THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
Girl Scout
helps animals
What a Goondoggle
feeling so disappointed with several of the re-
I voted ’ve cent to been
decisions made by the Astoria City Council. They
pass the Bridge Vista Plan (with the exception of
I
am a member of Girl Scout
Troop 10136, and we had to
complete an award which is
called the Bronze Award.
Here are some things about
what the Bronze Award is, and
how we completed it.
The Bronze Award is when
Girl Scouts think of a prob-
lem that you can solve. Our
project was to help the Clat-
sop County Animal Shelter.
We held a pet supply drive
for them, and also donated
some of our Girl Scout cookie
money we earned. We chose
the Clatsop County Animal
Shelter because we all voted
to help out the animals.
If you would like to help
the animals at the shelter,
you can bring in pet food
donations, volunteer time, or
donate money online. You
FDQ ¿QG PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ DW
www.dogsncats.org
NEVAEH MIEHE
Astoria
Councilor Drew Herzig), despite the objections of a room
full of citizens who all spoke against it.
That they brushed off the concerns of those who of-
fered comments by implying that the rest of town (not in
DWWHQGDQFHZDV¿QHZLWKWKHSODQVHHPHGOLNHDVOLJKW
to those who had taken the time to be there, and sent the
message that the council’s decision had already been
reached before the meeting began.
That they even considered — let alone approved —
the reimbursement of a large consulting fee taken on by
the Friends of the Column was equally troubling. The
Friends would like to relocate the cell/emergency re-
sponder tower from the c olumn to Shively Park, so they
took it upon themselves to hire a consultant to schmooze
with Verizon to get the project moving forward more
quickly (which apparently costs $70,000), and later hand-
ed the city the bill.
Besides the fact that the whole thing is totally unnec-
essary — claims that the tower was responsible for the
slow response time during the 2007 storm are bogus —
I feel like this sets a dangerous precedent. As someone
who’s had friends marry at Shively Park, and have often
used it as a refuge during our busy summers, I consider it
a beautiful and sacred place; can I be a Friend of Shively
3DUNKLUHDQDWWRUQH\WR¿JKWWRNHHSLWIUHHIURPD
foot monopole, and then expect the city to pay for it?
It is so frustrating to watch our leadership waste tax-
payer dollars on projects that improve the experience of
tourists, and those seeking to make money off the town,
when there are so many unaddressed needs of the people
who actually live here.
I keep thinking of the term “boondoggle” to describe
these projects, but since Astoria seems intent on cash-
ing in on its Goonies fame, perhaps we could call them
“Goondoggles.” As the town rushes to sell itself off to the
highest bidder, it seems sadly ironic that the actual plot
of “The Goonies” was that a group of concerned citizens
¿JKWVWRVDYH$VWRULDIURPJUHHG\GHYHORSHUV
I guess this is the point where those of us who care
about this town should never say die; I wonder, though, if
anyone will listen?
TERESA BARNES
Astoria
Build sea lions a
ÀRDWLQJGRFN
A
reasonable alternative to
sea lions occupying the
FLW\GRFNVLVWREXLOGDÀRDW
ing dock away from the area,
but also somewhat close (sim-
ply because a sea lion’s nature
puts them in your locale).
The sea lions want to do
their thing — rest, hang out
— and people have taken up
the space the sea lions have
used over hundreds of years.
Sea lions don’t actually want
to be so close to you, either.
Learn to live with nature,
not against it.
Maybe Hollywood might
be interested in the robotic
orca.
SASHA FINLEY
Boise, Idaho
Go Sanders!
F
or the last 30 or 40 years
I have voted for the “least
worst” candidate for presi-
dent. Many people do this:
You’ve got to vote for so and
so because the other guy is so
much worse. Right?
This explains how we have
come to where we are, and
I am sorry to say that, being
a lifelong Democrat, I have
now become an Independent.
Neither the Democratic P arty
or the Republican P arty are
what they used to be. Neither
one serves the people any-
more.
If you want things to
change, leave your party.
Maybe they will wake up.
But meanwhile, look at other
candidates. Vote for who you
think is the best, even if you
are told they can’t win. Win-
ning with the “least worst can-
didate” isn’t winning — is it?
How about a woman for
president? Is it time? So, elect
any woman because it is time?
If I voted for Elizabeth War-
ren, it wouldn’t be because
she is a woman, but how she
has taken on the banks. She is
not running. I heard a popular
talk show host say that Hillary
Clinton is now starting to talk
the talk of a progressive. Well,
how unique. Now that she is
running for president she will
say what she thinks you want
to hear.
