Letters to the Milford Times editor
Parade highlighted Milford
It was chilly, but the sun came out for the annual Christmas parade. The crowds were out in full force to kick off the holiday season in style The bands, dancers, floats, businesses, community organizations and kids lined the streets. This year’s event was made possible by our returning event sponsor and 2014 Business of the year Americus Coney & Grill. Special thanks to LaFontaine Automotive and Suzanne’s Main Street Dance Center for their assistance ushering in our guest of honor, Santa Claus.
The Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce would like to extend a special thanks to all the hard working volunteers who helped make this year’s parade a huge success. They each had a hand in making it all possible. Thank you to: Dave Armstrong, Roger Baloki, Jake Bolyard, Jerry Breen, Doyle Carter, Clare Francis, Don Green, John Hovitch, Bruce Kaier, Jeffrey Levin, Dennis Powers, Scott Rolando, Lois Spiter, and Norm Werner. Their assistance is a tremendous help in keeping the parade organized and we could not do it without them.
We can't forget to thank the Milford Police Department, Milford Fire Department and Milford DPS for their support in keeping our guests safe. You helped make this year’s Christmas Parade entertaining and fun for everyone.
Happy holidays to all.
Huron Valley Chamber of Commerce
Joell Beether, Laura Bolyard, Jennifer Barrett and Toni Hochstein
Equal rights for all faiths
It is always interesting to me how hard it is to actually see and understand both sides of any proposition or argument. And it usually seems that the more adamant someone is in their position, the less they understand of the details or even the foundation of their own position, much less of the opposition.
I’ve been amazed by how often things I thought were so, or had been taught, turned out to be either completely different or my understanding significantly changed, when I really looked into them and tried to deepen my knowledge. With that in mind, I’d like to share some thoughts on the recent letter about “Attack on Christmas.”
The author states that “secular minorities ramp up their assault on Judeo-Christian principles” this time of year. That is interesting, because I have never seen or heard any such thing, and it’s actually a proverbial red herring. The only thing that any of these type groups have ever asked is that government be neutral when it comes to religion. That, in essence, my tax dollars and the laws are not used to support your religious position, and likewise - that your taxes and the laws do not go to support my particular religion.
When it comes to “separation of church and state”, it’s true that these exact words do not appear in the Constitution. But then again, neither do the words “Trinity” or “Rapture” actually appear in the Bible, but we all know about them and understand their sources in the Bible. However, James Madison (the “father of the Constitution”) said “ Strongly guarded ... is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States,” and Thomas Jefferson wrote “Believing with you that religion is a matter that lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account for none other for his faith and worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof’ thus building a wall of separation between church and State.”
Thus, it is evidently clear that our founding fathers actually, and definitively, did mean to separate religion and government. Rather than deride this principle, we should be cherishing it, and celebrating as one of the greatest achievements in the entire course of human history. It has helped all forms of Christianity, and all others faiths, to flourish in our country, and for it to be one of, if not the, greatest countries on earth.
In this spirit, there is nothing wrong with having a nativity scene on government property, as long as the use of our common land, that we all pay for and support, is neutral to all faiths. This, however, means that it has to be open to every faith, even those with which we may disagree, and even those with none at all.
Yes, the majority of our country may be Christian, but this does not mean that it’s legally right to ignore or disregard other people’s beliefs, and we should protect their rights as strongly as you would want your own rights protected. After all, that is certainly the Christian thing to do.
Alex Grant
Highland
Horsely started free dinners
“Dinner’s On Us’ is one of our favorite things during this season. Every Thursday evening, from The Big Reveal to Christmas, downtown diners are randomly surprised by having their tabs picked up by local merchants and townspeople. The delight on their faces is magical.
