Plays staged at NHS cafetorium
12-16
To the editor:
You won't want to miss the drama at Nordhoff this weekend. Nordhoff
students (along with community members Jim Lashly, Elizabeth
C. Rosengren and Phil Casanta) have put together two short plays
in the cafetorium that will make you cry, and then laugh till
you cry. "The Long Christmas Dinner," directed by NHS
senior Erica Hartman is 20 minutes of generational drama with
a long cast of characters, who pass into and out of a family
Christmas dinner. Those who pass through the door stage right,
go to the great beyond; bring your hankie, you'll cry as these
lovely teens pass.
Keep out your hankie, though, because "Starkist," a
play written by NHS junior Sarah Mirk, is hilarious. Not necessarily
about the holidays, still, it will leave you with a glow to last
till Christmas. Don't miss these dramatic efforts at NHS Friday
and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for
students and seniors.
"The Long Christmas Dinner" stars Claire Haider, Chad
Butler, Jassira Vardak, Randy Titus, Courtney Letvinchuck, Andrew
Nelson, Rachel Ward, Kaeli Dwire, Noelle Morris, Sam Gay, Caitlin
Smith and Joel Hunt.
"Starkist" stars Darienne Gross, Sarah Hartigan, Kelly
Leech and Das Baker.
Kathi Smith
Ojai
Join in solstice celebration
12-9
To the editor:
Through the ages at the winter solstice, humankind has gathered
in community to light fires to chase the dark away and to celebrate
the return of the sun. They decorated their homes with evergreens,
symbols of eternal life. In all cultures, the return of the sun
has been met with symbolic ritual and festivity, making connections
with nature and the rhythms of the Earth.
Today, more than ever, we must take time to come together to
honor the principle of Essential Divinity, welcome the return
of the light, and the spirit of hope which burns in our hearts.
The darkest night of the year is a time of turning inward, experiencing
the inner light within, as well as a night of revelry.
We at Meditation Mount invite you to join us in a community celebration
of the winter solstice on Saturday, Dec. 21, from 5 to 7 p.m.
There will be music, readings of poetry, myths, storytelling,
symbolic ritual and candlelight meditation, concluding with a
potluck dinner.
Hooray for the solstice! Light a candle! The light shines in
the darkness!
Jean M. Bates
Executive Director
Meditation Mount
Modern Stone Age perils
12-9
To the editor:
I was newly minted at the close of World War I ("the war
to end all wars"), lived through World War II and its subsequent
progeny, Korea, and Vietnam, and agree that war is hell and stupid.
Conversely, I think it is extremely naive to assume that peaceful
protests will inspire barbarians to put aside evil intentions
and weapons and sit quietly alongside on the moral high ground.
Mahatma Gandhi, the disciple of conciliatory negotiation, was
assassinated, unarmed Jews perished in Nazi concentration camps,
nonthreatening tourists were blown to bits in Bali, quiescent
Muslim women can be stoned to death for presumed moral lapses
and, here in America, several thousand innocent men, women and
children lost their lives on September 11.
Half of the planet's denizens seem not to have evolved beyond
the Stone Age, placing the rest of us in constant jeopardy. Barring
a global epiphany, it doesn't appear that things are going to
change any time soon.
The concerns of the People in Black are understandable, but they
might do well to focus some of their energies on a real war taking
place in this country, now - the war on crime. According to recent
government figures, major crime, in all its aspects, has escalated
alarmingly in the last few years. Murder, nationwide, in 2001,
claimed 15,980 victims, with Los Angeles accounting for 1,079
of them. In fact, Los Angeles presently has the dubious distinction
of being the murder capital of the United States, with violent
death statistics so mind-numbing as to read more like the latest
sports tallies. It's as if we're auditioning for the reality
version of "Clockwork Orange," that fantasy film about
a civilization gone mad.
On a lighter note, however, there is some good news out there,
and from the fashion world, no less! It seems high-rise jeans
are coming back in style because the low riders have gone as
low as they can go. Goodbye, navel displays; welcome back, taste.
It is to be hoped.
Gerry Baur
Ojai
Free forests groups get grant
12-9
To the editor:
The organizations, Free Our Forests and the National Forest Defense
Alliance, received a generous grant of $5,400 on Dec. 4 from
the Fund for Santa Barbara, which is a nonprofit foundation made
up of grassroots activists and community organizations working
for social, economic and environmental justice in Santa Barbara
County.
FOF and NFDA are based in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties
and are the leading activist groups in the nationwide effort
to stop the U.S. Forest Service's Adventure Pass Recreation Fee
Demonstration Program.
