Ouch!

Did I really say, "Americans are loud mouths?"

It must be true, because there it is in quotation marks on page eight of the July 30 Cupertino Courier. The dictionary defines a "loud mouth" as a person who brags, gossips, or otherwise speaks foolishly or indiscriminately".

That's a pretty harsh judgment of my fellow citizens (as well as myself), but that was not what I wanted to convey when I talked by phone to the Courier's editor Sandy Sims.

The second part of the quote states, "We (Americans) wear our hearts on our sleeve." I stand by that quote.

At the time I made the statements, we were talking about the Aug. 9 Cupertino Community Forum, "A Time To Talk," sponsored by the Courier. I said that in our culture we tend to voice our opinions and beliefs openly and loudly, and we do not realize that people from other cultures (especially Oriental cultures) can be intimidated by this.

Thus, remarks made by Americans may be misinterpreted by those from other cultures whose upbringing taught them reticence.

But, as the saying goes, "When in Rome do as the Romans."

People of other cultures coming to live in the USA surely must realize that American ways are different from theirs, including person-to-person communication.

That's what makes different cultures interesting.

My parents, even though they spoke English and were brought up in the Western culture, had to deal with American cultural differences when they arrived from Ireland at the turn of the century and started their family.

As did their children, who learned their parents' culture "at the knee" so to speak, as I think most children do all over the world. We had to integrate our parents' culture with the American culture as we came of age. And it was not always easy.

The final point that I made is that all good communications can only be based upon mutual trust.

If you wear your heart on your sleeve because of your upbringing and the other party does not because of their upbringing, it is very difficult to establish mutual trust and good communications.

Time is needed to take a really good look at each others' sleeves.

The only way to understand each other, if we really want to understand, is through social interaction. I can't imagine any other alternative short of ...

That is what the Forum and Cupertino's 5C's activities are all about, I believe.

To conclude, have I set the record straight about my use of the phrase "loud mouth Americans"?

Or have I dug a deeper hole?

—Bill Mannion, Cupertino


City has no more racism than other communities

We have been reading the past few months in the local papers about racism in Cupertino. There is no more or less racism in Cupertino than you might find in any other American community the size of Cupertino that has ethnic groups and minorities from all over the world trying to assimilate as American citizens.

Take a moment or two and observe people of all cultures working, attending school or just enjoying each other's company at some of our local eateries and malls.

Individuals or groups have usually perpetrated racism over the years for a personal or political agenda, as we have seen happen in our community in the past few months.

I believe it is time for Barbara Rogers to come out and make an apology to the citizens of Cupertino, the city council and their staff and all those who have been hurt or insulted by the public remarks she made at a recent city council meeting.

At the same time, I believe the library fundraising project would be better served if she were to resign and step away and let those who believe in the project for the right reasons carry on and complete the task. This ongoing delay by Rogers is not boding well for the wellbeing of our community and its citizens.

My wife and I will continue to support the library. We will also be looking forward to hearing a public apology on the city channel at the next council meeting or sooner. We love Cupertino.

—James Peterson, Cupertino


Chinese enclave at Vallco won't improve relations

There has been quite a bit of publicity lately in the Courier regarding the future of the city center. City officials and Steve Piasecki, director of community development, were quoted as being delighted with the new ownership.

When I met with Mr. Piasecki and questioned him regarding the new owners' plans regarding the city center, he stated that the city had no jurisdiction regarding the usage of the acquired property.

That explains how Cupertino was suddenly faced with a "Chinese Village" at the corner of Homestead and Wolfe roads, which was originally billed as a supermarket but blossomed into the present enclave after negotiations were carried out in Chinese and with a "hands-off" attitude by the city.

The new owners, Mr. Wong and his Asian partners, have denied that their international restaurant would cater exclusively to Asian clients, but his credibility would be increased if some European flavor would be included in his planning and the veil of secrecy so dear to his business planning (see Cupertino Courier July 30, pg. 6) would be lifted.

The establishment of another Chinese "ethnic enclave" would not be conducive to improving racial relations and could be construed as another form of "cultural fascism," perpetrated under the guise of "diversity".

—Jan Black, Cupertino


James called racist by others for personal gain

Since Cupertino does not have a "White Parent's Association," or a "White Business Council," or "White Mother's Day Festivals," or Fourth of July fireworks, you will never convince this West Side Native Daughter that the so-called "whites" are the cause of the division. I was raised here and educated in local schools with the "melting pot" ideal. It is the "whites" that have been excluded here and not the other way around.

