Page 4 - Dinuba Sentinel E-edition 12-21-17

Opinion
A4 | Thursday, December 21, 2017
In My Opinion
Help others and show kTindness this Christmas
he joyous thrall that falls followed closely by across the world each number eight, Los Christmas season is best Angeles.
Fred Hall - Publisher Keven J. Geaney - Editor
ATcruel holiday gift for refugee families
epitomized by the glow that emanates from two beautiful sources; one of those being the colorful aura from all the exceptionally beautiful electrically lit displays of specifically lighted displays of lights. As lovely as that can be in eliciting joy from children or
the elderly, it finishes a distant second compared with the anticipation of a visit from Santa when that child exists mainly on exaggerated hope. Such is the beautiful world of a child!
There is nothing comparative to a laugh that can best be stated as akin to the water of a warm Spring afternoon gently tumbling and polishing the river rock. Everyone knows that sound of a delighted child but is hard-pressed to definitively describe those warm, happy sounds.
This seemed to be an appropriate time to mention the deeply held
hopes and joy which are stretched to the limits each and every day just to keep so many local families fed and sheltered. The California economy is so deeply bifurcated that under current circumstances, we have such wide and varied dispersal of capital that one county here in The Golden State can be one of wealthiest in terms of consumer spendable income. Fifty miles away— in another county—one may find economic deprivation.
That's a formula for disaster. Cost of living standards are established by those of higher income and a way of living is forced upon the less fortunate who will never have a real opportunity to compete in such an unbalanced economic structure.
The reality is far different in many parts of The United States and throughout the rest of the world. California is being touted by her governor and state politicians as having one of the largest economies in the world but according to WalletHub,
the polling organization, there is a far different situation when examined closely. It seems that the seventh neediest city in America is Fresno,
The Truth Hurts
Child shows us the true mAeaning of Christmas
Fred Hall
I didn't have the pleasure of growing up here in California, but many of my relatives did experience the joy of being a neighbor to many of you who were locally grown. My
experience has been limited to about twenty-five years where my family members were graciously welcomed into the beautiful Central Valley.
Unfortunately, the number
one subject starter at most family Christmas gatherings will be the consideration and need for significant moisture which will be first required
if this rich Valley fulfills its promises
of abundance for those who toil in
her soils. Every single year a virtual handful of family farms shoulder the load of helping feed the ever increasing numbers.
I've never been called a go-to person when anyone was seeking career guidance or other information. Frankly, when I was first made aware of the fact that there was a reality television show which was entitled “Iyanla” about a life coach, I had no idea there was a job opening for a life coach. My advice this Christmas, and every ensuing holiday. Would be to simplify your life while reaching out to others with needs and offer them help when possible. That's a can't fail formula.
Spend as much time as possible with the generations that comprise your own family and reach out to older friends and neighbors with a small act of kindness. A kind word, thought or deed can go a long way to brighten someone else's darkness and costs nothing beyond the kindness with which it is delivered. Merry Christmas and the happiest of new years to each and everyone of you!
Now, that should not be the opinion of only one man.
Fred Hall is publisher of the Sentinel
Guest Column
wo months after experiencing the devastating In order to pay this debt, Haiti was 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti in forced to take out a major loan from January 2010, my dad finally made it back the young U.S., which didn’t recognize
home to Boston. What had started as a holiday vacation turned into weeks of sleeping outside the family home in Haiti, fearful that it would collapse on anyone sleeping inside.
My family members lived that way for weeks, as daily aftershocks kept them reliving the traumatic experience that rattled the country’s capital. They never knew whether the next aftershock wouldn’t kill them as the quake had killed their neighbors nearby.
This devastating natural disaster took nearly 316,000 lives and displaced 1.5 million Haitians. Many of these victims sought refuge in the United States — legally, under a classification called Temporary Protective Status (TPS).
Now again, in this holiday season — eight years after the quake — they’re reliving this fear and uncertainty. The Trump administration has moved to end the TPS program, causing many Haitians to face deportation after July 2019.
For these Haitian immigrants, TPS offered a chance to start fresh and build a new life — an opportunity that’s hard to come by in Haiti, a country that’s spent decades struggling with widespread poverty.
Widespread poverty that the U.S. has contributed to both economically and politically.
See, the U.S. has a long history with Haiti, dating back to the early 1800s when Haiti defeated France in the world’s first successful slave rebellion, leading Haiti to become the first independent black nation.
While black people around the world celebrate this moment in history, this victory didn’t come without costs.
After the 1804 revolution, France found a way to gain economic control of Haiti, forcing the new country to pay back 150 million francs for the enslaved Haitians that were freed after the war.
