LA MESA CHAMBER INVITES YOU TO “MEET THE CANDIDATES”
Mayor, Council candidates to participate on panel Thursday, September 16 August 25, 2010 (La Mesa) – The La Mesa Chamber of Commerce has invited all candidates running for mayor and city council to share their views in a free public forum on Thursday, September 16 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at La Mesa Community Center, 4975 Memorial Drive, La Mesa. Thus far, both of the mayoral candidates and five of the six Council candidates have accepted the Chamber’s invitation. They are: Office of Mayor • Incumbent Art Madrid • Candidate Laura Lothian City Council Candidates • Incumbent Mark Arapostathis • Candidate Patrick Dean • Incumbent Ernie Ewin • Candidate Kevin Rynearson • Candidate Ian I. Shiff Gary Clasen, a La Mesa business owner and leader, will serve as moderator. All candidates have been invited. Although this is a FREE community an RSVP is requested so the Chamber will be sure to have adequate chairs and refreshments. RSVP by Monday, September 13th to: rsvp@lamesachamber.com or 619-465-7700.
ARMED KIDNAPPER BARRICADED IN APARTMENT
August 25, 2010 (Tierrasanta) 4:30 p.m. – A San Diego Police SWAT/Emergency Response team has been dispatched to an apartment building at 9000 Gramercy Drive near Ruffin Road. A man wanted for kidnapping and domestic violence has barricaded himself inside. “He has access to multiple weapons and he is believed to be armed at this time,” Lt. Andra Brown told East County Magazine, adding that the weapons are handguns. The suspect is a black male, 25, who is accused of kidnapping his girlfriend. The woman is now free and safe, Brown confirmed. “We believe there is another male inside,” she disclosed. The man is believed to be a friend of the suspect, but it is unknown whether he is present voluntarily or is being held hostage.
100 ACRE FIRE NEAR BARONA MESA & RAMONA AREAS
Update 2:00 p.m. – "This fire is now out," Cal-Fire Nick Schuyler informed East County Magazine." It was a great stop by multilple agencies working together." The fire was contained at 100 acres; cause is still under investigation. Firefighters will remain on scene through the night mopping up hot spots. August 25, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) 12:45 p.m. A 100 acre wildfire is burning in Cleveland National Forest. The blaze started at 10:30 a.m. near Four Corners in the Barona Mesa area, Cal-Fire reports. Incident Page Network reports the fire is also near the glider port in Ramona, in the vicinity of Wildcat Canyon and Painted Rock, with access at San Diego Country Estates. The fire, fueled by an east wind, is under U.S. Forest Service Command. Forward spread is stopped but the blaze is not contained. Five airtankers and a very large air tanker (VLAT) from Victorville are battling the blaze along with 10 fire engines, 10 fire crews, 4 helicopters, 4 helitankers, 4 water tenders and two bulldozers. If you are not yet signed up to receive our free wildfire and emergency alerts via email, sign up at the top right side of our homepage.
