Volume 2 Issue 25, Dec. 10, 2021
Removal of the George Washington bust from the City Plaza
By MAS HASHIMOTO


< Before the removal of the George Washington bust.
Photo by TARMO HANNULA
 
The bust of George Washington has been removed from the Watsonville City Plaza where many believed it did not belong according to the wishes and deed of Don Sebastian Rodriguez who donated the parcel to the city in 1860. The bust is to be relocated to the City of Watsonville’s Library where all can enjoy it. We thank the Alaga family for the donation of the bust. 

There is no denying that George Washington was a great general of the American Revolutionary War and a first great President of the United States under the Constitution. 

As the presiding officer of the Second Continental Congress, John Hancock of Massachusetts was the very first President of the United States. This Second Continental Congress declared our independence from Great Britain on July 2, 1776, the true birthday of the United States. 

On July 4, the final wording of a document nicknamed, “The Declaration of Independence,” was approved. The official title is: IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America. Note the small “u” for united. We weren’t united then. Many today believe we are far from being united. This separation may be of design. 

John Hancock and the delegates did not sign their names to “The Declaration of Independence” until August 2, 1776, when the printer delivered the document. The fifty-six delegates who signed over the many years were courageous for they were committing treason. The Second Continental Congress successfully conducted the Revolutionary War. 

Our second government, The Articles of Confederation (1781-1789), a loose association of the states, was basically powerless. Presidents were elected annually, and eight men were to serve. The first was John Hanson of Maryland. Some consider Hanson as the first president of the United States. 

A convention was called to revise the Articles. Instead, the delegates exceeded their authority by writing an entirely new Constitution and government. One may, therefore, conclude this Constitution to be unconstitutional. 
The delegates were sworn to secrecy so what they said or didn’t say would not be held against them during their lifetime. When the last delegate died 50 years after the convention, the minutes were published. Only then, did we learn of the framers’ belief in the concept of “separation of church and state.” A neutral posture was favored regarding religion -- that the government should have no power to influence its citizens toward or away from a religion. The word, “religion,” does not appear in the Constitution proper.

This principle of separating church from state was integral to the framers’ understanding of religious freedom. They believed that any governmental intervention in the religious affairs of citizens would necessarily infringe on their religious freedom. Thus, the Constitution had maintained a general silence on the subject save for two instances. 

The first instance, in Article VI, is a proscription of any religious test as a requisite qualification for public service: "The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and all the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution: but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” (emphasis added) 

The President then takes this oath from Article II, Section 1: “Before he enter (sic) on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” 

George Washington swore his oath of office on April 30, 1789 in New York City. His hand was not placed on the Constitution but on an open Bible (as a Freemason, a Bible was presented to Washington on loan from St. Johns Masonic Lodge No. 1, Ancient York Masons, the pages displaying Chapters 49-50 of Genesis, a section chosen at random), and he then added these four words“So help me God.”

Note: Freemasons had to believe in a “Supreme Being.” Watsonville’s Masonic Temple, which was located at the corner of Maple Avenue and Union Street, was destroyed by the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989. Today, it is a parking lot. 

Thereby a tradition of placing a hand on a Bible and adding those four words to the oath became standard procedure for most presidents. It would have been better if Washington had placed his hand on the Constitution -- or a dictionary defining harmony or a cookbook opened to a recipe for unity. 

Whether it was deliberate, Washington’s four additional words negated the work of the delegates, modified the Constitution, its practices, and this nation’s well-being. 

The second instance is in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights (1791), which contains clauses that prescribe the government's relationship with religion. First, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” “Establishment of religion” means an official government religion. 

While the establishment clause functions as a way of assuring that the federal government will not adopt any stance in favor of or against any religion, the Supreme Court and the other two branches have entertained a certain degree of government involvement in religion. Federal and state governments have not been completely neutral to religious practices as required by the Constitution. 

The free exercise clause protects an individual's right not only to believe what he or she would like but also to practice it. The clause protects individuals from laws that would expressly inhibit them from engaging in religious practices. 
No individual right or freedom is absolute. How they are applied depends on how it affects the rights and freedoms of others. 