Although I don't always agree with Councilwoman Sandra James on issues, I am still extremely upset that a long-term resident, who has dedicated a good part of her life to community service, was called racist by others for personal, political gain. I take this accusation personally, and trust me, I am not alone.

Shame on everyone who let her twist in the wind and then perpetuated their self-serving lies in the press that brought embarrassment and shame to our community.

I will never forgive the chronic racial accusations this community has absorbed, with stunned disbelief, the past few years. The true poisoning of the well—the destruction of a trusting, loving and caring community.

—Susan Sievert, Cupertino


Council not forthright about canceling fireworks

I have been following the issue regarding the cancellation of the Fourth of July Fireworks display. I also watched the city council discussions right before the fireworks display was "publicly" cancelled, and I'm appalled that the city council has lied to the public, and continues to do so regarding this issue. What a lot of residents do not know is that the city council has already cancelled next year's fireworks show as well.

Furthermore, approximately two weeks ago I saw a statement in the Courier which stated that the show was cancelled because of construction at De Anza and the logistical problems at Cupertino High School and not because of financial cuts.

In response to my request for a clarification of the reason the fireworks had been cancelled, I received an email from the city clerk that stated "this year's July Fourth fireworks show was cancelled due to budget cutbacks. The 20-minute display would have cost the city $55,000.00. Given a choice between funding the fireworks and staffing Sunday library hours, the council opted for keeping the library open for four hours on Sunday afternoon."

It's obvious that there is more to this story, and it's a shame that the city council members can't be honest.

—Tony Huston, Cupertino Resident for 33 years


Fireworks decision was made after review of all the options

Like a lot of people in Cupertino, I was disappointed by the city's cancellation of the annual Fourth of July fireworks at De Anza College. It's a great, inclusive community party. Many of us look forward to it as an annual event and feel that it's an important symbol of local and national unity.

So it was no wonder that there was substantial hue and cry when the city council made the decision on June 16 to take the $50,000 budgeted for the fireworks display and use that money instead to provide extended hours in the new Cupertino library. Unfortunately, some people interpreted the cancellation of fireworks as anti-American sentiment in a community where ethnic representation is 44 percent and growing. In fact, the city council vote was based solely on logistical impediments to this year's fireworks display. It had nothing to do with a lack of commitment to the Fourth of July as a holiday.

The building construction now under way at De Anza made it impossible to use that site for the fireworks show this year. But anyone who thinks that the council made an arbitrary or last- minute decision to cancel the show should see the four-inch stack of paperwork that was amassed in a lengthy exploration of options for an alternate location. Choosing a site for the fireworks involves a complex set of criteria that include not only the need for a venue that will accommodate 15,000 people within city limits but considerations of fire safety, potential damage to the turf by explosives, vulnerability of surrounding rooftops to fallout from the explosives, foot traffic in and out of the area, the need for parking, night lights, generators, port-a-potties, security, emergency vehicle accessibility, computer-coordinated loudspeaker music, an unobstructed view of the fireworks, cooperation of the surrounding neighbors, and various other requirements. None of the sites under consideration met the requisite criteria.

So the council determined that $50,000 could better be spent elsewhere than on a much-diminished fireworks display at a less-than-satisfactory location. A small amount—$6,000—has been budgeted for an old-fashioned family Fourth of July next year in the Memorial Park area, without fireworks. The hope is that De Anza will be available in 2005 for a fireworks display that is configured differently based on the structural change in the campus.

The question is, does our community want to reinstate a fireworks show in 2004 badly enough to work on planning and fundraising for it? Cupertino High School appears to be the next-best venue, but in that location spectators would have to park at adjacent schools and public parks and view the fireworks from a distance. Blackberry Farm may be a possibility, but hauling in bleachers manually in order to protect the golf turf would be expensive and allow for only a few thousand people anyway. The empty Compaq-HP lot adjacent to Vallco might be considered, but there's no lighting on the property and placing cars and spectators in a "tailgate" situation raises safety issues. See what I mean? It's not so simple.

My philosophy: nothing's impossible. The city's Fourth of July chairman Orrin Mahoney has agreed to be the liaison for the planning process and bravely volunteered his email address as a point of contact for anyone who wants to see fireworks reinstated next year and work with us in making that happen: orrinmahoney@comcast.net.

—Lee Kucera, Cupertino