Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for May 16, 2021
Unfair, untrue commentary about Serra, Catholics
I write to you as a Catholic resident of Marin County, in response to the column by Molly McGettigan Arthur (“Facing historic evil while considering charges in Serra statue case,” May 7). When five adults trespass on the holy ground of Mission San Rafael with criminal intent to destroy other people’s sacred symbols, that is indeed wrong.
I applaud Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s stance. This crime was hurtful to many of us and people need to learn other ways to express their opinions and spark public debate.
St. Junipero Serra did not believe California Indians were “demonic.” He advocated for them, loved them and helped teach them. He served them. That is why he won converts. Serra’s spiritual children are also still with us, praying and worshiping as Catholics. Cordileone does not think anything like what Arthur describes.
As a person of Native American descent, I take personal offense to this unfair and untrue description of what Catholics believe. The Catholic Church forbids any type of unjust discrimination against any people regardless of race, cultural or religious beliefs. It is the most inclusive institution on the earth.
This is not Catholics versus Indigenous people, it is all of us who respect the rule of law and the right to freely exercise religion against a small number of self-righteous vandals.
— A. Arco, Novato
Art Gensler worthy of Buck Institute tribute
I was sitting in my office in the Drue and Arthur Gensler Building on the campus of Novato’s Buck Institute for Research on Aging when I heard the news that Art, the name we called him, had died. Suddenly, nothing was business as usual anymore.
There will surely be countless, well-deserved tributes concerning his architectural design genius, his business acumen and his generous philanthropic work. In addition to all of those things, Art was a giant of a man, both literally and figuratively. When you grow a business from a three-person shop to the biggest and most successful architectural design firm in the world, you are doing something right, and he was willing to share his keys to success as a way of helping others thrive. As they used to say in an old TV commercial, when he talked, people listened.
Art has been a member of our Board of Trustees since 2000. He was a universally admired presence in the Buck community, known for his decisiveness, his informed opinions, his kindness and his wit. Art’s interests were far-reaching and included design, education, science, and the arts. His philanthropy was diverse, ranging from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to his beloved alma mater, Cornell University. We were thrilled to be included among his passions.
Art will always be a member of the Buck family. He opened doors for us around the world, his expertise helped us build a campus that serves science. His generosity has touched all of us. Back in 2012, when Art made what was, at the time, the largest single individual gift ever given to the Buck, he said “It’s an honor to support scientists who care so much about improving the health of people everywhere.” The honor was all ours Art. We will miss you.
— Dr. Eric Verdin, Buck Institute for Research on Aging president and CEO
Pandemic mail-in voting a good move by Newsom
As a Democrat who lived in San Francisco while Gavin Newsom was mayor, I have no love lost for him. Given a better choice for governor, I would have voted for another candidate.
But, while Marin Voice author Todd Hooper calls out Newsom for his actions and his statements about those who are behind the recall (“Newsom’s response to recall reveals integrity deficit,” May 8), one issue Hooper mentions really bothers me.
Hooper states that the most egregious issue was to allow every Californian to vote by mail in the November general election. While Newsom did so under the emergency powers, his decision was upheld by the Third District Court of Appeal ruling earlier this month. Later, the Legislature agreed that it was the right thing to do in the face of trying to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
But, more than that, and reading between the lines, I am wondering what is wrong with the governor’s decision. Is it the same concern that so many Republicans have expressed by supporting former President Donald Trump’s “Big Lie” about election fraud?
Almost every objective analysis of voter fraud has found none to speak of, especially with mail-in ballots. Yet now we are watching legislators in many Republican states putting in much stricter voting requirements that are aimed at making it harder to vote, especially for minority voters. This appears to all be based on Trump’s lie.
— Steve Ziman, San Rafael