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Letters
Parents must teach kids to accept others
I am writing in response to the letter from M. Elaine Hocker in the May 30, issue of the Saratoga News, speaking out against the Gay-Straight Alliance Club at Saratoga High School. It amazes me that people in the 21st century still have such a limited, narrow view of the gay community.
When I read the original article about the Gay-Straight Alliance Club, I thought it was a wonderful way for young gay people to gather to discuss their feelings and to help them cope with the challenges that face them.
Every day in this country, young gay people commit suicide because they are not accepted and feel tremendous guilt. Scientific research has shown that people are born homosexual and are in no way "indoctrinated" into a gay lifestyle. It is ridiculous for anyone to think that this is a lifestyle choice that can be forced upon another person.
M. Elaine Hocker indicates, through her own informal survey, that "homosexual put-downs occur 1/10 of 1 percent as often as other types of put-downs." While I am sure that this statistic is wholly incorrect and that much more teasing occurs than she found through her friends, any teasing or put-downs in our schools should not be tolerated. Parents must teach their children to accept everyone as they are, and that teasing is unacceptable in any setting.
If we start by condemning the Gay-Straight Alliance Club, what's next? Are we going to speak against the Black Student Union, Asian Cultural Awareness Club, Jewish Student Union, Iranian Youth Organization, and the Korean Culture Club (all clubs at Saratoga High School) just because some of these people may different? As a longtime resident of Saratoga, I certainly hope that our community will include and embrace people regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation--without prejudice.
Alison Humphries
Garnett Court
Residents should accept that the 1970s are gone
Wow! Another 3Com Park being built in Saratoga at West Valley College--how exciting. Oh, wait, I must be mistaken. It's just the exaggeration of a select few NIMBY's.
It doesn't matter if you live "distant from the proposed stadium or across the street," it affects everyone. I am glad for the change. Its for the good of the city and sports programs, too. I think it is great that West Valley College wants to honor athletes. I am a Saratoga resident and mother of three and I welcome the stadium. It makes people want to attend the college, and isn't that what Saratoga wants, to help businesses, more people coming to our city? Life is about money. The athletes need a place to play, and spectators need a comfortable stadium. Sitting on a dirt hill becomes very uncomfortable.
The majority of Saratoga residents should realize it is not 1970--those days are gone. The "peaceful country setting" went away as soon as the developers bought the orchards and built housing. Money making again. Every city has to grow and change to accommodate those moving into the city. As much as we all do not enjoy the crowds, how do we prevent it? Houses are being squeezed in everywhere and of, course, there will be people.
Isn't it true that the Saratoga Woods and WV Homeowners association represent 1 percent of Saratoga? It is just something that I heard.
And speaking of change, doesn't the new bus terminal look great? And all the young trees they planted to replace the ones that were dying. Good for you West Valley College. Keep moving forward.
Kathy Smith
Paseo Flores
MS sufferer says thanks to middle school students
Regarding the article, "Students help raise money to fight MS" in the May 16 issue of the Saratoga News:
I'm writing regarding Peter Lycurgus' brief letter about the 500-plus Redwood Middle School students under the direction of Brian Safine and Caitlin Hoffman who raised funds for Multiple Sclerosis through the National Multiple Sclerosis ReadAThon program.
A dear friend who lives in Saratoga gave me a copy of this article, as she knows how devastating MS has been in my life for over 25 years. Like most of the other 300,000-plus people in North America who also suffer from MS, I feel comfortable that, like me, all of us sincerely appreciate the efforts of our respective communities in raising funds to support multiple research programs in hopes of finding the cause and, eventually a cure, for MS. It's a big job and the disease is one of the more elusive of our times and it is very heartening to see that our youngsters are willing to give of themselves to help others. Hooray for them!
I'd personally like to extend a special thank you to these 500 kids in this student leadership class who participated in this effort. It is through personal efforts like this that many things are being done by the National MS Society besides research to make our lives more livable and comfortable every day. Life will return a dividend to each of you a 1,000 times over for this wonderful exhibition of selflessness, caring and generosity.
John D. Crowder
Capitola
Widening road will make it even easier to speed
I read in the Saratoga News about the Saratoga Planning Commission's decision to destroy 15 trees along Bohlman Road, between Madronia Cemetery and Norton Road, where Sobrato plans to build 11 homes. There are, however, actually about 30 trees that have been tagged, mostly oak, and some with a circumference of over 6 feet. Why is it so easy for the city of Saratoga to destroy old oaks yet a homeowner cannot remove a single tree from his property? Shouldn't government have to abide by the same laws as its citizens?
Sobrato's original development plans did not call for the removal of trees. After residents voiced concerns that drivers drove too fast and often ran the stop sign at St. Charles and Bohlman, the decision was made to widen the road. Having a policeman wait at random times handing out tickets would be a big deterrent in getting people to observe the speed limit and the stop sign. Widening the road will only make it easier to speed.
