Why aren’t we outraged?

Dear Editors,

The recent tragic school shootings have gotten a lot of press coverage. Immediately afterward there were cries of “gun control” and “school safety.” Missing was outrage that these acts were acts of violence directed solely against girls. In both cases, a gunman entered a classroom, forced the male students to leave and took a group of girls hostage, killing six of them and terrorizing the rest. If the students picked out had been only the white kids, or only the black kids, or only the Jewish kids, there would have been outrage across America. But because we have become so accustomed to violence against women in this country, there was no outcry. No outrage.

As Jackson Katz recently wrote: “Incredibly, few if any prominent voices in the broadcast or print media have called the incidents what they are: hate crimes perpetrated by angry white men against defenseless young girls, who – whatever the twisted motives of the shooters – were targeted for sexual assault and murder precisely because they are girls.”

Girls are taught at a very early age that their only way to succeed in life is to look pretty and to please males. Beauty contests for 4-year-olds is a big business. Abercrombie & Fitch is selling T-shirts for young women that have “Who needs a brain when I have these” written across the front of them.

Women in this society are often seen as nothing more than sexual objects. Vessals for men’s desires. There is a $7 billion mega industry on the Internet where you can log onto sites and watch real women being sexually assaulted and savagely beaten. What is wrong with this picture?

We are inundated with violence in this country, and much of that violence is against women and girls. It is everywhere, in every community, at every age level. High school dating violence is on the rise. And the elderly are not exempt. Some women live in fear of their husbands for an entire 40 year marriage. Forty years of humiliations, beatings and control.

And we are not immune to this in idyllic Durango. In April of 2004, a gunman burst into a downtown business and proceeded to shoot his ex-girlfriend. Several times. The last shot to the back of her head as she was desperately trying to crawl away from him.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In the United States, a girl or woman is sexually assaulted every two minutes. One out of every four women is beaten by her husband or boyfriend. Alternative Horizons, the local nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting victims of domestic violence in our area, has seen the number of hotline calls increase exponentially over the past six months.

We are long overdue for a dialogue about the prevailing sexism and violence against women in this4 community and in this country. And men must participate, because violence against women is a men’s issue. It is violent masculinity at its worst. As Bob Herbert of the New York Times recently wrote:  “We have a problem. Staggering amounts of violence are unleashed on women every day, and there is no escaping the fact that in the most sensational stories, large segments of the population are titillated by that violence. We’ve been watching the sexualized image of the murdered 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey for 10 years. JonBenet is dead. Her mother is dead. And we’re still watching the video of this poor child prancing in lipstick and high heels.”

Chances are, you know someone who is or has been in an abusive relationship. Please reach out and let her know there is help available. There can be a future without violence and fear. An “alternative horizon” does exist.

– Nanc Cole, Board of Directors, Alternative Horizons

A taste of campaign rage

Dear Editors,

For some time now, I have been tossing around the idea of producing a weekly article for submission to the editors of our local publications. The basis for the column would be a sort of etiquette number with major emphasis on (but not limited to) the general driving skills habits, that is, the deplorable driving habits of thousands of licensed drivers on the roadways of Durango and the Four Corners region. In addition to a thorough reaming of our local commuters, my editorials would include an occasional segment criticizing our interactive demeanor with food servers while patronizing our favorite local restaurants. And as long as I’ve made mention of the matter (in the spirit of fairness and all), the performance of Durango waiters would be under critical scrutiny as well. Other areas of analytical examination might have included:

-Eye contact and customer service;

- Junk food/TV and our national weight crisis;

-Improper grammar and the impending benefits of teaching our children the proper use of the English language; Hey! There is no such thing as m-e-l-k.

I would refer to my creation as “Road Rage: Rambling Murmurs From Under the Breath of a Confessed Control Freak.”But, as it happens time and again, “Road Rage” has taken a back seat to more than a few additional, half-finished and otherwise incomplete personal endeavors or, for lack of a better term, excuses … resulting in … well … nothing.

And so it goes.

Recently, however, I was re-inspired by a worthy topic, and I’m compelled to bust out the highway salute in the form of my inaugural issue of “Road Rage.” The target of my unbridled anger; the political campaign on my telephone answering machine! What the …? Who the …?

I have emerged from obscurity to tell you that I am far beyond irritated with this unsolicited invasion taking place in my own private living space. Since when was it “OK” for political candidates and their supporters to make these random, computer generated phone calls to the vacant homes of the citizens of their potential governing district stating the specifics of their own petty, little, slanderous gobbledygook?

Now (although I think that it is a very good idea), I have no intention to propose that we all should call our congress people to demand that they pass laws making it illegal for political candidates to phone the citizens of their prospective jurisdictions; personally, I think that we have far too many laws littering our “judicial system” as it stands. And, besides, such an idea just sounds so boring … too commonplace and terribly unsavory in support of my ravenous appetite for significant communiqué.

But wouldn’t it be so very much a great deal more fun if every working person in Durango would simply lift up the telephone receiver and dial the personal residence of half a dozen candidates currently running for office, and then leave whiny recorded messages explaining how a particular colleague once snubbed, slighted or misquoted us? And then, perhaps, we might even continue by giving details regarding our specific work-related goals for the upcoming year.

Maybe then (maybe) these scoundrels might recognize just how much of a shameless violation we think that this disgraceful and tasteless new method for generating latent votes really is.

– David Stroud, Durango

Put an end to bigotry on Nov. 7

Dear Editors,

For years, we at PFLAG have dealt with people who condemn lesbians and gays for their alleged “homosexual lifestyle.” Now those same folks are trying to set up roadblocks for gays and lesbians who want to “settle down” in legally committed relationships. These folks cannot make up their minds! But on Nov. 7, Colorado voters can make up their own minds. Colorado already has a statute defining marriage as between a man and a woman, so the proposed Amendment 43 is just unnecessary political grandstanding. I hope voters will vote “no” to send a message that our state government has more important things to do.

