2022 Ballotpedia

Tell us about yourself in 200 words or less

I have been a Peace and Social Justice Advocate most all of my adult life. This has been my vocation, my purpose in life. I have never been paid for my vocation. I have contributed my own money and time to my vocation. I have primarily acted independently, but often in coordination with other groups or organizations. I have been official members of some groups, but also so closely active with some that I would qualify as an active member.

My activist days actually began in earnest when I was the last of the draftees in October 1972. After training, I was assigned to the U.S. Army Signal Corp in South Korea.  After a year of research, I started sending letters to Congress and President Gerald Ford   complaining of the U.S. support of the Park Chong Hee dictatorship.   My letters were usually signed by 5-6 other soldiers. On my 4-page letter to the President, I collected over 100 signatures from my base. in July 1975, I was abruptly and secretly removed from Korea by the U.S. Military command at the demands of the Korean Government.

I am agnostic and I respect all religions. I, however, find that most people do not really practice the most sacred values of their religions as to peace, loving thy neighbor and doing no harm to others. This is particularly evident in the way people blindly believe corporate media and then vote for government officials that promote war and violence, destroy the environment, and ignore the basic needs of the people for a fair and just life!

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Personal and Family

Since I bought the Peace House in 1989, many people have shared my home. I currently have 8 roommates. One is my supportive partner.

I was first married to Un Chong Oh who was my Korean language teacher in Seoul Korea. Although separated for 1 1/2 years after my sudden removal from Korea, we were married in February 1977 in SF at a Mormon woman’s house by a United Methodist minister with best man and woman provided by good Quaker Friends. A professional burglar did amazing magic tricks. He was notorious as the SFGate (like Water Gate) burglar who broke into a number of peace activist groups during the Vietnam war at the request of the FBI and then exposed his activities to those same groups when he felt he might be on a FBI hitlist for knowing too much! Of course, that never happens in America!

As explained elsewhere, my wife died in 1985 after undergoing kidney dialysis for 5 years and after a year and half of severe sexual harassment by her director at her job with the SF Alemany ESL college District.  While this trauma helped destroy her physical heath, along with supporters and myself we were, at least, able to help her recover most of her dignity and spirit. 

In 1989, I met a young mother of 3 children while on a caravan trip to El Salvador. Long story, but because of death threats from the Death Squad government of El Salvador I helped smuggle her, a brother, a sister, and a cousin into the U.S. that December. Actually, 3 were captured by U.S. immigration when abandoned by “coyotes”. Back then immigration laws were more humane and profitable. I was able to bail them out of detention quickly for about $2000 which the government eventually kept. We were married in February 1990 and the 3 relatives all obtained legal refugee status. A year and half later we were able to legally bring her three young children to the U.S. The children are now all grown.  I had a cordial divorce with my wife about 20 years ago. However, I am still close with everyone.

My parents are both deceased. My dad was a construction engineer and served as a bomber navigator during WWII in the Pacific. My mom was a “Rosie Riveter” during WWII and later was an accountant. My brother is a retired wildlife forest ranger in Montana and my sister is a retired judge in Minnesota. My older half-sister lives in Minnesota and the younger one is a veteran and nurse in Fairfield.

Professional Experience

I delivered local newspapers while in Junior High School.

I worked as a student Engineer at International Harvester while attending Northwestern University in the field of Science Engineering.

I was the last of the draftees and served 3 years in the U.S. Army Signal Corp while mostly stationed in South Korea from October 1972 to October 1975.  I was honorably discharged along with a Good Conduct Metal.  But one of my greatest honors was when I was secretly removed from Korea by the U.S. Military at the demand of the Korean dictatorship! While under guard for 24 hours before I was on a plane home, my removal orders stating that, “I was a discredit and embarrassment to the United States of America”.   Writing letters to Congress and the President sometimes gets rewarded in strange ways!  A progressive activist was born!

I worked at National Semiconductor in Sunnyvale for almost 7 years in the early days of computers in the Silicon Valley, mostly as the lead computer technician in the computer repair department.  Back then we had to repair computers down to the basic simple IC gates, now of which are thousands in a single IC.  We were told back then that someday all the information in the world would be available on our watches.   So, it has come to pass, however now this wide unlimited access to information is threatened by governments and corporate interests that would censor, distort and literally ban individuals and viewpoints that contradict the official narratives!

Besides a number of jobs at various pizza restaurants, I was a self-trained organic gardener and home maintenance person for many years.

Civic Involvement

I have been a Peace and Social Justice Advocate most all of my adult life. This has been my vocation, my purpose in life. I have never been paid for my vocation. I have contributed my own money and time to my vocation. I have primarily acted independently, but often in coordination with other groups or organizations. I have been official members of some groups, but also so closely active with some that I would qualify as an active member.