This stretch of road has served over 100 homes on Norton and Bohlman since the 1950s. Now with the addition of 11 homes, the road suddenly is not satisfactory. Why? The planning commission also says the road needs to be widened for better fire truck access. Neither the Saratoga Fire Department nor the Department of Forestry has had any trouble getting up Bohlman Road to put out fires. On Memorial Day I saw three large fire trucks go up Bohlman for a wild land drill. If clearance is a problem, top a few trees, don't chop them down.
In November 2000, eight of my neighbors and I sent the planning commission a letter expressing our opposition to destroying these beautiful old trees. We never received a response. If the city cuts down these trees it will be removing a part of Saratoga's natural charm and be creating a road where it will be even easier to speed. Then what will be their solution?
Cyndy Riordan
Bohlman Road
Rock music from West Valley wakes neighbors
Is there no common sense? Is there no common courtesy? Is there no one in charge? That seems to be the situation at West Valley College. On Sunday morning, June 3, at 7:30 a.m., neighbors were awakened by high volume, amplified announcements and rock music. That's right, amplified rock music, played by a disc jockey very early on a Sunday morning.
The event lasted about five hours. It could easily have been rescheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Who was in charge? No West Valley College representative was on campus to monitor or oversee the event. The campus police officer didn't know who was in charge of the event and told me she refused "to wake up her chief at 7:30 on a Sunday morning!".
West Valley College has hired a public relations firm (for $150,000 of taxpayers' money) to convince the community that the college is sensitive to our needs. The college is wasting taxpayer's money. No amount of PR letters can make up for this kind of incompetence and insensitivity.
The Chancellor, Linda Salter, said she "had no idea" that amplified sound and rock music were blasting into our homes at 7:30 a.m. on a Sunday. Remember, Linda Salter just wrote an open letter to the Saratoga community saying West Valley College was going to change and be more sensitive to the needs of the community. Obviously not. It seems the college is going to continue to do what it wants, when it wants. The only difference is that the college has now hired people to talk about good community relations practices, practices the college seems to have no intention of following.
David Yancey
San Marcos Road
College president issues an apology to neighbors
On Sunday, June 3, an unfortunate situation occurred at West Valley College when the college hosted a children's triathlon sponsored by the Silicon Valley Triathlon Club. The club holds an annual family-oriented charitable event at West Valley College, providing athletic competition for children under the age of 14, and also raising funds for South Bay charities. Unfortunately, the benefits of this community event were overshadowed when the club began the triathlon with amplified sound prior to the 8 a.m. agreed-upon start time. I apologize for the noise, disruption, and inconvenience that this event caused for our neighbors.
We acknowledge that on this occasion the college's procedures for community events failed. Let me assure you that we are looking into the matter. After each event, the college staff conducts a debriefing session to raise issues, discuss problems and assist with planning for the event in the future. This session took place the week following the event and the college is making improvements in its procedures to forestall a similar situation from occurring again.
Meanwhile, the college is developing a method to notify the community of upcoming events. It will soon be possible to view the schedule of events on the college website, which may be visited at www.westvalley.edu.
Again, I apologize for the mistakes made on that Sunday morning. You can be assured that when I authorize an event, I not only have West Valley College's best interests at heart, but also those of the neighbors. I will not condone community events which are inappropriate for the college venue. I have monitored, and will continue to monitor, the number of weekend days during the year on which community events are scheduled for the track and field areas.
I thank the Silicon Valley Triathlon Club for immediately correcting the problem. The college has hosted this event for two years and looks forward to assisting this worthy cause in the future.
Dr. Marchelle Fox
President, West Valley College
Gay-Straight Alliance not a 'homosexual' club
M. Elaine Hocker wrote a letter printed in the May 30 issue of the Saratoga News addressing Saratoga High School's new Gay-Straight Alliance. The premise of Ms. Hocker's letter was that SHS should be exposed to non-"politically correct" views, not just one side of beliefs. I would agree with her that part of being an intellectually curious student and person is studying all sides and respecting all views, and I think my administrators, teachers, and fellow students at Saratoga High would agree also. At SHS, we are taught that diversity and conflicting opinions are necessary to thorough learning. They make us better thinkers, citizens and human beings.
We are also taught at SHS that one does not misrepresent other people and groups, making generalizations and judgments. We are taught, too, that every student in an American public school is entitled to be treated with respect and to feel comfortable in their learning environment. Ms. Hocker, in her letter, disregards each of these fundamentally important lessons in a dangerous way.
First, the Gay-Straight Alliance is not a "homosexual club." This prejudiced and uninformed view misrepresents a national organization that works not to serve a "homosexual agenda" but to provide support for students struggling to make their schools safer and their environment healthier so that students can feel that their property, persons and learning experiences are protected and respected. The Gay-Straight Alliance network "empowers youth activists to fight homophobia," which, like racism and sexism, is unacceptable and inappropriate when children are trying to learn at school.
