers know, Mike, my husband, is running for San Leandro School Board. As part of his campaign, he had some beautiful lawn signs (designed by Y.Day Designs) made. Mike’s supporters have been placing them around town, including at the gated community where both Pete Lismer (Mike’s opponent) and one of our friends live. Almost as soon as Mike’s signs go up, they are taken down again. This has happened time after time. Your guess as to who is responsible for that is as good as mine.
It’s pretty sad that people have to play dirty politics, and dirty their hands even to the extent of stealing lawn signs. Committing a crime for the less than marginal possibility that it will make a difference in the result of the campaign? Just how unethical – and pathetic – do you have to be to do that? I guess only the sign thief really knows.