Partners Acting in Community Together - PACT - www.pactsj.org.
This group is mentioned in the San Jose Mercury News front page - "the Valley" section - top of the fold - article entitled: "No 'politics of fear' in San Jose."
This has been an on-going report on one family in S.J. The husband, an employed "long time manager at Albertson's" was deported earlier this year to Mexico. He had been in the US since 1985 along with his wife. Their 4 children are US citizens. The wife, who, apparently speaks no english, took refuge in a Catholic church for a period of time to protest their being deported. She has finally relented and has returned to Mexico with her children to be reunited with the husband. Her alternative was to leave her kids in US foster care.
It appears that numerous San Jose area residents and churches acted to protect and support this woman during her sanctuary period.
For our purposes this story centers around the group known as Partners Acting in Community Together. One interesting item is the name of one of the Board members of PACT. Her last name is Belote which, unless I'm mistaken, is also the sir name of the man who runs the Oakland diocese Catholic Charities. Coincidence?
Of course, PACT is another offshoot of PICO - Pacific Institute for Community Organizing (which occasionally slightly alters its name to suit it's purpose, but always has the PICO initials). Once again, a socialist oriented organization is the tail wagging the dog. In this instance the dog is the Catholic and other mainline and social justice based churches.
They have influenced local law enforcement and city council people who state that they will not report illegal immigrants. Now, it may be a catch 22 situation. The children are citizens but they are going to Mexico where they will lose the benefits of a decent American education. The family's lifestyle will be less than it was, probably. However, in the article a lawyer, member of the LA Center for Human Rights, states that with regard to the mother's decision to return to Mexico: "She's just very concerned about complying with the law. She, like many immigrants share a real fear of breaking the law."
Huh? She and her husband lived, worked and prospered in the US as illegal citizens and she's afraid of breaking the law? Seems to me she flouted the law.
MARCH 31. 2007
DANCING PARTNERS, by Diane Lily
The Contra Costa Times has a full dance card these days. The local and state politicians are vying for time and space in the paper making it appear that their special interests are really headline news.
Take for instance the March 26th edition of the Times article by Theresa Harrington on
“Senior housing projects in works” page 3. Several months ago I gave a report on a county wide program entitled:
Contra Costa For Every Generation: making our community aging-friendly?” This partnership of government and community based, tax supported and church affiliated special interests spent about 2 years meeting and working, quietly, to create the blue prints for a planned new Contra Costa diverse community in which ethnic, age and different economic status people would be resettled in politically correct communities.
Though I appreciate Theresa Harrington’s reporting on this issue, she makes it appear as though this is some new, wonderful great idea spearheaded by individual citizens needs. This article quoting praises by our Walnut Creek City Council members. is just a fluff piece to showcase the politicians. This also hides the reality that people are being placed like pawns on a chess board by special interests.
A recent Times editorial entitled: “
Stop the Trans Far bill” referring to Sacramento legislation was deceptive. The editorial appeared to be defending the consumer’s right to chose what to eat in restaurants and restaurants to chose how to prepare, store and serve the food they provide the customer, but, in reality it was a support piece for implementing a Torlakson bill, SB 20, on mandating that schools, by a date certain, provide breakfast and lunch to all students in a closed campus. The menus would be dictated by the environmental/health services special interests reflecting whatever is the current politically correct nutritional fad.
The 3/31/07 Saturday Times Commentary page carries a letter to the editor written by a Dr. Kiris Young “from the medical community” He is a “certified nutritional specialist in Richmond (that’s a special interest agency). He declares that the “trans fat ban bill must be passed.”
What no one is mentioning is that the food manufacturing industry is already monitoring itself. I recently bought a bottle of vegetable oil that has a big sign on it saying “”not made with trans-fats.”
This legislation, like so many bills in Sacramento, is not needed. It’s a pretense of concern for the public’s health and welfare when, in fact, it is one of many vehicles to interject the government into yet another deeper level of private lives controlling where we live, where we work, what health care we get, what we put into our mouths, what lifestyle choices our children make.
The bills in Sacramento that contain these elements are:
SB 20, Tom Torlakson, (D), Pupil Nutrition,
AB 93, Bonnie Garcia,(R0 Food; Trans fats,
AB 92, Bonnie Garcia, Pupil Nutrition: school meals, and the bill supported by Young,
AB 97, Tony Mendoza, entitled “Food Facilities: Trans Fat would, like most of the others,
[ create] a new crime ..[and]... adding to the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This clearly is the state reaching down into the local community to control yet another industry.
Only you, the citizen, can stop this. Write to your Assembly and Senate representatives and urge a “NO” vote on these bills.
April 3, 2007
THE DANCE CONTINUES.
Diane Lily
Today’s
Contra Costa Tmes carries a front page article, as though it was headline news, entitled “
Retirement Put Out to Pasture.”The article highlights certain senior citizens who, apparently dissatisfied and restless in retirement, have come back out into the community to work or volunteer their time and expertise.. Most often the new jobs are of entry level lower prestige and responsibility jobs than their “real life” jobs had been. The reason given by some is that their retirement pensions, etc, simply don’t meet their lifestyle needs or their desire to be involved in the community.
The problem with this article is that it is a planned, propaganda piece highlighting the several years long work of the community planners.
At the end of the article Grace Caliendo, CEO of the John Muir/Mt. Diablo Community Health Fund, is quoted:
“One local health advocate sees big potential in the aging work force. ‘There’s this constant fear that the retirement of boomers is going to break the bank of Social Security and Medicare. Welll, that’s just not going to be true if we just keep on working....[we’re]... not tired, a lot of us haven’t had to do factory work or farm work or that kind of thing. I think society’s going to need us.’”
Not mentioned in this article is the fact that it is Grace Caliendo (and the Y.H. Soda’s funding stream) that created and promoted the Contra Costa For Every Generation program that created the agenda for moving seniors back into jobs and volunteer programs. The six goals to creating a “pathways to an aging--friendly Community” each highlight some aspect of reactivating senior citizens to make them productive and contributing members of society
Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m all in favor of productive work and community involvement and I applaud the people who are so generous with their time and talents.
What I don’t appreciate is the covert planning by tax and think tank supported and sponsored entities who make it seem as though this is all just ducky and spontaneous.
These entry level jobs that the senior citizens are taking should be going to young people (legal cirizens) in need of training and income on which to live. There are many, many volunteer positions very worthy of the talents of senior citizens that don’t take away from our young people. I think what it is, in reality, is the awareness on the part of the global planners that there are not enough citizens left in the world, baby boomers notwithstanding, to fill all the positions needs for a productive economy. Also, community agencies are too busy lining their pockets with tax dollars doling out questionable services to youth who need less of the Nanny state and more of a chance to get on with their lives.
