Volume 2 Issue 41, April 8, 2022 View as Webpage
Life, Liberty, and Estate ... er, Pursuit of Happiness 
By MAS HASHIMOTO 

This Natural Life Philosophy by John Locke, an English philosopher (1632-1704), is a relatively new concept in history. Locke conceptualized that everyone was entitled to "Life, Liberty, Estate (property)" as natural and inalienable rights: 

Life: everyone is entitled to live.

Liberty: everyone is entitled to do anything they want to so long as it doesn't conflict with the first right.

Estate (property): everyone is entitled to own all they create or gain through gift or trade so long as it doesn't conflict with the first two rights.

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, inserted it: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” 

Jefferson substituted “Estate/Property” with “Pursuit of Happiness” for “Property” was too materialistic. One’s happiness may be obtaining property, perhaps more slaves. 

Interestingly, Jefferson ended the document with another series: “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” What last thought was to be the most important? Honor. In a series, the least important is placed in the middle, “Liberty/Fortune,” and with the most important at the very end,“ Property/Honor.”

Centuries before the concept that government was a contract between the governed and those governing, there was the “Divine Right of Kings,” which postulates that a monarch receives his power directly from God and that he cannot be questioned. The monarch has absolute authority over people’s lives and is only accountable to God. A close, mutually beneficial understanding and relationship has existed between the monarchy and the Church. It is not known exactly where or when this came into practice. 

One historic reference: ”Then Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.” 

Fast forward to June 15, 1215 at Runnymede when King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Carta, ”Great Charter,” by which he was to share authority with the property-owning barons and with the promise of protecting the Church. 

The Magna Carta was arguably the most significant early influence on the extensive historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law today in the English-speaking world. The power shifted slightly to the barons who were the land owners, and who governed over their peasant farmers and artisans. 
And, what about the human and civil rights of the people? What about them? 

A milestone in the development of human rights was the Petition of Right, produced in 1628 by the English Parliament and sent to Stuart King Charles I as a statement of civil liberties. Refusal by Parliament to finance the king’s unpopular foreign policy had caused his government to exact forced loans and to quarter troops in subjects’ houses as an economy measure. Arbitrary arrest and imprisonment for opposing these policies had produced in Parliament a violent hostility to the unpopular Charles I who was executed for treason in 1649. 

The Petition of Right, initiated by Sir Edward Coke, was based upon earlier statutes and charters and asserted four principles: 
1.  No taxes may be levied without consent of Parliament.
2   No subject may be imprisoned without cause shown (reaffirmation of the right of habeas corpus).
3   No soldiers may be quartered upon the citizenry.
4   Martial law may not be used in time of peace.

One early basic belief was that all wealth came from the land - property. Another was that wealth came from labor. In today’s modern e-world, there may be other beliefs practiced.

When the Europeans landed in North America, they told the indigenous people, Native Americans, “Get off my land. I have the deed to this land. It was given to me by the king.”

The native American asked, “What’s a deed? No one owns the land. The land belongs to everyone in the community.”

Property represented wealth and well-being. It, along with life and liberty, was written into the 1789 US Constitution in two places.

Those delegates who presented the new Constitution were of the elite, upper class. They were the “barons” of this country, determined to protect their property.

Only free, white men with property could vote for the members of elite class – electors - from which the President would be selected. Thus, an undemocratic method of selecting the President was established, the Electoral College. 

In 1870, citizens could not be denied the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude just because one was formerly a slave - via the 15th Amendment to the US Constitution. If one three letter word, sex, had been included, women too would have had the right to vote then. Women had to wait another 50 years, to 1920, before they were allowed to vote via the 19th Amendment. In 1924, the native Americans were allowed to vote, and in 1971 via the 26th Amendment, those 18-year-old and older, could now vote. 

Today, in 2022, via the new “Jim Crow” laws of at least 19 states, restrictions have been placed against minorities and others from participating in the most vital responsibility of the American citizen, the right to vote.