Primarily, I am currently mostly active with 3 groups: Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, Oscar Grant Committee. I have been active less recently or in the in past with Diablo Greens, Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center, Crosses of Lafayette, Our Revolution Contra Costa, ACCE, Bay Point Residence Association, Bay Point Garden Club, Injured Workers United, San Jose NOW, Sunnyvale Renters Association, Korea Link – Human Rights Korea, Un Chong Sexual Harassment Support Team and Nuremberg Actions.

When a rent control initiative was put on the ballot in Sunnyvale, I joined in that effort which involved a joint effort between young liberal activists and conservative senior citizens from the many mobile home parks. More people voted for the initiative than had voted in the previous off year election, but the landlords and real estate backed by corporate media spent millions to get homeowners to believe rent control would destroy the city and we loss by a narrow margin.

A year and a half later, when I couldn’t get anyone else to, I ran in a short special election to fill a vacant City Council seat. I actually thought I could win as I was the only candidate in favor of rent control out of six candidates. Unfortunately, the city had earlier agreed to some rent control on mobile home parks, so the conservative seniors abandoned me, and apartment renters didn’t vote in mass. When the reporter called me to say I had finished only a few votes behind the landlord candidate, I exclaimed “you mean she won”. Actually, I had finished 4th behind the Democrat and Republican Party candidates.

In 2020 I ran for Congress as the Green Party candidate in the current District 11 which comprised most of Contra Costa County.

My campaign website http://www.CreatingBetterWorld.org is meant to be a public resource to access various alternative news, opinions and information that is ignored, censored or distorted by the Military industrial Prison Media complex! When an important and serious issue arises don’t just trust your corporate media for the whole story or even the truth. Please refer to my website resources! Personally, I would rather you use my website resource than just vote for me. My website will be there long after any election!

Political Experience

I have been a Peace and Social Justice Advocate most all of my adult life. This has been my vocation, my purpose in life. I have never been paid for my vocation. I have contributed my own money and time to my vocation. I have primarily acted independently, but often in coordination with other groups or organizations. I have been official members of some groups, but also so closely active with some that I would qualify as an active member.

I ran for Sunnyvale city council in 1985 and finished a close 4th to a landlord candidate, a year after I was involved in a losing but highly successful rent control campaign.  While apartment renters did not win any concessions from the existing city council, the mostly senior citizen and family mobile home parks did obtain some relief from increasing renter space rents.

I am again running for U.S. Congress as the Green Party candidate in the new CA 10th District. I thank the nearly 15,697 voters (7.4%) who supported me in 2020 in the current CA District 11. I intend to be a bullhorn on issues that corporate politicians and media don’t want you to either know & talk about. You may not always agree with me on every issue, but I do try to base my opinions on serious research while always keeping an open critical mind to additional facts and information.

My campaign website http://www.CreatingBetterWorld.org is dedicated to providing extensive alternative political resources and viewpoints on most every issue confronting society today.   My website is an ongoing education resource that will continue and improve long after this election.  To be honest your regular use of my website is more important than your vote. 

Religious Beliefs

I am agnostic and I respect all religions. I, however, find that most people do not really practice the most sacred values of their religions as to peace and loving thy neighbor and doing no harm to others. This is particularly evident in the way people blindly believe corporate media and then vote for government officials that promote war and violence, destroy the environment, and ignore the needs of the people that could make everyone’s lives so much better.

Accomplishments and Awards

I take pride in the many things I have done to help make this a better world. For example:

In late 2007, I learned that Loaves and Fishes had closed down its food operation for the homeless and needy. Using my home equity funds, I personally fed a community of some 20-40 people at a local park Monday thru Friday. We affectionately became the Anuta Park Picknickers. We sent a petition to Loaves & Fishes pleading them to return to Bay Point and fortunately they did finally return later in 2008. We also sent a letter to the Bill Gates Foundation signed by about 35 of us asking that they consider the possibility of financing a high school in Bay Point whose teens had to travel many miles to another town’s High School. The Gates Foundation rudely rejected our plea!

In a fruitless effort due to liability concerns to grow some of our own homeless community food in one of the numerous vacant lots in Bay Point, I was informed that the Ambrose Park District might offer the vacant lot next to the community center for a garden.

After a lot of effort, I was able to secure permission to build a community garden by a 5-0 vote as long as the district was not financially responsible or otherwise involved. With my home equity money and a loan from the District, I and many of my homeless community friends built the garden in just over a month. For 5 years, I financed and managed the garden with help from friends and community volunteers. Without notice, the garden was taken away from me by the Park District in a 5-0 vote. This was clearly done in retaliation for my successful efforts in saving the community pool from destruction. The Pool has since been remodeled but sadly the community garden was neglected and ignored by the Park District for many years until recently.