Fast forward. The clash between freedom of religion and “godless” Communism begins. The first “Red Scare” against Communism, 1919-1920, took place when the US Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer’s raids involved the deporting of Jews and “godless” Communists without charges or trial. Many who visited their friends in custody were arrested and deported, too. 
The second “Red Scare” began as World War II ended in Europe. The Berlin Airlift (1948-1949), the spying trial (1951) of atomic secrets for the Russians by the Rosenberg’s, and the invasion by Communist North Korea into South Korea that took place from 1950-2021—our longest war for we have only an armistice). Coupled was the period of McCarthyism (US Senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin), the practice of making accusations of subversion and treason against suspected Communists without evidence. Included would be the House of Representatives’ Un-American Activities Committee hearings. 
During this period, also known as the “Cold War,” several Christian groups were most vocal against “godless” Communism. 

So, what has this got to do with Washington’s four words? 

On June 14, 1954, Flag Day, in response to America's Cold War against “godless” Soviet Communism and the Communist Chinese, Congress approved the addition of the words "under God" to the “Pledge of Allegiance.” The Knights of Columbus and other Christian groups lobbied for the two additional words. In June 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously to keep "under God" in the Pledge. 

The National JACL protested the additional words and received favorable support from the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Recently, United States Congress, Elk Grove Unified School District, et al. in 2000, led to a 2002 ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that the words "under God in the “Pledge of Allegiance” are an endorsement of religion and, therefore, violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

There have been too many violations, including government funding to private religious schools and religious medical facilities, of the concept of separation of church and state in this country and by the three separate branches of the government, to list here.

We can include another concern. Congress passed a resolution in 1956 adopting, "In God We Trust," as an official motto. It replaced E Pluribus Unum, Latin for "from many, one." Never codified by law, E Pluribus Unum was considered the de facto motto of the United States and was featured on our currency. It has been replaced with,“In God We Trust.” Note these four words on the back of our currency, the one dollar bill. If E Pluribus Unum is no longer applicable, is it now “from many, which one”? White? 

At this time of the writing in October, the US Supreme Court is deciding on a number of cases that will place religious implications upon us. If this nation is to become religiously free, will it need, “So help us, God”? 

ps The Treasury Department has coined new quarters featuring outstanding women and E Pluribus Unum
Warming Center Report
By BRENT ADAMS

It’s our commitment that everyone sleeping outside has what they need to be warm at night. This will be our eighth year providing a pop-up shelter, yet many will choose to stay in their tents even on the coldest nights. Hypothermia is a constant threat for those isolating in this way.

In addition to providing a coldest nights’ shelter, we also stock and distribute more than 1,000 blankets, thousands of hand warmers, gloves, beanies, and warm clothing. We’ll also distribute 100 tents and several hundred rain tarps.

This winter, our Santa Cruz Gives fundraising campaign is specifically focused on reducing hypothermia. Please donate to help us affirm this commitment.

Contacts: (831) 588-9892, warmingcenterprogram@gmail.com
Petition Against Harm Reduction Rejected in Court
By DANI DRYSDALE AND DENISE ELERICK

Harm Reduction Coalition of Santa Cruz County just released some incredible news regarding a lawsuit against us; on Monday evening, the Superior Court of Sacramento Judge, the Honorable Laurie M. Earl released her final ruling on the entirety of the California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, and procedural claims. She rejected the petition outright and gave detailed legal arguments for her conclusions.

The lawsuit was brought forward on December 8, 2020 by a group of local plaintiffs, that alleged that HRCSCC and California Department of Public Health, CDPH, had failed to properly follow procedural guidelines including CEQA, as well as alleging that HRCSCC’s services constituted a public nuisance. While it's unclear what will happen with the public nuisance piece, the core of the lawsuit is now decided. 

The “group” that was suing Harm Reduction is composed of David Terrazas,
Gabrielle Korte of Take Back Santa Cruz, Renee Golder, Kevin Vogel, Melissa Freebairn and Johnny Font. The status of the group, called the Grant Park Neighborhood Association Advocates, was question by the the court mention was of the fact that this organization may not be a neighborhood association. 
 
