Notebook

By: Elsie Sy-Niebar

 

*VOTERS, DON’T FORGET TO GO OUT AND VOTE FOR THE MAYORAL, Alderman, etc., Run-off elections on Tuesday, April 2

*Preckwinkle and Lightfoot, first two Black Women vying to be our Mayor for Chicago! But… not one of them send their press releases I’ve requested for this VT issue. DON’T THEY NEED OUR ASIAN AMERICAN VOTES?

*A nostalgic Look Back to the late Mayor Harold Washington, the first Black Gentleman Mayor of Chicago *WHY BILL DALEY MISSED THE RUNOFF?

*From the desk of: PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: ‘The lawless chaos on our southern border provides a lucrative cash flow to some off the most dangerous criminal organizations on the planet’

*From the desk of: First Lady Melania Trump: on her three-state tour *Huge Thanks to Friends who joined our FRIENDSHIP SUNDAY CELEBRATION!

*Let’s Pray for the crash victims of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft which crashed recently, killing all 157 people on board in Indonesea — and for the safety of all travelers in the sky, land and sea…

Our Congregation last Sunday at Faith Community Church were SAD and shocked when our Pastor John Chu, before our Opening Prayer, told us to pray for Boeing 737 MAX which crashed killing all 157 people on board. According to the news, “that was the second time in less than six months that one of the planes has crashed within minutes of takeoff, after a new Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight went down over the Java Sea last October, killing 189 people.” Both crashes are under investigation, according to the news. Since Summer is here, as usual, we expect a “heavy traffic” in the sky. Let us remember always to pray to our Heavenly Father to be the “co-pilot” for all the airplanes flying high — for holiday trips or to the war zones fighting for World Peace. And for all travelers in the sky, land and seas. Amen.

Big Thanks to our FRIENDS who joined our FRIENDSHIP SUNDAY celebration! Special thanks to Chaz Patron and Dr. Danny Sinseng for their lovely duet, “What are Friends For”! Indeed, “A Friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17

I watched the debate one night between two African American Ladies – Ms. Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, both making history as the first two African American Females running for the historical title as “the First Black Lady Mayor of Chicago.” The historical title “First Black Mayor of Chicago” was won by the late Harold Washington who went down in history as the first Black Gentleman Mayor of Chicago. Of course, both Lady Candidates focus on what each one will do for “change” — spiced up with a little bit of harshness as expected. Ironically, speaking about “minority issues” both “minority candidates” seem to only focus on bigger “ethnic communities” with huge voters like the African Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans. Smaller communities like us – the Asian Americans, and others, were not even mentioned in their talks.

Then, I remembered the late Mayor Harold Washington, the very first Chicago politician I was very close with. It happened when I attended his first political rally on the northside at a school on Narraganset Street. There were almost no Asian Americans in the crowd. So, I stood up and told Candidate Washington about the plight of the Asian Americans whom I emphasized as “mostly professionals,” but remain at the backburner as far as the City governance is concerned.” He told the crowd, this issue will be one of his priorities when elected mayor. Later in the week, he sent to my home his then, Special Campaign assistant, Slim Coleman, now a minister. My late husband, Dennis John Niebar and me became the first Asian and white “faces” in the “Washington for Mayor campaign.” There were times when I had arguments with some White campaigners for Washington’s White opponents. A “Miracle” happened. HAROLD WASHINGTON made history as the first Black Mayor of Chicago. And he did very well. He never said no when we invited him to our Filipino American community events. Most importantly, he made good of the promise to me: to recognize the Asian Americans. He did it by creating the first COMMISSION ON ASIAN AMERICAN AFFAIRS.

Lee Maglaya, one of the very outspoken community activists then, kind of “corrected” me on Facebook as though I was claiming the honor of what Mayor Washington did about the creation of the Commission. NO! I was not claiming the “glory.” The issue was heard first by Mayor Washington from me. That’s why he sent Slim Coleman to my house to request for my support so that if he won, he will honor my appeal on behalf of my community. I did not accept a job offer from City Hall. I was still advocating. Any interested person can google my name to prove my advocacy for the Asian American community. When Mayor Washington died, my late husband told me that his family called me to attend his “private” funeral. Sadly, I was in the Philippines, then. Mayor Harold Washington, the first Black Mayor of Chicago, lives in my heart.