Eric Horsely, co-owner of The Clothing Cove, is personally responsible for collecting more than $4,500 in private donations, organizing the volunteers and keeping track of all of the expenditures. The DDA supports his efforts administratively, but this is totally him and the gracious contributions of those he asks. His effort on behalf of all of downtown is exemplary, and his humble service on our board is very much appreciated. Thank you Eric, thank you Genise for loaning your husband at such a busy time, and thank you to Santa’s elves, who help spread the love on Thursdays: Darlene Arndt, Jerry Aubry, Alison Cook, Renee Cooper, Kathie Elgin, Debby & Alex Frazer & Sarah Bridgers, Dale Feigley, Denise Fouchard & Mike Pilloti, Traci, Grace & Sydney Goodnough, Joycelynn Hewitt, Jennifer Hill, Eric Horsely, Tony & Judy Licavoli, Rachel Stanton, Jan VanElslander, Matt & Lisa Whelan and Christian Wuerth.
Especially, thank you to the following donors, without whom this project would happen: Acorn Farm, After the Rain, Amber Lights, Anonymous, Bling Boutique, The Blue Grill, The Book Clinic, P.C., Celestial Derma Spa, The Clothing Cove, Coldwell Banker, Coratti’s, Dale & Sherry Feigley, Demarle At Home, Dick's Barber Shop, Foley Baron & Metzger, For Feets’ Sake, Gina's Bridal, Home Again Décor, Hoot Gallery, Huron Valley Furniture, Huron Valley State Bank, In Harmony Yoga, Insurance Advisors, Main Street Art, Main Street Grill & Tavern, Max & Izzy's, The Milford Baking Company, Milford Glass, Milford House Bar and Grill, Milford Mane Care, Milford Parts Plus, MJ Whelan Construction, Motif Jewelers, Network One, Nichols Financial, Prospect Hill Shopping Center, The UPS Store, Salon Del Sol, Smoke Street, Spectrum Construction, Two Moms and Mop, Uptown Threads, The Village Butcher, Village Commons East, The Village Toy Shoppe, Your Nesting Place
Ann Barnette
Milford Downtown Development Authority executive director
Bill promotes tolerance, diversity
Last month, as Thanksgiving approached, national attention fell upon Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when two pastors and a 90-year old friend were charged and arrested for feeding the town’s homeless. The two, the police alleged, violated the town ordinance that effectively prohibited their act of charity. The previous month, in Houston, a group of ministers were told by the city council they would have their sermons subpoenaed to ensure their language would not violate a recently passed ordinance. Several years ago, tragedy struck in Clinton County when a young man died in a car accident. The family, Jewish Orthodox, was outraged when the county medical examiner performed an autopsy despite the religious objections of the family.
These examples of religious infringement in Michigan and elsewhere indicate, regrettably, how citizens are witnessing their First Amendment civil-liberty rights eroded by some sectors of society and government. In Michigan, an effort is underway to pass legislation that would address the problem. The measure, called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, is modeled after a federal bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, passed by Congress nearly unanimously, and signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1993. Some 19 states have gone on to pass similar versions after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the policy did not apply to the states. Since that time, the court has ruled on at least two occasions that the federal RFRA is constitutional.
When the federal law was passed in 1993, it was supported by a wide breadth of religious and civil-liberty organizations, including the American Jewish Congress and the American Civil Liberties Union. Today, the ACLU is citing RFRA in its defense of a Sikh man in New York who was told he could not join the university ROTC unless he shaved his beard. The intent of the RFRA policy is to ensure constitutional religious-liberty rights are not violated. The federal law, and similar state versions, forbid government from placing a substantial burden on someone’s sincerely held religious beliefs unless there is a compelling governmental reason to do so.
Yet despite more than 20 years of federal statute, and numerous years of similar state laws, opponents of the proposed Michigan law have sought to mock the legislation by presenting wild hypotheticals and misinformation of how RFRA could deny services or emergency care to classes of people. Federal law is clear: Emergency care cannot be denied to any person. These efforts are clearly intended to thwart religious diversity and railroad the proposed law from a public relations perspective. One would be hard-pressed to find a case where a defendant was allowed to break local, state or federal criminal laws citing RFRA as a defense.