Looking back, what if John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were invited to the Constitutional Convention to present their thoughts and beliefs? Why were they absent? John Adams, representing the United States, was in England, and Thomas Jefferson was our ambassador to France. 

In France, a new motto prevailed at the time of the French Revolution - Liberté, égalité, fraternité - one of liberty, equality, brotherhood. 

What if a brotherhood of humanity prevailed in the Constitution instead of property? Would the United States of America have remained a racist nation? 

Liberty represents freedom, a word with several meanings. It can stand for being able to make one’s own decisions freely and having the opportunity to express one’s own beliefs without fear. To be physically and/or legally free is different for it involves being free from confinement, servitude or forced labor. 

Equality can stand for being equal under the law and so to maintain a sameness of rules, status, rights, respect, opportunities and privileges, that must be applied to all. 

Fraternity is a word associated with the idea of community, which is a body of people that share a common interest or purpose. It is also associated with brother/sisterhood and having/working/fitting/producing something together as a group. Also, a fraternity can be recognized as a group viewed as a forming a distinct segment of togetherness. 

While in the US Constitution “Life, liberty, and property” are protected in two places, ours were not protected. 

Eighty years ago on February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 denied our rights to life, liberty and property. We were imprisoned without charges or trial. My older brother Noriyuki, at age 14, was killed in the Salinas Assembly Center. True, it was a baseball accident. Others lost their lives while in camp to disease, suicide, shot by guards, and other causes. We lost our liberty for over three years, imprisoned in 69 different facilities, ten of which were major concentration camps. We lost not only our hard-earned property but our “pursuit of happiness” was denied. 
Someone once counted over 140 violations of our rights when we were evicted, forcibly removed, from our homes and incarcerated. 

An early attempt at reparations proved grossly inadequate. The Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act of July 2, 1948, provided meager compensation to Japanese Americans during World War II for losses of real and personal property. A claim of $1,000 would net only $100. Approximately 26,550 claims totaling $142,000 were paid. 

An investigation by the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians in 1983 concluded that the causes were “racism, war hysteria, and the failure of political leadership.” In this series, which is the least important? 
Led by the chair Grant Ujifusa, and Grayce Uyehara of the Japanese American Citizens League’s lobbying arm, the Legislative Education Committee (JACL/LEC), Senators Daniel Inouye and Sparky Matsunaga, Congressmen Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui, and with the help of Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress, and so many supporting individuals, the Civil Liberties Act of August 10, 1988 restored some dignity with redress thorough an apology, and reparations - $20,000 -  to those incarcerated. 

However, there remains the issue of the Japanese Latin Americans (JLA) who were kidnapped and brought here to the United States, (Crystal City, Texas) by the US Government in exchange for American diplomats and prisoners of war held by the Japanese. The US Government could not exchange a Nisei for another American citizen. Some JLA refused to accept their reparations of $5,000. Check their website if you wish to help or learn more about their Campaign for Justice.

They, too, were denied the protection to “life, liberty and property.” 

Postscript: A warning - emerging is another threat of racism, war hysteria through fake news on cable news and social media, and the failure of political leadership nation-wide with the passage of “Jim Crow” laws in many states, not limited just to the South. 

This November 2022’s mid-term election will determine the future of these United States. Please vote, and make sure everyone in your family and friends vote too. Thank you!
Backyard Concert with Russell Brutshché, Apr. 9 & 10
By SARAH RINGLER

Russell is continuing his backyard concerts this Saturday and Sunday from 2-4pm at his studio at 133 Glenwood Ave., off of Ocean St. in Santa Cruz.

He has just released a new album, "California Style," that explores through catchy tunes his philosophy of life: the best things in life are free, recycle, beware of hype, go slow and live simply. As he acknowledges in his song "Livin' in a Bubble," he may be foolish, slow and missing all sorts of opportunities but, "After all is said and done, after all is lost and won, will it be their bubble breaking, or will it be mine?

