More Litvinenko

In this story from AP, the Brits are on Alexander Litvinenko death like white on rice. My favorite part fo this story was the suggestion that Litvinenko had done this himself, slipped himself a radioactive cocktail.

This substance, polonium-210, is a highly toxic material that can only be produced in a nuclear reactor thus limiting the places in the world it can be produced. So how does Litvinenko bring it into Britain and hold on to it until just the right time, whatever that may be? I read some blog comments today trying to blame this on the Israeli government, too, which I thought was astounding.

Litvinenko has a history with a Russian oligarch, Boris Berezovsky. Supposedly Litvinenko, when he was with the FSB, was ordered to kill Berezovsky. Instead, Litvinenko told Berezovsky about his orders and the oligarch fled the country. They had both relocated to London. Putin's buddies in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian alleged legislature, started pointing fingers at Berezovsky right away as the culprit in this sordid mess.

In this little tidbit from Moscow News, the plot thickens even further, with links showing up to the Kremlin takeover of Yukos oil. Berezovsky was one of the owners of Yukos before the Soviet style takeover. The principal owner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, is now freezing his ass off in a Siberian prison. (Wikipedia on Yukos here.)

So now we have Yukos, Putin, the murders of Anna Politskovskaya and Alexander Litvinenko, the Russian emigre community in London and the British security forces all involved in a real life spy story.

Too bad real people are dying in this story.

Nice marriages

Next time I hear any of the Bible thumpers going off about the sanctity of marriage, I will have two really good answers to their idiocy: Kid Rock/Pamela Anderson and Britney Spears/Kevin Federline. I got your institution of marriage right here.

Now they are all divorcing. Yup, I sure am a threat to that institution.

Answers

Larisa Alexandrovna over at Raw Story has written a brilliant piece with most of the answers to the Litvinenko murder. She identifies the Russian agencies behind the poisoning and gives clear reasons for Putin to be called the Poisoner.

H/t to Pam over at her new coffee house. A bigger h/t to Pam for putting together people of color blogs in one place for all to visit.

Putrid the Poisoner

More is being revealed about the horrible death of Kremlin critic, Alexander Litvinenko, of radioactive poisononing. The crux of this NY Times article says this:

"This is not the kind of weapon that any kind of amateur could construct. It would require real resources to do it."

No this is no ordinary rat poison. It is radioactive poison dropped into something that Litvinenko ate or drank. Then for three weeks he suffered horribly until he died this weekend. Very nice.

Putin the Poisoner

So lo and behold the departed Mr Litvinenko had radioactive substance in his urine. The Brits finally found polonium-210 in his urine. A lot late but still, at least an answer.

In this article, the Russian emigres in London are speaking out about who is responsible for this murder-Putin. Obviously Putin the Poisoner is acting as if they are all crazy. He's taking a page out of Bush's handbook on how to deal with this PR mess. Ignore it. Deny it. Make absurd statements.

In his death bed statement, Litvinenko said this:

"You may succeed in silencing me but that silence comes at a price. You have shown yourself to be as barbaric and ruthless as your most hostile critics have claimed."

Also from this AP article, his friend and spokeman Alexander Goldfarb said Litvinenko had dictated the statement before he lost consciousness on Tuesday, and signed it in the presence of his wife, Marina.

Putin is proving to be no more than a KGB thug, an oligarch of the highest order. He puts an oil oligarch, Khoderovsky in Siberia, while trying to appear like he is moving the country further towards democracy. You can take the guy out of the KGB, make the KGB go away but he will always be a thug. A dictator all dressed up in nice suits, hanging around with another thug, Bush. What has the world become?

Putin critic dies

Very sad. WaPo says that Alexander Litvinenko has died in London. Cause of death remains unknown but let me take a wild guess: the St. Petersburg mob on the orders of Putin.

We shall see.

Happy Turkey Day

Hockey tonight! No more talk of Russian poisonings or ugly things in the world. I'll just pretend I am Bush.

Have a good Turkey Day or whatever you do tomorrow.

More on poisoning

The Washington Post has more to say about the Litvinenko poisoning. Apparently the St. Petersburg Russian mob is subbing for the FSB as Putin's Poisoners. From WaPo:

Mario Scaramella, the Italian who had lunch in London with a former Russian spy on the day the man was poisoned, said Tuesday that he showed the Russian e-mails during the meal that warned their lives might be in danger.

