Happy Birthday
I pray Cayenne that you be blessed beyond words and know that you are well appreciated for your unending FIGHT. The money I am sending isn't a lot, but "1000 spiders can tie down a tiger." Let's all keep on spinning!
Your friend,
Rose Mary
My Tribute to Cayenne
Once upon a time I received an email from Rightor1@aol.com. No explanation, just a sudden explosion on my screen of actions planned, information, news, showing the writer's obvious intent to make a difference.
Since I was hot on the trail of just starting Justice Denied Magazine, I figured I didn't have time for someone's mailing list. However, the information was interesting enough that I withheld judgment for a few days.
As I read on, I became intrigued enough to begin saving many of those early emails in a special file. They laid out a strategy to overcome the evils in the prison system. The more I read, the more I became impressed with this person who called herself by the name of the hot and healing pepper called Cayenne.
Somewhere along in those days, Cayenne and I made contact. You might say we became one another's admirers. We were doing different jobs to fight the system, but we were both fighting the same rotten system that has stolen life from so many.
Cayenne is a MIRACLE who has come into the lives of the people in California. She is teaching those who are good students how to be effective fighters. She's a strategist, a public relations wonder, a motivator, and a humble and driven person.
More than anyone, I know that one person alone cannot make a difference. Some of you have seen Justice Denied Magazine grow and flourish. Believe me, I could never have done it without the superb people who became the JD Team.
You at the U.N.I.O.N. are the same -- you may need an organizer, but you are all powerful people because you are willing to fight. Each of you who works under the U.N.I.O.N. banner is a hero or heroine. What you do extends far beyond you. I am grateful each time I see Cayenne report on those who are working hard to end injustice.
I think Cayenne and you all understand what one holocaust commentator said -- that they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, then they came for the ... (naming a long list of other kinds of people). Finally, there was no one to speak up when they came for me.
Cayenne, you are a mighty warrior, and I have been privileged to share your battles. You may or may not have an idea of all the lives you've touched. You are cut from the same noble cloth as Cesar Chavez, and others who have changed things in this nation.
The world needs you.
Your companion warrior,
Clara Alicia Thomas Boggs
Editor in Chief and Producer of
Justice Denied -- The Magazine for the Wrongly Convicted
(http://www.justicedenied.org/)
TRIBUTE TO CAYENNE! SHE IS SO MUCH TO ME. WITHOUT CAYENNE THINGS WOULD STILL BE THE SAME FOR MY SON , JAMES DIESSO AND MANY OTHER VICTIMIZED INMATES. I WANT SO MUCH FOR CAYENNE!
RIGHT NOW ALL I CAN SAY IS: I LOVE YOU AND AM SO
GRATEFUL TO YOU CAYENNE FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART AND MY SOUL. MARGIE
AND JIMMY
THANKS FOR TEACHING ME:" PRISON'S ARE NOT HOSPITALS
"AND SO MUCH MORE!
Dear Cayenne:
I know that your mother called you "Barbi" and that you played with a Barbi doll when you were little, in between playing your flute and jumping off the highest building you could find, reading every book in the library, and charging other little kids to watch your father's horses breed. You were hell on wheels at eight years old. Here's a new kind of Barbi you can relate to now that you are 50!
At long last, here are some NEW Barbie dolls to coincide with her and OUR aging gracefully. These are a bit more realistic...
Love,
Claire
1. Bifocals Barbie. Comes with her own set of blended-lens fashion frames in six wild colors (half-frames too!), neck chain and large-print editions of Vogue and Martha Stewart Living.
2. Hot Flash Barbie. Press Barbie's bellybutton and watch her face turn beet red while tiny drops of perspiration appear on her forehead. Comes with hand-held fan and tiny tissues.
3. Facial Hair Barbie. As Barbie's hormone levels shift, see her whiskers grow. Available with teensy tweezers and magnifying mirror.
4. Flabby Arms Barbie. Hide Barbie's droopy triceps with these new, roomier-sleeved gowns. Good news on the tummy front, too -- muumuus with tummy-support panels are included.
5. Bunion Barbie. Years of disco dancing in stiletto heels have definitely taken their toll on Barbie's dainty arched feet. Soothe her sores with the pumice stone and plasters, then slip on soft terry mules.
6. No-More-Wrinkles Barbie. Erase those pesky crow's-feet and lip lines with a tube of Skin Sparkle-Spackle, from Barbie's own line of exclusive age-blasting cosmetics.
7. Soccer Mom Barbie. All that experience as a cheer-leader is really paying off as Barbie dusts off her old high school megaphone to root for Babs and Ken, Jr. Comes with minivan in robin-egg blue or white, and cooler filled with your favorite, nachos and beer.
8. Mid-life Crisis Barbie. It's time to ditch Ken. Barbie needs a change, and Alonzo (her personal trainer) is just what the doctor ordered, along with Prozac. They're hopping in her new red Miata and heading for the Napa Valley to open a B&B. Includes a real tape of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do."
9. Divorced Barbie. Sells for $199.99. Comes with Ken's house, Ken's car, and Ken's boat.
10. Recovery Barbie. Too many parties have finally caught up with the ultimate party girl. Now she does Twelve Steps instead of dance steps. Clean and sober, she's going to meetings religiously. Comes with a little copy of The Big Book and a six-pack of Diet Coke.
