More than ‘civility’ at stake
Mr. Schostak’s column in the July 8 Oakland Press might best be defined as ‘chutzpadik.’ He characterizes the actions of Franklin Hills Country Club as based simply on political affiliation. Yet he is well aware that the meaning went far deeper.
Yes, the Club was founded in the ’20s by Jews who could not join other clubs (think DAC and Oakland Hills). But something else was happening in the 1920s – the U.S. had closed its borders to immigrants, including those fleeing the looming Nazi ‘Final Solution.’ Fortunately my grandparents made another choice and that’s why my father was born in Cuba in 1929. But many of those founding members of Franklin Hills had relatives who were unable to find a safe haven and were murdered in Europe. That was the basis for the appeal to the Club board – Epstein’s unrelenting complicity in the administration’s cruel treatment of refugee families.
This is not a matter of ‘civility,’ which is something that Mr. Schostak might want to talk to his own president about. This is a fundamental moment in the history of our country when people need to stand up for who we are – or were – and who we wish to be again. I admire the Club for doing so.
– Cynthia I Brody
Beverly Hills
Mayor’s comments insulting
I worked at Andiamo Royal Oak at the time of its closing. I feel the mayor’s statements we’re ill-timed, insensitive and frankly mean-spirited. While Joe Vicari has made it clear he would do his best to keep anyone from Royal Oak employed, still the closure has been jarring for some of the 50 people that worked there.
To come out and say the product is inferior is unfounded. Andiamo is, and has been the place for authentic, homemade Italian food. I personally witnessed a drop in the business when the construction began.
For the mayor to attack, he is clearly only concerned about his own interests. He wants the construction to be seen in a positive light, and is clearly willing to throw Andiamo under the bus to do that. Perhaps the mayor should hold his tongue the next time a business closes, rather than throwing them under the bus to pursue his own self interests. His statement is literally an insult to everyone who worked there.
– Scott Richardson
Royal Oak
Make America kind again
There’s a deep sense of dread that has so many of us in its grip thinking about the all too stark reality that Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Without legal and safe abortion in America women will be stripped of their bodily autonomy, self determinism and control over their lives. But abortion isn’t the only law of the land that’s on the chopping block. Be very worried about LGBT rights, workers rights, voting rights, civil rights, the ACA and environmental protections being decimated, while corporations’ rights are bolstered.
Yes, elections have consequences. In the coming election and every election thereafter, it’s my most sincere hope that Americans will vote en masse for equality, justice, liberty and freedom and to make America kind again. Anyone who’s waiting for perfection in a candidate or candidates to vote for – it’s never going to happen! ‘Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.’
– Jill Farber-Bramson
West Bloomfield
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Toughen laws for distracted driving
Teenagers and cellphones go hand in hand, unfortunately true when behind the wheel. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) drivers under the age of 20 represent the largest percentage of fatal car accidents caused by driving while distracted. As a trauma nurse, the tragic consequences of distraction are witnessed first-hand and are life changing, if not life ending, for those involved.
Distracted driving is 100 percent preventable and avoidable and there have been interventions with increased presence of law enforcement, PR campaigns, ghost officers monitoring for distraction, and so on. The problem is that the message does not seem to be received or taken seriously by young drivers. The CDC shows that death rates have been on the rise since distracted driving data began collection in 2010.
Efforts to control or enforce laws against distracted driving needs an overhaul. Deaths by text are senseless and never worth the message that couldn’t wait. The State of Michigan tracks many graduated driver rules but perhaps is lacking and hasn’t adapted to technology and the consequences of new drivers and the hazards they pose to themselves and others while on the streets. With the rising death rate from distraction and the correlation to those under 20 years of age, more education needs to be offered to young drivers with stiffer fines, penalties, suspensions, and/or revocation of licenses for offenders to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.
Is sending a text really worth risking your life?
– Chris Lopez
Auburn Hills