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Fracking and foreign affairs
Arguments about fracking are usually cast in economic vs. environmental terms, but there are enormous potential benefits to our international relations, which have received less attention. Energy independence will allow us to be consistent about our values and to protect our allies. For example, our need for Saudi oil has made us almost mute about human relations in Saudi Arabia. We project the values of democracy and equal rights in very powerful ways around the world, yet quite hypocritically, the force with which we promote those issues in Saudi Arabia is greatly attenuated. The place of women in Saudi society is especially problematic. If we were not dependent on Saudi oil, we could be consistent in our international push for democratic ideals and human rights. Again using Saudi Arabia as an example, the Saudis require that we sell them large quantities of advanced weaponry. When the Arab awakening comes to Saudi Arabia, the new leadership may threaten Israel with some of our best military hardware. Energy independence would allow us to say no to such sales. Our American values and our commitments to our ally Israel would both be well served by energy independence, and fracking will help us achieve that goal. These benefits must 2 CITY
JUNE 5-11, 2013
be added to the economic ones when weighing the advantages of fracking against the disadvantage of the environmental risk. VICTOR POLESHUCK
The challenges to the RPD
When incidents of police brutality occur, many in the Rochester activist community foolishly condemn the entire Rochester Police Department. I can only guess how dismayed the “good cops” feel when they are called “pig” or “thugs” after laying their lives on the line every day for me and all Rochester Citizens As a Neighborhood Watch Captain on the northwest side of Rochester, I had the opportunity to work closely with the RPD as well as with church and community leaders. The cophaters can curse me if they want, but I have nothing but good things to say about the RPD personnel with whom I worked during that time. When some cops betray the uniform they wear and the oath they’ve taken, certainly justice needs to be done. An effective and empowered community police review board should be created to participate as an equal partner with the RPD, City Council, the Monroe County district attorney, and the state attorney general in removing uniformed criminals from the ranks of honest and dedicated police officers Chief Sheppard has as his mission the protection of his personnel as well as the preservation of law and order in the City of Rochester. It is downright dangerous for a police officer to tolerate disrespect in the street. He or she must at all times command all situations, especially ones that may turn dangerous. If a mentally ill individual reaches into his coat for a crucifix upon an officer’s “freeze!” command, he is likely to be shot by the officer. The alternative for the
officer is to hesitate and risk making his wife a widow. Let’s take care not paint all RPD officers with the same broad brush that we use on uniformed criminals who do not deserve to be called police officers. LEE LONDON
Leading the school district
On our News Blog on a school board candidates’ forum (“Rochester School Board Candidates See Only the Tip of the Iceberg”): What the hell does a declining student population have to do with the fact that the Rochester school district has proven to be incompetent when it comes to educating Rochester’s children? The declining population is a symptom of the problem, not the cause. I was at the forum, and I found it to be both a robust and entertaining discussion. It’s time for a new approach to educating our children. What we’re doing now isn’t working. VINCE FELDER
Funding the schools
One additional dilemma faced by the Rochester school district is that city residents do not vote on the school budget like residents of suburban districts (“The RCSD’s Grant Dependency,” News). Many residents likely vote to increase property taxes if these increases support additional funds for the schools. The system in place in Rochester and several large cities in the state uses the elected Board of Education members as the proxy for direct voting on the budget by the citizens. And we all know how effective the elected board members are. CONCERNED CITIZEN
Obama and terror On Urban Journal’s “War, Policy, and Obama”: Oh, so that’s how you end the war on terrorism: declare victory and go home. REGGIE
@Reggie: We are neither going home nor declaring victory, although at least this president has decimated al Qaeda. He’s also made us more hated in Pakistan than India, an ominous situation with a country that is producing nuclear weapons by the dozens. It is time, though, to wind this war ‑ whatever you want to call it - down. It’s also time to wind down the war on drugs, after how many hundreds of billions of dollars? And with what results? But is now in 115 countries. 115 countries! That’s the definition of insane. This “war on terrorism” lexicon is nuts, too. Are we really at war with, for example, Shining Path? The military wing of the Irish Republican Army? Does anyone recall Franklin D. Roosevelt declaring war on carrier-based airplanes on December 8, 1941? TROLL WHISPERER
