Slavery

Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian on Tuesday clarified statements he made last week in which he equated working without pay to shutdown the city's redevelopment agency to slavery. At a meeting of the so-called Successor Agency, created to wind down the Redevelopment Agency according to state law, Najarian said his reference was intended to be a metaphor to illustrate the position local officials had been put in. “When I alluded briefly to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution outlawing slavery, it was simply a metaphor indicating that without compensation, this agency is not only being forced to meet, but will be forced in the future to cannibalize the very institutions that we find near and dear to our hearts in Glendale,” Najarian said.

Iva Carrico definitely took a completely wrong approach to making a point. I do agree that the woman was completely out of line. Nevertheless, the gentleman from the government did not behave professionally, either, I think. I agree with Mrs. Carrico there is no reason for lowering the American flag, especially not after Sept. 11. We do not lower the flag for all the African Americans who had to die during times of slavery. And as we know, slavery took place in the USA. Or, for the Holocaust, which was one of the worst historical events ever.

Joe Mandoky writes that he never believed in nor fought for slavery. But "a true American hero" is Robert E. Lee, who led an army to maintain chattel slavery -- the buying, selling and terrorizing of human beings. What would Union veterans of the greatest violent conflict in U.S. history think of Mandoky, who lauds Lee, the traitor to humanity? Approximately 365,000 Union soldiers died in the Civil War, including 37,000 blacks, in an epic struggle to rid the nation of the poison of slavery.

Robert Chacon Slavery was abolished in the U.S. at the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, but it never quite disappeared. Today, it is known as human trafficking and affects more than 800,000 people worldwide each year, many of whom are brought to this country. The Justice and Peace Ministry at St. Bede the Venerable Church in La Canada Flintridge will examine the horrors of human trafficking Thursday, including its local effects during a symposium, "Trafficking in Human Persons: The Horror of the 21st Century."

Regarding the subject of whether or not Robert E. Lee was a true American hero: I'd like to suggest to some of our more enterprising teachers of U.S. history in the Glendale area that they ask this question of your classes and ask them to respond with an essay on the subject. It would be interesting to review the results of this in our local newspaper. Food for thought: In the year 2002, we are all appalled by the history of slavery. In our history classes we marvel at the accomplishments of ancient Greece, birthplace of Democracy.

past Regarding Creighton Thomas Harris' response to my article, published June 10: Possibly Mr. Harris missed the point. No one today defends slavery. But we should teach perspective and not be afraid of the truth. With a university degree in history and extensive postgraduate work, I have long believed that we have had an unfortunate habit of teaching the Civil War more like a fictional morality play of good vs. evil rather than as history.

While I don't wish to comment on all the whatever in Steve Mills' rambling letter of June 25, I would point out that he ought to read a little history, especially of the American Civil War, before he makes statements like it "was entirely about slavery." I hate to burst your bubble, Mills, but it was "entirely about the preservation of the Union." You should have read more of Lincoln's writings, especially the one addressed to Horace Greeley of Aug. 22, 1862.

North's, South's real issue: mercantilism One of your readers is deeply mistaken about Lincoln's position on slavery. It takes only a few minutes of research to discover what Lincoln actually thought about slavery. Lincoln personally disapproved of slavery, but he made clear his political position: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."

Civil War has enough material without WWII Regarding James Nelson's response to my piece published June 23: We began earlier this year with a discourse on the subject of Robert E. Lee and whether or not he should be considered a great American hero. This, quite naturally, has led to a healthy discussion of the Civil War, its causes and outcome -- Abraham Lincoln, slavery, and whether the end justifies the means, among other things. History is not just an accumulation of facts, but an interpretation of those facts.

