Letters 5/12/10

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

By JH Weekly User

Our age of sensitivity
In my perusal of a particular newspaper article regarding the unfortunate fate of a few students at a California high school being sent home in a disciplinary manner for displaying American flag regalia on their clothing on the day of Cinco de Mayo is yet one more example of the outrageous measures being applied in this ludicrous age of sensitivity.

In this era of pseudo-patriotism, it would appear to be boarding [sic] upon the vessel of hypocracy that an American student shall be chastised and punished for displaying the flag of his country at any time including the day of recognition of a foreign nations independence on American soil. If the accomplishment of their nation’s independence is of such heart felt importance to them, I ask, why do they choose to celebrate it in another?

Let us all face the reality here. With the recent passing of the  Arizona act dealing with illegal immigration, the panic of fear created by seemingly unchecked invasion of drugs, weapons and homicides at our southern borders compounded with the unspoken paranoia created by the events on 11 September, 2001, it would appear that the tolerance of Americans may be growing understandably quite thin. Therefore, I believe that the irrational decision of this California school may simply add a volatile fuel to an already burning barn in our absurd age of sensitivity.

– Patrik Troiani, Jackson

To the gentleman in the white Chevy truck:
We “crossed paths” on the morning of Tuesday, May 4th close to the corners of Pearl and Millward. I swerved on my bicycle to avoid a woman getting onto her bicycle after calling my dog, on the sidewalk, to catch up with me. The words you chose to yell over the passenger seat and out the window of your truck were “Why don’t you (expletive) watch the road and not your (expletive) dog?” I asked you to “just share the road, man,” and you swerved your truck into my bicycle path and proceeded to further threaten me. I know your license plate, but I’m not going to complain to the town or authorities. I just simply would like to say that summer is impending and bicycle use is going to grow exponentially.

I have been accused of having poor bicyclists’ karma before, but in this instance, I was well within my legal rights to operate a bicycle in town limits. I thank you for reminding me that not everyone is open-minded to reducing their own carbon footprint, and that in your case, some are even militantly against the use of a bicycle; another perspective, at least. I’m sorry you didn’t get that Schwinn you wanted for Christmas when you were a kid, but don’t take it out on the growing number of “hippies” that use this clean, legal and safe form of transportation. Vive Velo!
Sincerely,
— E. Tyler Alford


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