In February 2013, the wrestling and sporting world was dumbfounded when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) removed the sport of wrestling as one of the “core 25 sports” in the Olympic Games. Wrestling—along with eight other sports—was being forced to plead its way back into the Olympic games lineup. The morning I learned of this […]
Commentaries
Posted inOpinion
You’ve got to read what you want to read
Demonstrate your trust in knowledge–and its application–during Banned Books Week
It’s at hand again: one of my favorite non-holiday, yet holiday-like celebrations of the year. Banned Books Week—described by organizers as “the national book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read”—is set for Sept. 22 through 28 in 2013. This year’s efforts come just days after a controversy in Ohio, where author Toni Morrison […]
Posted inOpinion
Thoughts on Syria
While waiting to see what would happen, locals raised their voices
As the executive editor, I see and hear opinions of all kinds every day. They come in by e-mail, by mailed envelope, and by fax. Some are hand delivered. Some are left as voicemails. As the situation in Syria ripened or stagnated, depending on your point of view, U.S. citizens, certainly Syrians, and people around […]
Posted inOpinion
The harm in arming educators
Teachers aren’t supposed to take life
There was another school shooting recently, near Atlanta, and this one was relatively benign. The gunman walked into an elementary school, told employees to call the police, fired five or six rounds from his assault rifle, and surrendered. Yawn. It’s a hiccup in the news cycle. Of course, the NRA repeatedly assures us, with their […]
Posted inOpinion
School climate matters
Positive attitudes help create positive results
Ed. note: This piece originally came to the Sun in June, but with school starting again for the fall, we felt it would be appropriate to run now. Parents and other visitors to public schools will probably notice a common dynamic: High academic achievement and a positive school climate go hand in hand. When […]
Posted inOpinion
Will warrior women end U.S. hunger?
The fight to feed our people is on
On an August afternoon 36 years ago, my world flipped upside down. I was 27, mother to a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old. My college career was on hold while my husband considered a graduate degree. But that wasn’t going to happen because on this one August day a deadly accident terminated our dreams. This accident […]
Posted inOpinion
Racism is still alive and well
We can’t ignore it, but we should address it head on
In his opinion piece in the Aug. 1 issue of the Sun (“The economy is paramount”), Otis Page, the often times rather conservative opinion letter writer in various local publications, outlines a long litany of historical examples and anecdotes to make the labored point that people tend to develop or mimic prejudices against persons and […]
Posted inOpinion
When life gives kids lemons …
Support a young entrepreneur and buy a glass
There’s this thing online called “trolling.” It’s when you post something really outrageous just to get a reaction out of people. That’s what I think the online magazine Slate was doing recently when it posted an opinion piece critical of lemonade stands. I’m not making this up. In a piece headlined, “Down with Lemonade Stands,” […]
Posted inOpinion
The economy is paramount
Race shouldn’t be the big national issue
During my college days in the Boston area in 1950 to ’51, I bought a book titled Prejudice. As a young State of Mainer, I was impressed with the ethnic and cultural melting pot of Boston. The book was filled with boring statistics, but had a great introduction that included a story. The story told […]
Posted inOpinion
Ramadan demystified
These days are about so much more than being hungry
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is underway. The observation of not eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset is especially challenging when Ramadan falls during the hot summer months. As the mercury rises, so does the length of fast. This year, each of the 30 days of fasting is about 16 hours in duration, […]
Posted inOpinion
Blunder after blunder
In its Fallas decision, an out-of-touch Santa Maria City Council needs to embrace the downtown we actually have, not the fantasy they hope for
My fiancée and I owned a business for nearly two years in Santa Maria’s Town Center West. It was a coffee shop a couple of doors down from Big 5 Sporting Goods. Every morning as the coffee brewed, we watched the sun rise over the Santa Maria Town Center and cast light on the monolith […]
Posted inOpinion
Yes, I’ve used the N-word
But …
I’m not a racist! And I don’t know Paula Dean or what’s in her heart so I don’t know if she is or is not a racist. But I certainly empathize with her and find most of the problems that have come her way unacceptable after her only crime was answering, truthfully, “Yes, of course” […]