I am going to vote for a
person who I have listened to
for the last 10 years. He has
been talking about the prob-
lems in this country and how
WR¿[WKHP7KLVSHUVRQLVVWLOO
talking the same talk. He will
be running on the Democratic
ticket. The Democratic party
doesn’t want him because he
is too Democratic. He is not
for big banks or these terrible
trade deals favored by Demo-
crats like Clintons and Obama
7UDQV3DFL¿F 3DUWQHUVKLS
70,000 more jobs lost).
He is for the middle class.
Remember them? Probably
the Democratic Party will not
let him debate — he is too
much of a challenge. You will
hardly hear his name men-
tioned in mainstream media.
But he is what we need, even
if I have to write his name in,
I will vote for him. Go Sen.
Bernie Sanders!
DIXIE GAINER
Nehalem
FRIDAY EXCHANGE
A concrete
contradiction
I
n the May 22 issue of the
Cannon Beach Gazette,
there is an article, “New side-
walk project could improve
ADA accessibility on Spruce
Street.” This article states,
“Councilor George Vetter said
he wondered if there were a
more aesthetically appealing
way to handle the problem
than ‘just throwing concrete
down. We’re a town that
prides itself on aesthetics, and
concrete is not part of that.’”
We agree with Councilor
Vetter. However, we wonder
why the council didn’t have
any concerns about concrete
before granting the property
located at 532 N. Laurel St.
to build four single residenc-
es on a half-acre lot. Typical-
ly a minimum of three acres
are required for this type
of development. This prop-
erty design included a very
industrial-looking concrete
retaining wall/driveway, ap-
proximately 10 feet high and
125 feet long. Throwing down
concrete? Wow.
The project also means the
removal of many trees. And
this from a town that “prides
itself on aesthetics”?
Council, please reconsid-
er before allowing this much
concrete to be thrown down in
our neighborhood.
DALE AND LINDA
HINTZ
Cannon Beach
Women composers
deserve festival
VSRWOLJKW
T
here are hundreds of
classical composers who
are women now document-
ed in books, on television,
in recordings, and in the
press. Historical detectives
and scholars have unearthed
them from ancient libraries,
discarded sheet music, and
record bins over the past 70
years.
The New Yorker Maga-
zine featured an article re-
viewing a musical event in
New York’s Metropolitan
Museum of Art (“Eyes and
Ears” by Alex Roth). They
have been featuring concerts
in front of various paintings
and sculptures, which com-
pliment each other. Recent-
ly, in front of a Caravaggio,
two 17th century composer
compositions, by Francesca
Caccini and Barbara Strozzi,
were featured.
Caccini is the daughter
of Giulio Caccini, one of
the pioneers of the opera
genre. Strozzi is the adopt-
ed daughter of poet Giulio
Strozzi. She was a prolific
and well-documented com-
poser who moved in lofty
intellectual circles in Ven-
ice, collaborating often with
several early opera com-
posers. The Medici fami-
ly sponsored much of her
work.
In the U.S., Clara
Schuman is well known, due
to her brother, a composer
also. Amy Beach was one
of the most prolific and suc-
cessful classical composers
of the early 1900s. Born in
England and emigrating to
the U.S., Rebecca Clarke is
known most for three com-
positions; “Morpheus for
Violin and Piano,” “Sona-
ta for Viola and Piano” and
“Passacaglia on an old En-
glish Tune.” I could name 50
more, but these three will do
to represent.
For 300 years the Catholic
Church maintained Ospidali,
orphanages in Venice and
Florence. Jane Bauldauf-
Berdes book, “The Women
Musicians of Venice,” opens
a door long closed on an
important era in the history
of Venice — three centuries
of music at the four major
foundations of the former
Republic of Venice, the Os-
pedeli Grande. It provides
a comprehensive account of
the institutional, social, re-
ligious, civic and most im-
portant, the musical subsid-
iaries, or cori.
Girls in the Ospidali
were trained in all aspects
of music (the cori), com-
position, playing, singing,
and even making instru-
ments in shops. Hundreds
of compositions written by
these women, spanning 300
years, were discovered in
Venice and Florence in the
1980s. Of note is a one of
these composers, Maddalena
Lombardini Sirmen. There
is a popular CD of six vio-
lin concertos by the Allegri
String Quartet on Calla Re-
cordings.
