Lights banish the darkness of war

By KEN KOHLER

A candlelight vigil at the Acacia Cemetery on Sunday April 13 banished some of the darkness of war. It was a vigil for peace, not just celebrating the end of the war in Iraq but hopefully the end of all war.

For an hour, about 30 people came together to meditate on a better world, each holding a candle to cast light rather than let darkness reign. The candles reflected what was in each person's heart and soul. All across the world, such vigils are being held.  We are becoming united as a world, perhaps as never before, to speak out against war and all violence everywhere whether by nations or by individuals.

 It was heartening to hear many cars on Scenic Drive honk in support of our vigil. Although we were small in number we clearly reflected the feelings of many more.

Some of those who kept vigil also held American flags. Patriotism and peace support are compatible. We want all soldiers home safely.

Our vigil was against all who act aggressively. Without a peaceful world there can no democracy, no capitalism, no growing-up of children and no environment worth having. We stood there for the future of all children, for the future of our world.

I ask that all who share the sentiments expressed here keep vigil in their homes and in their hearts. We do have the power to banish the darkness and make a better world.

Cordova appointed to Superior Court bench

By SOLANGE GONCALVES ALTMAN

Ricardo Cordova's parochial school teachers recognized his compassion and desire to serve the less fortunate. They told him he should become a priest. He decided he wanted to be a lawyer instead. The Catholic church's loss is Stanislaus County Superior Court's gain. Cordova, appointed by Governor Gray Davis to fill the superior court vacancy left by retiring judge, Glen Ritchie, was sworn in on April 16th. He is only the second Hispanic to hold a Superior Court judge position in Stanislaus County's history.

Cordova's legal career has been marked by community service. After earning his law degree in 1979 from U. C. Davis School of Law, he joined the California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) in Modesto as a staff attorney.

Many of the cases brought by CRLA in the 1970's addressed farm labor issues championed by Caesar Chavez, one of Cordova's heroes. Cordova's own father had struck as a steelworker in Southern California. In order to honor the picket line, he was forced to take a job at McDonald's to feed his family to the horror of his teenage son. Upon finishing law school, Cordova now understood the extent of his father's integrity and sacrifice. He planned to use his degree to represent farm workers with labor issues at CRLA.

But CRLA had other plans for him. Cordova was assigned housing issues. He advocated for increased low-income housing for farm workers as well as senior citizens and others. He was part of the litigation team that resolved the Modesto Redevelopment Agency's failure to adequately provide for low income housing in its plan.

He joined GOAL (GROWTH, ORDERLY, AFFORDABLE, LIVEABLE) to enhance his knowledge of local land use policy and decision making to become a more effective advocate, and became interested in issues relating to the entire community.

In 1996 he was appointed to the Modesto Board of Education after retired educator, Frank Jeans, passed away. Cordova and his wife, Jane Manley, a bi-lingual teacher for Modesto City Schools, were active parent volunteers in their two daughters' classes at Fremont Elementary's Open Plan. Cordova sought the appointment as a way to become further involved in the Modesto community, and to make a difference in the education of not only his children, but of the underprivileged and non-English speaking as well.

In 1995 Cordova left CRLA to join the Stanislaus County Public Defender's office to defend indigent persons being criminally prosecuted. He was undaunted by the challenge of learning a new area of law. As a deputy public defender he has handled numerous criminal trials. Quick on his feet, with a relaxed manner, juries like him. Shortly after becoming a public defender he would rattle off his trial statistics like the standings of his beloved Dodgers in response to queries about his new job by friends. He has worked his way up to be second in command of the office.

Cordova brings 24 years of community service to the bench. According to Megan Gowans, President of the Modesto Teacher's Association, "During his seven years on the school board Cordova has brought a great degree of leadership. He has the ability to find common ground. He has shown a deep respect for different points of view."

With these qualities Cordova will make a fine judge ."

Jane Manley: Outstanding Woman

By NANCY SMITH

On March 22, 2003, at its annual dinner, the Stanislaus County Commission on Women honored Jane Manley as one of Stanislaus County’s ten outstanding women for 2003. Jane, a long-time member of the Modesto Peace Life Center, is truly deserving of this honor. Jane has been active in many different community activities through the years, from the Stanislaus County Interfaith Committee for Latin America to the Fremont Open Plan Parent Advisory Group. However, Jane’s work on the Board of Directors of the Haven Women’s Center from 1996-2001 demonstrated her concern for the women of Stanislaus County and her commitment to active participation in an organization devoted to serving the women of our county and led to this honor. Jane served as President of the Haven Board of Directors during a difficult transition period, at a time when the Board was particularly involved in the management of the Haven, and Jane was instrumental in ensuring that it emerged as a stable, well-run organization.

Jane grew up in Sunnyvale. She received her BA degree from the University of California at Davis in 1976, and her teaching credential from California State University Sacramento in May 1979. Jane attended the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico from 1975-76, through the University of California education abroad program. She was also a Fulbright Scholar of the California State Department of Education’s Social Studies Seminar in Modern India from June-August 1981.

Jane is married to Ricardo Cordova, who has just been appointed to the Superior Court of Stanislaus County. They have been married for 21 years and have two children, Mariana and Emily.

Jane is bilingual in Spanish and is currently working in the English Learner Program of Modesto City Schools, K-6. She has worked in Modesto City Schools for more than twenty years, both as a teacher and in the district’s bilingual/English learner programs. She is currently working on her master of arts in education and her administrative credential at California State University, Stanislaus and plans to return to the classroom in the near future and eventually looks forward to the challenge of serving as an elementary school principal for the district.