Another ballot issue, Referendum I, seeks to define and stabilize the limited relationships Colorado does allow to its lesbian and gay citizens (while retaining enough inequality to “save” the institution of marriage and Western civilization). Domestic partnerships are not the same as the “marriage,” but Referendum I would provide a deserved haven for an integral, vital and important segment of our human race.

Concerning Referendum I, some of the propaganda circulating in Colorado claims that gay people don’t need this legislation. They can all just go spend thousands of dollars on attorneys’ fees to make sure that their property and children are secure. Tell that to my aunt who could not have the body of her companion of more than 40 years cremated without “the family’s” permission, paperwork notwithstanding. Then try to explain to a little kid that one of his mommies can’t raise him if something happens to the biological mommy; that estranged grandparents or foster care would be better than that person who holds him, feeds him, adores him and gets rowdy at PTO meetings on his behalf.4 

Even with their “papers” on them all the time, there is no guarantee that some mega-church, sin patroller won’t question a gay man’s right to hold his dying partner’s hand. Referendum I is needed; anything less is indefensible, heartless bigotry.

PFLAG asks you to vote “no” on Amendment 43 and “yes” on Referendum I. It means a lot to our loved ones.

– Martha Elbert, Durango/Four Corners Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays

Rallying around racism

Dear Editors,

Recently, Colorado 6th District Rep. Tom Tancredo (R) spoke before a group containing members of the League of the South and South Carolina Council of Conservative Citizens, both of which have been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as racist hate groups.

The room in which he spoke was booked by Richard Hines. In July 1996, Hines protested putting a statue of black tennis star Arthur Ashe on a street that, (he) wrote to theWashington Post, “was designated as a memorial to the Confederacy and those who served her.”

The lectern Tancredo spoke from was draped in the Confederate flag, and at the conclusion of his speech, the audience rose and sang “Dixie.” Tancredo joined in.

I believe these facts speak volumes about the agenda of Rep. Tancredo. What is less understandable is the rationale behind GOP Candidate Scott Tipton’s apparent silence in the face of them. Mr. Tipton was endorsed by Rep. Tancredo at a recent rally. Apparently, the congressman’s ideologies must hold great appeal for Mr. Tipton, as they have campaigned together as well.

Tancredo’s willingness to fund raise with hate groups is of most importance to the voters of District 6, but I strongly doubt whether the people of our district would be impressed by such crass appeals to racism. Therefore, I call on Scott Tipton to condemn Rep. Tancredo’s appearance in South Carolina and to state publicly in all relevant newspapers of record that he is formally rescinding his acceptance of Tancredo’s endorsement.

Copies of this letter have been sent to the Tipton Campaign. The voters of District 3 have a right to know those that would represent them reject the use of race hate as a political tool. I await Mr. Tipton’s response.

– Alison Dance, La Plata County Democrat

Vote Ron Tate for state

Editors:

Several months ago, I had the good fortune of spending an evening with state senate candidate Ron Tate and his wife, Christina. I was immediately impressed with the couple’s honesty and genuine goodness. I sensed that Ron was a rare individual I could support wholeheartedly, without that knot-in-the-stomach feeling you get when you wonder who you’re really voting for. Since then I’ve gotten to know Ron better, which has confirmed my first impression.

Ron is exactly what we need in politics: a concerned citizen aware of the issues we face as families and individuals, not someone enamored with the idea of political power. But he is more than just a concerned citizen; he is a highly educated, informed and dedicated professional, with the knowledge and background to tackle issues vital to the future of Southwest Colorado’s families, educational environment, economy and natural resources.

Ron is first and foremost a family man. He recognizes that many of the challenges facing parents and children today stem from a breakdown of universal, time-honored values. In addition, as a hard-working small business owner, he knows firsthand the challenge of making a living. Rather than expand the cost and size of government, he will work to help you keep your hard-earned money in your own wallet, where it belongs.

Ron also understands the importance of education. He graduated from Bayfield High and Fort Lewis College, followed by service in the military. He then went on to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry. With his biological expertise, he’s ready to hit the ground running to protect the health and vitality of our natural resources including water, forests and wildlife. Regardless of political persuasion, we all recognize the need to intelligently manage the natural abundance Southwest Colorado is known for.

Ron operates from rock-solid principles and will approach the issues we face in Southwest Colorado with integrity. I enthusiastically encourage my fellow citizens to vote for Ron. Send a biologist to the Senate!

– Karen Edmonds, via e-mail

An ideal candidate for clerk

Dear Editors,

While teaching high school English for the past 30 years, I have constantly evaluated political leaders for their worthiness in being role models for my students and for my son and daughter. In Jean Walter we have a candidate who embodies all that is good about the system of electing officials. I measure Jean against the ideals that I taught in To Kill A Mockingbird, where the lawyer personifies deep goodness and strength in taking on a cause defining justice and human dignity. Jean Walter shares those ideals; she shares the knowledge, education, skills and ethics that make her a candidate whom I trust completely to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of county clerk and recorder.

I admire Jean Walter’s effective written and spoken communication skills. We’ve camped and hiked and jeeped together, particularly in the past five years, and I find her organization, enthusiasm and values consistently exemplary in her unguarded moments as well as in her public presentations. Jean Walter is all that is good about good people doing their share in contributing to creating and maintaining a safe, prosperous, pleasant community. My children, now in their twenties, have joined us in our campaign and jeeping, and they, too, see her as a worthy leader.

If you want the county clerk and recorder position filled by a person who will do the job correctly, completely, ethically and efficiently, support Jean Walter with your vote. She will make it count!

– Mary Rieke, Durango