Reader feedback 10.20.04

HISTORY, REPEATING

I’m feeing an old Vietnam-era dread again. To those of us
from that generation, a well-worn emotional pattern seems ready to repeat
itself; and it ends in rage and frustration.

            You can’t
compare Vietnam
with Iraq, of
course, unless you choose to notice a few untidy similarities in the way our
political leadership explained the circumstances of both predicaments. They
took a vacation from reality with the Vietnam
thing, and we shelled out 50,000 lives and untold billions of dollars as a
result. Now, it seems, they’re at it again.

            They tell
us we are waging war on terrorists in Iraq,
liberating a victimized people, training a new army, holding free elections,
seeding a Democratic nation state, rebuilding an infrastructure, and making the
world safer.

            The trouble
is, that’s not what we’re doing.

            Instead,
we’re in a street fight with a collection of criminals, paid thugs, Muslim
extremists, ex-Army malcontents, former students, tribal loyalists, political
partisans, foreign invaders, and who knows who else.

            We’re also
polarizing a victimized people; training and equipping an army that will
fracture, desert, or sell itself to the highest bidder as soon as we leave it
alone; holding phony elections; seeding a civil war; failing to build much
except hatred, and leaving the world no safer.

            As with Vietnam,
the majority of Americans will catch on sooner or later, and when the body
count, financial outlay, and price of gas get high enough, our Iraq
folly will end.

            Jeepers, do
you think that before some future administration leads us into a questionable
conflict favored by a few ideological policy wonks, they might lay out a
complete picture of the risks first and then let us decide what to do?

            Nah, that’s
a lot to ask for in a representative democracy.

            Gary Gray, Penfield

BUSH, SCIENCE,AND TECHNOLOGY

Few things could be more important to the long-term health,
wealth, power, and influence of our country than advances in science and
technology. But with the Iraq
war and the war on terror dominating the news, such important issues are not
getting the attention they deserve. Our community in particular is dependent on
success in these areas.

            But our
continued leadership in these fields is in jeopardy, according to 48 Nobel
Prize-winning scientists. In an Open Letter to the American people, these
scientists endorsed John Kerry for president, and criticized the Bush
administration for “undermining the foundation of America’s future” by impeding
medical research, ignoring scientific consensus on issues such as global warming,
and under-funding many critically important areas of research.

            They write:
“Unlike previous administrations, Republican and Democratic alike, the Bush
administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that
is so important to our collective welfare.”

            The nation
will benefit greatly by heeding their advice in November.

            Lee Price, Wheatstone Circle, Fairport

DOWNTOWN MARKETS

Chad Oliveiri mentions that there is “nowhere for
people who live downtown to shop for groceries” (“To Market with
Downtown,” September 22). Not entirely true. Downtown is rich with grocery
shopping opportunities that cannot be found at even the large chain
supermarkets. We have Asian and Indian markets, Italian imports, delicatessens,
the Abundance natural and organic food store, multiple corner stores,
mini-marts and convenience stores. The list goes on, but cannot be complete
without noting the Rochester Public Market.

            To load up
with a cartload of provisions, you probably won’t be walking. Supermarkets are
a few miles away but are right on the bus line and accessible to everyone
downtown. We should remember that there are also plenty of interesting stores
downtown where a variety of unique and healthy grocery items can be obtained.
These are places worth exploring by everyone, but especially by those living in
the center of the city.

            Robert Hayden, Griffith Street, Rochester

            ChadOliveiri’s
response: I should have been more specific in my question. I was referring
to full-service grocery stores — one-stop shopping options. And Pritchard’s
answer shows he knows what I was talking about. I agree that Rochester
has some amazing small independent grocery stores. But when viewing downtown as
the area within the Inner Loop, even those options are limited. You mention
Abundance and the Public Market, both of which are fantastic, but they’re
situated outside of downtown’s boundaries.

NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM

In response to Willa Powell’s letter concerning the
difficulty obtaining a Social Security card for her newborn (The Mail,
September 29):

            I took my
16-year old daughter to the Social Security office downtown so she could get a
card in order to get an ID. Before going there, I printed the form from the
internet and had it already filled out. We were in and out of the office in
less than 10 minutes. My daughter showed them her birth certificate and had her
school ID, work ID, and pay stub ready, but was told that all I needed to do
was state that I was her parent and show them my driver’s license. The clerk wrote
the information down and we left. The card came in the mail in less than two
weeks.

            I’m sorry
Ms. Powell had such a hard time obtaining a card. For an underage child, all
that’s needed is proof by the parent. This info is listed on the website.

            Linda Whitney, Rising Place, Rochester

WRITING TO CITY

We welcome and encourage readers’ letters for publication.
Send them to: themail@rochester-citynews.com or The Mail, City Newspaper, 250
North Goodman Street, Rochester14607.

            Our
guidelines: We don’t publish anonymous letters — and we ask that you include
your street name and city/town/village. We don’t publish letters that have been
sent to other media. While we don’t restrict length, letters of under 350 words have a greater chance of being published. We
do edit letters for clarity and brevity. And in general we don’t publish
letters (or longer “op-ed” pieces) from the same writer more often than about
once every two months.

This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2004.