Page One

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday February 10, 2004

CORRECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Betsy Hunton in her review of Helen of Troy writes that Helen ran off with a Greek Prince. 

He was not Greek, he was Trojan. And Menalaos did not want an excuse to go to war with Greece; he was Greek. 

It’s hard to see how the writer could have seen the play without realizing this. 

Nancy Ward 

 

• 

McNAMARA’S FOG 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Andrew Lam’s comments on The Fog of War, (“‘The Fog of War’ Leaves McNamara Unscathed,” Daily Planet, Feb. 3-5) are right on target. McNamara is indeed “living a kind of self-deception,” and his formidable intelligence works hard at creating his self-delusion. I have not seen the complete film yet, only the clips shown at Zellerbach on Feb. 4, but I did hear McNamara speak there. He was quick to insist that his discussing Iraq would be off the subject, yet he was quick to veer off the subject into endorsement of actions sure to soften a basically hostile Berkeley audience: higher taxes for health care (applause) and education (applause). 

Asked why, when he became convinced that the Vietnam War was wrong, he did not speak out, he answered that in his position in the government, he might have endangered American lives. Yet in the film, he describes with tears in his eyes the grief of a World War II pilot at the death of his tail gunner, a grief answered by General LeMay with an assurance that the tail gunner had died to save many other thousands, perhaps tens of thousands. Apparently McNamara can make no connection in his mind between this comment and the possibility that his speaking out about Vietnam, while possibly killing his power in the administration, and hypothetically costing some immediate deaths among Americans in Vietnam, might very well have saved the lives of thousands of Americans and millions of Vietnamese. 

Asked again about Bush and Iraq, he said that his comments would not be appropriate, that, rather, it was our job as citizens to mobilize our opposition, write, call our representatives, and so on; in fact he more than once went into rather a pep talk about our doing so. Let me get this straight. McNamara felt that when he was in the highest reaches of government, making policy, it was his duty to stick to a policy he knew was wrong. And he is telling us that it is our duty to organize, mobilize, agitate to defeat a government policy that is wrong. (As if there hadn’t been worldwide protests a year ago.) And he says it in a building that stands on the very ground where in October, 1965, we mobilized for a teach-In followed by the first massive march against the Vietnam war—which went on killing people for another 10 years. 

Like a casting director assigning roles for a new war movie? 

Like a salesman describing a new video game? 

No, like a prophet without sin, telling us we must stop the killing. 

I left, docile as the rest of the audience, but the next day I woke up thinking of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and I wondered what kinds of brilliantly designed locks McNamara keeps on the room in his unconscious where the monstrous image of his role in those millions of deaths is horribly revealed. 

Dorothy Bryant 

 

• 

DOWNTOWN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Last weekend’s commentary piece (“Downtown Berkeley: Who’s Minding the Shop?” Daily Planet, Feb. 6-9) stated downtown should be “worthy of Berkeley and appeal to the entire community.” However the author disparaged long time residents such as myself who believe downtown should not be just large concrete buildings but should include a touch of nature for the well-being of all nature, including ourselves. She disparaged me as a “creek freak” because I believe UC’s proposed new hotel next to Strawberry Creek should not ignore it. 

The author also complains that Berkeley High students are no longer “reasonably contained” as if they are not part of the “entire community” It strikes me they are a vibrant part of our community and should not be out of sight and out of parks and out of mind. 

Bill Walzer 

 

• 

TRANSPORTATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you for your articles on planning in Berkeley. We in Berkeley have serious problems with transportation. The taxi voucher system for elderly and disabled is poorly administered—we at the Gray Panthers office hear frequent complaints about the limited times services to obtain vouchers are available and the chipping away of the funding, which means there are fewer vouchers and they cost more. One Gray Panther commented that her check took three months to clear! That is money lost to the city. 

We need serious planning for everyone’s transportation. Here in Berkeley we have a wonderful theater district, however, the car-less, elderly and disabled who use public transportation cannot access it because many AC Transit routes were discontinued, and many AC Transit services after 6 p.m. were cut. That means that the car-less, the elderly and disabled cannot go to these wonderful arts events because there is no transportation there and home after 6 p.m. 

Those moving to the many new apartment buildings built along Berkeley’s transportation corridors must use cars—there is no provision for grocery or staple shopping nearby, and public transportation ceases after people return from work. Moreover, provision for parking downtown is being cut back, so that those who drive and wish to shop and attend the theaters downtown don’t have a place to park.  

Lack of parking and transportation could be the death knell for downtown businesses and the arts centers. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, the deaths of down towns without parking has been documented across the nation, when malls filled this need and stole their business. 

I hope that the City of Berkeley will quickly implement a broader vision for our future transportation needs. If it doesn’t, I can see horrendous traffic jams on our streets, a deserted downtown, and a declining tax base. 

What we need is a Berkeley jitney system along the major traffic corridors, available user friendly public transit to all the neighborhoods, and a voucher system for the elderly and disabled that will meet their needs. We also need small shops with produce and staples near the new apartment buildings so that cars will be less necessary. All this requires planning! 

Margot Smith 

Berkeley Gray Panthers  

 

• 

SHASTA FIRE STATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Our neighborhood was selected for the site of the replacement of the Shasta fire station. I am not able to comment on the working and storage space requirements. However, this building will tower over the residences in the neighborhood. The living areas in this new station will occupy at least 3,000 square feet in order to house a crew of three. Even in the hills, 3,000-square-foot residences are a rarity. Is this really necessary? 