READER’S EDITORIAL: PENSION REFORM FOR HELIX WATER DISTRICT
By Russell Buckley August 25, 2010 (La Mesa) — The President of the Board of Directors of the Helix Water District opened last Wednesday’s rate increase hearing by saying it was imperative that the Board do the right thing. I hoped that meant to hold off on the proposed increase until excess pension costs were reduced. Unfortunately, that was not to be the outcome of the vote. Few things that we Californians can do to rescue our state’s finances would have the positive impact of reforming public sector pensions. They are out of control. Money they gobble up squeezes vital public services and has our State at the edge of insolvency. The California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility estimates that implementing a reasonable pension program for new hires would save in the neighborhood of $500 BILLION, statewide, over a 30-year period. In addition, pension reform is a matter of fundamental fairness. Public sector pensions should be aligned with those of the ratepayers and taxpayers who foot most of the bill and take all of the risk. Public sector workers provide valuable services. But so do those who work in the private sector: dental hygienists, plumbers, electricians, refuse collectors, researchers, small business owners, etc. I could go on, but I expect that you get my point. One of many examples of excess public pensions can be found at the Helix Water District. Nevertheless the HWD Board of Directors has approved an 8.8% increase in water rates. Water Districts tend to fly under the radar. We must have water; it is relatively inexpensive and a water district’s personnel costs, unlike a City’s, are not the largest part of the budget. However the two reasons for pension reform (fundamental fairness and cost savings) mentioned above apply to HWD just as much as they do to almost every other public sector agency in the state. Prior to the hearing I sent the HWD Board of Directors a letter to ask them hold off taking action on the proposed rate increase until the pension program is first made right. The letter went something like this: "I wonder if you have asked yourself just what is a fair pension for HWD workers. I don’t mean the exact amount, but rather a verbal description. If you haven’t, please consider that question for a moment.” I saw what I consider to be a good description of a fair pension written by The San Diego Division of the League of Cities: “The primary goal of a public pension program should be to provide a full-career employee with pension benefits that maintain the employees’ standard of living in retirement” ‘ If that description seems reasonable to you, lets try to put it to numbers. "Most financial planners advise that about 75% of pre-retirement income is sufficient to maintain one’s standard of living into retirement. That number was reaffirmed in a recent Union-Tribune article about retirement planning. Certainly, with today’s ever-longer life spans, it is difficult to argue that a minimum "full career" is less than 40 years. Forty-five to 50 years is probably more like it for those entering the workforce today. Now consider what kind of program is necessary to provide 75% of salary after 40 – 45 years of work. "Government workers were allowed to opt out of Social Security and many chose to do so. The workers at HWD elected to remain in the program. They will thus receive part of the 75% of salary needed to maintain lifestyle from the Social Security program: 30% is a reasonable estimate. If 30% of the 75% is provided through Social Security that leaves another 45% to come from a pension program such as CalPers. A 1% multiplier can provide that amount over a 45-year career – a little higher percent is required for a 40-year career. "The pension presently provided to HWD employees – 2.5% of final years salary for each year worked – far exceeds that amount. I wouldn’t be bothered were the money required to support the pensions to come from some sugar daddy that simply likes public sector workers. But, alas, the source of funding for HWD pensions is not a sugar daddy with deep pockets, but the pocketbooks of ratepayers who must also provide for their own retirement. Few ratepayers (except, of course, others in the public sector) receive a guaranteed pension. Most must get by with Social Security and a 401k type of plan. Ratepayers presently pay the ’employee portion’ of CalPers pension costs – about $900,000 this year and rising. In addition they pay the significantly larger ’employer portion’. Social Security requires employee and employer to split the costs evenly. It forbids the employer from paying the employee portion. The CalPers pension is several times more generous than Social Security, yet HWD employees pay nothing for it. Why? HWD workers may retire at 55 with a full pension – and full medical/dental/vision coverage. When Social Security started, in the mid 1930’s, full retirement age was set at 65. Average lifespan has steadily increased since then. Full Social Security age is now 67 and there is serious talk of making it 70. Why do HWD workers deserve to retire at an age so much younger than that set for Social Security? HWD employees are able to retire with pensions greater than the salaries they drew while working. With the current 2.5% multiplier an employee can draw 100% of salary after 40 years – and it is difficult to argue that a full career today is less than 40 years. If an HWD employee worked even 40 years, their pension would be 130% of final years salary (100% from CalPers and 30% from Social Security). As previously mentioned, most financial planners advise that about 75% of final salary is enough to maintain lifestyle. Why should ratepayers provide a pension so much more generous than that? Ratepayers bear all of the risk of
EDITORIAL: WHAT CALIFORNIA CAN’T AFFORD
