Letters 12-07-2015

Dec. 4, 2015

Defining Art

Appreciation to Delbert Michel for so succinctly stating what art is, should, and can be and also for calling out area arts groups, galleries, and media outlets for not promoting it.

You missed one though, Delbert, that being the Northern Express, who seems to go out of it’s way to seek out the dullest of the dull, the beigest of the beige, by profiling some of the most uninspired, uninspiring and mediocre artists to be found around northern Michigan. Maybe if the Express was willing to take a risk, maybe lose some advertisers, they could uncover some of the folks making the kind of art Delbert makes reference to. Fear not, art doesn’t bite, er well it can, but it’s a good sort of pain....yeah.

Mike Morey, Traverse City

Don’t Tie Muslims To Barbarians

I am totally appalled by the column about "how to tell the difference between ISIS and a Muslim. " I am an area representative for a foreign exchange organization and have hosted ten students as well. I hosted a young lady from Pakistan; she was an angel and we still communicate to this day. She and her family left Pakistan because they fear for their life.

We have just as many bad people in other religions that do bad things...all colors, all religions have bad people. The kids who come here to learn English and experience American life are not responsible for these barbarians who kill and set bombs. My heart sank when I saw this.

Marilyn Elston, Elk Rapids

Climate Thoughts

As the Paris climate talks get underway, we learn the response to falling gas prices in the U.S. to be (drum roll) record sales of SUVs and trucks for the month of November, of course!

While this behavior might seem irrational in the face of what increased carbon emissions mean for our future and the future of our children, it is predictable given the short-term perspective that is pervasive in our culture of immediate, insatiable consumerism. It is our right as long as we have the cash to pay for it.

The problem is, the costs of some behaviors are not only immediate and economic. They are costs that will be borne by others at a later time, all over the globe in the form of famine, drought, displacement, disease and conflict.

Instead of shooting ourselves in the foot every time the price of gas goes up, wouldn’t it make sense to incentivize behaviors that are at least carbon-neutral?

Placing a tax on fossil fuels at the source of production while redistributing the proceeds to encourage energy-saving technologies and behaviors would seem to be a good place to start.

Ed DeRosha, Traverse City

I Love Socialism

Let me rephrase that. I love Democratic Socialism. I like the idea of boarding an airliner that’s regulated, health care for all, my Social Security, Medicare, driving on good roads (Michigan being the exception), public schools, national and state parks, and yes, our county parks, the Eisenhower Interstate highway system, national cross country hiking trails, and our own socialist Leelanau trail. I’m also appreciative of our Postal Service, public utilities, armed forces, a more efficient Environmental Protection Agency, public garbage pick-up in our big cities, and our own recycling centers. No room here to mention many more benefits. I just wish I could have been a Democratic Socialist in my earlier, idealistic days, but I don’t think the term was used back then. For those of you uninformed people who associate Socialism with Communism, which is starting to surface more frequently, I suggest you research the "ism" terms and their social and economic impacts.

While we are on "isms" I would like to talk about the "ism" I most fear; that would be Republican Fascism and this is what you can expect: collaboration among religion and government, male domination of female reproductive rights, hyper patriotism with flag lapel pins and patriotic slogans; suppressive Right to Work laws, anti-unionism, militarization of police departments, excessive military spending, downgrading of our public schools, disregard for minorities, power and influence of the middle/elderly white male, disenfranchising minority voters, control of media opinions by getting rid of liberal commentators, and corporate control of our elections. The list goes on. Does this sound look familiar? With this list you can see our country’s direction. The advance of Republican Fascism needs to be a cautionary heads up.

W.D.Bushey, Elmwood Twp.

This Is America

Thomas Kachadurian’s recent assessment of Islam is timely and accurate. Early waves of European immigrants blended in to American life. There seems to be a different attitude with Muslim immigrants, that America should assimilate to them, rather than they assimilate to the U.S. In Dearborn, public schools have had to change to halal meats in their cafeterias (more costly), and now have to break for Ramadan in addition to Christmas, due to Muslim demands. There are now at least two neighborhoods in the Detroit area, Hamtramck, and southwest Detroit (near Wyoming and Fort,) where the Islamic call to prayer is heard five times a day over the loudspeaker, starting at 6 am. In Dearborn it is common to see Muslim women in the scarf, but more and more women are seen in burqa also, walking behind the man. The oppression of women is a basic tenet of Islam, relegating women to little more than breeders. In America we have a tradition of being open-minded, welcoming and even interested in other cultures. With Islam, however, we are dealing with a religion of superstition, suppression of human rights, separatism, extreme misogyny and antisemitism. As a nation we should be pursuing a cohesive aggressive strategy against this threat to the west, and we need to name our enemy for what it is: Islamic terrorism. No, not all Muslims are terrorists, but most terrorists are Muslims. And prominent Muslims should be denouncing terrorist attacks publicly and often, but don’t. One imam condemning the Paris attacks from the steps of a mosque could do wonders.

