Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Two Fine Days on the Oakland Scene

By Becky O’Malley
Tuesday August 08, 2006

We get a lot of Chicken Little letters around here. For those of you who are folklore-challenged, Chicken Little was the character who thought being hit on the head by an acorn meant that the sky was falling. He put a lot of effort into running around convincing all the animals in the forest to panic, with mixed results. It’s traditionally the job of the press to play the Chicken Little role, so we really can’t complain when our readers tell us to write more about climate change, or the on-going struggles in the Middle East, or the attempt by Bush II to dismantle the Constitution of the United States of America. Yes, we’re worried, worried, worried about all of these, and more. This time the sky might really be falling, and what are we going to do about it? But every so often, it’s a good idea to check into what’s going right—all worry and no fun makes Jill a dull girl. -more-


No Pay Cuts Yet for Absentee Teachers

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday August 04, 2006

Berkeley Unified School District teachers who received letters informing them that their salaries would be cut for skipping classes May 1, the day of immigrant rights rallies nationwide, received their paychecks for the month of July on Monday. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday August 08, 2006

THE PARTY LINE -more-


Commentary: In Defense of Library Administration Criticism

By Ben Reitman
Tuesday August 08, 2006

In regard to recent criticism of press coverage of the takeover of the library by a serial carpetbagging, Bush water-carrying, ex-director Jackie Griffin, I must add the information Loren Linnard (Letters, July 21) left out of her unwarranted criticism of Judith Scherr. -more-


Commentary: Criticizing Israel = Anti-Semitism

By Howard Glickman
Tuesday August 08, 2006

I should not be surprised that the Daily Planet joins in the Arab-European “blame Israel first” school of journalism, but after reading Becky O’Malley’s diatribe against the State of Israel in Tuesday’s edition, I was startled that the paper would publish such an obviously incorrect editorial, so viciously slanted in favor of those who wish to destroy a sovereign nation and its inhabitants. Before throwing her sympathies to the murderers and terrorists, Ms. O’Malley should check the Israel Defense Forces policies regarding military operations in areas with civilian populations, which are the strictest, most moral in the world. She should consider that when the IDF accidentally kills civilians in a military operation, the operation is considered a failure, and everyone in Israel mourns the loss of innocent life. When Hezbollah kills civilians, the operation is considered a success and a cause for celebration. Instead of doing a web search for “dead children,” perhaps Ms. O’Malley should do web search for the IDF Code of Ethics, which includes the doctrine that “[T]he IDF servicemen and women will use their weapons and force only for the purpose of their mission, only to the necessary extent and will maintain their humanity even during combat. IDF soldiers will not use their weapons and force to harm human beings who are not combatants or prisoners of war, and will do all in their power to avoid causing harm to their lives, bodies, dignity and property.” Would Hezbollah or Hamas make the same commitment? -more-


Commentary: Zionist Crimes in Lebanon

By Kurosh Arianpour
Tuesday August 08, 2006

Some people who usually brand Berkeley Daily Planet and Executive Editor Becky O’Malley anti-Semitic have turned up their diatribe to silence a few voices that decry the crimes committed in Lebanon by the Zionist regime. All around the world, there have been demonstrations and protests against the genocide of civilians and children in the hands of Israeli forces. Have you not seen the photos coming from Lebanon? Have you not seen the photos of dead toddlers some with their pacifiers around their necks? Most probably not, because the complicit corporate media in the United States conceals these killings. The media only magnifies news of rockets fired by Lebanese fighters; rockets that are incomparable with the military hardware of the Zionist regime. But know this: So far some 800 Lebanese, mostly civilians and children, have been killed, compared to 80 Israelis, mostly Zionist soldiers. The U.S. media is hard at work to divert the attention of Americans from the destruction of Lebanon by the Zionist regime. You mostly find irrelevant stories, such as same-sex marriage, drunken Mel Gibson, etc., in the U.S. media. While Americans are amused with such stories, the U.S. Congress almost unanimously passed a resolution for full support of the Zionist regime and killing of more Lebanese civilians. Even your favorite politician, Barbara Lee, remained silent when the resolution was put up for vote. -more-


Commentary: Religious Texts vs. Faith

By Jacqueline Sokolinsky
Tuesday August 08, 2006

The problem of morally ambiguous religious texts is something I’ve given a great deal of thought to in the past few years. I attended a Jewish seminary from 1996 to 1999, where I struggled to understand the troubling texts, and after graduating life handed me a real and painful spiritual ordeal. I underwent a transformation of my ideas. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Friday August 04, 2006

A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE -more-


Commentary: Where Have All the Environmentalists Gone?

By Merrilie Mitchell
Friday August 04, 2006

Recently I returned to an area near my former home on Canyon Road near UC Stadium. I spent the afternoon walking around the stadium, and on up to the beautiful UC Botanical Gardens. And there I picnicked, surrounded by beautiful flowers and birds singing. -more-


Commentary: Throwing Stones

By Bill Hamilton
Friday August 04, 2006

The front page article by Suzanne La Barre in the Aug. 1 edition celebrating Michele Lawrence’s five years as BUSD superintendent gave me pause to consider my own views about the current state of BUSD and the City of Berkeley. Let me share them with you. -more-


Commentary: Bates and the Bowl: Some Inconvenient Truths

By Zelda Bronstein
Friday August 04, 2006

Tom Bates is telling people that I tried to stop the West Berkeley Bowl. Once again, he’s spinning the truth like a top. -more-