Jessicah Pierre
Haiti for another 60 years. This debt wasn’t paid off till 1947, at a current value of over $20 billion.
Haiti’s economic dependency on the U.S. didn’t end there, though. From 1957 to 1986, Haiti’s government was run by two U.S.-backed dictators, “Papa Doc” and “Baby Doc” Duvalier.
young girl dropping off a also bought 20 bikes letter to Santa last week at for the event to give to the Sentinel brought to mind needy children.
“Duvalier stole millions from Haiti and ran up hundreds of millions in debt that Haiti still owes. Ten thousand Haitians lost their lives,” longtime Haiti human rights advocate Bill Quigley explained in the Huffington Post. “Estimates say that Haiti owes $1.3 billion in external debt and that 40 percent of that debt was run up by the U.S.-backed Duvaliers.”
Although this era had a ripple effect of negative consequences that the people of Haiti still face, the U.S. continues to play a big role in Haitian economics and politics, including efforts to rebuild the nation after the earthquake.
But instead of using relief funds to provide some much needed assistance to the country, the Red Cross used half a billion dollars to build just six permanent homes in Haiti.
Now, the Trump administration’s decision to terminate TPS will force up to 60,000 Haitians back to a country that’s still facing food shortages, widespread homelessness, and lack of access to schools and medical facilities to say the least.
This isn’t only wrong — it’s inhumane. The U.S. should use this as an opportunity to reverse the damage it’s done to Haiti.
Jessicah Pierre is the inequality media specialist at the Institute for Policy Studies. Distributed by Otherwords.org.
what the true meaning of Christmas is. It is a time to be thankful for what you have, to give to those less fortunate, and to be kind and courteous to your fellow man.
In Jaylyn Barragan’s letter she states that she would like Santa to give gifts to some friends of hers. She adds that she already has everything she needs and wants to help out her friends.
After reading the letter I had to grab a couple of tissues.
A day later I witnessed more of the holiday magic as lots of people got together in Dinuba to throw a party for the less fortunate. This Christmas event had toys, clothes and 20 bikes for the children of the community. Children were also able to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus and take pictures with them. The kids also met numerous cartoon characters. The event also had pizza and tacos for everyone. Families enjoyed their food while listen to a variety of entertainment.
Alta Family Health Clinic hosted
the event for the 16th year. But they needed the help from numerous organizations to make it a spectacular event. Dinuba High School brought some of their Madrigal singers and band members to perform and a group of folklorico dancers and performed. The Dinuba Fire Department supplied a fire engine to transport Santa to the event. A couple of motorcyclists helped escort Santa. The City of Dinuba agreed to close off a street next to the clinic
for people to line up to take photos with Santa. The staff at the clinic spent numerous nights volunteering their time to wrap over 2,500 toys. The clinic
The Generosity of People
Dear Editor:
La Familia, Dinuba High School Associate Student Body Members, want to extend our
The event also had many volunteers
that day. I saw two girls from Orosi High volunteering their time for community service. Two more girls from
Keven J. Geaney
Navelencia Middle School in Reedley came to the event to help out as they grabbed trash bags and helped clean tables. Numerous other groups and organizations were on hand to help make the entire event run smoothly.
It’s people like Jaylyn and events like Alta Family Health Clinic's Community Christmas party that bring out the
true spirit of the holidays. When I was a child, and teenager, it was all about getting presents. It wasn't until I was an adult that I started finding out the joy of giving. Now I enjoy giving more than receiving.
Seeing my children's and wife's faces when they open their gifts is priceless. I especially enjoyed watching the children at the Alta event opening their presents and receiving bikes.
None of us like waiting in long lines at the stores or the traffic on the roads during the holidays. I myself especially hate waiting in line, but I have learned to relax and just be patient. The end result is worth the wait.
I am amazed to witness children like Jaylyn who have realized the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks Jaylyn.
The Sentinel staff would like to wish everyone a “Merry Christmas.”
Keven J. Geaney is the editor of the Sentinel. He can be reached at editor@ thedinubasentinel.com.
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Letters to the editor
gratitude to the noble person who made our Winter Formal extra special on December 9.
The ASB Cabinet gathered at La Esperanza in Cutler to have dinner before our Winter Formal. We laughed and enjoyed each other's company and as we came up to the counter to pay our bill
we were told the bill had been taken care of. A generous individual had paid for all seven dinners. We all just want to say to this generous person; "Thank you so much for showing us that giving is
better than receiving."
This was the topic of our conversations
throughout the evening.
Melissa Valdez, Victor Romo, Christian Duran, Delia Huerta, Jillian Miller, Joanne Rubalcaba and Kara Duran