Letter8/17/06

Aug. 16, 2006

An error in judgment
I remember several years ago, 1997, when the skinheads planned to come to town to hold a music festival. In response, Hate-Free TC was born and, along with it, the wonderful idea of a Unity Festival - a musical festival for the entire Traverse City area, to show our unity and respect for the diversity we embrace.
The skinheads wanted national attention, which they got. That is why they planned their concert during the Cherry Festival. The Unity Fest was held in the City Opera House. It was a great success! And Hate-Free TC is still a part of Traverse City. We hope to keep Traverse City that way- free of hate.
So now there will be a three-day Christian concert, raising money for the Catholic schools. There will be singing and Bible study, and lay teen ministry 12 hours a day. This event will take place on the public property referred to as the Open Space.
The particular cause is not the issue- but is this open and welcoming to everyone? Will all our residents and visitors feel comfortable and welcomed? What about the atheists, the liberal Christian, Baptists, Jews, Muslins, Buddhists, etc.?
As TC lawyer Pete Doren said, “if you let Mr. A play his guitar in a park, you are going to have to let Mr. B play his guitar in a park, even if you do not like his music.”
Does that mean that the next time the skinheads want to come to town, they can play music in our Open Space instead of a cornfield?
This is a sad time for Traverse City. Let us in the future act with more forethought and consciousness, respecting our great diversity.
Please note that the Unitarian Universalist Social Justice and Action Committee will be showing a video about the hidden agendas of some of these Christian concerts becoming popular around the country. That event will be Friday Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the UU on Center Road, Mission Peninsula.

Emmy Lou Cholak • TC

Wrong location
First, I want to make it very clear that this letter is not meant to be disrespectful to Katie Heinz or her family. Nor is it intended to be disrespectful to all the nice people involved or who will attend. Please do not interpret it that way.
So, the Clover Fest is “Christian?” Why is this allowed to happen on public property?
This brings an interesting and significant line of questioning to the table: How did this ever get approved by our public officials? What were they thinking? What are the terms on the rental contract for this event? Does it allow proselytizing on public property? Because there will be LOTS of proselytizing. This is inconsistent with standard public policy.
The article in last week’s issue (August 10) states, “.. .the free festival has the potential to one day become the biggest thing to ever hit Traverse City.” Holy smokes, I sure hope not. What a grim prospect. Especially on public property. If they want to do this in the future they should find another site - one that is private property. Or, better yet, property owned by a church or religious entity.
To have this event on public property is inappropriate and unacceptable.

Bob Jones • Glen Arbor

Israel‘s ‘accidents‘
On August 3, Professor Juan Cole (Ann Arbor) on his award winning blog “Informed Comment” noted a recent spike in direct attacks on U.S. troops by Iraqi insurgents because of Israeli bombings in Lebanon. The professor wonders aloud: Has Ehud Olmert indirectly killed 12 U.S. Marines and soldiers....” While this question can perhaps be dismissed as rhetorical speculation, an atrocious, largely ignored, act of Israeli direct aggression on the American military cannot.
On the fourth day of Israel’s Six Day War of 1967, in international waters off the Sinai, Israeli fighters and gunboats attacked the spy ship U.S.S. Liberty for over an hour. The unprovoked act killed 34 U.S. seamen and wounded 171. This attack, like Israel’s recent killings of U.N. observers, the Israeli 1996 massacre at Kana and now the present massacre at Kana, Israel maintains was a ‘tragic accident.’ While this explanation has over succeeding decades, like so many Israeli outrages, satisfied our AIPAC intimidated government, it has not satisfied author James Bamford. In “Body of Secrets,” he maintains that Israel deliberately attacked the Liberty because the ship had intercepted messages that demonstrated that Israel, contrary to Israeli mythology, not Egypt, initiated the Six Day War with a sneak attack on Egypt.
Much finger pointing during the present Middle East crisis has rightly been directed at Hezbollah, Iran and Syria for ‘starting’ this war. However, the previous actions of the theocracy of Israel, prove it has no more credibility than its ‘evil’ neighbors.
(For a viewpoint on the present crisis which simply isn’t a rehashing of IDF press releases, forget American TV. If possible, watch “Mosaic” on Link TV.)

Matt Malpass • East Jordan

Dirty secrets
I don’t know about you guys, but I want Bush and Cheney to de-classify their “secret energy meetings” so we can get the truth about why we are being gouged at the gas pumps, home heating costs and electrical utility costs, costs that are derived from crude oil. We cannot afford any more cost increases.
It is time to declasify energy meetings that Bush and Cheney classified as top secret! If they are on the up and up of honest leaders of America and the world, then I vote for de-classification.

Teena Sabin • Oden