Over the past year-and-a-half, the world has watched as Pope Francis has exemplified, par excellence, Christian teaching about selflessness and helping others, especially those on the peripheries and most in need. These works of mercy and charity, taught by the Catholic church for centuries, mandates Christians take their faith outside the walls of their church and serve others. A Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects these acts, regardless of religious tradition, it upholds religious tolerance and diversity, and it protects minority religions in ways that were not previously possible. House Bill 5958 deserves to be signed into law.
Tom Hickson
Vice president, public policy and advocacy, Michigan Catholic Conferenc
What happened to perseverance?
When I was growing up in a small rural farming town in southwestern Michigan, we had a saying: “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” The emphasis was on hard work, perseverance through adversity and a disciplined approach to life at home and at school. I believe this was the prevailing attitude of most Americans during that time and was one of the reasons our country has been so strong and successful.
Now, fast forward to the culture at today’s Ivy league universities like Columbia and Harvard. This week, the Columbia University Law school is allowing its students to re-schedule their final exams in December if they “feel traumatized by the recent grand jury decisions in the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases.” Moreover, Columbia also has arranged for a “trauma specialist” to come by the Manhattan campus this week to meet with any students in need of counseling. And several faculty members are holding special office hours for students “to talk about the implications of the Brown and Garner non-indictments”.
Having earned my master’s degree at Columbia University, I find this whole situation ridiculous. Any law student so unstable that they are incapable of preparing for and taking their exams because of what some grand jury did that did not – repeat, did not – affect them or their families should not be a lawyer. Grand juries make decisions every day that, as lawyers, they may or may not agree with. Grow up.
The good news for most Americans is that this Ivy League “cupcake” mentality is not prevalent in our armed forces – after all, I cannot imagine how many “days off” we would have to grant for the real adversity that our men and women in uniform deal with every day.
Randy Kniebes
Brighton
Fermi license dangers all
While I was reading the license that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued for the Fermi 3 nuclear reactor to be built, I could not help but think about Nazi Germany issuing new laws before they committed their crimes. Everything they ever did was legal.
And now it will be legal for DTE Energy to rapidly increase the algae blooms that Fermi 2 and DTE’s coal fired are now causing. It will be legal for more cooling towers to suck in live fish and millions of fish larvae and fish eggs, and then heat the waters to attract more invasive species.
During construction of Fermi 3, it will also be legal to block the entrances where fish and eels swim inland to spawn. It will be legal to store all the high level radioactive waste onsite forever. It will be legal to kill Lake Erie.
So, now that the government will license Fermi 3 – and the extension of Fermi 2’s operating license will be coming shortly, one would think Citizens’ Resistance At Fermi Two (CRAFT) would just stand down and give up the fight. However, our whole region is endangered; therefore we have no option but to continue doing our part to save it.
Jessie Pauline Collins
Redford
Obsession or excuse?
Obviously, Hannah Donigan is discouraged by the outcome of the 2014 midterm elections. So be it. As the president once said: “Elections have consequences.”
Donigan submitted her points as to the “Reason for election results.” One might take her seriously, until she submitted her final reason: “Non-acceptance or agreement with any policies or agreement of a president who was unlike any previous president in race or ethnicity.”
For real? She brings “race” and “ethnicity” in to the equation? It is last point that invalidates the previous ones.
In her letter to the editor, Donigan wrote, in part: “Democrats and independents must voice and be proud of President Barack Obama’s fine achievements. Sadly, they were not stressed during midterms. Obama is praised in other countries despite the difference in his ethnicity and background.”
Is that factual? If so, how dispirited are we as a country? When other countries praise our president while the majority of U.S. citizens don’t, there is a problem. Doesn’t this bother you? Contrary to her beliefs, there are few, if any, “fine achievements” with this president.
Letters written by her to the editor, whereby you invoke race, are most disturbing. I can find no other reference to the president’s race and/or ethnicity in any other letters to the editor. It is either her obsession, or her excuse.
Vincent Ziegler
Farmington Hills
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