Features
Letters to the Editor
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Editors, Daily Planet:
As a resident of Oakland, I feel a sharp pang of envy looking across the Bay when I see the mayor of San Francisco—hardly a progressive—taking the courageous step to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples. Tom Bates, Jerry Brown, and other leaders in the East Bay--please join Gavin in standing up for equal rights! Legalize gay marriage here as well.
Raphael Mazor
Oakland
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THANKS
Editors, Daily Planet:
I am writing on behalf of the tenants of Senior Housing at 1909 Cedar St., Berkeley to thank the Berkeley Fire Department and Berkeley Police Department for their wonderful assistance at a fire in our building the morning of Feb. 4. They performed with utmost efficiency and utmost niceness and we are very grateful to them.
We in no way can agree with reducing funds to the Police and Fire Depts. A less prompt response could have meant a disaster.
Virginia Ivancich
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SPRINT ANTENNAE
Editors, Daily Planet:
It has come to my attention that Sprint is now threatening the City of Berkeley with a potentially costly federal lawsuit if their antenna permit is not approved (see reference below). This is very typical of a global industry that sees no limit to what means it will use to impose its will on our communities--focusing on the profit it can extract from us, without interest in the health and welfare of residents.
Sprint has been given a fair hearing by the Council, has been given plenty of opportunity to show inadequate service near the proposed antennas, and Sprint has failed to do so.
Instead of accepting the reasonable decision of Berkeley, Sprint is calling in the federal government, which normally would not, and should not be involved in local zoning matters. (Such a lawsuit is only possible because of a provision of the Telecommunications Act obtained by the lobbying of wireless companies with their influential campaign contributions--a process that omits the voices of ordinary people.)
We need to stand up to such bullying rather than to reward their tactics of fear and intimidation.
David Tornheim
San Francisco
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BUSINESS AS USUAL
Editors, Daily Planet:
The Library Gardens project is ideal for car-free housing. We’d get both the housing and the parking. Instead, the developer has just offered more parking, which will both reduce housing and increase downtown congestion.
Isn’t it time to recognize Berkeley’s automobile addiction and try some real progressive thinking? Or is it still “business as usual”?
Steve Geller
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ROBOTIC CULTURE
Editors, Daily Planet:
The number one problem facing humanity today, from which all other problems eminate and are symptoms of, is that we live in a materialistic age. Everything today is judged according to it’s material worth. Even human beings are deemed worthless if they don’t earn money, live in homes, work “successful” jobs. Science tells us we are nothing more than collections of cells and molecules. Whenever disease inevitably strikes, we put the blame on bad luck or genetics (read the current news about Atkins). We accept no responsibilty. Is it no wonder that we have slipped so low that we resemble robots?
But modern man, continues to not only trivialize our spiritual foundation, but has seperated it from our physical bodies. We go to church to get religion, we go to the doctor when we are ill. Neither the doctor nor the pastor see any connection; they’re happy to deal with either physical or spiritual sypmtoms.
We don’t care to see how destructive and slugglish our robotic culture has become. It has spread to our children, to other countries and cultures and now threatens our entire future on this planet. If you doubt this, take a second look—all the indications are there: destruction of the family, epidemic disease, war, famine, poisoning of the food supply, etc. We are close to hitting rock bottom. When we do, perhaps we may be willing to talk about how and why we got ourselves there.
In the meantime, let’s start accepting that whatever happens to us is a direct result of the choices we have made. Life is too wonderful to accept anything less.
Michael Bauce
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CIVIC ARTS RESPONSE
Editors, Daily Planet:
Regarding the article “Mural’s Sad Fate Spotlights Civic Art Program” by Jakob Schiller (Daily Planet, Feb. 3-6), a few corrections need to be made for the record.
The column falsely and inaccurately associates the current City of Berkeley Public Art Program with the mural by Tricia Tripp, and refers to the inadvertent damage to the mural panels as “one of the city’s many fumbles involving public art.” In the same article mural works by local artist Osha Neumann commissioned by the Berkeley Unified School District are discussed, and it goes so far as to associate the tragic death of disabled activist Fred Lupke to “disrepair” of city public improvements in some way connected with the Civic Arts programs. Discerning and knowledgeable readers will know that none of these artworks and issues have anything to do with the Civic Arts Program. It is unfortunate and upsetting that these references and associations were made.
To set the record straight, the Tripp mural was independently commissioned by a city councilmember without submitting to any of the program standards and reviews of the Civic Arts Commission or staff. After suffering from inappropriate site installations, several relocations and graffiti attacks, the plywood panels were removed to storage without plans for preservation or installation. Efforts are again being made to contact the artist in accordance with state and federal laws protecting the rights of visual artists, and to determine whether the remaining panels may be restorable. Previous efforts to contact the artist were not successful.
As to the works by Osha Neumann commissioned by the school district, the City Public Art Program has no jurisdiction whatever concerning the treatment of his mural. And, clearly, it is beyond overstatement to connect the conditions and safety of our streets to the level of care and maintenance given to public art works.
On the positive side, we are all beginning to see the product of the Public Art program, with the sculptures installed downtown, the Addison Street Window gallery and Poetry Panels, and visual art exhibits in our Civic Center Building. New works commissioned with Public Art funds are scheduled for installation in South and West Berkeley this year. A new Arts and Culture Plan for the city is nearing its final draft with extensive public input and comments, to guide and to further improve city policies and procedures for the arts. A public discussion and review of the draft document will be advertised and held in March or April 2004 before its submittal to the City Council for consideration.