The backyard is sunny so wear a hat. It's also wise to wear layers and bring a cushion. There will be seating for only the first 30 that show up. Doors open 1:30 pm. If you’re planning to attend, an email would help for planning, but we can’t hold seats in advance. 

To listen to the CD's opening song "Come to California," click here. 

Not only a musician and songwriter, Russell is also an accomplished artist and illustrator – note the design on his CD cover – with many shows, books and CD covers and one-person shows. Check out Russell's webpage for his art, music and story. 

"I'd rather die on my feet, than live on my knees."
Emiliano Zapata

 
It's Bloody Well Time: Free Menstrual Products
By SARAH RINGLER

The County of Santa Cruz is starting a pilot program that will provide free menstrual products to the community. Dispensers will be installed in restrooms at:

1080 Emeline Ave., Santa Cruz, first and second floors
1020 Emeline Ave., Santa Cruz, first and second floors
701 Ocean St., Santa Cruz, first and fifth floors
1430 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville, suites B, C and D

In 2021, the California State Legislature passed the Menstrual Equity for All Act requiring such products to be provided at public schools, State Universities and Community College districts. Some communities like the City of Capitola and the County of Santa Clara are also offering free products. Santa Cruz is launching a pilot program that hopes to insure that all residents have access to these critically important health products.
Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A red-tailed hawk monitors the shoreline from a treetop on West Cliff Drive.
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. Total known cases as of April 7 were 47,808, up 125 cases from last week's 47,683, rounding off to a 0% rise. There were no new deaths.

The government is issuing four free Antigen Rapid Tests for free here.

Because of all the home tests currently available, these numbers are underestimates according to Corinne Hyland, County Health Services Agency spokesperson. She recommends people with minor symptoms stay home, isolate and rest.

Hospitalizations have not changed since March 10. Click to view a graph of hospitalizations here.

There have been changes in the last week in the active cases. Active cases in south county dropped by 2%, north county increased by 1% and mid county increased by 1. See details in the chart below.

On the county's vaccination webpage, the vaccination rate has not changed since Feb. 6; 80% of the county have had at least one dose and 74% have had two doses. 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 below one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.

To get information of COVID-19 testing locations around the county visit this site. Vaccine Clinics in Watsonville and Felton are closing. 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 - 57% 
Latinx - 35%
Black - 1% 
Asian - 6%
American Native - 0%
Unknown - 0%

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

Deaths by age/259:
25-34 - 2%
35-44 - 3%
45-54 - 4%
55-59 - 2%
60-64 - 6%
65-74 - 18%
75-84 - 24%
85+ - 43%

% active cases testing positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 12%/12% 
North county - 63%/56% 
South county - 25%/32% 
Under investigation - 2%

Deaths by vaccination status: 
vaccinated - 27/259 = 10%
unvaccinated - 232/259 = 90%
 
Weekly increases in positive tests: 
June 12-19, 2020 - 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, 2021 - 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%
Dec. 9-16 - 1%
Dec. 16-23 - 1%
Dec. 24-30 - 2%
Dec. 31 - Jan. 6, 2022 - 5% Growth of home tests underestimates cases below. See above .
Jan. 7-13 - 9%
Jan. 14-20 - 15%
Jan. 21-27 - 9%
Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 - 31%
Feb. 3-10 - 3%
Feb. 11-24 (2 weeks) - 5%
Feb. 25- March 3 - 1%
March 4-10 - 1%
March 11-17 - 1%
March 18-24 - 0%
March 25-31 - 1%
Apr. 1-7 - 0%
Photo by JAN MCGIRK 
Fashion Street - A young pilgrim and her dog sleep outside the Mission San Juan Bautista, Wednesday. She, and two others, left San Diego on March 1, the beginning of Lent, and are walking to all of the twenty-one California missions. Her fellow pilgrims were inside visiting the mission.
Labor History Calendar for April 8-14, 2022

