Dear Editor, I read with interest James Fennell’s letter to the
editor. It seems that Mr. Fennell erred in several areas.
Pinning the Masons With the Wrong Label in Letter About PD Building Opening

Dear Editor,

I read with interest James Fennell’s letter to the editor. It seems that Mr. Fennell erred in several areas. First and foremost Freemasonry is not a religion. Yes it is an organization made up of men that believe in a Supreme Being, but who or what that Supreme Being is, is left up to the individual member. There is no “Masonic Deity”, the term used is Great Architect of the Universe, which is a generic term used to describe the individual’s choice in deity.

The second area Mr. Fennell erred in is that Mason’s do not meet in a “temple” any longer, that term was removed some time ago, Mason’s meet in a lodge, or Masonic building that has a lodge room.

Third, the term “worshipful” has nothing to do with religion, it is an old English word meaning worthy of respect.

Freemasonry is in fact the worlds oldest and largest fraternal order. There have been 13 U.S. presidents that were Masons, at least 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Masons. Many of the framers of the Constitution were Masons.

George Washington, one of the above mentioned 13 presidents, performed that same cornerstone ceremony at the building of the Capitol in Washington D.C. I think if the people that actually wrote the Constitution didn’t have a problem with the ceremony, then neither should Mr. Fennell.

Finally, The Constitution says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” I am not sure quite how Mr. Fennell’s issue breaks the Constitution, as no law was passed by Congress during this ceremony.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the Freemasons may visit the Grand Lodge of California’s website http://www.freemason.org/ or go visit their local Masonic lodge.

Gregg Hall, Gilroy, junior warden, Morgan Hill Masonic Lodge #463

L. Jensen, Gilroy

St. Mary Speaker Dead Wrong on Accusations of Israeli ‘Ethnic Cleansing’

Dear Editor,

As a loyal reader of your publication I was appalled by Chuck Flagg’s “Religion Today” column about the St. Mary’s speaker, published March 17. This article mentioned many accusations made by Mr. Brian Malovny against the state of Israel, and its role in the Middle East conflict. Mr. Malovny casually used words such as “ethnic cleansing” and “segregation” to describe Israel’s actions, clearly propaganda tools.

Mr. Malovny failed to mention that there are 1.2 million Arabs living in Israel (about 1/6 of its population) who enjoy equal rights, and are full members in Israeli society. There are five official Israeli-Arab political parties, and Arabic as well as Hebrew are Israel’s two official languages.

The accusations that Israel practices ethnic cleansing are absurd. The Israelis are not killing Palestinians in order to eliminate their race, they are defending themselves against those terrorist individuals who insist on terrorizing innocent civilians.

I commend St. Mary’s Church for bringing in speakers for what has become a very polarized discussion. There are no simple solutions to this situation. I would appreciate it if the speakers could be more honest with their facts, propaganda is not facts!

Yael Kafri, Gilroy

Plenty of Paralysis and Unending Analysis in City Hall’s Traffic Department

Dear Editor,

I read the article about Wheeler Manor’s concern over traffic safety for their resident seniors on Sixth Street. As a neighbor and resident on Sixth Street myself, I strongly concur with Gloria Lauriano’s remarks about the 30 mph speed limit and a need for more cautionary signs for motorists. In addition to seniors, there are pre-schoolers who live on this street, and there are many teenagers who walk/skateboard to and from school here. I am very disillusioned with Gilroy’s response to community concerns about these kinds of safety issues.

Is there such a thing as making streets too safe? Apparently, the city’s traffic engineer Don Dey thinks so. His repeat reaction to us is such a broken record: We’ll do a study and analysis and take it to the City Council, and blah, blah, blah. His process is more important than simple, practical and efficient solutions. A year and a half ago I participated in a task force that “studied the street” and evaluated what changes will be needed when Sixth Street connects to the big box stores (scary) on Camino Arroyo. (Actually W. Sixth Street residents were not initially contacted to participate.)

Two proposals that received support from the task force (surprise, surprise) were installing a stop sign at both Sixth and Princevalle and Sixth and Chestnut Streets. My position then was that we shouldn’t wait, that we need them now.

Typical of Mr. Day’s ho-hum follow through, nothing has yet been done. He always seems to come up with generic comments as to why changes aren’t needed. I suggest that Mr. Dey isn’t needed, and that the city replace him with a traffic engineer that isn’t afraid to purchase and install some stop signs. Do we really need a rocket scientist to make these decisions?