The fund's grant money to FOF and NFDA is earmarked for use in
the class action suit to end the Adventure Pass Program, which
was filed locally this past September. The Adventure Pass Program
is a corporately lobbied forest recreational fee, passed by Congress
as a test, and designed to allow private development and commercialization
of public lands on a grand scale.
FOF and NFDA are extremely grateful to the Fund for Santa Barbara
for this financial assistance and to activist Greg Kappos for
writing the grant. The public is encouraged to donate to FOF
at P.O. Box 411, Ojai, CA 93024, and especially to the Fund for
Santa Barbara at 924 Anacapa St., Suite 4-H, Santa Barbara, CA
93101-2192.
Heidi Mauer
Chairman, Free Our Forests
Ojai
Soup reminder of white folk's gifts
12-6
To the editor:
Much has been written about the mistreatment of the American
Indians, but there is seldom mention of their debt to the white
man.
There are many benefits of Western medicine and, of course, those
lucrative casino franchises, but one debt towers above them all:
not having to eat acorn soup.
Earl Bates' column (Dec. 4) brought back a painful memory for
me: growing up in Ojai in the 1950s, I once earned a Cub Scout
merit badge by preparing acorn soup. I collected and shelled
the acorns, then prepared the soup exactly as Earl described,
by grinding, leaching and boiling them into soup.
That evening at dinner, after my family had sampled this delicacy,
I had to concur with my father - source of my Indian blood -
who expressed a newfound appreciation for the ways of the white
man, and, in particular, my mother's ham and split-pea soup.
Bon appetit, Earl.
Ken Shelton
Ojai
Walls disrupt Ojai's beauty
12-9
To the editor:
Fences. We need fences and walls to keep the animals in the yard
and the kids out of the pool and dirt up the slope. Sometimes
a wall is nice to define a place or to just enjoy a piece of
fine workmanship. But, the beauty of our valley has been progressively
diminished by a major escalation in construction of walls and
fences which are too many, too large and just don't fit.
I suspect many are built as a search for security or privacy,
others as a statement of style or presence. Consider that a genuinely
effective security fence will also keep out your rescuers and
makes it less likely your neighbors will be able to discover
the need for help. Remember the uncomfortable stories of people
perishing in home fires because of the security bars on the windows.
To the end of "safety," the effort and money are better
spent on making your community a better place by volunteering
and donations. As for privacy, trust me, there is nothing you're
doing in private that is of interest to the rest of us.
The cumulative effect of these multiple barriers is to erode
our sense of unity with our valley and with each other. We become
a collection of well-defined and well-defended parcels rather
than a cohesive community of fellow citizens.
I ask a favor - once you've decided you need a new wall or fence
- wait a year. With a bit of reflection, maybe you'll see Ojai
would be a better place without it. Then you can spend the savings
on some project to really help our hometown
Al Stroberg
Ojai
Chilled by state-led violence
12-10
To the editor:
Was anyone else disturbed by the presence of young people garbed
in camouflage uniforms guarding and patrolling the recent Ventura
Holiday Street Fair? I wondered if this was to start getting
U.S. citizens used to a military presence as pressure builds
to ensure conformity to the rules imposed by the Homeland Security
and Patriots Acts or perhaps to quell the growing opposition
to the fully orchestrated propaganda supporting an out-of-control
war machine.
Does anyone else find it chilling that some young people have
been so steeped in violence that they believe conflicts can only
be resolved by destroying whichever "enemy," is currently
"out to get us"? Are these young people aware or don't
they care that despite promises of money, educational and travel
opportunities plus instant man and now womanhood status, proffered
by the military, the sole purpose of this training is to stifle
individuality, sensitivity, compassion and humanity, so they
as "universal" soldiers can kill or be killed based
on the belief that they are doing it for god and country?
Or, do some of these young people have so much fear, anger and
hatred that they actually want to go and kill others or are they
so unhappy that they consciously or unconsciously seek suicide
by warfare?
If we cannot stop the current regime's rush to war, will the
parents of these young people find justification in religion
or patriotism and comfort by lighting a candle commemorating
the death of a child when their son or daughter comes back in
a body bag?
How do parents whose children returned from past wars suffering
from mental, emotional and physical diseases which were not acknowledged
or treated by the very government which sent them until 10, 20
or 30 years passed, cope with their grief? How did they feel
when mutated grandchildren were born as a result of "herbicides,"
mandated experimental vaccinations or spent uranium shell casings?
No matter what supposed threat there is to our country, I do
not believe unilateral, pre-emptive war is the only solution.
