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SpectrumMar07.qxd 4/26/2007 4:46 PM Page 8 S THE SPECTRUM COUNTY COUNSEL’S SON TO DO TIME porarily closed and reopened by the Defense Department in 2001 under the new name. The school’s alumni include dictators known for violence, such as Manuel Noriega of Panama, as well as others linked to massacres and murders throughout Latin America, according to School of the Americas Watch. After his arrest he told a local newspaper he had discussed the decision to cross prior to arrival and had wanted to take the step “for a long time.” Crossing the line literally requires protesters to squeeze through a gap in the wire fence around the school. The barrier was erected after Sept. 11, 2001, to replace a line painted on the ground. 8 Michael Vosburg-Casey, fourth from left, and the rest of this group were arrested for trespassing at the School of the Americas Michael Vosburg-Casey spent his primary school years in Redwood City but the 32- year-old human rights activist received his latest lesson in the limits of free speech at a different institution: the School of the Americas. Vosburg-Casey, of Atlanta, was sentenced earlier this month to 100 days in federal prison for misdemeanor trespassing after his Nov. 16 arrest at an annual protest of the military training school in Columbus, Ga. The demonstration at the Army’s Fort Benning, the home of the renamed Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, draws thousands who believe the school is to blame for ongoing human rights abuses in Central and South America. “The School of Americas has a history of teaching torture and other extreme measures of counter-insurgency and interrogation,” Vosburg-Casey said in his statement to the court. “And so when soldiers are around those trained in these tactics we can see how the spiral of violence comes home to roost.” Since its organization 17 years ago, the annual protest commemorates six Jesuit priests killed with their housekeeper and her daughter in El Salvador in 1989. Some of the killers attended the school, which moved to Fort Benning from Panama in 1984, tem- Last November, more than 20,000 descended on the school for four days of marches, readings and vigils. Vosburg-Casey was one of the 16 protesters who received prison terms ranging from one to six months for trespassing. The demonstrators were a mixed bunch, including a 70-year-old Catholic nun, a 70-year-old retired school superintendent from Prescott, Ariz., a clergyman from Chicago, a grandmother of 17 grandchildren from Indiana, a mother of five young children from Missouri, and five college students. A 17-year-old Indiana protester received a probationary sentence. The group also included Vosburg-Casey, a selftrained piano tuner, amateur chicken farmer and husband whose parents, Betty and Tom Casey, still call San Mateo County home. In fact, Betty Casey is the principal of White Oaks School in San Carlos, while her husband has served the county as its counsel for 20 years. Both recently announced their retirements this summer, a break which will give the chance to visit family including Vosburg-Casey. Vosburg-Casey’s Jan. 29 trial also gave his father a chance to sit at the defense table. Vosburg-Casey was born and raised in Redwood City. After college he headed to Atlanta in 1999 as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps working with the homeless and incarcerated. Although the protest was his first brush with being behind bars himself, Vosburg- Casey has crossed paths with the military before. He and three others received “ban and bar letters” from the United States government after previous protests. The letters warned the four against crossing the line into Fort Benning — the exact action for which he and the others were arrested. Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the Daily Journal newspaper. THANK YOU, REDWOOD CITY! is now the largest distributed paid subscription publication in our city! ADVERTISING: (650) 368-2434 www.spectrummagazine.net ALL SEASON SUSHI JAPANESE RESTAURANT & SUSHI BAR AND GRILL Lunch Special - CHOICE OF 4 ITEMS - served with: Soup, Salad, Rice, Fresh Fruit Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Daily Specials for Lunch and Dinner 2432 Broadway . Downtown Redwood City 650.298.9828 Open: Mon - Fri Lunch and Dinner Saturday Dinner Only Closed Sundays Dine in our restaurant or enjoy our outdoor patio Catering Available for all occasions WWW.SPECTRUMMAGAZINE.NET
SpectrumMar07.qxd 4/26/2007 4:47 PM Page 9 REDWOOD CITY’S MONTHLY MAGAZINE S As I Was Saying... As I Was Saying... By Steve Penna Publisher With less than eight months until this November’s City Council election, no one has yet to come out of their shell to announce taking on incumbents Alicia Aguirre, Ian Bain, Rosanne Foust or Barbara Pierce — all four are running for re-election. Possible candidates include Adrian Brandt, Hilary Paulson, Nancy Radcliffe and Janet Borgens. All have impressive community participation and support, but from what I am hearing, none will run this time. Maybe they will wait until the 2009 election, when current council members Jim Hartnett and Diane Howard will be termed out and two wide-open spots will be up for grabs? One person who has not officially declared his candidacy but is working on gathering support is Housing and Human Concerns Committee Chairman Kevin Bondonno. He graduated from Sequoia High School and is a lifelong resident of our community. When the official announcement comes, he better get out there soon, because as far as I can remember there have been only four incumbents that have lost re-election bids in the past 30 years. Fernando Vega and Bain lost after being appointed to the council; Paul Sanfilipo lost in 1995 after being elected to a fouryear term, as did Matt Leipzig. Of the four incumbents this year, it seems Aguirre and Bain are the most vulnerable. Both are serving our community well, given the issues that have upset residents in the past couple years, but they will have to work hard to gain re-election. So we will have a campaign and election, which is great for our community. Let’s see who else steps up to the plate, joins the race and gives us even more choices. * * * * * Last month I wrote about the stress involved in high school reunions. Well, this past month I experienced a different kind of stress. I recently had my annual physical, which I was not looking forward to, considering I have gained almost 35 pounds, okay 40, over the past year, have been involved with some stressful personal issues and am running a business, etc., etc., etc. I met with my doctor and all went well except for the fact that when we reviewed the blood tests I had taken in preparation, my cholesterol level was high. He talked about good and bad types, but it was all foreign to me. Bottom line: He was concerned and put me on a medication to help bring the levels down. Considering the fact that my father passed away because of a heart attack, as well as my family’s history of high blood pressure and high cholesterol, my (continued on page 36) 9 Michelle Glaubert 650.598.2366 VM 650.722.1193 Cell 115 Hillview Avenue, Redwood City $1,149,950 Turn key one story "Mt. Carmel" charmer. Inviting front porch, Crown molding, hardwood flooring, wood-burning fireplace in living room, formal dining room w/ lots of windows. Incredible new Chef's kitchen w/ honed Granite counters, gas cook-top, sunny breakfast nook. Master bedroom suite w/ updated bath-det garage private backyard w/lawn and patio. Newer 50 yr roof. Walk to Stafford Park. Easy access to 280. Go to www.115hillview.com for more pictures! WWW.SPECTRUMMAGAZINE.NET
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