Letters to the Editor
Stellaa
Published Letters: 173 Editor's Choice: 14
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Not just another....
[Read the article: Not just another dead black man]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As a mother of two kids that went through the Berkeley Public Schools I cried reading this article. I remember in kindergarten when my son and all the kids were playing together looking at them and realizing what different destinies were attached to each of them. Some of the destiny they would make, but a great deal was already made for them by their class and race. For those few early years I felt a glimmer of hope, but with time I saw how when I would take my son's best friend home he would have to walk through a gauntlet of young men that he wanted to emulate. By high school, his friend was deeply into the gangs and he dissappeared from our lives. They, my son and his friend, were in different worlds. We saw him once in a while, but then he dissapeared after coming to our house one day and taking a bicycle of our front porch. Last we heard he was in jail.
What do we do? That is the question. Obviously what we are doing as a society right now is not working. All the good intentions of the diverse schools failed to face the reality and lacked the financial and political resources to erase the differences in the destinies of class and race. Ultimately, the schools serve those who will be served because they have the entitelment of race and class-- and yet they are the ones that stay away from our public schools cringing in fear.
What do we do? I have been asking myself that question for the 18 years I have seen this first hand among my children's friends. I know we have to do something that is my physical, emotional and intellectual reaction. How do we serve Keith and all the other children that are killed and or discarded into prisons? I used to think I knew, but I surely don't know anymore.
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Identity
[Read the article: Uncertainty and horror in Baghdad]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Flawless English, I guess to many Americans the idea that an Arab, and Arab woman at that, writing or speaking flawless English is improbable. I would like to remind you that most Arab countries have elite English and American schools and Universities. In addition, many Arabs travel abroad for their education. So, all you have to do is go to an Arab country or speak to many Arabs that come to America or England already proficient in English. Once again, the perversion of racist implication.
I have been reading Riverbend and frankly, unless someone can come up with real questions regarding her identity, I believe she is real. Her blogs come in spurts, like the electricity in Iraq. What makes you think the others are using their real names? They could sound like real Arab names but could be manufactured.
My question is why is the media not checking the fact that Iraqi's are told not to trust the police? Who is following through with this story? I was astounded when I read it last week and have been looking for follow up but there is none to be found. Why the silence?
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17 year old authors...!!!
[Read the article: How Opal Mehta saved our lives]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Who wants to read 17 year old over achiever's book? Give me a break. So, the publisher and those who read it you all deserve what you got. This was just like the two or three super achieving reporting scandals.
Sandip is right about over achievers. Having been a parent in this age of over achieving "brilliantly sensitive lactose intolerant" kids I have had enough. No matter what race, religion or ethnicity, they are annoying and so are their parents. These kids lie all the time. They pad resumes with fake volunteer work, they plagiarize, they harass teachers, they gorge on the school resources, they are pushy, they are rude and lack any kind of humility. The elitist sport is not tennis or golf anymore, it's creating these little monsters that have little or no sense other than achievement.
Lets expose them for what they are, packaged products of parents eager to convert America's alleged meritocracy into a hereditary aristocracy.
Expose the little brats and give some slacker a chance.
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It's not about the Sopranos!!
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ok, it's not what happens to the Sopranos that matters. It's what we do when it ends. It's the Monday morning calls with my brother and ex-husband to discuss some Soprano tidbit.
It's the nuanced commentary on urban development, politics and parenting. Yes, the big story is fun, but the stuff that I will miss is the spot on understanding of having a slacker son and a fiesty daughter. It's the Soporano's discovering sushi after years of only eating Italian and realizing heh, it's great. It's the pokes at Starbuck's. It's the loonie bits of Paulie with his prissy old maid clean freak paranoia and I am a hurt little boy neediness of a psycho killer. It's the manic loud sister cooking the dead woman's ziti. The Soprano style intervention with Christopher. It's the Italian woman not wanting to leave her toe nail clippings for others to do witchcraft on her. It's Paulie realizing that his American Italianess is really not a lot like the real Italians. I found that the in between, the filler, is what kept me coming. And I must say, it's Gandolfini, you gotta love the guy.
Ciao Toni, we will miss you.