I believe there is again a corporate agenda and the only profits
will be made by oil companies, weapons manufacturers, drug dealers
and all others who benefit from the knee-jerk emotional responses
of non-profiting working class Americans whose sons and daughters
become pawns in a deadly game.
Truth be told, I feel sad that they and their parents do not
want to join with others to choose instead to strive to create
a non-hostile, genuinely pro-life environment right here in the
U.S.A., which could be an example for people around the world.
I really do not care if young people do not want to live long,
full, rich, non-fear-filled lives. What I adamantly oppose is
spending of billions and billions of dollars to give them an
opportunity to fulfill their homicidal/suicidal death wish at
the expense of the rest of our society's urgent needs, thereby
undermining true homeland and global security.
We must stop the anti-life now!
Margot Eiser
Ojai
Argument goes to serve point
12-10
To the editor:
In reply to Matthew Baxter's letter about peace (OVN 12-4-02):
Mr. Baxter, I sense that you are confused and upset by the process
of exploring the nature and value of peace and how it might be
won. While you contend that questioning the power of nonviolent
conflict resolution to produce peace with radical Islam is vitriolic
and simplistic, I believe that pursuing peace by simply demanding
and, subsequently, relying upon universal pacifism is folly.
Your hypothetical alteration of history leading up to World War
II illustrates your argument well, but ultimately serves to prove
my point. Pretending for the sake of your argument that Europeans
practiced peace vigils prior to the war is easy because they
actually did so in great numbers. Pretending that Nazis might
have embraced peace and love in response to all the peace demonstrations
is a little harder, but I'll give it a go.
So now where are we? We are sitting here, going nowhere, making
believe that peace vigils produced the desired results and rendered
mid-20th century Europe free of war, but the Germans did invade
Czechoslovakia and World War II did happen, in spite of, and
to some degree because of, the peace activists who insisted on
making believe that appeasing Hitler would avert war (try an
Internet search under the words "German invasion" -
the horror stories are endless and they all began with the "peace
in our time" movement to appease a monster).
In fact, your historical fantasy only supports the notion that
a world in which all conflicts are resolved without war would
be a world without war, but not necessarily a world without injustice,
mass suffering and oppression. For instance, consider a world
that is at peace (i.e., not at war) after being overrun by Moslem
radical fundamentalists (who believe themselves to be on a mission
from Allah to accomplish this very goal). This would be a brutal
world where people, especially women, are routinely beaten, tortured
and executed for, among other things, breaches of religious etiquette.
The conflict between radical Islam and the rest of civilization
has a long history of violence. September 11th escalated this
violence and brought it to our shores. Since then our Islamic
enemies have made their intentions toward us clear and they laugh
mockingly at our talk of nonviolent conflict resolution.
Part of your thinking about peace probably stems from a cultural
value that we both share. Our culture tends to admire the person
(or country) that shows considered self-restraint in response
to minor or sporadic aggression. In America, such a person (or
country) is seen as strong, confident and forgiving, but in the
Middle East such restraint is generally seen as weak, submissive
and cowardly, an invitation to hit again.
You believe my image of radical Islam is the invention of the
right wing, military-industrial-complex-owned media, but you
would have a hard time convincing anyone who has fled the Middle
East for the sanctuary of our shores of this. The truth is while
you are vilifying America for mobilizing in defense of your right,
among others, to vilify America, I am expressing real concern
for the very lives of men, women and children in America and
around the world. I want to protect them from death and oppression.
Just as death is not the worst thing that can happen to a living
person, some alternatives are even worse than war.
In conclusion, I don't know where you got the notion that I count
you among " Cro-Mags (who) idle away the hours in a veritable
cannibalization of whatever peace is left after the black cloud
of terrorism dooms us." I didn't know you existed nor had
I evaluated your state of evolution until I read your letter.
More to the point, even with the wide latitude afforded by poetic
license one cannot cannibalize an indivisible state of being
such as the absence of war and so I would never suspect you of
such an endeavor. I actually sympathize with your wishful thinking,
but its limitations conspire against any credibility in your
position. Mr. Baxter, determined aggressors not only exist, they
are very hard to wish away.
Richard Keit
Ojai
Scholarship perfect gift for family
12-13
To the editor:
As many of you know, Deno Lepas passed away Oct. 7, 2002. Deno
was a 35-year teacher at Nordhoff High and during that time he
touched many lives. His industrial arts classes prepared many
students for future careers, future successes and life. It is
in his honor, we are setting up a scholarship fund. There are
several reasons for setting up the fund, but two of the most
significant are to continually allow his children to see what
a special man he was and to honor students who may develop into
the future Deno Lepases we need so much in education.