So, therefore, fellow Voters, especially Asian Americans! Who is your choice? Ms. Toni Preckwinkle, current president of Cook County Board or former US prosecutor, Lori Lightfoot? Again, too bad their campaign press officers snubbed my request for a press release from their respective candidates. I wanted our readers to read their “VISION for CHICAGO.” Never heard from them even via email. Nada. Nyet. Wala! Nothin’! What an irony!

Nonetheless, for Voters’ information, here are the brief biographies of both candidates:

Lori Elaine Lightfoot was born on August 4, 1962. She is an American politician who has held various government positions in the city of Chicago: as President of the Chicago Police Board from 2015 through 2018. She has also worked in private legal practice as a partner at Mayer Brown. As one of the two top vote-getters in he last first round, the Chicago Mayoral election last February 26, she is one of the two (Ladies) candidates for mayor of Chicago in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election 2019. She is advancing to a runoff election against Toni Preckwinkle on April 2, 2019. She is an openly-declared Lesbian, married to a woman. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle has a very long biography on account of her many accomplishments, but in the interest of space, I tried hard to pick the most important ones. Toni was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 17, 1947; moved to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago, where she graduated with her B.A. degree in teaching. In 1991, Preckwinkle won the 4th Ward Aldermanic and served five terms, overseeing the redevelopment of the Kenwood, Oakland, Douglas, Grand Boulevard and Hyde Park neighborhoods. During her 19 years of aldermanic tenure, she became known as a Chicago City Council’s progressive member and a champion for affordable housing. Preckwinkle was also a co-sponsor of the living wage ordinances that passed the City Council in 1998 and 2002. Preckwinkle declared her intention to run for Cook County Board President in 2008. Two years later, she won a hotly contested democratic primary for the seat. Preckwinkle swept through the November 2010 general election, becoming the first female President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. She is married to Zeus Preckwinkle, has two children, and three grandchildren.

WHY BILL DALEY, in spite of his “name recognition” unfortunately, lagged behind the two African American Ladies in the last election and missed the run-off? Was JERRY JOYCE, former Mayor Rich Daley’s friend “the spoiler”?

I chose to support WILLIAM “BILL” for Chicago’ mayor, not because he belongs to the “Daley Mayoral Legend” but because I truly believe that among those 14 highly-qualified original candidates, Bill is the most experienced in governance — as a former White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton and Secretary of the White House Dept of Commerce under President Barack Obama, and had held major positions in the private sector. I believed that his experience and vision would be a plus to the “visionary mechanics” needed to rebuild Chicago. Plus, as he said it, “Chicago is my Home.” His Home under the leadership of his father, the late Richard J. Daley who was the mayor for several decades until his death, and later his brother, Richard M. Daley, a total of 43 “Mayor Daley years.” The same reasons which convinced Chicago Tribune to endorse him, endorsement of Congressman Danny Davis, a very strong African American “guru”, and the endorsement of his best friend, former Vice President Al Gore, his former co-“Think Tank” at the House. I presented some “reaching out ideas” to Bill for our Asian Americans but his Campaign staff was too busy to listen to my ideas, similar to our ideas we used for the election of his brother, former Mayor Richard M. Daley, who also lost during his first run. The Asian American leaders who organized various community gatherings to celebrate the Lunar New Year were disappointed for Bill Daley’s NO SHOW “even for a few minutes” they said, during their community celebrations, some with over 1,000 people in attendance. Like at the ASIAN AMERICAN LUNAR NEW YEAR held at Hyatt Hotel, where other candidates were present. I was always at the celebrations waiting for my candidate, BILL DALEY. But he never showed up. Very Sad. Made his Voters unhappy. There was also some rumors that candidate Jerry Joyce, the Daleys’ former friend, was a “spoiler”. But Joyce’s political supporters said, “Jerry is not Bill’s spoiler”. And it has nothing to do with their friendship- gone-sour, as misinterpreted by some as the reason why Mr. Joyce ran against Daley,”

FROM THE DESK OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: ‘Illegal immigration is not compassionate’ President Donald J. Trump addressed Americans gathered over the weekend near Washington, D.C., for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), known as “the birthplace of modern conservatism.”

Speaking for more than two hours, the President explained the urgency behind his recent National Emergency declaration. “The lawless chaos on our southern border provides a lucrative cash flow to some of the most dangerous criminal organizations on the planet,” he said. “Many emergency declarations have been used to protect people in faraway nations and distant lands. Now we are protecting, finally, our people.”

