Where guns shouldn't go Having read the article in the February 1 issue of Northern Express titled Christine goes to jail, I must say that I have a hard time having any sympathy for Ms. Blackledge. While I support her right to carry a firearm and certainly understand why she does, she made a very bad mistake. My 5-year-old daughter and my wife fly out of Traverse City airport on a regular basis to go visit Grandma in another state. If anyone brings a gun to the airport I want them and the gun removed immediately! The decision to carry a firearm is a HUGE responsibility. If Ms. Blackledge (or anyone for that matter) isn’t responsible enough to manage that firearm properly then they must suffer the consequences. While her case may have been handled poorly I suggest that Ms. Blackledge use that as a learning experience and be more responsible in the future.
Tom Speers • Fife Lake
Guns and poses With her usual ardor to find others responsible for a person’s misfortunes, Anne Stanton did it again in her article on Christine Blackledge and her gun (2/1/10). There are the usual villains in her story–the overzealous prosecutor, the hard-hearted jailers, the rigid judge, the bumbling and expensive lawyer. In the process, she missed all the valuable lessons. If we look for real lessons, there are several salient ones. First, carrying a gun tends to create more problems than it solves. This story is Exhibit A. Second, carrying guns contributes to lawlessness. This very gun had been stolen and was in the hands of drug dealers for seven years, according to the article. Third, guns don’t protect. She was a victim of violence at the point of a gun, and by then, another gun was going to do her no good. Perhaps we could have had a wild-west style shootout with two victims. As a practical matter, most of us are more likely to be struck by lightning than we are to be victims of a crime that a handgun would prevent. How many people do you see walking around with a lightning rod on their heads? It would be a more rational act than carrying a gun.
Chris Campbell • TC
Beyond bike lanes “Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users.” This philosophy is in the Traverse City infrastructure policy. As more of us think about the future of our streets, and with several road construction projects slated for the coming months, there is good reason to start applying this principal now. Why? Projects to be completed in 2010 will have an impact on the quality of life in Traverse City for many decades to come. Although the city has made moves to work with MDOT on shared roadways like Division St. and Grandview Ave., streets under sole jurisdiction of the city remain unchanged. A primary example includes the section of Eighth Street from Lake St. to Garfield Ave. which seem to be considered non-negotiable by the city. Meanwhile, Eighth Street continues to be treated and designed to actually discourage non-motorized traffic. What gives? I’ve yet to hear a convincing argument about why this neighborhood street should remain a car-only strip. City residents and visitors choosing to walk or bicycle to the homes and businesses along this route need to be able to do so with an expectation of basic comfort, convenience and safety. The argument that there are other routes available to those users ignores the fact that this is the most direct route across town, that there are destinations along Eighth Street, and that this remains a neighborhood street despite the fact that signage meant to discourage cars from exceeding 25mph is itself, too often ignored. Two blocks of Eighth St. from Barlow St. to Garfield Ave. is slated for reconstruction in 2010. This is an excellent opportunity for the city to be pro-active on the matter of how our streets serve this community. What if our city was fully committed to designing for calm streets that provide for all modes of transportation choices? It’s what city residents have asked for, and worked for, and what has proven elsewhere to be an engine of economic growth, community cohesion and sustainable development. Regrettably, the current design slated for implementation this spring includes none of the above considerations. Mayor Chris Bzdok has taken a courageous, but difficult lead on questioning staff and challenging other commissioners to show leadership on this issue. He has re-capped the project’s history on www.PlanforTC.com. It might be too late for a short-term fix, but the time couldn’t be better to have a community discussion. Do we want to build a city that values each neighborhood as a place to visit and is convenient for multiple modes of transportation? Or, do we want portions of the city to be devoted solely to accommodating automobiles? If we are to have this debate, and I hope we will, it is best we have it today and not in 20 years.
