Middle East
An analogy shows it is racism
The context for this letter is the article, op-ed and letters appearing in this paper about the latest of a long series of one-sided, anti-Israel events. They are put on by otherwise nice people who call themselves Vashon Islanders for Peace. I have an analogy for what they are doing I would like to share.
Let’s says there was a group, “Vashon Islanders for Justice” (and if by chance there is, let me apologize now). Let’s say all VIJ events were oriented towards the atrocities committed by blacks on blacks in Africa, brought here for discussion on Vashon.
VIJ speakers talked about how in case after case black Africans were killing, raping and torturing each other over economic and political power. VIJ never brought speakers who talked about the effect of colonial history on creating this sad state of affairs. They never had actual debates or brought speakers who defended some of this violence as necessary to defend basic freedoms.
You noticed that when there was an estimate of the victims of such atrocities they didn’t give a range, but chose the single highest number conceivable. Most offensively, they never talked about apartheid, which was white-on-black violence, or even talked about injustice anywhere else in the world except one interlude when their own country invaded Iraq.
Now, I ask you, would you and your neighbors be justified in feeling uncomfortable about this emphasis under the moniker of “justice” on just black Africa?
Yes, you might believe that criticism of these regimes and groups was legitimate and even necessary; and yet, might you feel there was a deep, fundamental unfairness here and that it was ultimately a thin shield for bigotry? Now say VIJ’s focus was not Africa but instead Israel, the Jewish state. Then you might call what VIJ was doing not only bigotry but more specifically _________ (fill in the blank).
— Gene Lipitz
Quartermaster
Comparison to Glacier is unfair
In response to Bill Rowling’s letter (“Quartermaster Harbor stinks,” April 16) outlining the sad state of our inner harbor, I couldn’t agree more. It’s an issue we need to explore. However, a comparison with the Glacier problem and the green mussel infestation is unfair; they are all areas of concern and should be addressed as such. Pitting one cause against another can only divide the Island when we need everyone working together to solve these difficult problems.
If Rowling wants to form an organization to fight Quartermaster Harbor pollution, I, as past president of Preserve Our Islands, am prepared to lend organizational advice. Identifying the problem is a good first step.
— JW Turner
Wave2Go
The system works fairly well
In the April 9 Beachcomber, an article on the meeting with the new ferry boss David Moseley reported a negative perspective from the audience on the Wave2Go systems. While the new system has a few bugs to work out, it also has brought improvements. For regular commuters, the automatic recharge feature has saved time by eliminating the need to physically purchase a new book of tickets or to track down a monthly pass.
As noted by the letter writer in the same issue of the Beachcomber, by copying passes (permitted by the new system), multiple car commuters can draw down on the same pass as needed. Granted, the system needs a couple of fixes. The 10 rides in 90 days rule can be a problem for non-commuters, and the 30 minute rule between auto pass use means two cars using the same pass can’t be on the same boat. But that said, the system is working reasonably well and should not always be put in a negative light.
— Eric Walker
VYFS
The agency deserves support
Next week, Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS) begins its annual capital campaign with the kickoff of its VYFS Phone-a-thon.
Starting May 6, a group of volunteers will be dialing your number, asking for support for programs like Parent University, a prevention initiative including educational classes and playgroups (held in the exciting new VYFS play space). Or VIVA, which provides assistance to Islanders in need of housing, food, and transportation. Or the Care/Success Team, an early intervention program supporting Chautauqua and McMurray students.
These VYFS volunteers will want to tell you about the new programs on slate for 2008: drug and alcohol treatment services for teens and adults; a new program helping homeless Islanders find permanent housing; the Housing Stability Project, assisting with families enduring short-term housing crises. But most of all, we want to thank the thousands of Islanders who have continued to support us over the years as we’ve grown.
We’ve all been there: After a long day’s work, dinner’s finally on the table and just as you sit down and rest your tired feet … the phone rings. You want to ignore it. But starting May 6, I urge you not to. Please answer, and let us thank you personally.
— Kim Cunningham,
VYFS board member
Teen drinking
Experimentation is a myth
In response to Joe Sutton-Holcomb’s column, “Teens know the difference between experimentation and addiction,” the writer makes a very big mistake that many kids do, because they can’t see their parents as ever having been young themselves. Every parent has been young and had friends that “experimented.” We “parents” have garnered some wisdom because of our exposure. We know that we should tell you not to touch an open flame, and we hope that you don’t have to experiment and touch it yourself before you realize that it is a really bad idea.
I had close friends in high school who lost years of their lives and, in one case, even lost a life due to the attitude Sutton-Holcomb has towards drugs and alcohol. The opinion seems to be, “Drugs and alcohol are fine as long as you don’t become addicted.” As Stephen Bogan has asserted, and I agree, there is no such thing as recreational drug and alcohol use.
It’s easy when you’re 17 to 18 years old, as we all were once, to think you’re invincible, to think that bad things only happen to other people and not to yourself. As a former probation officer and parent, I will never be able to see drug and alcohol use by high school students as a “facet of adolescent development,” as Sutton-Holcomb called it. There can’t be a line drawn between those who “abuse” drugs and alcohol and those who “experiment” with and use them. The line is too blurry, and you never can be sure on which side you fall when you are using.
I am sure that 17-year-olds think I am an out-of-touch parent and that they are in touch with themselves and know better … We all did.
Andy Amstrup
‘Wizard of Oz’
It was like a Broadway show
I want to congratulate the incredible cast and crew of “The Wizard of Oz” for the most delightful performance I think I have ever seen of this production. Everyone was so professional, I at times felt I was sitting in an audience on Broadway.
How wonderful for me as a teacher to see my students in a totally different light doing something they obviously adore. It reminds me yet again how blessed we are to live in a community that so supports the arts. From the artists who so graciously act as mentors to our students through the Artists in Residence program, to the myriad opportunities that Vashon Allied Arts and the Blue Heron offer all of us to stretch our creative selves, our lives on Vashon have truly been enriched.
— Karen Person