As a Constitutional matter, President Trump’s declaration fulfills his core Article II duties to enforce Congress’ duly passed immigration laws and prevent their violation en masse. By contrast, former President Obama’s unconstitutional orders sought to invalidate Congressional statute, effectively awarding lawful presence to those living in America illegally.

The good news is that for the first time in decades, the humanitarian disaster of illegal immigration is finally being exposed. Then, as a candidate, Trump brought it up the very first day he announced his run for president, and he talked about it again on Saturday. “One in three women is sexually assaulted on the dangerous journey north,” he said. “Think of how evil that is.”

FROM THE DESK OF FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP:

This week, First Lady Melania Trump is taking her “Be Best” initiative across America, with visits to Oklahoma, Washington, and Nevada beginning today.

Her “Be Best” program lifts up children—both in America and throughout the world, by focusing on three pillars that the First Lady announced last spring: encouraging childhood well-being, promoting positive social media use, and supporting families hurt by opioid abuse. Her efforts included a major trip to Africa last fall, where she met with leaders in Ghana, Malawi, Kenya, and Egypt.

First on today’s trip was a visit to the Dove School of Discovery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Recipient of the 2018 National School of Character Award, Dove School prides itself on the first pillar: the well-being of children. It’s one of a group of five public charter schools that aims to incorporate character development into all of its classrooms from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

The First Lady sat in on three classrooms, getting a firsthand look at the unique curriculum across different grade levels. She joined pre-K children for an activity that encouraged young students to think about how they can show kindness in their own lives, and she observed sixth-grade science students broken up into teams to emphasize communication and teamwork skills.

“I cannot emphasize further the importance of character- based education for our children,” the First Lady said. “[Dove schools] are sculpting our next generation by creating a foundation of youth with strong character. I know they will go on to do great things.”

At her next stop, the First Lady traveled to Seattle, Washington, to promote the role that tech companies can play in child welfare—including applications to teach children online safety. “She is a mother herself, first and foremost, so she understands the importance of social media and the impact it has on children as they’re growing up,” the First Lady’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.

In the best interest of AMERICA, OUR BELOVED COUNTRY – it is time for politicians, particularly the Democrats to give due respect to our President Donald Trump who was legally elected by the People. Disrespecting our President creates DIS-respect from people all over the world! I love America, my adopted Country. I respect and love President Donald Trump for his Dream to make America GREATER! God bless him and his hardworking wife, Melania!

Let’s welcome Summertime! How Great is Our God!#

The Joy of Friendship is always in the Heart as shown above by some of our guests at our church — FAITH COMMUNITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH’s celebration of “Friendship Sunday” made more joyful by the praises and singing of out guests like the Jhun and Chaz Patron Family who contributed their singing talent. Shown above from left are: Church Pastor John Chu and wife, Rebecca; Pastor Rambu Orsus, Youth Minister; Jhun Patron; Angie Francisco, the lovely Patron daugthers Crisza, Chazz Angel, their songstress Mom Chazz, Andrea Patron, Baby Sales, Cece Patron and Cecile Chisu and her son. Seated is yours truly, Church Ruling Elder Elsie Sy-Niebar. Coordinator of the celebration is Celia Villanueva, Ruling Church Elder, not in photo.

Chazzie Patron and Dr. Danny Sensing touching the hearts of everyone in their lovely rendition of “What are Friends are For?”. Perfect duo for Chazz’s upcoming concert? Thumbs Up! (esn)

LORI LIGHTFOOT For Chicago Mayor

TONI PRECKWINKLE For Chicago Mayor

BILL DALEY, explaining his Vision to re-build Chicago. Not everyone listened. He lost. Don’t give up the ship, Bill. Happened to your Brod Rich, remember? Merrier, the second time around. (ESN)

From the Homeland: Chicagoans Francis “Kit” and Tess Hernandez are proud to share the good news about the appointment of their nephew, Atty. Aldwin Alegre ( standing, with is wife, Atty. Melanie Q. Alegre), as Philippine Immigration Deputy Commissioner, lately. He was sworn in to office by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra (seated) signing the appointment.

From “Love Birds Forever” Hilda and Doc Fred Sy: poetic description of Hilda of this glorious scenery: “Our Batanes vacation: beautiful and majestic place to unwind…” This is just one of the beautiful spots they have visited. That’s what retirement is for! Re-live the romance in our life.