Gary L Howe • editor, MyWheelsareTurning.com
Why no bike lanes? A couple of weeks ago the cycling community in Traverse City found out about a plan to dig up 8th Street for a $850,000 (approximate price tag) sewer and water, and repaving project that is funded in part by $230,000 in Federal Stimulus funds. As knowledge of the project began to find its way through the community grapevine, more questions than answers were heard, such as why the public didn’t hear about this until the deal was sealed between city planner Tim Lodge and MDOT. And why are bike lanes and safe street crossings not included in the reconstruction plan? Traverse City boasts the largest trail and bike advocacy organization in Michigan and one of the nation’s largest bike clubs. Because of this, the League of American Cyclists presented Traverse City their Bronze Award as a Bike Friendly Community. Traverse City is only the second city in Michigan to receive this distinction. The Grand Vision Transportation Working Group has been working to expand infrastructure serving pedestrians and bicyclists both in and out of town. The City of Traverse City endorsed “Complete Streets,” a plan that requires the State roadway system to accommodate safely all users of the public right-of-way, including pedestrians, people requiring mobility aids, and bicyclists. No matter how you examine the question, community consensus overwhelmingly seeks accessible and bikeable roadways as well as safe crossing areas that are conspicuously absent in the 8th Street plan as it has been contracted. If we are not able to implement the will of the community to create an accessible Traverse City now, when will it happen? This street project, if allowed to move forward as planned will prevent improvements the community is demanding in this corridor for at least the next 20 years. This plan clearly does not reflect the will of the people who have contributed thousands of volunteer hours developing a plan that meets the needs and desires of the people who live and work in Traverse City.
M'Lynn Hartwell • TC
Avatar's lesson I would like to respond to the “Avatar Brainwashing” letter in the January 25th edition of the Northern Express. I would hardly consider Avatar a brainwashing-type of movie. Avatar doesn’t brand people of the American military as incredibly selfish evil-doers who only care about harming gentle native people; it merely reflects what happened here in this country when America first formed, much like Disney’s Pocahontas showed us years ago. But I don’t see anyone ranting about that movie; probably because the basis of the story actually happened, when we forced thousands of Native Americans out of their lands and forced them to walk for miles without food or water to reservations (the Cherokee 'Trail of Tears'). Of course, Pocahontas couldn’t show such violence as it was a children’s cartoon, but it did show Europeans coming into their land and attempting to take it over. There are plenty of films that show Americans as good human beings, which is what I consider every human being that joins any form of military to protect their own country. That takes a lot of bravery and strength, something I don’t think I could muscle up if I had to do it myself. Take movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and the newly-created The Hurt Locker that was directed by James Cameron’s daughter; they all show Americans in a great and true light, (although not always pretty) with a lot of bravery and a lot of strength. Just because a movie shows an American force being defeated for attempting to take other peoples’ land doesn’t mean Americans are bad people; it just means they chose the wrong land to try and take over.
Katie LaCross • TC
Providing for a child I am sorry to state the obvious, but that article about the lady getting her baby “taken away” is ridiculous! (“Don't Take My Baby,” 1/25/10) She gave him up for adoption! And also, I am sorry that she “changed her mind” about it later. She sounds like she has made some poor choices in life; everyone has, but this person acts like it is everyone else’s fault, and she needs to take responsibility for herself! All I thought when I read that article was that she needs to get on with her life and quit having children that she can’t take care of. I think she needs to get some psychiatric help with her problems and leave that poor baby where he is, I am sure he is better off elsewhere. The responsibilities of a parent include providing for that child, and if she is going to rely on her Social Security disability payments, that is NOT providing for her child. I know many people that unfortunately have to provide for their families that way and it is a very unstable environment for a little baby. She has to learn to deal with her own problems before subjecting a child to them. I lived with a mother who had problems and we struggled for years with money; it was no walk in the park. Babies are expensive! If she truly loved that little one, she would let him have a better life and back out gracefully but she seems like she cannot do that. She is going to make everyone’s life miserable, including that baby!