By Senator Denise Ducheny Chair, Senate Budget Committee “Thoughtless slashing would eliminate a whole series of State investments that are necessary to our recovery and to providing a sound base for our future prosperity.” August 24, 2010 (Sacramento) — In the wake of the global economic turmoil of the past few years, there are signs California’s economy has hit bottom and is beginning to recover. While our recovery is fragile, and it will take time to make up ground lost to the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, California is still the 8th largest economy in the world. California’s future is still bright–if we can sustain ourselves in the short term. Californians are understandably frustrated. We make difficult choices everyday to keep our family budgets under control; our elected representatives appear unable to make the tough choices needed to address our on-going State budget crisis. Instead of explaining the difficult choices, some fuel the frustration by simplifying the issues to popular sounding soundbites, ignoring factual analysis of the choices, and trying to pretend like it is easy to solve by just “reducing government spending.” These soundbites ignore the reality that thoughtless slashing would eliminate a whole series of State investments that are necessary to our recovery and to providing a sound base for our future prosperity. “We simply can’t afford it,” they say. But, what we cannot afford is to further reduce spending on K-12 education, already 17% below what we were investing 3 years ago in each student. What we cannot afford is to restrict access to the universities that train our workforce of the future to compete in the global economy. We cannot afford to allow our infrastructure to continue to deteriorate so businesses have to spend more to get their goods to market nor to make it harder and longer for new businesses to get the permits they need to employ Californians and generate wealth. We cannot afford to eliminate the CalWorks program which since 1997 has assisted thousands of families to move from dependency on public assistance to becoming taxpaying workers and cut the number of welfare recipients in this state in half. We cannot afford to forego the $4.5 billion in federal matching funds that accompanies that State investment, every penny of which families use to support California businesses by paying rent, and buying groceries, clothes, school supplies and other necessities. We cannot afford to completely eliminate, as the Governor proposes, support for child care programs that allow thousands of working parents to go to work everyday, and destroy the thousands of small businesses who provide that service. Over the past 50 years, we Californians have worked together to build a state with a thriving economy, great schools, parks and roads. Our investments paid off in quality of life for every Californian. But now that great quality of life is at risk. We cannot sustain a first-world economy with the third-world services envisioned in the Governor’s budget. His budget proposals shift billions of dollars of costs to local taxpayers, leave billions of our federal tax dollars on the table rather than in the California economy, and threaten the health and safety of millions of California businesses and families. His proposals represent nothing short of throwing in the towel on the California dream. At a time of record unemployment, the Governor’s budget would cost the state some 430,000 jobs in the private sector, in our local governments, and in our schools. Who’s going to help the businesses that will close when the poor are too poor to participate in our economy and their teacher, nurse, firefighter and police customers are laid off? Who is going to keep our communities safe, teach our children, or provide health care to the public? How will we get our products to market if our highway system falls into complete disrepair? Leadership is not about soundbites. It’s about finding solutions to tough problems. That is why Democrats in the Legislature have united to propose multiple responsible alternatives to the Governor’s budget. Our proposals recognize the need to hold the line on state spending, but do not try to shift those costs to counties and neighborhood streets. They also recognize that we are all in this together. When our State budget has shrunk by almost 20% since 2007, we cannot afford to implement scheduled new tax breaks for our largest, wealthiest corporations. In order to preserve a foundation for future prosperity we must all take some responsibility to maintain core government functions. One alternative from the Senate would extend taxes we already pay by two years. Recently, Democrats in the Legislature proposed another alternative to trade federally deductible taxes, like property and income taxes, for a significant sales tax cut, stimulating local purchases. Under the Democratic proposal revenues would comprise approximately $4 billion of the $19 billion solution to our current crisis, preventing fatal dismantling of public education, public safety, public health and consumer and environmental protection programs. Resolving our budget problems will not be easy, but it is made harder by those who avoid the reality of the decisions that face us. Soundbites ignore the harsh reality of the decisions we must make. Rhetoric doesn’t lessen the impact of those decisions on real people, real California businesses and the need to renew our California Dream. Senator Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego) represents the 40th State Senate district and chairs the Senate Budget Committee. The opinions expressed in this editorial reflect the views of its author and do not necessarily reflect the views of East County Magazine. If you wish to submit an editorial for consideration, contact editor@eastcountymagazine.org.
