The Highest Court
DEAR EDITOR: In the story “Asian Pacific American Women Candidates Score Big,” (Nov. 8), writer Rodney Jay C. Salinas wrote: “New Yorker Doris Ling-Cohan made history this election cycle with her election to the New York State Supreme Court. With her unanimous vote in the Democratic Party convention in September, she is the first APA woman to serve on the state’s highest bench.”
Not to take anything away from Justice Ling Cohan, but for your information, the highest bench in New York is known as the “Court of Appeals.” The Supreme Court is their intermediate appellate court. (www.courts.state.ny.us/ctapps/).
Don’t worry, this is a mistake most first-year law students make and professors love to “catch” them on it.
Rod Fong
San Francisco
Louis Calabro and His Fan Club
DEAR EDITOR: Perry Lee, in his letter titled “The Greatest Criminal” (Nov. 21), confirms that some Asian Pacific Americans can’t discuss important issues without the use of ignorant name calling — thank goodness that Lee does not represent the entire APA community.
Lee misses the point. When I was younger my Italian immigrant father and I used to listen to a radio program called Luigi. When I came to California I learned of the important writings of Armenian American William Soroyan.
Soroyan and Luigi both loved America, and heaped great praise upon the goodness of this country and were grateful and thankful for the opportunity to become a part of this great nation. They were aware that the laws and political system of this nation were based on Western culture and that it was forged into a tremendous nation by European Americans. They bore no ill will to those who came before them and set a table for great opportunity and a very decent place to live.
I personally believe that European Americans may be the kindest, fairest and most generous people in the world — that is just an opinion, and having it does not merit a Perry Lee the right to debase or denigrate me.
All Americans have the legal and moral right to form racial/ethnic advocacy groups — but being part of an advocacy group does not include the need to debase, denigrate or discriminate against other groups. The Perry Lee’s of this world do not understand that simple concept.
Louis Calabro
San Francisco
DEAR EDITOR: I have to add to the response by Mr. Louis Calabro to the article about Columbus Day, “The Kindest People in this World,” (Oct. 31). Should it not be that all white Americans thank all the Asians and people of color that built this country? If the Chinese did not do the labor for the railroads, the blacks were not slaves and the Mexicans were not the farmers — where would white America be today? The white man invaded this land and took it away from the native Indians and this guy is asking all Asians to thank white Americans? Shame on you for your ignorance. You just give more ammunition for those that know we still need civil rights laws, like affirmative action. Thank you Mr. Calabro for bringing out your ignorance. Freedom of speech is great.
Bruce C. Wong
San Francisco
Ill-Equipped Dufty
DEAR EDITOR: A few years back, the benches in Civic Center Plaza in front of City Hall were removed. I work with adults with developmental disabilities at a day program South of Market. Since Civic Center Plaza is the only park near us, we liked to go for walks there. Many of the people I work with have mobility issues and the benches there used to give us a nice break. When the benches were removed, I called the mayor’s office. I spoke with Bevan Dufty. I asked him, “Where are the people with mobility issues and seniors supposed to sit now that the benches are gone?” His reply was for them to “sit in an indentation.” I asked what he meant by that and he seemed to say that they could sit around the concrete border of the grassy areas. I was flabbergasted to say the least.
I still get upset every time I go through that park knowing how a lot more people with disabilities and seniors would enjoy sitting in one of the few park areas near the Tenderloin and South of Market, but can’t because there is nowhere accessible to sit. I’m supporting and volunteering for Eileen Hansen for District 8 supervisor because I am confident she would have a much more realistic and pro-active solution than Dufty’s. Hopefully he can have a nice cold indentation to sit on to console him after he loses the runoff on Dec. 10.
Gary Gregerson
San Francisco
Thanksgiving Advice
DEAR EDITOR: No matter how difficult it may be in a world filled with pain and cruelty, there are moments when it is important to stop looking at all the problems and just to focus on all the good.
It might start with a group of friends or family taking a walk to visit some part of nature that they really love. And expressing thanks for it. It might continue with each family member, guest or friend being asked to bring something and to explain why this particular thing is something they really appreciate. Then, you might consider asking each person to share something that they particularly appreciate in another person who is there at the gathering.
Fully giving thanks makes it easier to see the Spirit of God, the special dignity and goodness, that is in everything and everyone. And it’s in that state of compassion and recognition of the Spirit of God in everyone that you can then eat dinner in the richest country in the history of the world, while knowing that there are one billion people who are hungry that same day, and yet be assured that it remains possible for us to be able to use the goodness that has been given to us as a source of strength, from which we can rededicate our energies to building a world in which no one will be starving to death.
Rabbi Michael Lerner
San Francisco
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