The Opinion Pages

We all compared notes on when we first started to cry during the inauguration. Friends at both of the TV-watching parties I went to on Tuesday morning were well-supplied with Kleenex, luckily, since I’ve never mastered the grandmother trick of carrying a little hankie at all times. For me, it was Aretha’s hat that did it. -more-

It’s time to take a look at the charette’s results. The team of 21 representatives (BUSD architects, sports field specialist, staff, warm water pool swimmers and community members) meet to review the Berkeley High School South of Bancroft Master Plan and the adaptive re-use and rehabilitation of the BHS original gym, including the warm water pool. -more-

Recently I had a chance to revisit Chicago and marvel at her waterfront: Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park—miles of waterfront parks accessible to all Chicagoans. Then I learned on an architectural boat trip on the Chicago River that the waterfront park system was due mainly to the vision and courage of one man, Montgomery Ward. -more-

Berkeley Councilmember Linda Maio and Bay Area Air Quality Management District Executive Director Jack Broadbent’s Jan. 7 letters to the editor demonstrate their willingness to deny the seriousness of the air pollution in Berkeley schools and neighborhoods. Immediately taking a defensive stance instead of resolving to research and resolve the problem (unlike public officials in other states cited in the articles), both Maio and Broadbent argue that the recent USA Today report is based on flawed data. This is not true. -more-

My family showed me Martin Luther King, Jr. as if he were reflected in a racist fun-house mirror, but the traditional view of MLK taught at my public high school and reinforced in mainstream media also misrepresents King’s multifaceted contribution. The circumscribed tale of MLK’s civil rights journey from the bus boycott to the civil rights bills implies that racism was essentially eradicated and downplays his increasing focus on class and poverty as well as his criticism of the Vietnam war. This congratulatory narrative remains more palatable to those uninterested in confronting more subtle contemporary racism, and reassures elites interested in maintaining the status quo regarding the economy and foreign policy, while depriving those working for social justice of a historically meaningful portrait. -more-

By Richard Phelps -more-

Olivia Caldwell is a young, single mother who lives in Oakland, a city wracked by unemployment, foreclosures, escalating high school dropout rates, and violent crime. Olivia herself served time for petty theft. -more-

Last week Rep. Barbara Lee issued a press release about the situation in Gaza. “I mourn the tragic loss of innocent lives in Gaza and Southern Israel, and am deeply concerned by the ongoing and escalating humanitarian crisis,” it began. The statement went on to call for an immediate ceasefire and for intensive U.S. efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and to promote a two-state solution. -more-

The City of Berkeley has long taken a leadership role and committed substantial resources to creating strong community disaster response capabilities. Over 40 neighborhood Cache groups [groups that collect and store supplies for emergencies] have been certified and supplied and members trained by the City. Other such groups are organizing or wish to do so, and would benefit from assistance. -more-

It’s barely three years since Al Gore put global warming on the map with his video, An Inconvenient Truth. Global warming was barely on the public radar before then. Recent events show that we have made significant progress on the issue. Despite the despair in much of the media, echoed in the pages and on the web screens of the Planet, it’s very clear that due to concerted effort both nationally and worldwide, we’ve turned the corner on global warming and are now moving the other way. -more-

The Berkeley Public Library’s (BPL) response to questions asked by the Peace and Justice Commission (P&J) included some very misleading answers. These were regarding the library’s request for a waiver of the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act. -more-

The radio frequency identification checkout system (RFID) at Berkeley Public Library needs more money. Yes, even before the system has been paid, some of the equipment is so deteriorated that it needs replacement. But the principal reason is that the original vendor, Checkpoint Systems, has abandoned the RFID maintenance market and sold its client base to another company. The library wants to spend more money for a maintenance contract and equipment from the new vendor. The sticking point is that the new vendor, 3M, does not comply with the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act, and so a waiver is needed for the library to proceed. -more-