Jean Wynn, Petoskey

Reject The Fringe

On Friday, Nov. 27, Robert Lewis Dear attacked a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic, killing three innocents, including a University of Colorado police officer. Dear was heard yelling, "baby parts" during the attack.

The continued willingness of these "fetal fetishers" to kill postnatals in their misguided attempt to save prenatals suggests that the label "Right To Life" should be narrowed to "Right To Fetal Life" in order to more accurately label those fringe persons so violently motivated by the inflammatory rhetoric of mainstream "Right To Life" members against Planned Parenthood.

Those who want to end legal abortions should use legal means to change laws that allow abortions. To go outside the law is to support anarchy, and using fear as a weapon to achieve your goals is the strategy of terrorists.

Bob Ross, Pellston

Visual Arts Solutions Redux

In his guest column, Delbert Michel (Nov. 30) is correct in suggesting that the success of any work of art depends on more than its subject matter. He is helpful in alluding to the formal elements (shape, value, color, and texture) that comprise the compositional basis of the art of painting. It is feasible for him to assert that all visual art is abstract. What he fails to make clear, however, is that abstraction alone, which is limited to the manipulation of the formal elements, is not art. It is merely design. Art derives from and represents human experience. Abstraction represents nothing and thus lacks content, meaning, human significance.

Mr. Michel seems unlikely to provide much useful leadership in the visual arts by enumerating what the community "must" and "should" do. Lead by positive, meaningful example and trust an interested, empathetic segment of the public to follow of its own volition.

Harvey Gordon, Glen Arbor

References For TC

In reference to the "Nine Stories" feature in the Nov. 23 Northern Express, anyone interested in helping design TC’s future should consider watching the YouTube videos "The Value of Downtown" and "Joe Minicozzi in Traverse City."

Good books include "The Option of Urbanism," "Walkable City," "The Great Inversion," "The New Geography of Jobs," "The Death & Life of Great American Cities," and "Happy City." The websites Planetizen. com and Ctilab.com also cover many of the design issues we have here in TC.

Mark Nixon, Traverse City

Rural Fire Extinguished

Green Lake Township will be withdrawing from the Grand Traverse Rural Fire Department now that Long Lake has dealt the fatal blow to its continued existence. That is the only logical decision because the remainder of Rural Fire is now on the far side of the county.

The sad ending to this twenty-year partnership is but one more example of how petty politicians will sacrifice the greater good of the community to satisfy the power lust of their little egos. Long Lake, Green Lake and Blair will probably form a new cooperative agreement, but the costs will be more and the quality of service will be less – nothing to be proud of.

Hopefully Green Lake and Garfield Townships will stop subsidizing Long Lake with 24/7 ambulance service. Long Lake should pay the full costs or be content to wait for private ambulances to come from the other side of the city or wherever they are parked.

Ten years ago, I was a firefighter/EMT in the Green Lake battalion and recognized they had a good system with a few minor weaknesses. For the past two years, a new chief was making fixes but the "old boys club" doesn’t like fixing.

Many people think all government problems begin in Washington or Lansing, but we don’t need to look that far to find elected officials who spend tax dollars foolishly, cut necessary services, and do their best to take care of themselves and their cronies.

Now if there was only something we could do about it – oh yeah, we could get involved and vote!

David Petrove, Interlochen

Act Intelligently About Vaccines

Sarah Stagray’s letter in the Nov. 20 issue hit it right on the head. Yes, far too many unnecessary, untested, potentially dangerous vaccines are being pushed on children and the general public, and parental rights are being stripped away by mandates. Medical schools do in fact teach how to strong-arm hesitant parents to conform.

Thirty years ago there were four vaccines recommended and given to children. Today we have 35–50 vaccine doses, and you are the only one held culpable when adverse events occur.

The sad part is that each generation of children keeps getting sicker and sicker. Of all the developed countries in the world, the U.S. is one of the sickest.

Research for yourself and think and act intelligently. Not all that long ago, doctors, experts, scientists and the government all agreed: DDT, leaded gas, asbestos, BPA, cigarettes and mercury fillings were not only safe but in fact maybe even good for you.

Ken Petersen, Traverse City