A local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation with a talk on how it changed history presented by Christopher Jimenez y West, an instructor at Pasadena City College. The Martin Severance Chapter, which has members from Glendale, Pasadena and surrounding communities, met on Jan. 5 at the Pasadena home of Mary Ellen Mohler. Jimenez y West told members that in the latter part of 1862, President Abraham Lincoln formulated the Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery, and it eventually paved the way for the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Glendale City Councilman Ara Najarian on Tuesday clarified statements he made last week in which he equated working without pay to shutdown the city's redevelopment agency to slavery. At a meeting of the so-called Successor Agency, created to wind down the Redevelopment Agency according to state law, Najarian said his reference was intended to be a metaphor to illustrate the position local officials had been put in. “When I alluded briefly to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution outlawing slavery, it was simply a metaphor indicating that without compensation, this agency is not only being forced to meet, but will be forced in the future to cannibalize the very institutions that we find near and dear to our hearts in Glendale,” Najarian said.

M embers of Soroptimist International of Glendale are planning to educate the public about human trafficking through live theater. "Body & Sold" will be produced June 19 at Glendale Community College. It is a staged reading of a documentary play based on interviews with survivors written by Deborah Lake Fortson. The play will be followed by a panel discussion with two human-trafficking experts and two members of the cast. In 2007, Soroptimist International of the Americas came up with the program "Stop Trafficking."

Simcha Backman O n Saturday evening, people of the Jewish faith will be celebrating the first night of Passover with a traditional meal called the "Seder." During the Seder, we observe various traditions such as eating the "Matzah," unleavened cracker with horseradish, and drinking four cups of wine. All of these rituals are reminders of the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt 3,319 years ago. Our ancestors’ miraculous escape from oppression to freedom has served as a source of inspiration for many generations and will do so for many more to come.

Agitators have laudable history Glendale News-Press columnist Carl W. Raggio apparently knows very little about American history ("Overused protests dilute voices," Tuesday). Almost all of the significant political and social changes in this country were started by agitators of the type Raggio does not seem to like. These agitators were scorned and ridiculed by their neighbors but they kept agitating and, in time, the changes they wanted were accepted by the majority.

Robert Chacon Slavery was abolished in the U.S. at the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, but it never quite disappeared. Today, it is known as human trafficking and affects more than 800,000 people worldwide each year, many of whom are brought to this country. The Justice and Peace Ministry at St. Bede the Venerable Church in La Canada Flintridge will examine the horrors of human trafficking Thursday, including its local effects during a symposium, "Trafficking in Human Persons: The Horror of the 21st Century."

Civil War has enough material without WWII Regarding James Nelson's response to my piece published June 23: We began earlier this year with a discourse on the subject of Robert E. Lee and whether or not he should be considered a great American hero. This, quite naturally, has led to a healthy discussion of the Civil War, its causes and outcome -- Abraham Lincoln, slavery, and whether the end justifies the means, among other things. History is not just an accumulation of facts, but an interpretation of those facts.

major one It is a pity that Mr. Shelton tries to teach cause and effect, because he doesn't seem to know the first thing about these concepts. I don't know if I can help him learn, but I will try. First of all, the Civil War, like any event of comparable magnitude and complexity, had many causes. The split between the North and the South goes back to the very beginning of our nation as a nation, and interestingly enough, this first dispute was about slavery.

While I don't wish to comment on all the whatever in Steve Mills' rambling letter of June 25, I would point out that he ought to read a little history, especially of the American Civil War, before he makes statements like it "was entirely about slavery." I hate to burst your bubble, Mills, but it was "entirely about the preservation of the Union." You should have read more of Lincoln's writings, especially the one addressed to Horace Greeley of Aug. 22, 1862.

It seems many of your readers are distressed over issues regarding the Civil War and, later, the internment of the Japanese, the connection being that every educated person condemns racism. That is all well and good, but being against racism should not blind one to established historical fact. In their rush to argue, some of your letter writers fail to comprehend the point made by others, and by me. In regard to the Civil War, I was simply pointing out that the North's imposition of tariff laws was the cause of the war. It was in reaction to these very laws that the South seceded.