I guess Scaramella was right. Again the connections to Anna Politkovskaya surface.

In a separate interview later, Scaramella said the e-mails mentioned "dangerous people" behind the killing of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin whose unsolved murder last month in Moscow has caused an international outcry. He said the e-mails indicated that those responsible for her death were members of the Russian mafia from St. Petersburg.

Next Russian chapter

Oh this just keeps getting better. An AP report tonight says that the latest Putin poisoning may have included some sort of radioactive material along with the already diagnosed rat poison. This may explain why Litvinenko lost all his hair and has suffered damage to all his internal organs. No ordinary rat poison for Kremlin enemies, no siree. Gotta add a little hot stuff to the mixed drink.

From the AP story, I guess Mr Litvinenko really pissed off Putin the Poisoner:

"Somebody has asked me directly, who is guilty of Anna's death? And I can directly answer you: It is Mr. Putin, president of the Russian Federation," Litvinenko told the Frontline media club in London in October.

Deny, deny

I am shocked and stunned. The Russian secret police, the FSB, are denying any poisonings. According to Moscow News they are saying it is all lies. What a laugh. Like they were going to come right out say, "Yes, this is our weapon of choice. We punish our enemies with secret liquids in their foods to maim and kill them." That's exactly the response I would expect from Putin the Poisoner.

Alexander Litvinenko was moved yesterday into critical care as his health took a down turn. But the FSB says it is "nonsense" that they would be involved. Russia must be the most ironic place on earth if all these enemies of the Kremlin just happen to get poisoned.

This reminds me of how the boyars tried to get rid of Rasputin in 1916. Rasputin was invited to the palace of one of Nicholas's cousins, Felix Yusopov. They first poisoned him and when that didn't work, they shot him. Even after being poisoned and shot, Rasputin was still alive. Sos Yusopov and his buddies dragged Raputin to the Neva River, chipped a hole in the ice and threw him in. When his body was discovered three days later, there was water in his lungs showing that he was still alive when he was tossed in the river.

I guess the modern Russian assasins have gotten more efficient.

Poisonous Putin

Since the name Vlad the Impaler has been taken, Vladimir Putin is going with Putin the Poisoner.

In further developments from the Anna Politskovskaya murder, a former member of the FSB (the modern KGB), Alexander Litvinenko, has been poisoned in London. According to the WaPo, Litvinenko has been investigating Politkovskaya's murder in Moscow last month. Now Litvenenko has been in a London hospital for two weeks and could die from the rat poison slipped to him during a meal.
Remember Politskovaya said she had been poisoned on her way to Chechnya last year. And here is where the circle gets completed in this Russian web: Litvinenko had written a book saying Putin had authorized the bombings of apartment buildings in Chechnya which started the second Chechen war. Politskovskaya had been covering both wars and had always maintained that Putin was responsible for starting the second Chechen war.

Also there was the case of the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko, the current President of Ukraine. Yushcenko, who was the anti-Kremlin candidate in the election, was taken ill during the campaign in what was later diagnosed as poisoning. Yuschenko's face was disfigured from the poisoning and remains scarred today.

In the Tuesday Post, the editorial board takes a well deserved whack at Putin and his buddy Bush not to mention Tony Blair who all happened to be together this weekend, dressed in their finest Vietnamese wardrobes.

We trust that the British authorities will vigorously investigate the attack on Mr. Litvinenko -- who is now a British citizen -- and that Prime Minister Tony Blair will take seriously the possibility that a colleague in the Group of Eight sanctioned a political murder attempt in London.

I guess now I will never get to go to Russia after writing all this online. Oh well, at least I can continue to honor Anna Politskovskaya and share the news. Too bad Putin, you poisoner, I hope you are about to get caught with your hand in the rat poison.

Ruby

This is a picture of one of my cats, Ruby.

Last night we came home and couldn't find her. She was at the neighbor's house because the neighbor's dogs had chased her and got a hold of her. I am posting this picture of her because Monday she will no longer have the tail shown in this picture. The dogs dislocated her tail and now it must be taken off. She will be a stub tail cat.

But at least she will still be with us and able to nuzzle me under my chin. And purr loudly and sit on my chest.

Focus!

Less than a week until Turkey Day. I've never been a big fan of consuming gross amounts of food on a special day but really enjoy the company, especially now that I am home with the familia. With all due respect to all my Jewish friends (especially the Silver family) I do love Christmas.