April 8, 1712: Slave revolt NYC; 21 executed.
April 9, 1894: Hunger Revolt, Lyons, France.
April 9, 1898: Paul Robeson born.
April 10, 1919: Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary ambushed and killed.
April 10, 2019: soldiers refuse to fire on protesters and falls in Sudan.
April 11, 1972: 10-day strike by 210,000 public sector workers in Quebec.
April 11, 2005 Spectrum sweater factory collapses killing 64 in Bangladesh.
April 11, 2019: 31,000 begin 11-day strike against Stop & Shop in 3 US states cost bosses $345 mil.
April 12, 1900: Birth of Florence Reece, active in Harlan County, KY coal strikes and author of famous labor song, "What Side Are You On."
April 13, 1873 Colfax massacre in Louisiana.
April 13, 1920: General strike by half million workers in Italy.
April 13, 2016: 36,000 Verizon workers strike against outsourcing.
April 14, 1930: Over 100 Mexican and Filipino farmworkers arrested for union activity and 8 convicted of criminal syndicalism in Imperial Valley, CA.
April 14, 1939: John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" published.

Labor History Calendar has been published yearly by the Hungarian Literature Fund since 1985.
Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Gourmet Italian meat roll with a surprise inside
By SARAH RINGLER                            

This is one fancy meatloaf. Ground beef, mortadella sausage and pistachios mixed together and wrapped around hardboiled eggs make a rich, flavorful meal with a hidden surprise. The recipe is adapted from the 1992 "The de'Medici Kitchen" by Lorenza de'Medici, an Italian TV cook, book writer and teacher.

Italy is known for its sausages and there are many varieties. On a trip to San Francisco earlier in the year, my husband and I stopped at the Italian meat market and deli, Molinari's, at 373 Columbus Avenue in North Beach. The place was packed and Molinari's counterworkers move rapidly; you have to be on your toes or be passed up. I almost missed my turn even though I was right up front and thought I was paying close attention. I bought some mortadella, fontina cheese, gnocchi and salami and was reminded, as I enjoyed these items long after we returned home, what a memorable purchase food can be.  

Mortadella, the sausage called for in this recipe, is similar to bologna but has black pepper corns, olives, myrtle berries, pistachios and small pieces of fat added to the ground pork. I bought it in slices and chopped it in the blender to grind it up for the recipe. Like bologna, often pronounced "baloney" in the US, it is also from the Italian city of Bologna. Added to the ground beef in this recipe, it adds a rich flavor and makes for a denser texture.
     
Polpettone alle uova sode - Meatloaf with boiled egg

1/4 cup sourdough breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 pound ground beef
5 ounces mortadella, ground - about 1 cup
1 egg, raw
3 hardboiled eggs
pinch nutmeg
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup shelled pistachios
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine 

8 1/2" by 4 1/2 " loaf pan

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for about 10 minutes. Drain in a small colander and squeeze dry. Hard boil 3 eggs for 14 minutes. Peel and set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, beef, minced mortadella, nutmeg, rosemary, raw egg, salt and pepper to taste. Mix very well. 

Construct the meat loaf by spreading out a piece of wax paper. Spread out the meat mixture with a spatula on the wax paper about 8 inches by 6 inches. Cut off a little of the ends of the hardboiled eggs and line them up in the middle of the meat. Carefully roll the meat around the eggs and seal on all sides. 

Put the 8 1/2" by 4 1/2" loaf pan on a burner turned to low heat. Add the butter and olive oil and melt. When butter is melted carefully place the meat roll in the pan. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours turning the meat roll once. Also, baste the meat roll several times with 1/4 cup of the white wine. 

When done, remove the meat roll from the pan and keep warm. Place the pan back on the burner over medium heat and add the remaining 1/4 cup of wine to deglaze the pan. Slice the meat roll and put on a serving dish. Cover with the pan juices mixed with wine. Serves 4-6. 
Send 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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