In addition to stop signs, other improvements should be made, but one suspect’s budget constraints are a big detriment. Wouldn’t it be nice if the traffic lights on Tenth Street were timed? That is another no-brainer that would help keep the cars from bunching up in gridlock.

Also, it would be interesting, and probably shocking, to learn how many cars are driving down our arterial streets (including Sixth) on a daily basis. Dey has frequently got the counting cables going around the city, but has yet to make those figures public. Just what are the criteria for installing a stop sign in relation to the number of cars zooming through on a daily basis? Just how does Gilroy’s criteria compare to other similar towns?

It is obvious that Sixth, along with Leavesly, First, Tenth and Luchessa, is heavily relied upon to move traffic across town, and installing too many stops may be viewed by the traffic engineer as obnoxious to the pattern. Well, it would be money better spent to say goodbye to Mr. Dey, and hello to a few more stop signs and other traffic improvements!

Dennis Cigan, Gilroy

City and SV Disposal Team Up with Neighborhood Volunteers for a Clean-up

Dear Editor,

On March 3, the City of Gilroy, in concert with South Valley Disposal and Recycling, provided trash dumpsters to help clean up our area. The neighborhood surrounding St. Mary Parish, including the drainage canal, have sadly deteriorated into a dumping grounds for those few irresponsible people that refuse to be good citizens like everyone else.

Almost all neighbors on our block participated in the clean-up and we were able to lend some dignity back to the alley surrounding old St. Mary Cemetery where our city’s founders and other legends from our past rest.

On behalf of the neighbors on Gurries Drive, please allow me to take this opportunity to say thank you to Mayor Al Pinheiro and the City Council, to South Valley Disposal and Recycling, to city staff and most particularly Leslie Wilcox, the new environmental programs specialist at City Hall.

Kurt Jacobsen, Gilroy

A Plea for Compassion and Far Less Snap Judgment

Dear Editor,

As a Gilroy native, perusing the Dispatch news each day since a teenager, several articles and commentaries read have sent me to the brink of inclination to respond. Today is the time to originate a letter toward human tolerance, one of many goals in my classroom.

The snap observational judgments of a driver darting on foot from a handicapped parking spot inclined a citizen of our human community to write, too. In the early morning, a young woman quickly closed her SUV door and darted into Wal-Mart. Only to return minutes later to a note taped to her door. The obscene scribble referenced her body size, compared her to a female dog and proclaimed she was lazy. The angered words of prejudice said she could stick the placard in one of her body parts.

The writer did not see this young woman for who she is. Very able in an ailing body. Not yet 30 years old, the perseverance and triumph in her life is beyond what most humans will ever endure. Surprisingly, she was running, though the purchase was motivated by her ill toddler son. Credit that to modern science for dual hip replacements she received in her 20s.

As a toddler she began to have bouts of fever lasting days. Three doctors were sought out in search of medical explanation. At 4, and with diagnosis of a degenerative condition, she smiled at those around her with unforgettable dimples. Each night she slept with five braces strapped on to maintain bone structure development. Mornings she awoke to a stiffening body, the heat of a bath water her father had carried her to, loosened up her joint to a state of motion in 30 minutes to an hour. She and her mother would stay a week or so alongside juvenile cancer patients at Stanford Children’s Hospital when her immune system was in high attack mode upon itself. Childhood cases for this medical challenge are uncommon and handfuls of chewable aspirin were the protocol. Those were the first eight years of life. Yet, she cried little and smiled often.

Thank you to the person who senselessly communicate ignorant based judgments upon a stranger. The act of unkindness, or rather harassment, echoed just one of a handful of discriminatory actions the young woman has endured over the years. Who would have imagined that while striving to complete daily tasks that the rest of us, the “able” society, checks off their trivial to-do lists, a fellow human being self proclaimed their “right” to judge whether the young woman is worthy of a parking placard?

Fortunately, unlike the parking lot writer, the young woman chooses to focus on the positives of her own life. Perhaps due to what fate has dealt and experiencing consequences for mistakes, the young woman is philosophically enriched. She strikes up a conversation with anyone in a room regardless of the physical appearance, reputation or life choices. Children of all ages adore her fun personality. She unconsciously possesses an immensely approachable demeanor.

The challenge to reader is to take compassion and empathy into consideration before following through with judgmental actions. There is a story behind every body, most not as simple as visible observations reveal.

Nancy Kerl, Gilroy

The Golden Quill is awarded occasionally for a well-written letter.

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