SENATE PASSES CHELSEA’S LAW
August 24, 2010 (Sacramento)– Assembly Bill 1844, Chelsea’s Law, passed the California State Senate today by unanimous vote. The measure, carried through the Senate by Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth, (R-Murrieta) was authored by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher (R-San Diego). The bill aims to strengthen protections for California children from violent sexual predators. Specifically, Chelsea’s Law includes: 1. Life penalty without possibility of parole for the most dangerous sexual offenders 2. Longer sentences for forcible sex crimes 3. Increased parole terms for those who target children under the age of 14 4. Restrictions on sex offenders’ ability to enter parks 5. A first-in-the-nation containment model and dynamic risk assessment structure 6. A requirement that Megan’s Law publicly list sex offenders’ risk assessment scores 7. A revision of the California mentally disordered offender laws to provide for continued detention of offenders where evaluation and assessment deem such to be necessary "This is a tremendous step forward to combat violent predators, and a much needed change to California law," said Hollingsworth. "The only sadness today is the remembrance that two young women, 17- year-old Chelsea King and 14-year-old Amber Dubois, lost their lives before the legislature was prompted to pass this critically needed public safety protection." The measure has enjoyed broad support, though some have voiced concerns that it could raise incarceration costs and shift burdens onto county jails to house less serious offenders, making room for violent predators to be locked up in state prisons. Chelsea’s Law now goes back to the Assembly for a final concurrence vote, likely next week. If it passes the Assembly, it then goes to Governor Schwarzenegger, who will then have 30 days to sign the bill into law.
DEAD BLUE JAY TESTS POSITIVE FOR WEST NILE VIRUS
County Officials Urge People to Follow Three Rules to Protect Themselves, Others August 23, 2010 (Pine Valley ) — A Stellar’s jay found dead in Pine Valley tested positive for West Nile virus, County Vector Control officials announced today. Although no Californians have died from the mosquito-driven disease this year, there have been three deaths nationwide, and 16 people in the state have contracted West Nile virus so far in 2010. “Now that the weather is warming up we may see an increase in the number of birds testing positive for West Nile virus,” said Jack Miller, County Department of Environmental Health director. “People should follow three simple steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites and help prevent mosquito breeding.” PREVENT Mosquito Breeding: Backyard water sources are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Residents should dump or remove anything that can hold water, such as potted plants and saucers, rain gutters, buckets, trash cans, children’s toys, old spare tires and wheelbarrows. Mosquito fish can be used to control mosquito breeding in backyard water sources such as unused swimming pools, ponds, fountains and horse troughs. They are available at several locations around the County. PROTECT Yourself from Mosquito Bites: Protect yourself from the virus by staying inside when mosquitoes are most active especially at dawn and dusk. Wear long sleeves and pants, and use insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, IR3535 or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus when you are outdoors. Keep screens on doors and windows and make sure the screens are in good condition. REPORT Dead Birds: Vector Control staff will collect and test dead crows, ravens, jays, hawks and owls if they are good test specimens. Dead birds do not need to be reported if they have been dead more than 24 hours; have been hit by a car, shot, or killed by animals; are covered with ants or flies; have a foul odor; or their bodies are not intact. To report dead birds, mosquito breeding areas, green swimming pools or standing water, please call County Vector Control at 858-694-2888. For more information about West Nile virus, call the Vector Control Program at 858-694-2888 or visit the County’s West Nile virus Web site at www.SDFightTheBite.com.