I have been involved with the Crosses of Lafayette project since its founding in 2006. I built, painted and erected 75 of the first 300 crosses. That first New Year’s Eve, I helped lead a candlelight vigil display by each of the then 1000 crosses. The Crosses of Lafayette represents the now over 8000 American young men and women who have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan both clearly illegal according to our Constitution and International Law. When the hillside across from the Lafayette Bart Station reached 4000 crosses, it became too full for additional crosses, but a sign there reflects the number of service people killed to date. Unfortunately, the City Council of Lafayette refused other signs to address the much larger number of service people seriously injured or the many hundreds of thousands of civilians needlessly killed and the millions forced into refugee status or terrorized on the ground in at least 5 other countries.

Over the years, I have been arrested about 40 times and risked arrest many other times to help publicize immoral and illegal activities by our government and multinational corporations.

Educational Background

I somehow managed to be accepted into the elite Northwestern University after High School. I suspect this happen because of a convergence of two new situations. First, I had chosen a new field Science Engineering desperate for student majors. Secondly, this was the first year Blacks were accepted as students in the school’s 100 plus years of existence. Much later, I realized that I had also benefitted from Affirmative Action. I and a high school classmate were the first students, in anyone’s memory, from our poor working-class neighborhood who had been accepted into Northwestern.

I was in college during the height of the anti-Vietnam war movement with a low draft number staring me in the face. I was mostly clueless and never got really involved against the war. I was working off campus as a student engineer when Kent State happened. Students tore up all the iron wrought fencing and block the road in front of the campus for weeks with bond fires. The road was a major commuter route into Chicago. I missed all that, or maybe I might have become an anti-war activist sooner. Certainly, I had thought, my country wouldn’t attack Vietnam unless it was necessary and the right thing to do! I would learn better! Of course, I probably did do some small things in college that were signs of my activism to come. I actually completed my 5-year Science Engineering program, but never graduated or ever practiced Engineering. Never had any regrets about that.

After my military service using the GI Education program, I did obtain an AS in Computer Technology from Heald College in San Francisco.

After I bought my Peace House in 1989, I self-taught myself skills in home maintenance and gardening.

Of course, for some 50 years now, I have self-taught myself and become actively involved in many political issues confronting society and the world.

Military Service

My activist days actually began in earnest when I was the last of the draftees in October 1972. After training at Ft. Polk, LA and Ft. Gordon, GA, I was assigned to the U.S. Army Signal Corp in South Korea. It was Christmas Day 1973, when I traveled from Seoul to Pusan to meet the Korean orphan whom I had been sponsoring through a magazine ad. Later stationed in Wonju, I also became involved with a nearby World Vision orphanage. My two visits to Pusan orphanage led me to investigate corruption in the Korean orphan situation.

This would eventually lead me on a path of investigating the U.S. support of the South Korean dictatorship of Park Chung Hee. In 1974, I extended my time in the Army for another year time to stay in Korea. I then began exposing the U.S. support of the Park Chong Hee dictatorship in letters to Congress and President Gerald Ford. My letters were usually signed by 5-6 other soldiers. On my 4-page letter to the President, I collected over 100 signatures from my base.

I was also applying to stay in Korea to both marry my Korean Language teacher Un Chong and travel around Korea as a civilian. After a long delay in approval, I arranged to meet with the base Inspector General. The Major had me meet him alone after normal hours. Upon arrival he immediately stated that whatever it was that I was doing, the Korean Government was not going to let me stay in the country. I told him I had been writing letters to Congress and would he like to see my letters and responses. I then asked how the Korean government would know about my mail to Congress when I was never involved with Korean activists and had been using the military mail system. He immediately refused to review my letters and abruptly ended the meeting.

A week or two later under disguise of a fake military exercise with most of my base personnel scattered across distant Korean hillsides, I was abruptly and secretly removed from Korea by the U.S. Military command at the demands of the Korean Government. Under the Freedom of Information Act requests, I discovered that the Korean Foreign Minister was actually demanding the U.S. Military command do something about me. Article 15, Court Marshal and sending me back to the States were all considered. But it was determined that I was of a martyr disposition, so in order to please the Korean dictatorship and prevent any embarrassing incidents by me, the U.S. High Command finally decided to send me back to the U.S. illegally with no advanced notice. I was put under arrest and in less than 24 hours I was on a plane to Travis AFB in the U.S. My official removal orders stated that I was a discredit and embarrassment to the United States of America. My proudest award ever, this was like being given a Ph.D. in Korean Human Rights study all certified by U.S. Military and the Korean dictatorship.

During my removal processing, I was to publicly disobey my First Sargent numerous times always forcing him to allow Un Chong to be with me. In the back of a jeep on that two-hour ride to Seoul that night we exchanged vows with rubber band rings.

It was October 1975 when I was released from the military at Ft. Lewis, WA. I went on a 4-month hitch hike and bus journey across the Northwest speaking at churches and colleges. I spent much of the next 3 years, working on Korean Human Rights.

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from Creating Better World