If you were one of his former students who was touched by his
magic, please consider contributing to this fund. Many of the
parents of Deno's former students know how valuable his contributions
were to their child. If you would like to consider the holiday
gift that keeps on giving, please help with contributions to
the scholarship.
Presently, we have collected more than $4,300 for the scholarship
fund. The goal is to raise $8,000 so the fund will go on forever.
Deno's impact on Nordhoff High School and the Ojai community
will extend way beyond his lifetime. We would like the scholarship
to continue to honor Nordhoff students forever.
Contributions can be sent care of Ken Reeves at Nordhoff High
School, 1401 Maricopa Highway, Ojai, CA 93023. Checks should
be made out to Nordhoff High School-Deno Lepas Fund.
During the holiday season, we are all looking for the perfect
gift. This scholarship fund certainly can be the perfect gift
the the Lepas family and the students of Nordhoff!
Ken Reeves
Nordhoff High School
Ojai
On the nature of war and peace
12-16
To the editor:
The following are quotes from men of history on the nature of
war and peace:
Dwight D. Eisenhower: "We have arrived at that point, my
friends, when war does not present the possibility of victory
or defeat. War would present to us only the alternative in degrees
of destruction. There could be no truly successful outcome."
Nikita S. Khrushnev: "General and complete disarmament is
the avenue leading to the deliverance of mankind from the calamities
of war Long live peace throughout the world!"
Mahatma Gandhi: "Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong."
Martin Luther King: "The choice is either nonviolence or
nonexistence."
Sigmund Freud: "All that produces ties of sentiment between
man and man must serve as war's antidote." Leo Tolstoy:
"We must not obey man more than God, and no matter what
they may do, we cannot and will not obey them."
Victor Hugo: "A day will come when a cannon will be exhibited
in public museums, just as an instrument of torture is now, and
people will be astonished how such a thing could have been."
Lao-Tse: "He who goes forward with weapons of war, honors
the instruments of evil omen."
The Bible: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more."
Jesse Lovejoy
Ojai
To ignore threat is to ignore history
12-06
To the editor:
Being a history buff, I feel compelled to comment on recent letters
to this paper expressing outrage at Richard Keit for questioning
the effectiveness of nonviolent principles as a response to our
current international crisis. One letter in particular displayed
a shocking level of historical sophistry when the writer attempted
to prove his point by noting that history would have been different
if the Germans had been "doves" rather than "hawks."
Of course, all history would have been different if people had
behaved better, but his example ignores the truth of what really
happened.
While the Germans were behaving like hawks, the British government
was committed to a peaceful resolution with Germany. Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain felt that Germany had been treated unfairly
in the wake of World War I. As such, he engaged in a strategy
of appeasement leading to the signing of the Munich Agreement,
after which he proclaimed that they had achieved "peace
in our time."
The closing remarks of his speech to parliament on Oct. 3, 1938
were, "Ever since I assumed my present office, my main purpose
has been to work for the pacification of Europe, for the removal
of those suspicions and those animosities which have so long
poisoned the air. The path which leads to appeasement is long
and bristles with obstacles. The question of Czechoslovakia is
the latest and perhaps the most dangerous. Now that we have got
past it, I feel that it may be possible to make further progress
along the road to sanity."
The problem was that they were not past the question of Czechoslovakia.
In fact, after receiving a piece of Czechoslovakia in return
for not invading the rest of it, Hitler broke the Munich Agreement
less than a year later by invading the rest of Czechoslovakia.
The lesson of this piece of history (and of much of human history)
seems, superficially, to mean that nonviolence is not effective
against violent aggressors. This is not always the case, though.
Nonviolent action has worked in several situations - most notably
by Gandhi in India's independence from Britain.
Gandhi employed nonviolence effectively for two reasons. The
first was that it appealed to the aggressor's sense of shame
and justice. The second was that it was the only option they
had, given the fact that the British had disarmed India. This
led Gandhi to write, "Among the many misdeeds of the British
rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a
whole nation of arms as the blackest."
The reason that passive resistance works is that it forces the
aggressor to question his own position. This works especially
well in the context of the
Judeo-Christian ethic because, as a society, we have the freedom
and inclination to question the motives of our own society. This
is so common to us that we generally don't even notice it. One
shouldn't assume from this that all societies tolerate this tradition.
The real question is not whether Islamic fundamentalists (note
that I am not including all or most Muslims in this category)
pose a threat to us; the question is whether nonviolence is an
effective strategy in the face of that threat. To ignore the
threat of Islamic fundamentalism is to ignore the histories of
countries such as Greece, Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia,
India, and even Austria - just to name a few.