Cathy Frederick • via email
America in peril On January 21, five conservative justices of the Supreme Court of the United States sold out to the corporatocracy. Our democracy needs a lifeline and it needs it now. When the court decided that there would be no limits on corporate financing of campaigns in the U.S., the fate of democracy has been put on the plank of a pirate ship and is about to be pushed off the edge. The court overthrew a century of precedent. This is easily one of the darkest days in our country, and it is an act that will have the most far-reaching implications. This decision will corrupt all future campaigns; it will lead to the election of persons willing to do the bidding of the corporatocracy. In time, the voices you’ll hear on T.V. and radio, will overwhelmingly be those of the corporatocracy. We’ll be bombarded with whatever it is they may be “selling.” You can kiss environmental regulations good-bye; and any and all safety nets; you can say “hello” to perpetual wars of choice; and “hello” to declining educational standards and so much more. The downplaying of this issue in the media is shameful. There is no easy answer. We can hope a couple of these corporatist-justices will soon retire. We’re in deep, deep trouble people. So again I say: MAY DAY! MAY DAY! MAY DAY! American democracy needs some life saving action right now.
Karen Martin • Cheboygan
Supreme sell-out Many aging “boomer” sports fans regret the name change so many ballparks have undergone in the last two decades. In a corporate dominated world, every name becomes a logo. And every logo means bucks. Growing up in San Diego, I regret that “Jack Murphy Stadium,” affectionately called “The Murph” by locals, was renamed Qualcomm Stadium when San Diego hawked the name for twenty million dollars in 1997. Jack Murphy had been a popular local, longtime sports columnist with the San Diego Union. San Diego originally believed a man’s lifelong local popularity and devotion to local sport meant something. Well, those sentimental days are bygone history. Which brings us to the issue of the far greater tragedy of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, passed by a single vote of the Robert’s court, is a corporate bonanza. The weak restraints placed on corporate power by existing campaign finance laws have been obliterated. Corporate personhood now has been codified. Exxon is as much a person as you are -- a “person” with much money to spend directly to buy political influence. And a person that never dies. To mark the death of democracy, it’s time to make it official. Sell off the name “White House.” Call it the Aetna Arena. Sell off the name “Capitol.” Call it Halliburton Hall. Just sell off the name of everything! Sell off “America.” Call it Walmart.
Matt Malpass • East Jordan
Breach of trust Re: the letter “Commies on the run” (1/25/10) Wow, the people of Massachusetts have spoken. I’m a little confused; did they raise $1.4 million to elect Scott Brown or Charlie Brown? I would put more stock in Charlie myself. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, because most politicians on both sides of the aisle are placed there to keep things the same, not to bring about change. There are no commies on the run; but there is an enormous breach of trust running through Capitol Hill. Governments try to perpetuate that which keeps them in power. Abhorrent behavior, personal ideology, and campaign malarkey seem to sway the masses into believing that their particular party will do the best job in managing our society. The fact is we live in an emergent society. The foremost interest of existing institutions, whether governmental, corporate, or religious, is self-preservation. If we continue to uphold these institutions in our nation or any other, then fascism, communism, free enterprise, socialism, and all other subcultures can be defined in one word; corruption! U.S. global hegemony has been sliding down the hill for several years thanks to the powers that be in Washington and Wall Street. We are divided as a nation, and as long as greed, power and money remain in the crosshairs, the corporatocracy will continue to load the barrel in their best interest, not ours. At least we have an intelligent commander in chief attempting to amend the political behavior throughout the system.
Mark Waggener • TC
Corrections Last week's Random Thoughts column on biomass neglected to mention that Traverse City Light & Power is one of the investors in the Heritage Stoney Corners wind farm. A reader notes that: “L&P has negotiated a purchase contract with them for 5 turbines at 2MW each for a total investment of $60 million over 20 years..” • Also, as a favor to Families First magazine, we are passing on the news that the local monthly posted last year’s calendar of events for February by mistake and publisher Laura Kalchik would like to spread the word to disregard the listings for the current issue, with apologies to the publication’s readers.
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