Stockton: Patricia Garamendi candidate for the 1 1th district U.S. Congressional seat was the honored guest at a fundraiser held on her behalf by some San Joaquin County Sikhs Sat. Aug. 22 at the Venetian Gardens Civic Center. Over 100 attended the event in order to hear Mrs. Garamendi her husband John (Cal. insurance commissioner) and other speakers from the community.
Patti Garamendi who has personally visited the Punjab allied herself with local Sikhs and said that she would place a high priority on human rights especially where the issue concerned those whose family and friends were suffering as in the Punjab. She was greatly impressed by the personal touch exemplified by her hosts and further explained that she too had strong agricultural roots traditional family values and placed a high priority on education. She said that the Republicans may claim strong family values but the record of the past 12 years did not show their support for families children or the future. Her focus if elected would be on Human Rights Education and Children. Her record as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher community activist and parent made it clear that these were not merely campaign issues but were part of the personal philosophy that had guided her career and life. Emphasizing the need for a well-educated work force to keep business in the US she said training would be a part of her jobs program Saying that Spending is better used on “the from end” is her argument for Prioritizing Head Start over defense boondoggles. “When schools are faced with 40 students in a class while single cell prison Palaces are being built and the taxpayers spend approximately $50000 per year to house a prisoner and less that $4000 for a high school student there is a major problem” shows the need to review the way we look at our society. Praising the Clinton / Gore ticket she said “Nothing much will change unless we change the presidency.”
The dinner was an opportunity for the Garamendi’s to learn more about the Sikh people and their wishes. Although Patricia had visited the Punjab and was impressed by the people and the situation she was eager to listen to her future constituency. Dr. Gurcharan Nahil explained that the situation in Punjab was aimed at the genocide of the Sikhs and had to be stopped. Mr. G.S. Dhillon WSO-US president explained that the World Sikh Organization was formed as an answer to the Golden Temple attack He said that Sikhs never wanted separation from India but that the line had been drawn with operation Blue Star.
He emphasized the need to investigate the human rights record of India and said that Indias refusal to allow Amnesty Int. and other human rights organizations in made it clear that they were attempting to hide gross violations. Sikhs and others were encouraged with the passage of Congressman Dan Burton’s amendment which ment that the U.S. Congress recognized some of the problems in India And he said that he as an individual not as a WSO official he offered his full support and endorsement to the candidacy of Patti Garamendi.
Others such as Dr. Kuldip S. Sidhu and Mr. S.S. Chahal also personally endorsed Mrs. Garamendi and offered their support. Some offered to volunteer for the campaign effort included; Mr. Amarjit S. Panesar Mr. Baljinder Sahota and Miss Gurinder K. Dhatt. Everyone was pleased and impressed with the function that had been arranged by Mr. Ujjal S. Dhaut (Man. Com. Pres.) of the Stockton Gurdwara.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 4, 1992