Ms. Hocker should come to a GSA meeting; they are quite moving. Students in GSA represent nearly every race and ethnicity on campus. They are of every age, both genders, all interests, and many religions--I am proud to say that students from my own church helped start the group, believing hate and bigotry to be wrong. Many of the 250 members are student leaders in religious, cultural, and service groups. I would definitely describe these kind and concerned students as being, like myself, "pro-family;" they know the importance of love, respect, and helping those who have no voice. These are the values my family and religion have impressed upon me.
The Gay-Straight Alliance is not the "self-contained minority who need higher self-esteem and greater comfort with homosexual behavior" Hocker describes. Rather, GSA is comprised of Saratoga High's best and brightest and gives them the freedom to discuss differences of opinion, personal beliefs, and, most importantly, how to make the school a better place for everyone,-gay and straight. Ms. Hocker's quotes went so far as to describe GSA as a dating service, where people somehow turn gay as they are "indoctrinat[ed] into the homosexual lifestyle." Such hysterically uninformed and unresearched assumptions represent exactly what Saratoga High students are trying to combat: the profound ignorance that leads to fear, and the unabated self-righteousness that leads to hate and violence.
Second, I would like to answer the question Ms. Hocker proposed to Saratoga High students, being a graduating senior myself. Hocker stated that insults like "beanpole," "fat face," and "slow jock"--none of which I have heard at my time at Saratoga High, thankfully--are, according to Hocker's impressive survey, precisely 1,000 times more prevalent than anti-gay insults. If this is true, she implies, and since gays are such a "self-contained minority"--whatever this term may mean--why limit our efforts to the GSA? Why not start a Beanpole Club, too?
If Ms. Hocker suggests that starting the Gay-Straight Alliance is as sensible as creating a Beanpole Club, I say let's have the Beanpole Club ... I'll help you start it. This is because, according to federal law, no student should go to school feeling afraid, ashamed, or discriminated against, be they gay, straight, beanpole, whatever. No matter how much one fears or dislikes a child's beliefs, one is legally not permitted to prevent that child from learning. Ever.
At Saratoga High School, anti-gay slurs are the number one insult used. I know; I hear them all day, every day. Students call each other "fag" and "queer" during class, taunt kids in the hall by calling them "homos," talk about how they want to "kill that guy because he's so gay" in the library, and have already committed two anti-gay violent crimes--not "incidents," crimes-on school grounds. This type of behavior is definitely not typical of all Saratoga High students, and it is certainly not permitted or condoned by administration; however, it does exist.
Ms. Hocker said that intervening in the "homosexual agenda" could "save lives." Gay students are the victims of assault and murder nationwide; they are the largest group of teens to commit suicide. Perhaps if every student had the opportunity to learn that violent hate is unacceptable and that one does not have to stand for being ridiculed, harassed, and distracted from learning by those so intent upon pushing the so-called "pro-family" agenda, a few lives could be saved, and a great many more immeasurably enhanced.
Having the GSA on campus makes me proud of an administration and faculty that obviously care for its students' physical and emotional welfare and who want to make learning even better at one of the best high schools in the country. It has also made me feel more comfortable in class and walking through the halls; I know that I attend a school where hate and violence are not permitted. The GSA, along with the various cultural, religious, and peer support groups available on campus, help make Saratoga High the fantastic school that it is.
It saddens me that Ms. Hocker does not agree, but I respect her decision not to. I only ask her to respect my school by fairly representing it. And I implore her to entertain the possibility that hers in not the only access path to "pro-family" love, compassion and decency.
Chelsea Purvis
Lomita Avenue
State should wake up to nuclear power
The recent commentary in the May 23 issue of the SARATOGA NEWS continues the fear mongering of the anti-nuclear clique. Diablo Canyon is doing very well thank you, did not have even minor damage or malfunction with the Loma Prieta quake of 7 plus on the Richter. It keeps on churning out millions of kilowatt hours (at three cents each--how much is Gray Davis going to charge?--who knows?).
Diablo has no carbon or sulfur oxides, the saving in carbon dioxide alone since launching being in the thousands of tons. Fossil (carbon) fuels can never be "clean" regardless of what you read in the local press. Natural gas is not a clean fuel and its burning contributes significantly to the global warming threat. It is interesting that the bogeymen of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are still thrown up. Three Mile Island responded to its design and training deficiencies, but was nevertheless contained. Chernobyl was not designed as a power plant, rather the power was a byproduct of conversion of uranium to plutonium for weapons use.
Some countries (France) and some states (Vermont) depend almost entirely on nuclear power. It is reliable and cheap! The-nuclear-equals-cancer mongers have no regard for those on life support, hospitals, nuclear medicine, etc. Their hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Spent fuel processing and storage has been solved, but again the fear mongers can't be satisfied. California is being poorly served by the demagogues in Sacramento: Gray Davis, Bill Lockyer, John Burton, and Loretta Lynch among others. Wake up California! The blame and buck passers are really in charge!
Harlan Synder
Ritanna Court
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