Jane’s involvement in the community includes a number of years on the Fremont Open Plan parent group. She devoted countless hours involving parents in the educational process at Fremont and making the parent advisory group a vital force in the Open Plan Program. Particularly important was Jane’s work on the Tour Committee, which acquainted prospective parents with the Open Plan educational philosophy and which recruited new families for Open Plan. Jane is also a member of the League of Women Voters. She has been involved in a number of local political campaigns, including those of Ricardo, who until early April, sat on the Modesto City Schools Board of Education. Jane is a member of the Stanislaus County Commission for Women, serving on the Dinner Committee and currently as the group’s newsletter editor. One of her many activities was her leadership of her daughter Mariana’s Girl Scout troop.

Jane is an effective administrator, board member and contributor to many groups because she is so well-organized and follows through on all of her commitments. She is excellent at working with all different kinds of people and brings a love of children and an enthusiasm for their education and well-being to her work as a bilingual educator and as a parent and friend. As a friend, I can attest that Jane is one of the most giving and caring people I know. She is thoughtful and always makes time for her friends, even when her own schedule is hectic.

Jane’s remarks at the dinner gave further evidence of why she was chosen for this honor. She spoke inspiringly of the “women who received this honor before” and of the women “who will follow me.” She also noted “there are hundreds of others who will never be recognized, but they volunteer for committees, work in their children’s schools, march for peace, or bring comfort to those who are ill or distressed. They are here in this room, in our community, and all over our world. I honor them tonight.” Jane spoke lovingly of friends and family, especially of her mother, “whose example of hard work and dedication, along with gentle love and enduring forgiveness” was Jane’s inspiration.

We have all counted on Jane to fill many roles in our community; this honor recognizes how well she has done so. I am sure that she will continue to do so in the years to come.

Cardoza's vote on military aid to Colombia  

Background: Along with some $60 billion for the Iraq war, the Bush Administration snuck money into the Iraq supplemental bill — which passed Congress last week —to fund militaries in number of other countries. The bill included $105 million in military aid to Colombia, on top of the $500 million it have already received for this year. 

Human rights activists and members of Congress were concerned due in part to continued ties between the Colombian military and brutal paramilitary groups, who regularly massacre civilians. Reps. McGovern (D-MA), Skelton (D-MO), and DeLauro (D-CT) offered an amendment to eliminate $61 million of this aid and transfer the money into a program to support local first-responders, such as police officers and firefighters.

The amendment was defeated by a vote of 209-216. Despite the loss, this was the first time that over 200 members of Congress have voted against military aid to Colombia.

ACTION: Rep. Dennis Cardoza was one of only ten Democrats to vote against the amendment, and the only new Democrat to do so. Express concern over his vote by calling 209-383-4455 (Merced) or 209-527-1914 (Modesto) or his DC office, 202-225-6131.

Voucher threats are back
By VASU MURTY

Vouchers for private and religious schools threaten church-state separation and public education. Here are some reasons why vouchers must be opposed:

Vouchers do not spur academic improvement. Objective studies of existing voucher programs in the country have shown little or no scholastic improvement for voucher students.

Many state constitutions contain strict prohibitions on public aid for religious institutions. While the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on the legality of vouchers in relation to the federal Constitution, lawmakers nationwide still need to consider state law. The majority of states have constitutions that strictly limit any public aid for religious ministries.

Most private religious schools consider promoting religion as their chief goal. They often saturate all aspects of the curriculum with sectarian messages. Some church leaders use private schools to win new members and evangelize families. Taxpayers should not be forced to fund these clearly religious goals through voucher plans.

Vouchers do not help poor families. Most vouchers are worth $1,500 to $3,000, yet private-school tuition can easily top $10,000 per year. Poor families would have no way to make up the difference. In Cleveland, a study showed that 33 percent of the families participating in the voucher plan had been sending their children to private schools before the program was implemented. Vouchers can easily end up becoming a subsidy for families who desire a private education at taxpayer expense.

Vouchers allow taxpayer funding of religious schools that teach intolerance and practice discrimination. Some religious schools teach and practice the subordination of women, discriminate in hiring and promote intolerance against other religions and against sexual minorities.

Vouchers detract from real school reform. Public education in some parts of the nation is troubled. Studies show what these schools need—smaller class sizes and greater resources. Vouchers detract from the goal of finding ways to give all students a quality education by offering a small number an opportunity to leave public schools. Ninety percent of American children attend public schools. Reform efforts must focus on helping everyone, not just a handful.

Many members of minority groups do not support vouchers. In 2000, citizens in California and Michigan voted on voucher proposals. Both were trounced—71 percent to 29 percent in California and 69 percent to 31 percent in Michigan. In California, polls showed that Hispanic voters were especially adamant in their rejection of the plan, voting 77 percent to 23 percent. African-American voters in California rejected vouchers 68 percent to 32 percent. In Michigan, blacks voted down vouchers 72 percent to 28 percent.

Vouchers are part of a larger scheme to abolish public education. Religious Right leader Jerry Falwell said, “I hope to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we don’t have public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them.” When asked about the dangers vouchers pose to public schools, Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson said, “Let them go out of business and nobody would miss them.”

ACTION: For information contact: Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 518 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002