What's being Written

Racism lives
February 2, 2005

I recently moved into a south-side residence. My daughter's family lives here also. My daughter is in the military.

Twice, our cars have been egged and keyed. The last time, I phoned the police department. The officer suggested that we keep the cars off the street and in our driveways as a way to prevent this from happening again. I thought we were free to park my cars in front of our property if we so desired.

Most of my life, I have chosen to live in the northern regions of America, because of negative acts and incidents, that tend to be prevalent in the South. People keep telling me that it is a New South, but I say it is the same old South with a few new faces. Today, perhaps crosses are not being burned on lawns, but destruction of our property is still ongoing. I am a Christian, and I pray that the situation was isolated and will not continue. We like our house and yard, and we keep it up; and yes I am a member of an ethnic minority.

This was so ironic as I was just reading about the ''sharing of bread'' in the local Abilene community a week ago and how many people joined together to eat, talk and get to know each other. My only question is where were the ''jerks'' that are bent on making my family's life miserable? They evidently were not in attendance!

Dr. Fredi J. Jackson
Abilene

source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/op_letters_editor/article/0,1874,ABIL_7984_3515316,00.html

Seems Like Old Times: Religious militants' tactics resemble Nazis'

06:05 PM CST on Tuesday, February 1, 2005
In the Netherlands, threats to the lives of artists have not been made since the Nazi occupation – until now, reports The New York Times. Rachid Ben Ali, a Dutch artist of Moroccan descent whose latest gallery show offers paintings tastelessly critical of Islam, has gone underground after receiving death threats from Islamic militants.
Hiding places for artists are getting pretty crowded in Holland. Also living there: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch parliamentarian and feminist critic of Islam. As we have reported on this page, she has had to live off and on in seclusion for the past few years because Islamic militants have threatened to kill her. Last November, they slit the throat of Theo van Gogh, a filmmaker and her collaborator on Submission, a short film protesting the way women are treated in some Islamic cultures. These thugs mean business.
And the Dutch, to their everlasting shame, are letting them get away with it. Last week, the Rotterdam Film Festival canceled a screening of Submission, with festival organizers saying they feared violence.
It's not just Holland and not just Muslims. In December, a theater in Birmingham, England, ended its run of a play featuring elements critical of the Sikh religion after violent street protests by hundreds of Sikh militants. The play's author, a young Sikh named Gurpreet Kaur Bhatt, went into hiding after threats to her life.
We do not believe that any community should have to accept criticism of itself without protest. You don't have to be Muslim, for example, to be offended by Mr. Ali's childishly provocative paintings, which among other things depict imams having sex. But a clear and bright line is crossed when protesters use violence – either the threat of it or the real thing – to silence speech with which they disagree.
This is precisely the kind of tactics the fascists used in Germany and elsewhere to intimidate and brutalize opposition. It must always and everywhere be resisted. The Dutch, the British and indeed all of us must learn that the surest way for all of us to lose our right to free expression is to be too

source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/020205dnedifreespeech.1b2f2.html

Bumpy ride ahead

Muslim fundamentalists are intent on converting the whole world to their understanding of the Quran and Islam.
Christian fundamentalists are intent on converting the whole world to their understanding of the Bible and Christianity.
President Bush is intent to convert the whole world to his version of democracy.
Fasten your seat belts, we're in for a bumpy ride.
Gus Delaloye, Murphy

Night off for Oscars?

Surely, in view of the tsunami disaster and continuing Iraqi conflict, the ostentation and opulence that is the Academy Awards must be canceled.
How can those people, in good conscience, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on flamboyant dress, parties, celebrations, security, limousines and food when there is such need in the world?
Fredda Klock, Corsicana

source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/020205dnediwedletters.29b2b.html