Posted: Sunday, March 1, 2009 12:00 am
Cartoon about AG Holder was out of line
I question the wisdom of the editors in including the cartoon by Gary McCoy in the Sunday opinion section. In it, Eric Holder is seen on a TV in a bar saying, "In things racial we continue to be a nation of cowards." A man sitting at the bar says, "This coming from a guy who wouldn't have the job he has if it weren't for whites."
I wonder what kind of justification Gary McCoy has to state something as insulting and condescending as this. From Eric Holder's wikipedia entry, he has worked his way up the system through his own smarts. He was identified in fourth grade as being intellectually gifted, and went on to graduate from Columbia Law School. He worked for the U.S. Justice Department for 12 years, then was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of District Columbia by Ronald Reagan. He was appointed as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia by Bill Clinton, and in 1997, was appointed by Clinton as deputy attorney general.
The speech that this quote was taken from, recognizing Black History Month, can be read at http://www.usdoj.gov/ag/speeches/2009/ag-speech-090218.html, and is well worth taking the time to read. Eric Holder makes some excellent points, and it's ridiculous that such a fuss has been made over one part of one sentence in it, taken out of context.
Ann Gaidos-Morgan
Corvallis
Sure sign of spring: Turkey vultures in the sky
George Taylor recently showed us several ways to determine when spring is here, but consulting a graph or a calendar for such an auspicious event is unappealing. We need some kind of sign that anyone can see and know that spring has truly come. Daffodils are always a welcome sight, but it's still a bit too cold and wet when they pop out of the ground.
Flowers of Indian plum or fawn lilies might work, but unfortunately few people are familiar enough with the plants in our forests to notice when they bloom. My grade school books said the robin was a sure sign of spring, but that won't work in Corvallis because robins love to spend the winter here.
I propose that Corvallis adopt the turkey vulture as the true harbinger of spring. Not only are they large soaring birds that are easily spotted and recognized, but they seek out warm currents of air to get around. So their arrival must indicate that warm air is here, or on its way.
In addition, these expert scavengers can serve as a good reminder that it's time for spring cleaning. San Juan Capistrano may get a lot of mileage from the return of a bunch of swallows, but they can't compete with the buzzards of Corvallis!
Andrew Gray, Corvallis
Forget warming: Just improve how we live
Environmentalists should recognize that global warming is an unwinnable argument, and catastrophe an ineffective motivation. Global warming distracts us from defining a broadly appealing, effective approach to our problems. Therefore, let's improve our democracy, economy, communities and lifestyles: Global warming or not, people and Earth will benefit.
Most Americans share the fundamental values of freedom, justice, democracy and concern for the future generations. With our shared values in mind, consider America's problems from beyond the narrow focus of the environment or global warming. From this perspective we'll notice numerous questions that suggest different, non-politically polarizing approaches to improve America. Examples of such questions include:
How much should our economy depend on international, vulnerable lines of communication and supply of energy and goods? Does political democracy depend on economic democracy? Is America being destroyed because our government, technology or knowledge are flawed? Or are the deeper causes of the destruction our self-indulgent, undisciplined, irresponsible personal behavior?
"A man who is willing to undertake the discipline and difficulty of mending his own ways is worth more to the conservation movement than a hundred who are insisting merely that the government and the industries mend their ways." (Wendell Berry, "Think Little" from The Art of the Commonplace, an excellent analysis of the aforementioned questions.)
In conclusion, global warming will ultimately be moot if we address the root problems in our economy, democracy and lifestyles.
William Hormann
Corvallis
Talk radio, the medium of choice
A reader letter to the editor berated conservative radio for being all talk and offering no solutions to our present national problems.
Conservative radio has been a source to keep people informed for many years and will continue to be the medium of choice. Yet liberal radio cannot keep a talk show on the air. Why?
There's an old saying that answers this question: "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."
Don Parker
Albany
SUNDAY LETTERS should be e-mailed to news@dhonline.com with "Sunday Letter" on the subject line.