This time of the year also makes me want to forget about the idiot in chief and all his cronies for a while. I am trying a news vacation for big hunks of my day as opposed to the compulsive reading of every shred of news available, including reading the Moscow news. So I am reading books, putting more Christmas stuff out every day, planning the lights in the front of the house, figuring out which day to get our tree, measuring to put up the Christmas village, getting the cards ready to go. The list is very long and I enjoy every bit of it.

So while DC is agog over Nancy Pelosi supporting a candidate who didn't win for leadership, I think I will make ornaments. Plus has anyone else noticed that all of a sudden the punditry have become fashionistas. Who asked, after all, who she was wearing at her meeting with Bush, Chris Matthews? Armani, baby! But the press has been full of accounts of what colors the women are wearing and what labels. Puhlease, did Carrie Bradhsaw get elected? Is Jimmie Choo all the rage on Capitol Hill now? And what do these guys know about labels, anyway?

Me, at least acknowledge I learned it all (whatever that is) from Carrie Bradshaw but putting it on the pages of the Post is a bit much. Does anyone ask Harry Reid who he was wearing? OH, Rahm, who is your designer of choice, Hugo Boss? Sexism rears its pretty little head again to try and make the first speaker of the House a lot less important. So she backed a loser in the leadership race, who will care next week or even tomorrow? People died today in Iraq, I don't care what color Armani suit the woman wore.

Can we get a little perspective here?

My favorite time of the year is upon us and I need to stay focused, get a job, decorate the house, finish the buying and have a damn good time.

What next?

I see Trent Lott has been elected to Republican leadership again in the US Senate. That's nice, a return to idiotic, racist sentiments accidentally falling out of his mouth are in the future. This will translate well to African American outreach for the Thugs. In WaPo there are a number of reasons given for his resurrection from the Civil War dead, by all white politicians. The African Americans in Congress have a much better memory. People of color can remember what racism looks like and feels like since we deal with it every day. I especially like the forgiveness part in the story. Did anyone ask any African Americans if they forgave General Lee, I mean Senator Lott for what he said? Oh wait, I am sure the token balck Republican, JC Watts, forgave him.

Hard to believe next week is Thanksgiving. The week after that I am going to run off to Miami to hang with my Cuban home boys. Five days in Miami with gay Cubans, how awful! I will have to read the Miami Journal every day to be able to keep up once I get down there. But, oh, do I look good in a Florida tan.

Tuesday funnies

This is hilarious. The woman who is taking Tom DeLay's place in Congress for a whopping one month was sworn in today. That's right, she will be congresswoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs for about one month. According to the Washington Post she said:

"I'm working hard to accomplish the things I'm working for," she said yesterday. "For tax cuts. For immigration reform. To make sure we have a good solution for the war in Iraq."

Yep and I and I am going to wake up and be 5 foot 4. Read the whole article, it is downright side-splittin'.

So while I am on the subject of Tuesday funnies, here is Carla Marinucci with some tidbits from her trip to Mexico with Ahnold. My favorite tidbit, his set of favorite movies that he gave away in Mexico: "Doctor Zhivago,'' "Ben-Hur," "The Godfather," "Goodfellas," "The Sound of Music," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Twins." What a double feature -The Sound of Music and T2.

So my last funny is my own story. Today at BAWSI Rollers, we were waiting for the kids parents to pick them up. Sharon Kelleher who is my BAWSI boss and I had gone to a luncheon today where BAWSI got an award. Brandi Chastain was the keynote speaker. WE were talking about how fast she got back into shape after having a son in JUne. Sharon asked me if I had any ab muscles. I said "Yeah, Mexican abs, they stick out."

That's all for tonight, thank you everybody. Drive home safely.

Monday quarterbacking

The political scene continues to look like a hockey game which goes really fast with lots of hard contact.

As I predicted, Ken Mehlman, head of the Republican party, bit the dust. You can't preside over a massive loss like last week's ass kickin', lying the entire campaign and expect to keep your job. Then James Carville stepped up for, I would presume, the Clinton camp to pronounce the end of the Howard Dean era at the DNC. Oh my gawd the wailing over that statement, I thought someone was giving birth. But I have never been of the opinion that Dean would last all 4 years of his term and I believe that whoever becomes the Presidential candidate will replace Dean with his person.