Lisa Brunet 

 

• 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m writing to voice my dismay at the closing of the Berkeley Extension’s English Language Program. I’ve been following the developments with interest.  

This is what I understand. I understand that the program has an international reputation for excellence and has been successfully teaching foreign students for 30 years. I understand that the school is profitable and that the students contribute more than 2.5 million dollars yearly to the local economy. 

I also understand that the program’s teachers are the only ones at UC Extension that are allowed to work full time, qualifying them for benefits. And just prior to the shut down, the program filed a suit with the Public Employee Relations Board citing unfair labor practices. 

According to Dean Sherwood the school is being shut down because it doesn’t fit into his strategic plan. Let’s see. Spreads international good will, profitable, contributes to the local economy. Shut the school down. How strategic is that? I’m no fool. He doesn’t want to pay benefits.  

What is even more troubling to me is that the dean is sacrificing an established institution with dedicated educators. He is sacrificing profits. And he is tarnishing the reputation of Berkeley in the world community.  

This is bad judgment. It’s arrogant and shortsighted. 

In an era where institutions of higher learning should be leading the way in international relations, Berkeley is locking the door and turning out the lights. We should be reaching out rather than isolating ourselves. What better way is there to build bridges than to encourage tomorrow’s leaders to study English at Berkeley. 

Kevin Numoto 

Oakland 

 

• 

SKEWED FACTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The account of the School Board’s Feb. 4 vote regarding a new student assignment plan (“Despite Lawsuit, School Board Adopts Racial Criteria,” Daily Planet, Feb. 6-9) has skewed several important facts evident to anyone who was present. An essential feature of the new plan is that it is “race neutral.” Race was considered along with several socio-economic factors in creating a composite socio-economic category map of the city. But the plan does not give any consideration to race in its formula for assigning students to schools. If Ward Connerly’s “race blind” initiative on the recent ballot had passed it would have had no impact on this plan. 

I don’t know how the painstaking discussion, written narrative and charts get translated into the juicy-sounding headline “Board Adopts Racial Criteria.” 

Board member Shirley Issel surprised the board and audience with an exhaustive enumeration of objections. Her shots were in many directions but it was clear that her principal objection was not that race had been considered in the formulation of the map. Judging from her remarks she favors a socio-economic scheme using only a criterion of low family income, “free and reduced lunch” eligibility. That approach has been tried in some cities and was among the many scenarios and combinations modeled by BUSD in its quest for a viable plan. 

If the new plan had been voted down or tabled on Feb. 4 then the calendar would have dictated that students be assigned to schools this year by the old integration plan which used race as a primary criterion. 

Bruce Wicinas 

 

• 

WASTED REPUTATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When UC Berkeley responded to the SARS epidemic last year by banning certain students from its English language programs, the outcry from the excluded was so large that it changed the administration’s minds. Such is the eagerness with which students from around the world wish to take courses at Berkeley, though hundreds of other institutions offer similar programs. 

When I was in Japan, I worked part time for a unit of a university that sent Japanese students to English language programs in the United States. The two most popular destinations were UC Berkeley and UCLA. I can still remember the dreamy eyes of the students as we held information seminars about Berkeley’s program. In fact, it is through this work that I myself became interested in Berkeley. 

The sudden announcement to close down the English Language Program is, in my mind, a huge step backward for UC Berkeley, a step that could cost its hard-gained name recognition in the world. It took 30 years for the program to build its reputation to a point where 3,000 students from 50 countries attended last year. In a sense, UC Berkeley has been getting millions of dollars in free worldwide advertisement as these students spread their experiences after they returned from Berkeley. 

With the fees for international students increasing from $16,000 a year to $24,000 a year in the last two years, Berkeley is already at a disadvantage in enrolling international students. Now, it is entirely closing down the popular and accessible English Language Program. Not only will Berkeley lose at least 3,000 international students in a year, it is at the threshold of losing its international status and a part of its unique culture that comes from the presence of such a diverse population. 

The outcry that Berkeley heard from excluded students last year was the product of the admiration that it has gained through the years. It is shocking and devastating that the university would think that it can get rid of this widely popular program with a stroke of a pen and only a few months’ notice. 

Takeshi Akiba 

UC Berkeley student 

 

• 

THANKS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As we prepare to move back into our kindergarten and first grade classrooms following the flood at Malcolm X School, the Annex Wing teachers would like to take this opportunity to thank the BUSD maintenance staff for their care of our rooms. The job was immense. Wallboard, cupboards, and carpets all had to be removed and replaced. Each day, as more and more damage was discovered, it was immediately scheduled to be fixed. We appreciate that teachers were frequently included in discussions of the timeline and in on-site walk-throughs. Our rooms are now back in order and clean up work is focused on the rest of the lower floor which also sustained significant damage. The BUSD maintenance staff did a terrific job! 

We are, of course, hoping that the city and the district are taking steps to make sure major flooding doesn’t occur again in the next rainstorm. The flooding was not just a problem for the school, but also for the many neighbors who had flooded basements and cars on Ellis Street, east (uphill) of the school. We hope the city and the district will work together to investigate the causes of the flood and then jointly take the necessary steps to avoid this from happening again. 

Cynthia Allman, Candy Cannon, Hazelle Fortich, Dyanthe McDougal,  

Kathleen Richerson, Louise Rosenkrantz, and Kai Shen 

Malcolm X School