BLOCK’S BILL TO RESTORE SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDS NOW ON GOVERNOR’S DESK
August 23, 2010 (Sacramention)–Assemblymember Marty Block (AD-78) announced today that AB 184 has cleared the Legislature and is now awaiting action by the Governor. The bill prevents the California Department of Education from requiring school districts to repay the state for Special Disabilities Adjustment funding that they received in the last fiscal year and already used to teach special-needs students in their classrooms. “This legislation corrects a terrible mistake on behalf of the state that forces school districts to repay critical funding they used to provide special education resources to teach some of our neediest students,” said Block. “School districts have already begun to see some of their funding revoked and in the face of devastating cuts to public schools, they simply cannot afford to make up the difference. In the absence of a budget agreement, this bill restores the funding to school districts and prevents them from making additional reductions to staff and classroom resources. AB 184 should be signed into law immediately.” Each year, $70 million in SDA funds are allocated statewide to assist school districts with high concentrations of students with certain costly disabilities including autism, emotional disturbance, visual impairment, hearing impairment, brain trauma and multiple disabilities. Last June, CDE announced that it did not have the authority to distribute the funds that were included in the 2009-10 Budget Act. Furthermore, without emergency legislation CDE would start taking back the SDA funds from school districts that were already received and spent. On July 1, school districts started to see their special education funding taken back retroactively by the state. This bill reflects the Budget Conference Committee’s action relative to the SDA funding. It provides for the continuation of the SDA funding through the 2010-11 fiscal year and repeals the existing formula on July 1, 2011. Yet, absent a budget agreement, the funding uncertainty may obligate some districts to layoff employees in order to meet immediate county office solvency requirements. This legislation will allow school districts to retain last year’s SDA allocation, money that has already been used to educate students in special education programs. AB 184 is sponsored by the San Diego Unified School District. San Diego County is one of the counties in the state with an elevated concentration of special education students that require particularly high-cost education services. Districts in the county receive $17 million or 25% of the total SDA funds allocated each year. San Diego is one of two home ports designated by the U.S. Navy for exceptional families. “Exceptional families” is a term that applies to families with autistic children that need the kind of medical and educational services that are offered in San Diego. As a result, San Diego Unified and other school districts in the county have extraordinarily high concentrations of autistic students, and this funding is important to providing these children with a quality education. The school districts that will benefit from AB 184 include small, medium and large districts throughout San Diego County. For example: Cajon Valley Union SD budgeted the receipt of $1,090,000 in SDA funds for 2009-10; Chula Vista ESD budgeted the receipt of $950,000 in SDA funds for 2009-10; Grossmont Union HSD budgeted the receipt of $1,250,000 in SDA funds for 2009-10; La Mesa-Spring Valley SD budgeted the receipt of $700,000 in SDA funds for 2009-10; San Diego USD budgeted the receipt of $9,000,000 in SDA funds for 2009-10; and Sweetwater Union HSD budgeted the receipt of $1,400,000 in SDA funds for 2009-10. Voters who wish to voice their views to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger may contact Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at www.gov.ca.gov/interact, by fax to 916-558-3160, or by calling 916-445-2841.
READER’S EDITORIAL: THE CRISIS IN GAZA
By Mitchell Dubick August 24, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) — There is suffering among the people in Gaza. How that suffering compares to the misery of other groups around the world, who is causing this suffering, and what should be done to alleviate it are all subjects of much debate. However, it is the duty of caring and responsible people on all sides to address these issues. If you believe that Jews have no right to sovereignty anywhere in the world and that Jews in the Middle East must live under Arab rule, then there is little point in reading further. To believe that the Jews “stole” Palestinian lands, however, is to deny 3,000 years of continuous Jewish presence in this area–and to believe that unlike the hundreds of millions of people from other ethnic and religious groups who have chosen to divide lands and shift populations, the Jews have no right to self-government anywhere in the world. On the other hand, if you believe that the Jews have a right to self-determination and defensible borders in this small sliver of land (less than 1% of the Middle East) and the right to protection from attack, then the challenge is how to do