Public Comment

New: Letters to the Editor

Tuesday July 05, 2011 - 09:48:00 AM

Preserve the Bartlett Houses; Gaza Flotilla; Where?Berkeley High and Gas Pipelines; Finding Gas Lines Near You; Women in Combat; Protect Children’s Programs; Israeli Women in Combat  

 

Preserve the Bartlett Houses 

My daily walks take me frequently past the two Bartlett Houses at the northeast corner of Blake and Fulton Streets. If I remember correctly from reading the landmark application about the site some time ago, they were built in 1877 and 1892. 

In addition to the two stately houses facing Blake Street, from Fulton Street you can see the lush backyard with many beautiful trees and the original carriage house, and even the tiny servants’ quarters attached to the older house. Taken as a whole, this is probably the most stunning Victorian scene that remains in Berkeley today.  

The new owner of the Bartlett site is Nathan George, who lives nearby. I understand that he has gutted most of the interior of both houses. Sadly, interiors of historic buildings are not protected by landmark designations. I sincerely hope that Mr. George understands how beloved this Victorian site is. There are many landmarks in Berkeley, some more worthy of the title than others, but this view is loved by neighbors and by people from all over town. I hope that it will be preserved in entirety rather than exploited for profit, as happens so often in Berkeley these days. 

Peter Schorer 

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Gaza Flotilla 

International outrage is mounting over suspected Israeli terrorist attacks on several of the flotilla ships docked in Greece and Turkey. Israel’s public relations propaganda spin machine has gone into overdrive claiming the flotilla is linked to terrorist organizations. Several members of Israel’s own security cabinet debunked these false claims. This was reported in two prominent Israeli newspapers, Maariv and Haaretz. Israel’s threat of banning journalists who cover the flotilla from Israel for 10 years was quickly rescinded in response to mounting international pressure. 

More than three dozen U.S. citizens are on board the “The Audacity of Hope,” including a former Israeli Air Force pilot, Yonatan Shapira, who has been an eye witness to some of the most egregious crimes committed by the Israeli Defense Forces. He echoed the strong sentiments of many disaffected American Jews stating, “I see it as an obligation of me as an Israeli and a Jew to help steer the wheel of this boat into Gaza, to send this message to the Palestinian people, to the Palestinian children in Gaza and the rest of the world, that they are not alone and we support them, and one day, they will be free.” Other passengers include, lawyers, doctors, social workers an 87-year old Nazi Holocaust survivor, Hedy Epstein; and the acclaimed writer, poet and activist Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Color Purple." 

Jagjit Singh 

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Where? 

A couple of small corrections to columnist Snodgrass's June 20 review of the Stein show at the MOMA. The famous quote "There is no there there" isn't really popularly misquoted (her article cites it as "There's no there", surely just a misprint) so much as misinterpreted. Stein was describing the loss she felt because the house she grew up in had been demolished, and the rest of the city greatly changed from her memory of it. (The full quote, for diehards, is fromEverybody's Autobiography: "What was the use of my having come from Oakland it was not natural to have come from there yes write about it if I like or anything if I like but not there, there is no there there.") I don't think it accurate to say that Stein's "time" in Oakland was "short": she was a resident from ages 4 (or maybe 5 or 6, there's some disagreement) to 17, her entire (conscious) childhood, attending Sabbath school at what's now Temple Sinai with classmate Judah Magnes(!). 

Dave Blake 

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Berkeley High and Gas Pipelines 

Your article on gas pipelines running under downtown Berkeley does not mention that Berkeley High School and over 3,000 students are at risk. Washington Elementary School is also at risk. 

Carol Reitan 

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Finding Gas Lines Near You 

I really appreciate your running the big article about the natural gas pipelines in the East Bay. Thank you! 

At the same time, I think you should know that getting to the pipeline maps is actually a lot easier than you describe. I know because I hunted down the maps myself as soon as I got the P&E mailing. The following is what worked for me: 

1) In the 3-fold leaflet ("Important things to know about natural gas safety"), under the "Know the location of gas pipelines" heading, are 2 website addresses. Go to the first address: www.pge.com/pipelinelocations 

2) Scroll down that page to the box with the wide black border. 

3) In the box, where it says "Enter Address", type in your street address (i.e., 2209 McGee), then press "Enter." 

4) Wait while the program finds the correct Google map segment and displays it. The map will include a marker for the entered address, and show the route of the pipeline close to your house. You can then scroll around the map and resize it just as one can with any Google map. 

I know, I know, ...the PGE directions for getting to the map really suck, but at least the map is actually easily accessible even if the directions are rotten. 

Katherine Pyle 

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Women in Combat 

Israel has not allowed women in combat in the past. That is a longstanding myth that they have and unless they have recently changed their policy it still holds 

A friend of mine was in an Israeli movie theatre years ago and there was an American film showing an Israeli woman in combat. The audience howled in laughter at the gross ignorance of the scene. 

Women are not the same as men and every decent society has recognized this and has made distinctions. The idea of women being killed in combat and held hostage and raped is abhorrent to sane people, which category excludes many so-called 'progressives.' 

It's appalling that a so-called antiwar paper could publish such offensive tripe. 

I should add that 99% of the many same sexers I have known have no desire to go into the army or enter the failed institution of marriage. 

I refuse to use the propaganda terms gay and straight or the obnoxious psychiatric terms homosexual and heterosexual whenever I can avoid them. 

Same sexer and other sexer are more neutral and accurate 

Michael Hardesty 

* * * 

Protect Children’s Programs 

California is still waiting for a budget that will protect preschool programs for young children. Parents are worried. They are uncertain of their own future. Many of them have been laid off or their work hours haven been reduced. They are able to hunt for new jobs with a will when their children are in the safety of a preschool or daycare where learning is taking place. 

Do we really want to take away the young child's right to receive early education in a safe environment? Can we as society think about the needs of those who have little power and very few economic means? 

If we create a caring society in which young children can play safely and receive early education there will be a healthy and happy future for all. Early education will motivate children to become life long learners. We will be investing in a future workforce of scientists, educators and doctors. We will be investing in thoughtful national leaders who will make our country powerful and peace loving at the same time. 

When a household has limited resources members of the household will not spend on themselves but will think instead about their responsibility towards their dependents. I am not able to think how at the national level we can abandon our dependents, cutting, for example, funding for early education. Are we not keen to educate our youngest citizens? Will cutting off aid to early childhood education fill the budget hole? 

Romila Khanna  

* * * 

 

Israeli Women In Combat
I am responding to Mr. Hardesty's letter about Israeli women in combat. As far as I know, Israeli women were allowed to become fighter pilots in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) after a landmark court ruling in 1995. In the year 2000, Israel’s military service law was amended to allow women to serve in any capacity that male soldiers serve, including combat units. Israeli women serve in the infantry or mechanized units, or any other combat occupation. They make up a third of the IDF, and are treated as equals with males. Mr. Hardesty certainly has an outdated, keep-them-barefoot-and-pregnant view of women in modern society.  

Ralph E. Stone