Another thing, since this is my blog and I can say whatever I want, I have yet to see some proof that the 50 state strategy was the reason we won this election cycle. I would love to see some data with specific races and numbers to show that this DNC strategy was the reason for the win last week. I don't know that it was Schumer and Emmanuel who are responsible for the winds either but for gawd's sake, can we be a little data based here? The DNC strategy didn't shift the seat in NM-1 that had been hoped for, nor did Pombo lose here in Calif because of it so I am waiting to be convinced about how we got there.

In the meantime, Nancy Pelosi looks fabulous in Armani. I feel like the Dems are saying all the right stuff with the right attitude. Except now there seems to be a little bit of a problem with the leadership battles on our side. According to WaPo:

House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi's endorsement of Rep. John P. Murtha's bid for House majority leader set off a furor yesterday on Capitol Hill, with critics charging that she is undercutting her pledge to clean up corruption by backing a veteran lawmaker who they say has repeatedly skirted ethical boundaries.

Like I said, it's a hockey game.

Fidel Castro seems to be clinging to life. The Miami Herald is reporting he is dying of some version of cancer. The US government is always studying pictures of him for signs of impending doom and now the docs studying the pictures say he looks really sick. Like less than 18-months-left-to-live sick. We had a discussion about this yesterday and since my Cuban home boys have beat me about the head talking about Castro and the need for his reign to end, I was going for the quicker is better option. Jo thinks that there will be massive interference by the US government when Castro dies. While I don't disagree with her, I know there are Cubans on both sides of the issue and water on this. They should decide.

One good thing about these election results would be that I hopefully never have to lobby Florida Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtenin or the Diaz-Balart brothers for anything. I hated dealing with them and now, oops, they are in the minority. Yippeee, just like a hockey game.

I think I put enough sports metaphors in here to last a while.

Sunday thought

H/t to my buddy Kathy over at Birmingham Blues.

Another win!

Holy Crap I forgot to talk about my little brother, Evan Low! Evan worked a fabulous campaign for Campbell City Council and WON! Yes an API homosexual is now on the Campbell City Council. I am sure he is drunk with power, going from President of the Silicon Valley LGBT Dem Club to Queen of Campbell. I love him. Next step, get him on the DNC and going to all those queer elected meetings. Whoohooo!

Gay civil unions en Mexico

The Governator is in Mexico City on the same day the Mexico City assembly passed legislation allowing gay civil unions. Perfect. No fall of a centuries old civilization or riots in the streets, just equality. How ironic, how perfect. How unhappy the Catholic Church is. Ahh too bad.

Also there is election data about how Latinos paid back the ReThugs for all the talk about immigration. Talk about us like dogs, we'll vote for Dems. According to USA Today:

Republican gains among Hispanic voters evaporated in Tuesday's election, and some party leaders are blaming harsh rhetoric on immigration for the reversal.

Duh.

People on this side of the border don't know a lot about Mexico. As Ms Marinucci wrote today, Mexicans on el otro lado, the other side, hate the Governator. There are plenty of reason from that perspective including vetoing driver's licenses for undocumented people.

When I was working with AIDS organizations and LGBT groups in Ciudad Juarez on the border, I would give them big time props for the work they could accomplish in a small amount of time. One group, in a two month period, got their own radio show, got the Catholic Church to do a gay mass, started their own newsletter and were invited to sit on the Huma Rights Commission for the state of Chihuahua.

But yet, politicians have ignored the Latino community and do so at their own risk. Kerry spent a very small amount on Spanish language advertising in '04. His ads, at least in New Mexico, talked about Haliburton.

Dude, I have news for you. When a person is working 2 or 3 jobs, they don't give a shit about Haliburton.

On the other hand, Bush's ads talked about family values in the Latino community. Guess who won New Mexico?

So while Bush may have made some in roads in the past, it's all dust now. We don't forget nor should we. Ignore us at your own peril.

In the meantime, I guess it is time to get civil in Mexico City.

Que viva Mexico, viva.

New Senate

Here's some good reading. This is the list of all the new Senate Comittee Chairs starting in January.

Barbara Boxer in charge of Envirnoment and Public Works, Ted Kennedy in charge at Health and Education, oh MY GAWD! It just keeps getting better!

A landmark

I got a good lesson today on what the victories mean for us. My friend Bonny has a 12 year old son, Devon. Jo and I took Devon to his first political activity, we pushed his stroller in the Dyke March in Santa Cruz when he was less than a year old.