Community of Churches and Baptist ministers several years ago: They want safe spaces for respite open 24/7 so they don’t have to be involved in chaotic situations outside of school and home. Disorganization at home often means absent parents out working sub-par jobs to keep the family going – a pressure imposed by society. Jobs pay less, and what is left of the social safety net is under attack. Things will not get better, and the young people will keep becoming vulnerable to gang activity. Don’t blame the kids and their families. Look further. These people, my neighbors, are under tremendous social and economic pressure. It’s a powder keg. I found Shepard and Warren’s responses shallow. But the reporting of the conversations may have ignored anything substantive either of these officials said. LOUISE WU, ROCHESTER
This would have been a great speech, had Obama made it in 2009 as part of fulfilling his campaign promises, or rather his implied campaign promises. Four years later, however, it’s stale, trite, disingenuous, and way too late. MJN
The state of the city
On “Sheppard, Warren Events Stress Dire Need,” News Blog: I live in the area this article talks about. The parents of the children mentioned here are working two to three sup-par paying Mcjobs. Blaming the parents for “not taking responsibility” is an invalid argument. We are in an economic race to the bottom. Employment figures go up, and so do the number of people on food stamps. That tells you that old jobs are being replaced by even worse jobs. So don’t count on things getting better anytime soon. Here’s what the kids told the Greater Rochester
Unfortunately, we’re all responsible to one degree or another for the sorry state of Rochester. The suburbs provide too much of a buffer for whites to get it, and the wealthy and well-educated in Brighton, Pittsford, Mendon, Rush, Webster, and the east side of the city who are largely the power brokers in this community are too insular and selfinterested to really care. Without the crippling concentration of crime, poverty, illiteracy, in their communities to motivate people in Greece or Chili or Pittsford to action, the problem is largely going to stay the same. Likewise the citizens of Rochester are often too passive and/or submissive to the status quo, or thwarted by previously mentioned elites, who wish to maintain a certain community appearance. Rochester was called the Image Centre in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Unfortunately it is still the Image Center, for the Smugtown crowd. STEVE
News. Music. Life. Greater Rochester’s Alternative Newsweekly June 5-11, 2013 Vol 42 No 39 250 North Goodman Street Rochester, New York 14607-1199 themail@rochester-citynews.com phone (585) 244-3329 fax (585) 244-1126 rochestercitynewspaper.com Publishers: William and Mary Anna Towler Editor: Mary Anna Towler Asst. to the publishers: Matt Walsh Editorial department themail@rochester-citynews.com Features editor: Eric Rezsnyak News editor: Christine Carrie Fien Staff writers: Tim Louis Macaluso, Jeremy Moule Music editor: Willie Clark Music writer: Frank De Blase Calendar editor: Rebecca Rafferty Contributing writers: Paloma Capanna, Casey Carlsen, Roman Divezur, George Grella, Susie Hume, Andy Klingenberger, Dave LaBarge, Kathy Laluk, Michael Lasser, Adam Lubitow, Ron Netsky, Dayna Papaleo, Suzan Pero, Rebecca Rafferty, Deb Schleede, David Yockel Jr. Art department artdept@rochester-citynews.com Art director/production manager: Matt DeTurck Designers: Aubrey Berardini, Mark Chamberlin Photographers: Mark Chamberlin, Frank De Blase, Michael Hanlon Advertising department ads@rochester-citynews.com Advertising sales manager: Betsy Matthews Account executives: Nancy Burkhardt, Tom Decker, William Towler Classified sales representatives: Christine Kubarycz, Tracey Mykins Operations/Circulation kstathis@rochester-citynews.com Circulation manager: Katherine Stathis Distribution: Andy DiCiaccio, David Riccioni, Northstar Delivery, Wolfe News City Newspaper is available free of charge. Additional copies of the current issue may be purchased for $1, payable in advance at the City Newspaper office. City Newspaper may be distributed only by authorized distributors. No person may, without prior written permission of City Newspaper, take more than one copy of each weekly issue. City (ISSN 1551-3262) is published weekly by WMT Publications, Inc. Periodical postage paid at Rochester, NY (USPS 022-138). Send address changes to City, 250 North Goodman Street, Rochester, NY 14607. City is a member of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and the New York Press Association. Subscriptions: $35.00 ($30.00 for senior citizens) for one year. Add $10 yearly for out-of-state subscriptions: add $30 yearly for foreign subscriptions. Due to the initial high cost of establishing new subscriptions, refunds for fewer than ten months cannot be issued. Copyright by WMT Publications Inc., 2013 - all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, photocopying, recording or by any information storage retrieval system without permission of the copyright owner.