so while being respectful of others. In considering how to approach this problem, I suggest the following issues should be considered: 1. Jews and Arabs don’t have to like each other, but they must live together with each other. Sure, Israelis are irritating, but that’s the beauty of the Jewish state; that is, it proves that the Jews are like any other group of people. While there are a small number of Israelis who long for a "greater Israel" with larger borders, the vast majority realize that simple demographics make it impossible to have a majority-Jewish state much larger than the current footprint. Nor could the Israelis ever project militarily to control a large part of the region. All they can ever hope for are defensible boundaries and some demilitarized zone. In contrast, a significant portion of the Arab–and Persian–world still long for Israel to wiped off the face off the earth. Palestinian spokespeople, mapmakers and sloganeers routinely call for an Arab Palestine that stretches from the "Jordan to the Mediterranean"– in other words, no Israel. 2. While life for Israeli Arabs is far from perfect, there has been no exodus of Arabs from Israel since 1948. The simple fact is that these Arabs have far more political freedom and economic success than their Palestinian brethren in Arab countries. Consider the status of Palestinians in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and other Arab countries where Palestinians are treated horribly; the only excuse is that they are being kept in camps or as second class residents "temporarily" until they can return to Israel. While the rest of the world has moved on, there are 60+ year-old Palestinians who have never set foot in Israel but whose life narrative is centered around their ancestral homes to which they plan to return. Pakistanis, Indians, and Jews from Arab countries have similar "claims", but all except the Palestinians have made a new life where fate took them or their parents. 3. The way we teach our children says a lot about how we view the world. Israelis have struggled over the decades, but have learned–and have taught their children– that the Palestinian people have a cultural narrative as true for them as the Zionist narrative is for the Jews. Moreover, no one even remotely familiar with the Israeli press could doubt that all historical views–no matter how revisionist or extreme–get aired. Sadly, all over the Arab world children are still taught that Jews and other infidels are no better than pigs or monkeys and deserve neither respect nor pity. Until the Arab world starts teaching their children that Jews are people, it will be difficult for relations to improve. 4. The demonization, delegitimization, and double-standard applied to Israel (the definition of anti-Semitism, according to human rights activist Natan Sharansky) are hurtful and counterproductive. When the world sits idly by as missiles from Gaza rained on Israelis for years following Israel’s withdrawal and then condemns Israel for defending its citizens, it cannot help but make Israel and her supporters cynical. When the world rushes to pronounce the Israeli response to the flotilla ambush on its sailors as a massacre of peace-loving innocents when the filmed evidence clearly showed otherwise, it cannot do other than confirm the Israelis’ view of how the world sees them. When trade groups, Churches, and supposedly neutral NGOs ignore genocide, oppression and poverty around the world, yet calls for boycotts of Israel because it has the temerity to approve new buildings in areas previously agreed to be for Jewish housing, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that such groups have a larger and more sinister purpose. 5. No one should have to live in constant fear of attack. So long as Hamas rules Gaza and insists on attacking Israel, Israel must protect its citizens by keeping weapons out of Gaza and taking all necessary actions–including force of arms–to stop the attacks. Having to do so is unfortunate, since it wastes the lives of soldiers and civilians on all sides. However, once attacked, a state has to use all the force it deems necessary, especially a state surrounded by adversaries who would afford her no quarter if her existence were threatened. Thus, Israel and her supporters reject the notion that she must only react "proportionally" to attacks, both as a practical matter and because no country in the history of the world has been held to this standard. Is there lots wrong with Israel, her policies, her practices, and her politicians? You bet! But whatever her flaws and mistakes, they are not the core of the current problem. Nor would resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict suddenly make the world’s other trouble spots disappear. (But that’s a discussion
READER’S EDITORIAL: 4,000 MILES TO GAZA