This is a massive victory for us. We have wasted so much time having our resources drained by this lawsuit and being forced to turn our attention away from the fight against HIV, COVID-19, hepatitis, overdoses, and all of the other harms our participants experience. This lawsuit was filed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic against two organizations already working around the clock fighting its spread. I could not be more relieved to see the core causes of action be rejected completely as we have actual work to do for our community.
 
The lawsuit itself contained several pieces, with the main claim centered around the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA. This law was passed in 1970 to give the public more tools with which to hold developers and government agencies accountable to environmental standards and impacts when building new projects. CEQA is generally used to challenge government approvals for things like sports stadiums and housing developments, not social service programs like HRCSCC. 
 
Over the past two years some anti-homeless advocates have begun bringing lawsuits against homeless shelters and Syringe Services Programs. CEQA lawsuits have been used to harass SSPs across the state, notably leading to full closures of programs similar to HRCSCC in Chico and Orange County. 
 
Moving forward, there’s a chance this lawsuit continues with the public nuisance claim, but CEQA was the meat here. There’s a huge burden of proof that the plaintiffs have been unable to prove, and we don’t see a way forward for them on the much tougher public nuisance claim. So we are very happy with this outcome, and we are entirely optimistic about the future.
 
It’s hard to calculate exactly how much damage this did, but despite all of the time and money we have been forced to waste on this lawsuit, the fact is that we are coming into the new year with more people, more funding, more services, and a huge weight off of our shoulders.

As always we would deeply appreciate donations to support our work, and of course more volunteers to keep our program thriving over this holiday season. Stay tuned for even more good news in the coming weeks!
Letters to the editor
Editor's Note: Serf City welcome comments. Send comments, poetry, art and articles to coluyaki@gmail.com

Dear Editor,
There's no place to reply to Keith McHenry; that's unfortunate. In his article he seems to have gone from being rational in that he was happy to be vaccinated to irrationality as he began to question evil forces, and he doesn't explain himself with any facts -- just "so and so said" type of information. He has no data. All he has to do is look at the US; the states that are unvaccinated have a high death rate. East Germany has a high death rate while west Germany, vaccinated, does not. There is data from the whole world. Keith comes across as paranoid in that he mentions corporate evil, capitalism, and the CIA. These are the usual suspects. Of course there are problems with unbridled capitalism but to claim a massive worldwide conspiracy against the human race regarding vaccinations, wow, it's over the top to say the least. It seems he changed his mind because some friends got to him. Please pass this on to him. Thanks, Lynn Simons

Dear Editor,
Looks great, and I’ll just say thanks for running Keith's letter. As you may know, the progressives in this town are trying to pull together, but their restrictions around covid are excluding key community members. He’s saying here that Simpkins does not demand covid screening...gosh I guess that means the progressives organizing things set that up.
 
Sorry to be venting on you...but when I see things like this covid camp in Australia I know that big things are coming. This camp (see below) doesn’t look like it was built to be taken down any time soon. If progressives cannot find some way to hang together, they will hang separately. Thanks for all you do.
Russell Brutsché
If I agree to dispose of any part of our land to the white people I would feel guilty of taking food away from our children's mouths, and I do not wish to be that mean

Sitting Bull
.
Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A cinnamon teal cruises the waters of Struve Slough in Watsonville.
Santa Cruz County Covid-19 Report
By SARAH RINGLER

The Santa Cruz County Health Department regularly releases data on the current status of Covid-19 in the county. The number of cases on Thursday, Dec. 9, totaled 21,446 up 322, from Dec. 2. The number of deaths has stayed the same at 224. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.

There have been few changes in the last two weeks. Active cases in south county rose 4%. Mid county stayed the same and north county decreased by 3%. See details in the chart below.

On the county's vaccination webpage, as of Dec. 5, 75% of the county have had at least one dose and 69% have had two doses. Cases with two doses rose 1 % since Nov. 29. Here are more details on the county's vaccination data

This webpage also has a link where you can get a digital copy and scannable QR code of your vaccination record. Keep track of your four digit code because that is your access to the site.

