I thought I knew a lot about history, but I just found out about Ralph yesterday while surfing the web. His story is of tremendous importance at this critical time in America's political situation.

For years there have been files circulating on the web about Concentration camps being built by the government for potential "illegal aliens", or "disaster victims" housing. Lists of these supposed sites along with some "pictures" have been circulated. I put "Pictures" in quotes, because I don't really know if these "pictures" are of "concentration camps" or military training facilities of just some kind of faked props. In addition, various laws and FEMA regulations are posted to show we are headed into a dictatorship. I tend to believe we are heading that way, but really don't know to what extent our freedoms will be curtailed.

I have personally checked out a few of these sites on the concentration camp list and haven't found much, except a FEMA prison in Florence, Arizona, which may not mean much as Florence has 13 various prisons, including state,federal,private and FEMA facilities. Manzanar, the site of one of the Japenese "relocation camps", during World War II, is now just a barren, rock strewen area, with very little left of the old concentration camp. Florence, also had a conentration camp then, which is no longer there. The lists,
don't change much over the years, but Manzanar is no longer listed on most.

OK back to Ralpk Lazo, What does he have to do with this? Ralph was the only American to go with Japanse to be incarcerated in the WWII prison camps!
He was friends with many Japanese students and deciceded if they had to go so would he. There may be other parts to his story, but he was truly a proponant of freedom.

We need to remember this great stain on America's history, to be cognizant of the potential future and how we must work against the forces of repression and totalitarianism.

Perhaps you could visit one of the sites on the "concentration camp list" near you, and report to me whether it actually exists or not. You can send an email to [email protected] if you do. If such sites do exist, we'll have a better idea of what the future might bring.

Lets each decide to be like Ralph Lazo and take action if repression, loss of freedom and concentration camps are in our future.

Remember that famous saying,

"First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me."

Pastor Martin Niem�ller

I'll speak out for you,
whoever you are,
whatever your beliefs or your ethnicity,

Love, Curiouoso*