In the effort to make this
entreaty brief, I have only
provided you with a first
course in a feast of com-
posers worth highlighting
in the future festival. This is
a timely proposal on a sub-
ject long overdue — include
woman composers in the As-
toria Music Festival.
PAMELA MATTSON
MCDONALD
Astoria
5A
The Delusions of Dolezal
in that sense. She was
She also told the
commandeering and
MSNBC host Me-
concocting a biogra-
lissa Harris-Perry, “I
phy of burden to ob-
achel Dolezal, a woman have really gone there
scure the shift and lay
with no known black with the experience,
claim to authenticity.
in terms of being a
heritage, has apparently, mother of two black
According to a re-
through an elaborate scheme sons and really own-
port in The Washing-
ton Post, however, the
of deception and denial, ing what it means to
transracial-adoption
experience
and
live
claimed for years to be a
(“when a child of one
blackness.”
Charles
product of black heritage.
race is adopted by the
Yes, but she did so
Blow
This has sparked a national by choice and with a
family of another”)
conversation about how race trap door. She was always aware community has not taken kindly
is constructed and enforced, to than she could remove her weave to being linked to Dolezal’s de-
what extent it is cultural and and stop tanning (assuming that’s ception. Kimberly McKee, the
true) and return to what society assistant director of the Kore-
experiential, and whether it is registers as whiteness. People an-American Adoptee Adoptive
mutable and adoptable.
of actual black heritage don’t Parent Network and a professor
If this were simply a matter have that option. Her sons don’t at Grand Valley State Universi-
of a person appreciating, emu- have that option. And make no ty where she studies transracial
lating or even appropriating the mistake: Having that option is a adoption, told The Post, “You’re
presentation and performance of privilege.
turning something that is a his-
a race other than the one society
The whole notion of “tran- torical experience into something
prescribes to her based simply on sracial” as it has been applied to that’s almost being made a joke.”
her appearance, it wouldn’t be a 'ROH]DOLVÀDZHGLQSDUWEHFDXVH
A letter signed by McKee
story.
and 21 other scholars and advo-
it isn’t equally available to all.
But this isn’t simply that. This
Whiteness in this country has cates made the point even more
is about privilege, deceitful per- historically been incredibly nar- IRUFHIXOO\ ³:H ¿QG WKH PLVXVH
formance and a tortured attempt rowly drawn to protect its purity, of ‘transracial,’ describing the
to avoid truth and confession by and this was not simply enforced phenomenon of a white woman
co-opting the language of strug- by social mores, but also by assuming perceived markers of
gle, infusing labyrinthine logic law. Conversely, blackness was ‘blackness’ in order to pass as
with the authority of the acad- broadly drawn, serving as some- ‘black,’ to be erroneous, ahistor-
emy, and coat-tailing very real thing of a collecting pool for any- ical, and dangerous.”
Indeed, one would be hard
struggles of transgender people one with even the most minute
and transracial adoptees to de- detectable and provable Negro SUHVVHGWR¿QGVFLHQWL¿FVXSSRUW
fend one’s deception.
ancestry. If you weren’t 100 per- for transracialism, as it is being
applied for Dolezal’s deception
This is a spectacular exercise cent white, you were black.
LQKXEULVQDUFLVVLVPDQGGHÀHF
This meant that society be- and identity, as a legitimate area
tion.
came accustomed to blackness of serious inquiry beyond a so-
And we have been distracted SUHVHQWLQJYLVXDOO\LQDQLQ¿QLWH ciological phenomenon.
How can one be born discor-
from real conversation about real spectrum of possibilities, from
things in order to try to contextu- pass-for-white lightness to obsid- dant with a racial identity if race
alize a false life based on a false ian darkness lacking all ambigu- is a more socialized construct
than rigid, biological demarca-
premise. For a moment, black- ity.
face seemed to matter more than
This means that the way tion and determinism? In other
actual black lives.
Dolezal was able to convincing- words, how can one be born dis-
On this issue
ly present and cordant with an experience one
of appearance,
perform black- has yet to have?
