Letters to the editor for May 27, 2011
Answer is in Islam
To the Editor:
I read with sadness about the death of Jessica Mokdad. She was a beautiful young lady.
Rahim Alfetlawi will be charged with murder, of course, and will likely be found guilty. That is as it should be under our laws.
Various authorities will seek to explain his actions, but they will be unable to do so. The answer cannot be found in any prior criminal history, nor in parental control or anger management issues. It will not be found in alcohol or guns or juvenile rebelliousness, nor in poverty or discrimination or unemployment nor in any of dozens of explanations that will be offered.
The answer is found in Islam.
Under Islam, it is perfectly acceptable, even mandatory, to kill someone for causing “mischief in the land.”
Mischief in the land is any word or deed that upsets the order of society, or more exactly, that upsets the Islamic order of society.
Jessica was “not following Muslim customs.” That upset the Islamic order of Rahim’s home, a tiny enclave of Shariah.
I’m sure he did everything he could to right her ways, but without success. He had to kill her; his faith required it.
This is a common and growing problem in the west as Islam spreads. The website www.refugefromislam.org offers help for women seeking to escape, since 700 miles is insufficient protection.
Prayerfully,
Jeffrey W. Baumann
Coon Rapids
Remembering Justin
To the Editor:
To the parents, family and friends of Justin Aaberg:
I am a teacher and Gay-Straight Alliance adviser at Santa Clara High School in Silicon Valley. The president of our club, Cyrus Sinai, is an amazing young man. His sensitivity to the arts and literature in specific and humanity in general is exceedingly rare.
To speak with Cyrus is to feel as if one were discussing intellectual matters with a colleague. As an openly gay student leader, not only does he excel in academics, athletics and the fine arts, but he is involved in many extracurricular activities and serves as a popular and inspirational role model to his peers.
His mission to show love and compassion to all and to serve others with humility and respect, is evident in his words and his deeds. As an advisor, I have personally witnessed the incredible leadership Cyrus displays as president.
Last fall, he organized a memorial candlelight vigil in honor of your son and other youths who committed suicide within weeks of one another across our country, due to teasing and hate. This solemn and moving event was attended by dozens of students.
As Cyrus read his own individually composed biographical tributes to each young teenager tragically taken, another GSA member lit candles in front of their framed photographs.
Afterwards, Cyrus gave heartfelt testimony of the remarkably moving struggle of coming-out to his own conservative family and friends, and he offered camaraderie to those in attendance and hope for a better future to other teens like himself.
He then invited others to share their personal stories and many came forward to speak of their own pains and triumphs as LGBT students.
Sitting across the room, I noticed a girl near Cyrus, obviously moved by the speeches, who began to cry. Cyrus quietly leaned forward, sat beside her and offered her a hug and a shoulder.
The entire event was truly one of the most moving experiences of my 25 years of teaching and I am thankful that I had a chance to witness and participate in it.
I want you to know that your son Justin is remembered and honored. Thank you for letting me share this story with you.
Justin is an inspiration to us all, and his story has affected people in our small community of Santa Clara and across the world. Please accept my condolences in your loss.
With sincerest thoughts,
Michael Wilson
Santa Clara, Calif.
Racinos will means jobs
To the Editor:
Every unemployed construction and hospitality worker should be calling for the legislature to pass the legislation allowing slots at Canterbury Park and Running Aces. There are jobs for those industries sitting in that bill just waiting to be created.
You wouldn’t have to go far to find a construction worker who has had trouble finding work in the last few years. I’m sure there are more than a few servers out there who have been laid off because of cutbacks.
Minnesota’s horse racing tracks are trying to help the situation. Adding slots would require them to bring in contractors for renovations, add more employees to their hospitality staff and any number of other new jobs that come with business growth.
When most businesses are still trying to get back on their feet from the recession, Running Aces and Canterbury Park are pushing to do what every Minnesotan knows we need, create jobs. For the sake of workers everywhere, let them help.
Sue Parker
Forest Lake
Focus on jobs and budget
To the Editor:
In the November 2010 elections a new majority was elected to the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives. They ran on and were elected on a platform to “focus like a laser” on balancing the budget and creating jobs to bring Minnesota out of this recession.
What have they done to this point after being in session for over five months? They’ve created a budget that destroys Minnesota public services, education and healthcare, is still more than $1 billion out of balance and will force many local communities to raise property taxes if they wish to maintain basic services such a police and fire protection while focusing on protecting their wealthy contributors.
Their job proposals have yet to create a single new job, but so far could result, from Minnesota Management and Budget estimates, more than 30,000 lost jobs in both public and private sector, even though they promised to “focus like a laser” on the budget and jobs.
Rather than focus on jobs and the budget the Republican majority has wasted time on more than 20 proposed constitutional amendments that have nothing to do with jobs or solving the $5 billion budget deficit.
Over the next several weeks they need to change their focus.
They need to consider real budget solutions which include revenue; solutions which include jobs, not layoffs; solutions that support public education and public services and leave the distractions of voter ID, marriage and workers rights and the other constitutional amendment proposals behind.
Mike Nelson
Coon Rapids
TIF fund a new tax
To the Editor:
For some time now the Anoka City Council has been pursuing tax exempt properties and underutilized properties for inclusion to the taxable property category. The motivation? To provide tax relief to the citizens of Anoka. ‘
The general fund would receive some and the school district would also. The county would get its share and everyone would benefit. Well not so much any more.
The hundred or so acres of land around the Commuter Rail Village has enormous value and will undoubtedly be developed someday and when that day comes and new businesses start paying substantial amounts of tax will the residents see any relief? No.
Will the School District benefit? No. Will the county benefit? No.
The money will be captured and put into a TIF fund. A special checking account that the city of Anoka can use to fund more improvements to the area and entice more development so that more money is accrued in the TIF fund.
This is new revenue and in effect a new tax. Money that was intended to provide tax relief will be diverted to the city’s checkbook so they don’t need to worry about where the money comes from when they need to make infrastructure improvements in this area.
They won’t need to work hard to find the money, they’ve already taken it. When it comes to spending it, no problem it’s right where we left it waiting to be spent.
At a time when Anoka is flush with foreclosed and vacant homes and the economy is struggling and the taxpayers need every dime they earn, the city is creating new accounts and capturing funds intended to benefit the taxpayers now, not in 20 years.
So the 15 acres that has been tax exempt for a hundred years is still for all practical purposes tax exempt.
The development that occurs in the area will not pay into the same fund our property tax payments go into. So just keep paying because there will be no relief for you for yet a couple more decades.
Personally I think the district should be as small as possible, not as large as possible. I think we could bond for the money if and when we actually needed it to facilitate growth.
I think I am tired of being fed one thing and tasting something entirely different.
Pat Walker
Anoka
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