OPINION
PUBLISHER TIM SMOLARICK PHONE: 941-207-1010 FAX: 941-484-8460 8A WEEKEND EDITION MARCH 16, 2013
GONDOLIER SUN EDITOR RONALD DUPONT JR. PHONE: 941-207-1218
[email protected] SUN NEWSPAPERS
OUR VIEW
Want to be inspired by politicians? Look to Venice H ate-filled comments, mean politics and just downright awful behavior seem to dominate national politics nowadays. Long gone are the days when politicians used to inspire us and edge the country along to greater heights. Yes, there are still some great elected leaders in our country, but there are so many awful ones that the great ones get overshadowed. But if you want a breath of fresh air, if you want to be able to sit back and smile about elected leaders, then look to the Venice City Council. That body of elected leaders was nothing short of brilliant on Tuesday. On that day, the City Council voted to give rights to gay couples and also voted to take action that could eventually save the Circus Arena. Both of these votes were forward-thinking and brave. Either vote by council members might mean one or all of them do not get re-elected if enough people get riled up. But these elected leaders did what was right instead of voting what would cause them the least grief. Perhaps the most inspiring action by the Venice City Council was its unanimous vote to give rights to “domestic partnerships.” That phrase is political-speak for giving rights to gay couples. This was very much the right thing to do. Regardless of any of our religious beliefs, there are same-sex couples who love each other and who have lived together for years. For them, this is a union stronger than some of the heterosexual
marriages we see today. Yet, despite the fact that these couples often have no other immediate family and put more trust in each other than anybody else, they often find themselves being torn apart during some of the most critical times of their lives. A pertinent example would be of one of them rushing to the hospital to spend time with their ill partner, only to be told that they are not “family” and cannot visit. Or, on a less important note, imagine them going into a restaurant and being told they cannot sit in a certain area because it’s reserved for couples. Under the city’s new law, none of that can happen anymore. And if it does, the city has fines in place. In short, if a business discriminates, that business will pay. Now before you think the city had a knee-jerk reaction and passed the domestic partnership law without due consideration, you should know that the law has some pretty strong language. If a same-sex couple want to declare themselves in a domestic partnership, they both have to agree that the other person has the power to decide what to do with the partner if he or she dies. That’s pretty heavy. But that’s the same legal right in a heterosexual marriage. And a domestic partnership should be treated as no less. At the next election, any number of people could run against council members and play the religion card because of the domestic partnership vote. And that ploy could very well work.
That’s why the City Council’s vote Tuesday was so inspiring. In spite of the fact that they may be dooming their immediate political careers, they voted their conscious. Inspiring. Then, at the same meeting, we saw more inspiring leadership. The first example came not from the elected leaders but from City Manager Ed Lavallee. He presented the City Council with a solid, thorough plan of how to move forward with the Circus Arena. He didn’t have a rahrah presentation that used smoke, mirrors and sentiment to make his case. He came forward with a practical, logical plan that will help get rid of the code
violations at the Arena and give supporters more time to come up with ideas to make the structure a profitable entity in the future. A big thanks goes to the city manager. Residents often don’t realize how much of a difference a great city manager can make. But the greatness didn’t end there. After Lavallee made his presentation, the City Council moved forward with the plan but also made it clear that no longer is there only one vision for the Circus Arena. Now, they said, they were open to all ideas for how the arena might be used. Perfect. That arena is so large that it could house multiple businesses and be used in
a variety of ways. The City Council now has the ability to preserve a major part of the city’s history while possibly enabling a profitable endeavor. In just one meeting, the elected leaders of Venice made two long-term decisions without political backbiting or any of nasty behavior we are seeing on a national level. Instead, we watched as our neighbors and friends — our elected leaders — came together in a friendly way to make important decisions for the future of our city. Their actions were inspiring. They are a model for how the rest of the country’s politicians should be working together.
There’s always time to find the truth Bob Mudge
Have you seen the photo of the “real” Trayvon Martin circulating via email? Neither have I, because it’s not him. The photo is of a young black man with tattoos on his face, neck and hands. He’s bearded and nicely dressed. He’s not flashing a “grill” (jewelry on his front teeth) or any other “bling.” He’s not holding a weapon or displaying a gang sign. And he’s not Trayvon Martin. He is, in fact, rapper Jayceon Terrell Taylor, better known as Game. He’s 33 and has three children. He doesn’t remotely look to be 17, the age Martin was when he was shot. I got the photo the other day from a friend who prefaced his email, forwarded from someone he believed to be a reliable source, with a disclaimer: “Assuming this is true …”
Besides the photo, the email discusses Martin’s alleged criminal activity (though there’s no mention of an actual arrest for anything) and blames the “liberal media” for not printing any recent photos of the “almost 6’2” 175 muscular pounds … little Trayvon.” I am, of course, a member of the liberal media, albeit a member in Venice whose paper doesn’t cover shootings in the Orlando area. At least that’s our reason for not printing the photo. I’m guessing the rest of the liberal media didn’t because they did what the people circulating the email who wanted it to be true didn’t want to do — check it out. When I saw the photo, I immediately doubted it was Martin. The man looked too old, and I didn’t recall reading or seeing anything about Martin having tattoos — certainly not on his face. It took me about 30 seconds to confirm I was right. (He did have one on each arm but none anywhere else, according to the medical examiner’s report, which is online.) I shared that information with my friend and got a response that truly shocked me:
“I appreciate that, but just didn’t have time to check.” What? You receive an email casting aspersions on a young man who was killed a little more than a year ago, and you don’t have any personal knowledge of him or the incident, yet you feel compelled to forward it rather than take, literally, 30 seconds to verify it? Would you have accepted that excuse if someone were forwarding a derogatory email about you? To his credit, my friend — an intelligent and honorable man who encouraged me to write this column — acknowledged that he had made a mistake. He sent me an apology and sent another email disavowing the first one to the other people he had forwarded it to. At that point, of course, he was trying to unring a bell, but there is nothing else that can be done. That’s why it’s important to get such propaganda out of circulation ASAP, regardless of the source or the subject. Also to his credit, my friend sent me a story about how Socrates
MUDGE | 9
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| LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Start by protesting at work Editor: After reading the news article “Issue centers …,” I got to thinking: Shouldn’t they be marching on their growers/employers for better wages, etc.? Seems that marching on your customers (Publix, McDonald’s, Whole Foods) is a good way to have them buy their produce elsewhere. We never see the protests at their workplaces demanding a decent wage. Why is that?
Michael Kolanko Venice
Will miss her beach yoga
I am fortunate enough to share for several months. She has a unique blend of knowledge, dedication Editor: to the health benefits In just a few short of yoga, humor and the weeks I will once again ability to teach. She relates pack up and head north. well to all who attend her Venice, however, and the sessions and is willing to many charms of Venice give extra time to talk to individuals with questions keep calling me back. One of the charms I will and concerns. She is always respectful of the fact that miss most is my mornings with Elin Larsen and we are on a public beach and she makes sure the yoga on Venice Beach. group honors the needs of I began spending winters here just as Elin began others using the beach. Venice is a true gem, her yoga at the beach. I’ve watched the participation and Elin is one of the brightest facets of that grow and have witnessed gem. How fortunate we the enthusiasm for this all are to have her. time with her. I believe few people could do in Linda Simonitsch these years what she has Chatham, Mass. done for the community
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