Is the SN&R story on Target's alleged discrimination on target?

It all started with a “Letter to the Editor” to the Sacramento News & Review and then the proverbial you-know-what hit the fan! Suddenly I found myself receiving a reply from the writer of the piece defending himself, which led to another email and another, etc.

Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com> Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 8:54 PM

To: sactoletters@newsreview.com

SN&R Letter to the Editor

Re “Off the mark: Three former Target employees...” by Dave Kempa(SN&R News, July 18):

As with most major news stories that the Sacramento News & Review writes, this story about the alleged discrimination at the Target warehouse in Woodland, California falls short of hitting the bull's eye(dar en el blanco) on several accounts. While it presents the surface story very well, it falls short of the mark on the underlying details at a level that makes one question the ability of the writer and the editor(s) assigned to his piece.

If one really wants to get the full story, it would behoove one to go to the story on Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/target-diversity-document_n_3618200.html) to get the full story.

Mr. Kempa and the editors of SN&R really should print a full apology to their readers, both in the next print edition and online, for their journalistic malpractice!

Jeffery Cassity

Sacramento)

Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com> Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 10:53 AM

To: jcassity05@gmail.com

Hey Jeff,

As is often the case with your letters, you mean well but miss the mark.

The story you've linked refers to a corporate-wide document on dealing with workplace diversity issues--the sort of document that EVERY large corporation has on file. This isn't to be confused with
the document acquired by the Woodland plaintiffs (which, according to Target, was only distributed at that particular warehouse).

Here's another article (written by the same HuffPo contributor) on the document I reference in my piece: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/target-multicultural-tips_n_3566873.html

The document in the link you sent me wasn't salient to the lawsuit, so I didn't include it in my story.

Cheers,

Dave

P.S. - your use of the term "journalistic malpractice" is both telling an(d) amusing.

Dave Kempa

Staff Writer

Sacramento News & Review

Work: 916.498.1234 x1359

Cell: 920.246.0210

Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com> Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 6:53 PM

To: Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com>

Not telling half the story isn't relevant, not putting the document in question into context as well as looking at Target's diversity awareness program isn't relevant. I have been in town just two months but I have learned that as much as I may like your publication and would love to write free lance articles for it, I probably would be out of place since I like telling the whole story when I write articles not the 1/2 or less that most writers for your publication are allowed to get away with.

Best regards,

Jeff C

[Quoted text hidden]

Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com> Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 8:02 PM

To: Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com>

It's called news judgment, Jeff. Target's corporate-level policy isn't in question here. The treatment and termination of the plaintiffs at the Woodland distribution center is the story, and the document distributed at that location is a part of that story. If you want to blog about Target's corporate training manuals, knock yourself out. I've got better things to do with my time.

Cheers,

Dave

[Quoted text hidden]

Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com> Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 8:21 PM

To: Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com>

You are right. It is a waste of time to see if the evidence shows if even the documents in question are discriminatory or taken out of context by an attorney with possibly willing clients. Newspapers and their writers should never let the whole truth get in the way of a good story, right?

[Quoted text hidden]

Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com> Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 9:09 PM

To: Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com>

Oh dear, I'm not sure how many times I need to explain this, Jeff. They're different documents--one corporate, the other, so far as we can tell, local. Perhaps understanding what's salient to a story just isn't your strong suit. Sadly, I'd hoped a fellow Wisconsinite would be able to follow. There is a solution to this, Jeff: Write. Write to your heart's content. Show the world all there is to know about Target's corporate policies! Don't leave anything out! Dissect the corporate handbook, page by page, until we get to the very bottom of things, until we answer all mysteries related to and not related to Target Corporation. I want the ontological, Jeff, the teleological. If a tree falls on a target, do we need to tell HR? What aisle is the bleach on? Is this lane open??Looking forward to your work. Feel free to send links.

Cheers,

Dave

[Quoted text hidden]

Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com> Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 10:33 PM

To: Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com>

I welcome the challenge and will have it to you by next week.