The county's Effective Reproductive Number is above one as it has been since Nov. 17. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.

There are many COVID-19 testing locations around the county and a few sites have free testing. For information on how to get tested, visit this site. Click here to make an appointment to get tested.

Any Californian age 12 or up can get vaccinated for free. For information on getting vaccinated, click here.
% deaths by ethnicity:
White - 55% 
Latinx - 37%
Black - 1% 
Asian - 7%
American Native - 1%
Unknown - 1%

% deaths by gender/% of population:
Female - 49%/50% 
Male - 51%/50% 

Deaths by age/224:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 1%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 18%
75-84 - 21%
85+ - 44%

% active cases testing positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 12%/12% 
North county - 62%/56% 
South county - 23%/32% 
Under investigation - 3%
 
Weekly increases in positive tests: 
June 12-19 - 7% 
June 19-26 - 23%
June 26 to July 3 - 22%
July 3-9 - 23%
July 9-16 - 40%
July 16-23 - 20%
July 23-30 - 27%
July 30-Aug. 6 - 13%
Aug. 6-13- 12%
Aug.14-20 - 16%
Aug.20-28 - 10%
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 - 10%
Sept. 3-10 - 6%
Sept. 10-17- 8% 
Sept. 17-24 - 7%
Sept. 25- Oct.1 - 5%
Oct. 1 - 9 - 4%
Oct. 9-15 - 4%
Oct. 15-22 - 5%
Oct. 23-29 - 4%
Oct. 30-Nov. 5 - 6%
Nov. 5-12 - 10%
Nov. 12-19 - 11%
Nov. 19-26 - holiday
Nov. 19-Dec. 3 - 29% 2 weeks of data for this week only
Dec. 3-10 - 16%
Dec. 10-17 - 17%
Dec. 17-24 - 14%
Dec. 24-31 - 19%
Jan. 1-7 - 13%
Jan. 7-14 - 14%
Jan. 15-21 - 11%
Jan. 21-28 - 5%
Jan. 28-Feb. 4 - 5%
Feb. 5-11 - 2%
Feb. 11-18 - 2%
Feb. 18-25 - 1%
Feb. 25-March 5 - 1%
March 5-11 - 1%
March 11-18 - 2%
March 18-25 - .5%
March 25 - Apr. 1 - .7%
Apr. 1-8 - 0.1%
Apr. 9-15 - 1%
Apr. 16-22 - 2%
Apr. 22-30 - 2%
Apr. 30 - May 6 - .3%
May 6-13 - 2%
May 13-20 - 0%
May 24 - Data readjustment by county means percentages cannot be calculated this week.
May 27 - June 3 - 0%
June 3-10 - 0%
June 11-17 - .25%
June 18-24 - 0%
June 25-July 1 - 0%
July 2-8 - .3%
July 9-15 - .2%
July 16-22 - .5%
July 23-29 - 1.2%
July 30-Aug. 5 - 2%
Aug. 6-12 - .7%
Aug.13-19 - 4%
Aug. 20-26 - .7%
Aug. 26-Sept. 2 - 3%
Sept. 2-9 - 2%
Sept. 10-16 - 1%
Sept. 17-22 - 1%
Sept. 23-30 - 2%
Oct. 1-7 - 0%
Oct. 8-14 - 1%
Oct. 15-21 - 1%
Oct. 22-28 - 1%
Oct. 29-Nov. 4 - 1%
Nov. 5-11 - 1%
Nov. 12-18 - 2%
Nov. 19 - Dec. 2 - 2 weeks 2%
Dec. 2-9 - 2%
Photo by TARMO HANNULA 
Fashion Street - Big Foot in Royal Oaks
A wood cut-out of Big Foot is shown in the yard of a Lewis Rod home in Royal Oaks.
Labor History Calendar for December 3-9, 2021:

Dec. 10, 1886: American Federation of Labor formed. 
Dec. 10, 1906: First sit-down strike in US called by IWW at General Electric in Schenectady, NY. 
Dec. 11, 1995: 40,000 workers strike in London, Ontario to protest cuts in social programs and labor rights. 
Dec. 12, 1995: 1.5 million march across France to protest austerity plans; the government agrees to negotiate.
Dec. 12, 2011: Occupy pickets close West Coast ports in solidarity with Longview, Washington workers. 
Dec. 13, 1917: Broken Hill strikers seize mine in Australia.
Dec. 13, 1981: Martial law declared in Poland; Solidarnosc suppressed. 
Dec. 13, 1995: 60,000 march in Brussels against austerity.
Dec. 14, 1852: Daniel DeLeon born, helped found IWW.
Dec. 14, 1992: 300,000 coal miners strike against “Solidarity” government in Poland.
Dec. 15, 1890: Ogala Sioux chief Sitting Bull killed.
Dec. 15, 1918: Textile workers strike for 8-hour day in Lima, Peru.
Dec, 16, 1970: Polish workers rebel against high prices, over 50 killed. 

Labor History Calendar has been published yearly by the Hungarian Literature Fund since 1985.
Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Black Sesame Lace Cookies
By SARAH RINGLER                            

 Resembling translucent glass windows spotted with specks of black sesame seeds, these delicate cookies are a sweet and illusive treat. They are as light as air and are not so much eaten as absorbed on the tongue. It is only the tiny sesame seeds that toast up as they are baked, that provide substance.

This particular recipe, as there are many kinds of lace cookies, is from “Flour,” a 2010 cookbook by Joanne Chang and Christie Matheson. Like all lace cookies, there is a lot of butter and sugar, but not much flour. When baked they really spread out so the biggest challenge is, if you want round cookies, you need a baking sheet that is very flat and sturdy. I tried to make the balls of dough as small as possible and spread them out far from each other so they didn’t stick together. As you can see from the photograph, they insisted on creating their own form. Also, use a rimmed pan in case the dough melts off the sides of the pan onto the bottom of your oven, not a pleasant cleaning task. 

The dough can be refrigerated for up to a week so you don’t have to bake them all at once. 
 

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon orange zest (from about half an unwaxed orange)
1/3 cup fresh orange juice, from about one and a half oranges
3 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds
 
In a large bowl, beat the butter until it is fluffy and pale yellow; this takes about two minutes by electric beater and about three minutes by hand. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat together for an additional minute, until fully blended.

If you are using an electric beater, reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour and orange zest until just combined. Pour in the juice and stir for about thirty seconds. Add the sesame seeds and stir a few times. The mixture will firm up when it is refrigerated. 

Transfer the dough to an airtight container. It needs to be refrigerated for at least four hours, or for up to a week.

When you are ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a very flat cookie sheet with parchment paper. It’s important that the sheet has a rim and is really flat if you want individual, mostly round cookies. The rim keeps melted dough from spilling on to your oven. 

Take the cookie dough from the refrigerator and pinch off or scoop rounded spoons of dough about the size of a small playing marble. Place each dough ball at least three inches from its neighbors. I put six cookies per sheet, in staggered rows. Return unbaked dough back to the refrigerator. Makes about 3 dozen. 

Bake for 14 to 16 minutes until the cookies are uniformly caramel-colored. If you are baking two pans at a time, switch levels half way through. Leave cookies on their cookie sheet to cool. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days. Make sure the cookie pan is completely cool if you are going to reuse it to bake another batch.  
Your story, poetry or art here: Please submit a story, poem or photo of your art that you think would be of interest to the people of Santa Cruz County. Try and keep the word count to around 400. Also, there should be suggested actions if this is a political issue. Submit to coluyaki@gmail.com

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Thanks, Sarah Ringler
Welcome to Serf City Times Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feeling left out. Housing affordability, racism and low wages are the most obvious factors. However, many groups and individuals in Santa Cruz County work tirelessly to make our county a better place for everyone. These people work on the environment, housing, economic justice, health, criminal justice, disability rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, transportation, workers’ rights, education reform, gender issues, equity issues, electoral politics and more. Often, one group doesn’t know what another is doing. The Serf City Times is dedicated to serving as a clearinghouse for those issues by letting you know what is going on, what actions you can take and how you can support these groups.This is a self-funded enterprise and all work is volunteer. 
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