Editorial wrong
To the editor:
When the Bainbridge Review was sold, I noticed a bit of improvement in the reporting and a serious decline in the quality of the editorial page.
Said page really jumped the shark, however, with the addition of Christine Flowers. Her editorial on Critical Race Theory demonstrates that she knows little about her subject.
As has been pointed out in many venues, CRT is virtually never taught in grades 1-12; it is a framework used in college and postgraduate work. Her use of the Doll Test to say that “children are extremely impressionable” completely misses the point of the test, which illustrates the corrosive effect of racism on young Black children.
And the example of the class exercise she cites, dividing “kids into groups based on eye color just to show them how racism works,” originated in the 1960s, long before CRT, which had its origins in the 1980s. And why she brings the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal into her argument, I have no idea; it is in no way related to CRT.
CRT is not “a damaging and fraudulent theory of privilege and race;” it is a framework that helps scholars explore parts of U.S. history that continue to influence the current context. I was initially encouraged to see at least a slight variation in the constant menu of white men offering their insights; Ms. Flowers, however, is no improvement. Please continue the quest for diversity with more informed voices.
Marsha Cutting
Bainbridge Island
No on BAC
To the editor:
As a parent on this island, I cannot help but think that the Park District’s plan to acquire the Bainbridge Athletic Club contradicts inclusive and equitable access to its facilities. BI Parks sold the Sakai Park deal as an opportunity for a “Central Park” on our island. Now, you want to move the sports complex to the north end of the island?
This reduced access affects a substantial number of residents, specifically our children. We want a centrally located recreation facility where all island residents can travel by foot, bicycle and public transportation. Using a small portion of the vast Sakai property for facilities will be a much smaller ecological disruption than the long-term increased road congestion BAC would cause.
Kids who could have walked or biked to centrally located sports facilities will now be driven to Meadowmeer. How is that good for Bainbridge?
Jeff Wolffe
Bainbridge Island
Vaccinate please
To the editor:
I went to a physical therapy appointment recently. Since COVID-19 still has me feeling a little uneasy at being in a small, closed space with a stranger, I asked the PT, “you’re being vaccinated, right?”
I was looking for reassurance. He responded that, no, actually he had not been vaccinated. I left immediately. Don’t assume that your health care professionals are acting responsibly.
Gregory Cook
Bainbridge Island
Demos best
To the editor:
This message is to the working people – the people who earn an hourly wage or a salary from a small business or a local government. In particular, to those of you who vote Republican, who think government is bad for the country, and who believe “conservative” is the way to vote.
I have benefited from a government controlled by Democrats in the following ways:
I have quality medical insurance through Medicare. I have a regular monthly income so I can live comfortably on my deceased husband’s Social Security benefits. These Medicare and Social Security benefits were earned from a lifetime of working at a union job with a livable wage. They also built Grand Coulee Dam, which benefits people everywhere with power, irrigation, recreation and flood control.
Government saved the world from fascism in World War II and put a man on the moon. Government now is trying to save lives and keep a deadly COVID-19 pandemic under control. And it would be succeeding, if it weren’t for the many conservative voters who refuse vaccinations.
I say fix the highways, bridges, airports and expand access to the internet. Do everything in the infrastructure bill that Democrats are trying to get passed and Republicans are opposing.
The Republican party did create the interstate highway system. But what else has any Republican administration or Congress done to help the working people?
Call your senator and ask him or her to vote for the bill; and please take another look at your ballot on election day.
Donna Haines Daly
Poulsbo
Ethics board
The Ethics Board should be strengthened — not weakened or expunged. Why the effort to “save” Mr. Pollock from the Ethics Board?
The Ethics Board and the City Council should review the purposes, practices, needs and goals of these two significant governmental entities.
Take time to clean up the leftovers, work together effectively, stop gaming, get with it, return to or renew best principles and practices.
Judith Tingley
Bainbridge Island
Safety concern
To the editor:
I strongly oppose the purchase of Bainbridge Athletic Club by the BI Metro Park & Recreation District. My primary reason is safety.
In 2001, on Bainbridge Island, two people were killed on 305, one of them a mother of a 7-year-old boy. (In the four years prior, four people had died, including an elderly couple.) This is what former BI Police Chief Bill Cooper had to say. Keep in mind, this was 20 years ago.
“The fatal accident just south of the Agate Pass Bridge on Bainbridge Island is further evidence that two-lane Highway 305 is becoming increasingly dangerous as traffic volumes increase. That road is not designed to accommodate the number of cars coming to and from the ferry. Thousands of cars a day are trying to get on and off the island … and as the population grows, it’s only going to get worse.”
What has changed in 20 years? Nothing.
Why would we locate a Community & Sports Center right off a dangerous highway?
If even one life is lost or injured, this decision will never be worth it. The hope is our families and young people will flock to a new community center located at an accessible, central location; within walking distance from schools and our beautiful aquatic center.
I support the parks, but not this purchase. The Sakai property was promised and is perfect for a Community & Sports Center.
Terry Murphy
Bainbridge Island