HE has NEVER seen a Democratic victory at the national level in his lifetime. And now he has seen it with his own eyes. YEAH BABY, we win the HOUSE and SENATE. Bush is toast.

Happy Day

A little bit of analysis as my brain is able to put things together.

It is very important to note that the overwhelming tide of anti-gay marriage amendments votes did not affect the outcome of the general election. The useful little referendums designed to bring out the homohaters who would also vote for homohating Republicans did not work. Period.

We didn't win most of those ballot measures but we did win in Arizona. We now have the model for what works, not just some theory. Enough with all the experts coming in from DC, locals now know how to win.

So what this also signals is the end of the slimy relationship with the R's and the radical conservatives. The bible thumpers are squealing today about the losses and blaming the cabal of Giulani/McCain/Romney for the losses. This is going to be an ugly break up. Bush won't be able to suck up to those conservative types anymore cus it's break up time. Just can't do it anymore.

And we have many unanswered questions now, too. Bush gave Rummy to boot over Cheney's apparent disapproval. So not only is Rummy out but now Bush is shoving Cheney out of the moving car. Bush didn't even slow the car down to push his ass out. And where does Rove end up now that his strategery has failed? I think Mehlman gets the next boot off the island and who knows who is next.

Just take a look at the new cast coming on to the stage. Bush Jr is starting to get close to Daddy's folks at the expense of Cheney and his thugs. The new guy at Defense is one of Daddy's home boys as is James Baker. Baker will be revealing the results of his Iraq Study group report any day now to keep the news cycle on the ReThugs. The Study Group will be filled with all kinds of wonderful stories and fables which will allow us to get out of Iraq in order to, once again, save Jr's ass. But at least there is a chance now to stop the madness and save some lives. Not to mention the joy of watching the political demise of Daddy Dobson and his ilk.

Oh happy day!

Hope

To papraphrase my old friend Jeep, if I was any happier, I'd have to be twins. We took the House, are inches away from winning the Senate, Rumsfeld has resigned and Bush looked like a bitchy queen on his press conference. I got to spend yesterday afternoon with the wheel chair kids, go to the Sharks game and see them win and Evan Low won for Campbell City Council.

Now if only I could find a job, ah, life would be perfect. But I know a lot of folks were waiting on tomorrow before moving ahead so I am hopeful. Actually I feel more than hopeful, excited about the future is more like it.

Despite everything that has gone on this year, I feel really good right now finishing up this year. I am going to go plant tulips, make appointments with electeds to help with BAWSI, help get an event together with Billie Jean King in April at Stanford and get a good job.

Latest reports have Tester winning in Montana so if we win VA, and the count is going the right way for us, we will have the Senate, too. I am too happy to write much snarky stuff cus....there is no reason to do so today! These victories come too infrequently so I will celebrate.

To life, hope and the future, cheers!

Tidal wave, I hope

Twas the night before the election and all through the House, Democrats were dancing but not in front of anyone else.

The numbers are wildly exciting, we look to kick the crap out the Rethugs tomorrow and take back the House. All the political reports say basically the same thing, Dems win between 25-35 seats, could be a tie in the Senate or we get the majority, 51-49. I can't stand it! What joy, what hope, what a chance to see justice in my lifetime.

The California Guv race is, as I have said, over. The Governator is probably the one high profile Dem who will win big tomorrow in a contested race. Of course that all depends on your definition of contested. Poor Angelides never got traction. In the Chronicle today, Ms Marinucci talks about a slice of gossip. The Governator could run for Senate against Barbara Boxer. Ok can't worry about that today. That contest will be in a few years.

In the meantime, vote, vote, vote. Go do something tomorrow. Don't look back on tomorrow with any regret.

I will be out waving yards signs around for known homosexual candidates, Evan Low for Campbell City Council and Clark Williams for San Jose City Council.

Also I will be posting California and New Mexico updates to Pam's House Blend. She will be part of the CNN blog reports tomorrow night. Also keep up on the blogs because I know we in the blogosphere will more up to date than the MSM.

I hope to see Ken mehlman's pants go up in flames tomorrow live.

And I can hear the wailing now, waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!

Too bad, big babies. Go change your diapers.

Missing Janet

As I get older, I realize I've met a lot of people in that time. some are just blips on the radar and some create a warm spot in the heart forever. Janet Hogan was one of those warm spots.

