Letters to the Editor
Community Compass
Hate
Has No Boundaries
I live in Delaware, close to
the Dover Air Force Base where Fred Phelps and his family of protesters
came to voice their opinions on gays and the war in Iraq. [See www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050718/NEWS01/507180321/1006/NEWS
for a report.]
Although I did not attend this gathering,
I was disgusted by his presence there.
Thinking his was a “Nazi”
type of Baptist religion, I was about to have a real fit. I looked this
church up on the Internet and found out that he and his followers are
not welcomed by most of you, either! Phew!!
I really don't understand how people
become so mean and hateful, do you?
Thank you for having a web site, it
saved me from having my blood pressure go up.
Karen Jordan
Newark, DE
Pride in Vermont
Let's face it: Pride Day in
Vermont simply isn't what it used to be. Not only are the crowds smaller
(made worse this year by the horrible weather on July 9), but the sense
of a need for a Pride Day here is indeed waning.
As I see it, there is one overriding
reason for this - Vermont's unique demographics. The Green Mountain State's
LGBT community is unlike any other in the U.S. Vermont certainly isn't
a "red state." But it doesn't have a "queer ghetto"
like San Francisco, Boston or New York, either.
Outside the Greater Burlington area,
Vermont is a predominantly rural state - the most rural in the Northeast.
Many LGBT Vermonters, myself included, moved to Vermont to escape the
big-city rat race. It's also no accident that Vermont is one of the few
places in the country where lesbians outnumber gay men, according to the
2000 Census. In the big cities, it's the other way around.
Consequently, LGBT Vermonters
are older and grayer per capita and tend to be more mainstream-oriented
culturally and more moderate politically than their urban peers.
Put another way, what works in Montreal
may not work in Burlington. What's OK in Boston may not be OK in Brattleboro.
And what's normal in New York's West Village may be completely out of
place in Bennington.
If LGBT Vermonters desire to enjoy
a Pride celebration with all the trappings of a big-city Pride, they can
easily travel to Boston, New York or Montreal - And, in fact, many do.
For Pride to be successful in Vermont,
it has to be a decidedly Vermont-oriented Pride.
Skeeter Sanders
Shelburne, VT
Mock's Apologies
First of all, I am grateful for the
interest and article that Euan Bear wrote regarding my good fortunes in
having been selected as one of this year's recipients for the Robert Wood
Johnson Community Health Leadership Award.
I was very concerned to see a quote
in her article that I had not expected would be for public consumption.
When Euan Bear and I were initially speaking by phone and catching up,
we were joking and reviewing old history before moving onto the RWJ award
story. The quote from the story I am referring to was, "If you believe
in Karma, you could look at it this way: Kurt Kleier got fired and I got
a national award." This statement seems "small," inappropriate
and not at all professional.
I would like to apologize to
anyone who may have been offended by this statement. I particularly want
to apologize to Kurt and all of the staff at the Vermont Department of
Health who had to make difficult funding decisions this past year for
HIV prevention programming and services statewide. This statement standing
alone and out of context appears shallow and attempts to summarize a complex
process in an over-simplified manner.
Thomas Mock
Executive Director, ACORN
I disagree that the phrase was taken out of context. ACoRN’s
drastic change in fortunes was the point of departure for the story. And
at no time did Tom Mock say that any part of our conversation was "off
the record."- Euan Bear
Connecting the Dots
In the days and weeks to come Vermont
and the country will be focusing on the future of reproductive health
and a women's right to choose. Roe represents an important keystone and
its importance has to be understood in context. The Supreme Court decision
recognized that patients ought to be expert in making health care decisions,
not government.
This principle should apply across
all facets of decision making with respect to medical care. That is why
it was extremely disappointing to see the [Vermont] House and Senate Democrats
only dicker around the edges with changes to living wills and power of
attorney.
This Democratic legislature had a
real opportunity this year to consider Death with Dignity legislation
pending before the House Human Services committee in a concerted and thoughtful
way. Instead, the leadership granted this important matter a courtesy
hearing, totally less than three hours of testimony in total.
It is my sincere hope that H. 168
is given an opportunity to be fully aired in the second half of this legislative
term.
Steve May
Bolton
Steve May is a Progressive Party member exploring a run for a Vermont
Senate seat from Chittenden County.