Sadly, the weight of history supports Mr. Keit's objection. One
would have a difficult time in trying to use history as a justification
for nonviolence in the face of Islamic fundamentalism. Historically,
the only real defense seems to be conversion to Islam.
There is, however, an effective argument for nonviolence - the
spiritual argument. This argument is very compelling on a personal
level. It requires the practitioner to forego his baser instincts
and take up the mantle of martyrdom.
Is it morally right, then, to force others to accept martyrdom?
How is the act of forcing someone to be passive in the face of
a real threat morally superior to bidding or conscripting young
men to risk their lives in defense of others? Why is it considered
vitriolic to ask these questions? Do these questions not come
from the same tradition that causes us to question war in the
first place?
I am not foolish enough to believe that I can change anyone's
mind on this subject; nor would I deny that American history
reveals our own atrocities. I am only trying to point out that
attacking Mr. Keit for posing the question avoids dealing with
the question.
It occurs to me that many people who object to Mr. Keit's opinion
view the United States as more of a threat to the world than
Islamic fundamentalism. They claim that we are all brainwashed
by the current administration and the media. I would ask those
people to simply go to the library and research Islamic history
instead of speculating about what could have been.
Matthew Sewell
Ojai
Departing artist will be missed
12-17
To the editor:
This is an open letter to Gayel Childress.
Dear Childress (as I love to address you):
The announcement of your departure from the Ojai art scene came
to me in the same manner as I always perceived you: sharp and
sudden, irrevocable and drastic. This is not meant to make you
feel guilty. Maybe we should feel guilty, because most of us
who buzzed around you knew that you were our big mamma, and yet
didn't do enough to keep you on your feet.
You, like a mother, gave us flight, gave us the opportunity,
the good advice, the support. We felt unique in being associated
with you, we felt the inspiration of making art for art's sake.
We felt accredited and enthusiastic about our endeavors. In your
big artist's heart, you legitimized our attitudes toward creativeness,
and we frolicked around you like avid sucklings that nourished
from your spiritual sustenance.
Ojai won't be the same without you. You were Ojai, because its
spirit reigned through you. You were the place where one could
hope to express oneself without the expectation of selling. That
was very generous and idealistic. You believed in diversity,
but all the more you believed in freedom of expression, in human
effort and artistic conscience.
We'll miss you. Part of us goes with you. We feel orphaned and
somehow lonely, as if standing at the mouth of an abyss. We'll
never experience in the same way that feeling of brotherhood,
and the pride of being part of your artist's family.
I hope that this is not the end. Like Beato, we believe in reincarnation
and, in my heart of hearts, I trust that you'll find the way
to resurrect and rebuild what was the most unique art corner
in the Ojai Valley: the Gayel Childress Gallery.
In the meanwhile, we love you, and wish you the best.
Sylvia Raz
Ojai
'Twas the night, Ojai version
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
every creature was stirring, 'specially the mouse.
The cat had been chasing her day in and day out
and mother was shouting, "Get out, get out!"
The stockings were hung by the chimney over there.
There was Mama's and mine and the boys, who didn't care,
that sissy's was missing and found absolutely - no where.
The children were fighting and not ready for bed.
Mama was screaming and here's what she said,
"Leave your brother alone and go turn out the light,
you'd better be good or there'll be NO Santa tonight.
Hurry up, father and I want some sleep,
I mean it now, not a sound, not a peep!"
With that she turned and started for bed,
then she yelled, "Has the dog been fed?"
Then something happened just around four,
the dog started barking and scratching the door.
Daddy rolled over as Mama ran to see,
just who was out there - oh who could it be?
And what to her tired ol' eyes did appear,
but Santa and eight tiny reindeer.
Now the dog was barking louder and moving real quick.
She nipped at the heels of dear ol' St. Nick.
As mama stared at the man who stood in our house,
all became quiet, even the mouse.
From his feet to his head
he was dressed all in red.
With eyes that twinkled and a beard like snow,
his cheeks were rosy and his face was aglow.
He moved rather slowly and looked a bit beat.
Mama knew right away he needed something to eat.
So she fixed Santa a snack
as he unloaded his pack,
Without a sound, not a noise,
he filled the stockings with toys.
And when he was finished he headed for the door,
but he tripped over the roller blades that were left on the floor.
Then with a wink of his eye and a hearty ol' wave,
he was off again in his toy-filled sleigh.
Filled with joy on this magical night
Mama watched as he drove out of sight.
- Donna Sallen, Ojai
© 2002 The Ojai Valley
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