Letters and Comments for May 5, 2009

Letters and Comments for May 5, 2009

To the Editor:

I am voting for Mike Berglund for

La Grande School Board, replacing Keith Walker, Position 5 Zone 3.

Though Mike and his family have only been here for two years, he has been actively engaged in our community. He and I have served together as co-chairs for the past two years on the Substance Abuse Commission, and I have had the opportunity to observe him from many aspects.

First, he is a natural leader who others respect and want to follow.

Second, he is a good listener, a trait which is vital in a school board member.

Third, he has great analytical abilities gleaned from his years as a program manager for an international engineering and construction company and then as a county sheriff.

Fourth, he has a sincere desire to serve, evidenced by his involvement with the food bank, the mediation board, citizens review board and his church.

And fifth, he brings real world skills with budgets, staffing and negotiations.

Mike Berglund is a man of character, who is true to his convictions and cares not just for his own two children in our school district, but about the learning environment for all of our children.

Finally, Mike has already taken the time to visit every PTA/PTO meeting he could attend, as well as several service clubs in town, to talk to people and find out their concerns for our schools.

If you want a school board candidate who can hit the ground running, who has taken the time to learn the policies of our district in advance and who has the courage to stick to his convictions, I strongly encourage you to vote for Mike Berglund for the La Grande School Board.

Jan Harris

La Grande

Subtle Catholic prejudice?

To the Editor:

Mary McCracken sarcastically writes “reminds me of searching for data to explain population increases in a Catholic college library” while complaining about somebody;’ letter regarding cows and biodiversity.

Is Mary trying to be funny? Is she unaware this is Catholic bashing — the only politically acceptable form of prejudice in the liberal circles? Can’t make fun of somebody’s race or you’re racial. Can’t make fun of Jews or you’re anti-Semitic. Can’t make fun of the elderly, or the disabled, or those with “alternative” lifestyles because that is politically incorrect and shows you’re insensitive. Some would even label them as hate crimes. But Catholics are fair game.

In the liberal circles it is actually vogue to make fun of them or to blame them for everything. Blame them for the “population increases” and might as well blame them for those cows and the economy and the planet’s condition. She could have made a crack about Muslims but she’s liable to get a fatwa issued against her. Catholics are easy targets. Half of them are liberals anyway and the other half are too intimidated to say anything.

If she has a subtle prejudice on Catholics maybe her views on cows are prejudiced, too. Why the economy and the planet is in steep decline — greed and selfishness. The world’s problems all stem from greed and selfishness.

I’m a Catholic and I don’t find it funny.

Gerard Abesa

La Grande