Friday
December 09, 2005
SGN.org
Volume 33
Issue 49
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Monday, Jan 05, 2009
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Letters |
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| RESIST THE LIST!
Dear SGN, I find your December 2nd front page article about HIV names reporting very distressing on several levels. In the late 1990s I was an active member of Resist the List, an organization, as noted in your article, that opposed names reporting and was instrumental in reaching the compromise that currently guides the state of Washington in collecting HIV data. Although I am not a state health department insider, I have heard of virtually no problems with the system, and presumably the name-to-code based system gives the state the information it needs to track the epidemic. In addition to the potential problem of people resisting testing because of the fear of lack confidentiality enforcement, itself a good reason to avoid names reporting, there is a larger danger that we should take into account. The federal government is now in the habit of using coercion to control not only the lives of our citizens, but the rules, regulations and decisions of the states and major institutions. They do this with the threat of withholding funds until and unless these entities meet the moral requirements of the administration in power. This is not unique to the Bush II Administration, but it is more prevalent now than in the past. It was back in the late 1960s that Congress decided that all states should have a minimum drinking age of twenty-one. A very worthy goal, in my opinion, but what tactic did they use to get there? They simply decided to withhold federal highway funds from any state that didn't comply. It worked, of course, and it is easy to see a relationship between teen drinking (or any age drinking) and highway safety. But Congress knows money talks, and it is easier to use this kind of coercion than to try to persuade and negotiate. More recently we have the tactic of denying universities federal dollars if they enforce their own nondiscrimination polices by denying military recruitment and ROTC programs on their campuses. Now, with HIV reporting, we have, "Play my way, or we won't pay." I'm sure we could all come up with more examples, but the question is: "When is enough, enough?" Are there ulterior motive to these tactics? I'm sure there is. It is all about power and control. We should continue our resistance to conform to policies that are in conflict with our own personal and community interests. The motto, "Silence = Death" also applies to our rights and privacy. Sincerely, Bill Dubay Seattle, WA SOUTH AFRICA, THANKS Dear SGN, South Africa, once the bane of the western civilization because of its apartheid policies, now joins the most advanced countries of the world. The high court ruling supporting same sex marriage in South Africa follows similar court rulings in Canada and two US states, Massachusetts and Vermont. The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Canada already celebrate complete legal same sex marriages. The Washington State Supreme Court is now considering if our state should follow suit. Sincerely, Janice Van Cleve Seattle, WA OPPOSE JAMES JOHANSON FOR SUPERIOR COURT BENCH Dear SGN, Here is the letter I wrote to Governor Christine Gregoire, who is said to be considering Mountlake Terrace lawyer James Johanson for the Snohomish County Superior Court. Sincerely, Charles D. Fay Marysville,WA December 7, 2005 Governor Christine Gregoire Office of the Governor P.O.Box 40002 Olympia, WA 98504-0002 Subject: Snohomish County Superior Court Judge appointment Dear Governor Gregoire, Your office has indicated it will review all sources of information about candidates for the vacancy on the Snohomish County Superior Court bench caused by the departure of Judge Stephen Dwyer, who was elected to the State Court of Appeals in the November election. One of the seven reported candidates, Mountlake Terrace lawyer James Johanson, was a state representative in the 44th Legislative District for one term prior to his defeat in the 1994 election. During this time Rep. Johanson opposed passage of HB 1443 , the civil rights bill which would have prohibited discrimination in employment and housing on a basis of sexual orientation. A person who favors continuing legal discrimination against Gays and Lesbians in employment would not be a good choice for a Snohomish County Superior Court Judgeship. I likely will not have an opportunity to ask Mr. Johanson if he still favors discrimination against sexual minorities, however, I trust you will carefully examine the records of each of the candidates for Judge and will appoint someone who can and will fairly represent all the citizens of Snohomish County. Very truly yours, Charles D. Fay BANNING BOOKS A SLIPPERY SLOPE Dear SGN, So, in Pierce County, the University Place School District banned The Geography Club from their libraries, saying this was done not because of the Gay subject matter, but because the main character met someone in a chat room, thus modeling bad behavior for their youth. But hey, why stop with just banning The Geography Club? Romeo and Juliet romanticizes teenage suicide, Lord of the Flies has youthful gangs running amok, and Mark Twain's character's defied authority, broke the law, cussed and ran away. Even that ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus included: Killing your father, marrying your mother, plucking out your eyes. Oh my. And we better not let kids read the Bible; all kinds of bad things in that. They even have a crucifixion. Do we want youth to think it's okay to crucify someone they don't like (or just leave them hanging on a fence in Laramie)? Sometimes the good outweighs the bad. Sometimes bigotry hides behind protecting the children. And sometimes book banning should have died out with the Communists. Sincerely, Greg Clinkingbeard CALLING ALL ACTIVISTS Dear SGN, If you have not yet signed up for www.washingtonvotes.org, now is a great time to do so. Washington Votes watches all legislation in the state senate and house, tracks status, and offers a blog for you to weigh in on the issues. It even alerts you in your email to legislation pending that is in your selected categories. This is ideal information for activists and organizations to pitch their case to senators and representatives with timing and precision. Washington Votes is no substitute for contacting your legislators directly, but it does offer links to them and all kinds of other useful research. It (www.washingtonvotes.org) should be bookmarked as one of your top favorites and be visited often. The legislature goes into a short session beginning in January. This is an ideal time to start stuffing their stockings with goodies or lumps of coal. It is much more effective now than bemoaning what did or didn't happen afterwards. Happy Solstice! Sincerely, Janice Van Cleve Seattle, WA SUPPORT MARK WILSON Dear SGN, I write this letter to encourage your readers to support Mark Wilson for U.S. Senate. Mark Wilson supports peace in Iraq. His opponent, Maria Cantwell, continues to support a policy of war just as she did in both her 2002 and 2003 Senate votes. In contrast, Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania who similarly voted for war in both votes has since issued a clarion call for peace. It is important to sustain Congressman Murtha's momentum unto this goal for peace. Neither is there any real reason why Maria Cantwell, if she wanted to do this, could not do so. Last November, the Congressman's constituency voted for Bush by 48 percent, and for Kerry by 51 percent. Similarly, Mark Wilson would end NAFTA and its WTO agreements. Mark Wilson would oppose CAFTA. These programs have reaped great misfortune for this country's society. Senator Cantwell has voted in support of these programs. Sincerely, Scott L. Kasemeier |
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International Readers |
 
It's new!A blog created by the SGN staff so you can be heard |
"Putting on the Ritz |
The Beauty of Freedom artist's reception |
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