Respond to The Daily Sheet

[peteinportland]

This is the area to discuss any stories in The Daily Sheet or to make suggestions for anything you would like to see in The Daily Sheet.

[CactusGal]

Here is an additional story on the Moscow situation that was reported in TDS:

Moscow Times
May 4, 2006
One Main Reason to Be Scared
By Masha Gessen (a Moscow journalist)

It is probably the most abused quotation of all time: "When they came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak out; I was not a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out." It is attributed to German Pastor Martin Niemoller, a onetime Hitler supporter who was later imprisoned by the Nazis. The poetic wording probably has only a remote relationship to the pastor's actual words; overall, though, it is a brilliant but little-understood insight into the nature of collaboration.
In the modern world, everybody is a something. In Western democracies, the ability to claim affiliation with a group leads to the useful but annoying phenomenon of identity politics. In Russia today, it endows each of us with her own individual allotment of fear.
I am Jewish and gay. I am also the mother of one (light-haired,
fair-skinned) child who attends a Jewish preschool and one child who has very dark hair and eyes and swarthy skin. I have four reasons to be scared.
How scared are you? Go ahead and count the ways.
That's silly. All of us have exactly one reason to be scared, and we all
have it in common. We live in a city and in a country where people who claim authority -- including God-given authority -- actually say that some human beings do not have the right to exist. To my mind, that is key to any definition of fascism.
Over the last year, various religious leaders have called on their
followers physically to attack gay people. It began when a group of
activists declared their plans to organize a gay pride parade in Moscow in May 2006. Umar Idrisov, the chief Muslim authority in the Nizhny Novgorod region, said Muslims should stone gays if and when they march. Far from reprimanding Idrisov for calling for violence, Russia's head mufti, Talgat
Tadzhuddin, stated that all "normal people, both Muslims and Russian
Orthodox," are going to beat gay people if they come out to march.
Patriarch Alexy II was not quite as crude, but he publicly thanked Mayor Yury Luzhkov for his blatantly illegal refusal to consider the organizers' application for a parade permit. Last month, Metropolitan Kirill cited homosexuality as a chief evil value forced upon Russia by the West. The message was clear: Homosexuals don't just lack the right to march, they don't have the right to exist.
Last weekend, Russian Orthodox religious activists cooperated with radical nationalists to attempt two pogroms at Moscow gay-friendly clubs. Police intervened, with varying degrees of success: According to the management of the club attacked on Sunday night, one of their staff members had to be hospitalized after being hit by flying bottles, eggs and rocks. The following night, young men with shaved heads and older women with religious posters, and their priest, appeared in front of a different gay club, alternately praying, shouting "No fags in Russia!" and "Glory to Russia!" and trying to storm the club.
I could circle back now to Martin Niemoller's famous quote and state that if you don't stand up for gay people because you are not one of us, sooner or later they will come for you. That is true, in most cases, and obvious.
But it's not the point. The point is, we live in a country where religious
and secular authorities openly encourage fascist violence. It's getting to where we risk becoming collaborators by even just recognizing the authority of this president, this mayor, this patriarch and this mufti. And at this point, it really makes no difference what you are anymore.

[CactusGal]

Please note that we are aware that the Press Release is not yet posted in the Major Announcement section as TDS states. There's been a slight delay -- and when it is ready, it will be posted there.  Please check for it later.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  Jan

[cabin]

Please note that we are aware that the Press Release is not yet posted in the Major Announcement section as TDS states. There's been a slight delay -- and when it is ready, it will be posted there.  Please check for it later.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  Jan

Did somebody confirm that it was the actual librarian who responsde and not some other employee?

cabin

[paintedshoes]

In response to the article in today's paper about the Oklahoma Library:  I have just spoken with Ms. Carolyn Blackwelder, Assistant Librarian at the Olive Warner Memorial Library.  I re-iterated the infromation in the story.  She stated that an internal investigation is/will be underway as to who may have sent this e-mail, as several people among the library staff have access to the computer.  I gave her my name and e-mail address and asked her to contact me with the results of the investigation.

[CellarDweller115]

In response to the article in today's paper about the Oklahoma Library:  I have just spoken with Ms. Carolyn Blackwelder, Assistant Librarian at the Olive Warner Memorial Library.  I re-iterated the infromation in the story.  She stated that an internal investigation is/will be underway as to who may have sent this e-mail, as several people among the library staff have access to the computer.  I gave her my name and e-mail address and asked her to contact me with the results of the investigation.

If the computer is used by mulitple people, if someone has the original email, it might help to forward it to them.  It should have the date and time the email was sent on it, and that may narrow down which employee was using it at that time.

[pylon101]

To: CactusGal

Jan, you have a panic attack.
Calm down.
You are still in the town where nobody locks car doors while driving.

I disagree with you. What you wrote is like an article in "Washington Post". Too much politics, too many conclusions - and complete absence of understanding of the situation in the country.

There were all those demonstrations of crazy old women and neo-Nazi; there was a little clash near "Three Monkeys". There is a big discussion of gays  with the Orthodox Church - I actively take part in it on a couple of Web-sites.

But you are turning this into the Crytall Night in Germany. And this is completely wrong and misleading.

My opinion. I will probably write a more extended posting about the issues arisen. Not today though. Today is the V-Day here.

NICK

[CactusGal]

Nick -- You certainly are entitled to your own opinion but I was the poster -- the course of action is above my pay-grade.  (BTW, you have no idea where I live --  I've spent most of life in the largest cities in the US - although sophistication isn't exclusive to city rats).  jan

[pylon101]

Ooops.

I am sorry. I didn't notice that was an article from "Moscow Times" .

So I feel lost if Jan and CactusGal is same person.

Sorry if somebody got offended by mistake.

No offense was meant. And hopefully  - not taken.

[CactusGal]

All right, Nick -- apology accepted.  BTW, I posted the story for another member -- we only wanted to start a discussion on the Moscow subject in which we both take an interest.  Since you are very involved, why don't you tell us what is really going on in your opinion.  Jan

[trascendenza]

Thanks for the nice little blerb about me!  That was a pleasant surprise, I had no idea that was going to be there.

[Dave Cullen]

In response to the article in today's paper about the Oklahoma Library:  I have just spoken with Ms. Carolyn Blackwelder, Assistant Librarian at the Olive Warner Memorial Library.  I re-iterated the infromation in the story.  She stated that an internal investigation is/will be underway as to who may have sent this e-mail, as several people among the library staff have access to the computer.  I gave her my name and e-mail address and asked her to contact me with the results of the investigation.

what paper carried a story about the OK library? do you have a link? thanks.

I think it's important that we avoid bombarding them with inquiries at this time. I would like to personally talk to them and clarify a few things. I ask that everyone else please refrain from contacting them for the time being.

[Dave Cullen]

I am in contact with the library and the situation is definitely more complex. I will get back to you with more information soon, hopefully today.

[Elevation]

^ Ok.
I've been angry and blue over the news about that hostile email all day. Tonight I saw BBM again and I couldn't help but thinking it was the deed of people like the ones that [library employee] referred to that Ennis had witnessed as a child.
No young person should have to be terrified like that in 2006. So it's a good thing there will be some kind of response from here. This is what BBM is all about.   

[Dave Cullen]

Sorry to hear that, Elvan.

I think we have the matter resolved, but it's very sensitive, so I've drafted a response and am running it by the rest of my advisory team before going public with it. I hope to have it up in the morning. Thanks again for everyone's patience.