A journey of hope from San Diego to Gaza by Faith Attaguile August 24, 2010 (San Diego) — Recently I spoke to a group of people about a 31-day journey I took a few months ago. It was a land convoy to Gaza of 200 vehicles and 500 people from 17 different countries. We were Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, Atheists and Humanists journeying together over 4,000 miles through 13 countries. We traveled from London to Gaza on a journey of hope. We drove through rain, snow, fog and sunshine. We drove all day and often into the night. We drove on freeways, pot-holed roads, through the Alps, along coastlines and across deserts. We slept on floors, pavement, in tents and sports arenas. Often we drove at night to meet destination deadlines. We succeeded despite many roadblocks, including a terrifying attack on our convoy by Egyptian riot-police when we were only 15 miles from Gaza. It wasn’t easy, but we had a purpose. We were bringing our donated ambulances, minivans and trucks filled with medical and humanitarian aid to the suffering Palestinians of Gaza. Our goal was to break the brutal land, sea and air blockade of Gaza, imposed by Israel for over three years. As I spoke, someone asked, “But isn’t there a blockade because Palestinians are sending rockets into Israel? What’s the problem with the Palestinians anyway? Why don’t they want to make peace with the Israelis?” “OK,” I said. “I’ll digress from my story for a moment. Let’s try to imagine what we’d do if we had been suffering under a 43-year military occupation by, say Mexico. Imagine a war 43 years ago where Mexico invaded and occupied California, forcing us to live under Mexican occupation since then. “Imagine what it would be like with our best lands and precious water resources taken over by Mexico. Imagine how we’d feel with 60% of California under full Mexican control and 12 million Mexicans building Mexican-only colonies on the best California land, protected by the Mexican Army and serviced by hundreds of miles of Mexican-only roads we can’t use. Our houses and farms have been destroyed in order to build these Mexican-only colonies. “Every day we are forced to pass through thousands of roadblocks and checkpoints dotting California. They prevent us from traveling freely from one town to another, visiting our families, receiving medical care, going to work. We must wait for hours at these checkpoints – even when we only need to go a few miles — humiliated by Mexican soldiers calling us names. Trucks bringing in supplies and food have to unload and reload at every checkpoint they pass through as they journey to their destinations. Often their food spoils in the heat. “If we can imagine what we’d feel like under these conditions – then we might be able to imagine what it’s like for Palestinians, suffering over 43 years of Israeli occupation. What I’ve described to you is precisely what is happening to the Palestinian people. If we had been suffering in this way, might we try to resist in whatever way we had available to us?” “Maybe so,” someone piped in. “Maybe I’d be mad. And maybe the situation for Palestinians is really unjust. But does this give them the right to kill innocent Israeli civilians with rockets?” I replied, “Look. In nine years 13 Israeli’s have died from Palestinian rockets. In only 22 days last year over 1,400 Gazans died from Israeli attacks by helicopter gunships and F-16s. Gaza was almost completely destroyed in that attack. This is not to argue that one death is worth less than another. But I don’t think I have the right to judge how someone else fights against occupation. The Palestinians have been occupied by the Israelis for over 43 years, not the other way around. “Still, however we may answer that question, that fact is that the terrible suffering of European Jews during WWII does not justify invasion, occupation and expulsion of Palestinians from their lands to clear the way for a Jewish state. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Yet this is precisely what Israelis have done and are doing to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians whose families have been living in Historic Palestine for over 2000 years. “It’s important to remember that Palestinians were not responsible for the Holocaust. Europeans were. Why should Palestinians have to pay for what Europeans did? When Israel was founded in 1948, over 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their lands — their homes, families, and lives destroyed. Like I said, two wrongs don’t make a right.” The group was quietly buzzing. I waited. Finally, a young man, looking at my gray hair, asked why someone as old as me would take such a trip when I didn’t have to go. I said, “Ah, but that’s the catch. I did have to go. I had to protest what is being done to the Palestinian people in my name and with my tax money. But let me tell you the story of my trip.” 4,000 Miles to Gaza: From Europe to the Middle East We started from London on December 6, 2009. It was a cold, gray, rainy day. There were three of us from San Diego: myself, Larry Hampshire and Hany El-Saidany. Larry and Hany joined the convoy in Istanbul. I drove an ambulance from London to Istanbul where I met them and the 32 other Americans waiting to join. When we left London we were about 130 people in 29 vehicles. By the end we were 500 people in 200 vehicles. The first night of our 10-day European trip was a taste of what was to come. Arriving after dark, we stopped just outside Brussels. Our “lodging” was a massive parking lot with no grass to pitch tents on and one small port-o-potty for 130 people. No place to buy food,