The arts are essential to each of us in many ways, and we are enriched by having art in public places. Jakob Schiller’s article at least has allowed an opportunity to bring attention to the civic arts in Berkeley.
Many thanks, on behalf of the members of the Civic Arts Commission and our invaluable hardworking staff and volunteers.
David J. Snippen, Chair,
Civic Arts Commission
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Editors, Daily Planet:
My husband and I recently moved to the El Cerrito Plaza/Albany area. I mention this because when we signed off on all of our zoning disclosures,
we were NOT in a flight path of any airport.
Over the past few months, however, my neighbors and I have noticed considerable commercial and cargo air traffic flying low overhead on a regular basis, day and night, rain or shine. Is it possible that Oakland and/or SFO have diverted their air traffic to fly over this community now? If so, how is that possible when one would think zoning would not allow for it? How do we as a community take charge to prevent this?
Elizabeth Will
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Editors, Daily Planet:
I’m writing you regarding your kind words about Sen. Edwards (“Edwards? You’re Kidding,” Daily Planet editorial, Feb. 13-16). I grew up in North Carolina and had a similar background as he. While I do not know him, I will say that I have followed his rise since his defeat of Lauch Faircloth, a Jesse Helms protégé, and have asked opinions those who have associated with him. Those of you who aren’t from there can’t imagine the oppression that existed during the Helms years and even now, in NC, and for Sen. Edwards to defeat Faricloth, Democrats all over the state felt the welcomed end to a shameful era of bigoted politics that has still moorings there even now. He brought hope to those of us who had felt shamed by our former Senator, and obviously impressed those that may have been prone to vote Republican that year.
Sen. Edwards, as far as I can see, as one and only one detriment, that being his lack of so-called experience. I say to that, if a wealth of experience brings us the likes of George Bush and the like, then bring on the novices. I’m working and voting for Sen. Edwards because I need a hero.
Sen. Edwards is true blue and I hope you’ll consider him as you decide who to vote for in the March primary.
Gail Ingram
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Editors, Daily Planet:
We all read with great interest J. Douglas Allen-Taylor’s article on ABAG financing in Berkeley (“Affordable Housing Program Funds High-Priced Apartments,” Daily Planet, Feb. 13-16). He left us all wondering about those political connections that helped bring much of that money here. Actually there is a very simple and less insidious reason why Berkeley gets more ABAG money than other cities in the area: The poverty rate in Berkeley is the second highest in the State of California! Most of the projects listed in the article were financed using the 1990 Census as a guideline. According to that census, Berkeley was second only to the Watts area of Los Angeles in rate of poverty. In 1950 the Census Bureau changed the rules and began counting students as residents of whatever town they were in when the census is taken. And you thought that those expensive apartments, condos and even more expensive homes meant that Berkeley was well-off! No, those voluntarily unemployed students, who are about to graduate and earn more than the average person, have no income and help create an artificial poverty rate that most of us never knew about and therefore, a demand for affordable housing that exceeds our neighbors.
Jerry Sulliger
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Editors, Daily Planet:
Although I enjoyed your recent article on blogs, I could not help but notice that all the bloggers mentioned were human (“Berkeley Shines Brightly in the Blogosphere,” Daily Planet, Feb. 13-16).
Is it a coincidence that the AUTHOR of the story was also a human? I somehow doubt it, given humans’ characteristic egocentricity.
An example of a blog by a dog in Berkeley is my own: http://kendradog.blogspot.com.
Kendra Dog
P.S. Can I have a treat now?
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Editors, Daily Planet:
I would like to encourage all pastors, priests, ministers and religious leaders who feel strongly about making marriage accessible to all to make their voices heard. We cannot afford to have the religious right dominate the conversation about marriage. As a student of the ministry, and a married straight male, I invite you to stand with me in supporting our fellow men and women until they are ALL granted equal rights, regardless of sexual orientation.
Ron MacKenzie
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Editors, Daily Planet:
The Daniel Pipes appearance has stirred up a good storm, as it should. Pipes is leader of an effort to intimidate faculty from coast to coast and purge International Affairs and Middle Eastern departments and programs of people who do not toe the Bush neo-con imperialist line on teaching the divine right of American and Israeli hegemony in the world. Being that Pipes is a McCarthyite using overt intimidation of opinions that differ from his own, it is amazing that anyone is willing to tolerate him speaking on campus at all.
But there are always the old Zionist lobby people ready to give their all and turn reality on its head: victims into tyrants and tyrants to victims. We who oppose Israel’s occupation, its wall and its sanctioned murders are getting so tired of them calling us anti-semites that we will soon have to form an organization called anti-semites for a just peace and an end to the Israeli occupation. And speaking of semites. Who are the semites anyway? I’m a Jew and my grandparents, like many, came from Russia and Poland. I have many Palestinian friends who seem to have perhaps a more legitimate basis to call themselves semites than most Jews. Why isn’t Israel’s anti-Palestinianism a form of anti-semitism? I would urge the media to stop using the term anti-semitism period and substitute the terms anti-Zionist, anti-Israeli, or anti-Jewish depending upon which is more appropriate in any particular circumstance. Anti-Jewish ideas and behaviors are reprehensible and, like racism, need to be exposed and challenged. The other two are legitimate political viewpoints which challenge the forced expropriation Palestinian lands. This clarity is long overdue.
Marc Sapir MD, MPH
Executive Director
Retro Poll
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