Yesterday I was reading the obits in the San Jose paper and there was her obit. I couldn;t believe it, I was so shocked and sad.

We used to work together at Seagate many moons ago. Then I ended up living with her and her twin sister, Annie, for a few years. They both are very. very special women.

Janet was diagnosed with brain cancer 5 weeks ago and died last week. Today was her service. After soccer I ran up to the mountains to go to the memorial. So many things were going through my head on the drive up about Janet and our times together.

She was such a gentle soul and always kind to me. She and Annie helped me through some rough times, took me in and gave me a family when I didn't have one.

They helped me make one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make, to give up my dog. Since I was so lacking in resources in those days, physical,mental and spiritual, they knew my dog needed a real home, something I couldn't give him. But they were there for me with lots of love and hugs after I gave him away. That must be why I have so many dogs now, to make up for that loss.

I hadn't seen in her years but thought of her often, always lovingly. She showed me how to love animals, be kind to other beings, how to enjoy life in simpler terms. Janet also put up a newspaper headline on the fridge, Thousands Flee as Gloria Approaches, for Hurricane Gloria. I loved hanging out with her and laughing, talking about books and life, carrying on like a couple of crazy girls. We all went to reggae concerts, listened to music, read books at the dinner table.

Funny how I usually want to hide out with grief. But today it is telling the story of Janet Hogan and how I loved my friend and the world is a little less bright with her passing.

I'll miss you.

Post Halloween

Here's a sweet story about the history of Halloween in the Castro. In those years I had wanted to go to the Castro but somehow got stuck in the wildness of Santa Cruz and Halloween there. Now both places are way too violent to even take a chance.

But back in the day in Santa Cruz, what a great time I had cruising the downtown on Halloween weekend. There were hundreds of people out on the sidewalks and there were a couple of big time costume contests happening so the sheer imagination of contestants was mind blowing. Of course, back in those days, that was the point-to not have a mind by Sunday morning. It was festive, fun and made up of community people. Now there are stabbings, gun fire and various other forms of mayhem that have become Halloween. It's almost like New Year's Eve, strictly amateur hour.

The Sharks lost tonight, the last weekend before the elections in upon us with more crap to be dumped on us by desperate candidates from a desperate party. I think I will play soccer and read, pretend like none of this is happening.

La Historia

My grandfather was an immigrant from Mexico. When he became a citizen, he insisted the whole family drive all the way to freakin Austin, the state capital, from little Del Rio on the border. He said they all needed to see the capital of their state.

After sight seeing, the family went to a local restaurant. There they were told that citizens or not, the restaurant was not going to serve them because they were Mexican. My grandmother's head almost blew off her shoulders she was so mad.

So what has changed, 60 years later? Mexicans are still the problem, whether we have papers or not. There is a need to build a fence, apparently, to keep out all those people busing tables and washing cars. Oh, one minor detail, stupid ass Bush didn't make sure it was funded. That would require some seriousness on his part as opposed to just giving cover to his buddies. This way they can say they are tough on immigration without really doing anything or having it cost anything. Most Americans won't even know they have lied to on this one, too.

Tomorrow is Day of the Dead for those of us who follow the traditions. So the other day I went to a Mexican store to get some needed items. My mom told me about a fellow who used to work for my grandfather many, many years ago and Jose now owns a store out where I was headed.

Jose was the man who brought the statue of St Jude from Mexico for my grandfather's grave. A few years after the placement of the statue, some thug stole the statue from the headstone, leaving only the feet. It has been like that since.

So I went to see Jose. I introduced myself and asked for his help. The statue needed to be replaced, to honor both my grandparents' memories. He was leaving for Mexico this week. He promised to get the statue for me.

I couldn't stop crying when I talked to him and I have no idea why. Except that tomorrow when I go to clean up their graves and put flores there for them, I know that I will have kept the promise I made a long time ago. The grave will be complete again soon.

My grandfather was the one who took me to see JFK in the JC Penney's parking lot in San Jose. He was the one who lost his job when he was accused of stealing from his job. After all, what Mexicans could afford to send their son to Norte Dame without stealing?

Next Tuesday when I go to vote, I'll remember him when I vote for all the Democrats. I'll offer a kind thought to the man who had enough pride to want something better for all of us and put up with the indignities he suffered for being brown. And someday soon I will see St Jude standing over his resting place and thank him for the gifts he gave all of us.