11. Post-Menopausal Barbie. This Barbie wets her pants when she sneezes, forgets where she puts things, and cries a lot. She is sick and tired of Ken sitting on the couch watching the tube, clicking through the channels. Comes with Depends and Kleenex. As a bonus this year, the book "Getting In Touch with Your Inner Self" is included.
Maybe you can use this in your Jokebook.
"I hope
You have a wonderful 50th birthday! We all have our sorrows
and
sadnesses in our hearts but we must always remember that there are
places still left in our hearts for great joy and celebration of life
too!" "Happy Birthday, Cayenne! Best of all, wishes for a better year
for us all. Marlene
Dear Mom I finally got a major promotion on my job. I have a 91 Camaro with many new parts on it, turquoise is your favorite color. It's a sports car and a lot of guys will be chasing you around if you take the time to notice. If it was running it would be worth about $5,000 but it isn't running. Might be just a blown fuse. It's yours! If you or one of your friends can get it running, this would solve a major problem for you. Seriously mom, you do need to cut back on your volunteer work and take better care of yourself and do some paying work. I hate to see you living this way after years of a different lifestyle. Love, Your Daughter Melissa
Dear Mammaw: You are the best mammaw in the world and we will see you this weekend. Happy Birthday, save us some cake Trevor, age 12 Krystina. age 8
My Tribute to YOU, Cayenne
I have only been a member of the UNION for a short time but
I wanted to say a special thank you for all your hard work and
dedication
to a cause that has touched and is touching hundreds of lives...as I
write.
It only takes a spark to get a fire going and you have been that spark!
Have a wonderful 50th! Be proud! No young whippersnapper could do what you've done.
Thanks again,
Donna H
Hi Cayenne:
I wish you all the best on your birthday and many more
to come, and I would like to THANK YOU for all your
help so you have a wonderful 50th birthday. Remember
you'll always have 50,000 angels guarding you
everyday. And for each other year, you'll gain one
more.
Thank you once again with all my heart.
Roseann R
(note from Susan. Cayenne rescued Roseann's husband
when he was sent from Northern California to Chino
during the riots this year. He was nearly killed and
in ad seg for protection, separated from Roseann and
his three children. This is just one of many lives this great
lady and her friends have saved.) Happy Birthday Cayenne, (after 50 it's a piece of cake,no pun intended), you wonderful courageous woman (so much stronger than I).....I salute you and will be forever grateful for the impact you have made on my life. I thank you, just for the distinct pleasure of knowing you....I thank you for allowing me that pleasure. You are my friend first and foremost, something no one will ever really understand except you, because none of them were there then..........back in the beginning, in the very beginning of everything......
I wish you and Eric and Natalie the very best in his and your crusade to free him from the horrors of the prison system that he has been exposed to, you know that. I am here for you, silently sometimes, but always present and writing and fighting. Maybe not as often as I used to, but there just the same.......
With the Deepest of Love and Respect for a Very Dear and Precious Human Being,
Susan D.
P.S. You will always be "younger" than me*********
(Note: Susan D. is one of the original 30 families who founded the UNION. Cayenne always says that without her helping so much with the work, there would be no UNION. Susan has been real back up to Cayenne every step of the way.)
CAYENNE -
I WISH YOU A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY,
JOHN VASCONCELLOS
Cayenne:
Your dedication, contributions and personal sacrifices have not gone
unnoticed. You have clearly been a sterling
example for humanity - not simply for California's many prisoner
families. I salute you. By your courage, staminia
and perseverance, you have shown others that there is truly "light" at
the end of the tunnel! Happy 50th, Cayenne.
Your Friend and Handyman,
Lonnie F. DeWitt, Author of "iN tHE cAR"
(www.inthecar.com)
Tribute to Cayenne, the "Journalist's Journalist" In these times when media is simply a courtier press who doesn't report real inhumanity most of the time, you brought back old-fashioned values to many of California's journalists. People who know you realize that you have been doing this since grammar school, and have spent a lifetime as a communicator. You have paid a high price for freedom with the deaths of your mother, grandmother, and imprisonment of your first-born child. Your nightmare would have immobilized most people Without funds, or even much support in the beginning, you set out on a mission to end injustice in California. You are respected by the media and the legislators for plain talk and courage. When you say so often "Red and yellow, black and white we have all come together in the UNION to fight Injustice", my heart knows that you have lived your life with this attitude. I would have lost my patience with those directly hurt sitting on the sidelines withholding funds, volunteer time and the support necessary while you toil for everyone FOR NO SALARY. You have my love and respect! Rightor1 is the number one writer in California. Who else brings sunshine inside the prisons by hooking the triumvirate of families, media, legislators all together in spite of Davis' attempted to thwart us? You, Cayenne, have made a difference.
Berta Garcia, Journalist
Dear Cayenne
I hope the birthday is a happy one and that even happier days
are soon to come. Debby Jimenez
Cayenne,
My Fellow Warrior
Thank you for your leadership, hardwork and perseverance despite
adverse
circumstances.
Your strength and fortitude are an inspiration to those of us in the
trenches with you.
Hapoy 50th and may the next 50 bring you the desires of your heart.
Linda C. > You're the Real
Hot Pepper - Cayenne!
These are just
a copy
WE LOVE YOU!!!
AND MANY, MANY MORE -
This space reserved for Tribute from Eric Knapp, Cayenne's son
whose mail has not arrived.
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Cayenne's work as volunteer director for the UNION (United for No Injustice, Oppression or Neglect)is detailed here.
http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/parliament/2398/home.html
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
THE BIG "50"