This is a
At best, this appears to be an
Ezra Dolezal, her
ness as a light-
adopted brother,
skinned black LVVXHRIKDYLQJDQDI¿QLW\IRUD
has described spectacular
woman is a form culture that grows around a so-
her transforma-
of
one-direc- cial construct. That is because, to
exercise
tion as a form
tional privilege my sense of it, cultural race iden-
of “blackface.”
that simply isn’t WLW\KDVPRUHVFLHQWL¿FJURXQG
in hubris,
When
Matt
available to a ing than biological race identi-
narcissism black person ty, and those cultures of racial
Lauer
asked,
“Have you done
starting at the identity are in fact a response to
and
something
to
other end of the the structure itself. Some peo-
darken
your
spec- ple perform in response to their
defl ection. melanin
privilege and others to their lack
complexion?”
trum.
she responded,
Racial pass- thereof.
In that regard, one cannot only
“I certainly don’t stay out of the ing has been a societal feature
sun.” (TMZ reported Wednesday probably for as long as race has like and want to emulate the look
that according to their “tanning been a societal construct. But of another racial group (though,
sources,” Dolezal was a “loyal it was more often practiced by one must be ever-questioning of
customer at Palm Beach Tan in a person who was not purely oneself as to what motivates this,
Spokane” and “was a fan of Mys- white by heritage passing herself making sure that it isn’t the out-
tic Tan ... a brand of spray tan.” or himself off as such. In some growth self-hatred), but one can
Make of all that what you will.)
ways, this may have been under- even prefer the culture that devel-
Dolezal added: “This is not standable, even if distasteful, as oped around that look.
But changing appearance and
some freak ‘Birth of a Nation’ WKHVH SHRSOH LGHQWL¿HG DV ZKLWH
mockery blackface performance. in a society that privileged white- even cross-cultural immersion
This is on a very real, connected ness and devalued, diminished or doesn’t alter the architecture of
level.”
attempted to destroy — both spir- race that gave birth to and rein-
forced those differences in the
Full stop. Let’s just marvel itually and physically — others.
DW WKH HI¿FLHQW FDWFKSKUDVH VDW
Choosing a life of privilege ¿UVWSODFH
Dolezal’s performance of
uration in those sentences. She over one of oppression must
takes the whole universe of pos- have seemed particularly attrac- blackness may have been born
sible attacks and issues them in tive to some, particularly to those RI DI¿QLW\ EXW LW ZDV EDVHG RQ
her own tongue as a method of whose parents are different races DOLH²RQHVKHKDVQHYHUVXI¿
neutralizing them. It is a clever, if and who, one could argue, could ciently recanted — and her fee-
calculated, bit of argumentation, make the most compelling case ble attempts to use professorial
the kind that one might practice to identify with whichever par- language and faux-intellectual
obfuscations only add insult to
in a mirror.
ent’s heritage they chose.
But Dolezal didn’t stop there.
But Dolezal wasn’t passing the cultural injury.
By CHARLES BLOW
New York Times News Service
R
THE DAILY ASTORIANʼ S 2015
WHO’S WHO
The North Coastʼs Business Guide
Pub lished for m ore tha n a QUARTER OF A CEN TURY
b y the Da ily Astoria n.
Cha rting the new c om ers a nd b usiness p ioneers of our region.
Jo in u s in celeb ra tin g the rich
his to ry in o u r a rea !
• A s pecia l pla qu e d e s ign a tio n re fle c tin g
yo u r n u m b e r o f ye a rs in b u s in e s s
• Ad ve rtis in g fo rm a t tha t tells the s to ry o f yo u r
b u s in e s s his to ry
• Bu s in es s es a re highlighted fro m o ld e s t to
The Daily Astorian’s
CHARTING THE NEWCOMERS AND BUSINESS PIONEERS OF OUR REGION
2014
The North Coast's
Business Guide
n e we st
• Co pies a va ila b le fo r a n en tire yea r
• In s e rte d in to the Da ily As to ria n
• Fea tu re s to ries a b o u t the s e le c te d b u s in e s s e s
S pa ce & Co py
• D EADL IN E : Ju ly 8
• P UBLIC ATION D ATE : Ju ly 3 1
Fu ll c o lo r a va ila b le fo r a ll a d s
fro m the c o ve r o f W HO’S W HO 2015
• On lin e fo r a n en tire yea r o n the
d a ilya s to ria n .c o m , s e a s id e s ign a l.c o m ,
c a n n o n b e a c hga ze tte .c o m ,
c rb izjo u rn a l.c o m
c hin o o ko b s e rve r.c o m
Visit us online at
www.DailyAstorian.com
To reserve yo u r space, call to d ay:
A sto ria 50 3-325-321 1 • Seasid e 50 3-738-5561