[Quoted text hidden]

As I sit down to write this article, I realize the one of the biggest problems with the Target article by Dave Kempa is that he relies on a story from the Huffington Post which summarizes the plaintiff's claim in their lawsuit without actually taking the time to pull a copy of the lawsuit(a publicly available document which would include a copy of the allegedly discriminatory document). Since the litigation is local, he should not have a problem doing this, yet he doesn't seem to have done that nor made a copy of the actual document available for readers of SN&R to see in print or online. He instead relies on a third party report of the summary offered by a party to the litigation who has a vested financial interest in the outcome of the trial. I would suggest some reading material to Dave for review: the NYU Journalism Handbook for Students.

If Dave had taken the time to get a copy of the original document, the readers obviously would have been able to see the context of the quoted comments from it. Sometimes, the context of the words is as important as the actual words themselves as I outlined in an article recently on the Being Latino! Online Magazine.

Also as a professional journalist, I was surprised that Dave so easily dismissed the Target corporate documents in the Huffington Post article I referenced in my original Letter to the Editor as irrelevant to the story. They are hardly that. As any good lawyer could tell him, including the lawyers for the plaintiffs in the case hopefully, these documents show that Target as a corporation is committed to tolerance and diversity in the workplace. These documents have significant legal value in Target's defense of the lawsuit. It is obvious from the tone of Mr. Kempa's article that he has a certain agenda in writing his story. It is clear that he failed in his duty as a journalist to offer a fair and full view of each side of the case. Instead, he had the goal of presenting company=bad, guilty, racist, etc. Perhaps if he had the benefit of reading another piece I did for Being Latino! on a similar Colorado case, he would have been able to do a better job.

Sadly, the only conclusion I can reach based on the failure of his editors to catch these issues is the same one that I raised in my letter: Mr. Kempa and the editors of SN&R really should print a full apology to their readers, both in the next print edition and online, for their journalistic malpractice!

SN&R and The Newsroom: Where Poor Journalism Meets Poor TV!

AUGUS 1, 2013  Sacramento News and Review    Unpublished Letter to the Editor

Re: “Appreciate The Newsroom” by Adam Khan(SN&R Essay, July 25):

Reading Adam Khan's essay, it seems appropriate that the gentleman would be an excellent choice for a summer intern at the SN&R based on his liking of the show, The Newsroom. Much like the characters in the show who speak in bullet points and mouth platitudes and only present half the story, the staff and editorial staff of the SN&R are the show's real life counterparts. Major stories and issues are addressed from a solely liberal and so-called Progressive view by employees of a large corporate and very capitalistic news organization.

As much as the paper's publisher on the same page of the July 25^th about the greatness and challenge of the Alt Press, it is clear that he has no problem taking money which is supposed to be addressing hunger in the Sacramento area in exchange for writing stories which support the aims and goals of the organization's supposedly seeking to end hunger and poverty in the Sacramento and NorCal area.

Also I am sure that the special advertising sections in the same edition were well-paid for by the Sac Republic FC and the 'charitable' organizations such as AARP whose dealings would make a good story, even a edition, by itself.

But of course, as with all things with The Newsroom, both on TV and at the SN&R, style is more important than substance. But as Mr. Khan says, “I don't see any merit in criticizing...”



Jeffery Cassity
Sacramento

Unexpectedly_finding_love_in_Sacramento!

I didn't mean for it to happen so soon after moving to Sacramento. I moved here just over three years after the early and unexpected death of my wife, my sweetheart since childhood. The one I have found here is just so special that I had to open my heart again and let her in while still saving a part of my heart for my late wife.

On my first visit to Sacramento in early April of this year, we didn't start off on a good note. I arrived late in the evening, actually just after midnight so I guess it was very, very early morning. I woke her from her sleep, and she didn't know what to make of the bearded stranger in the cowboy hat. So she growled at me and went back to sleep.

The next morning, or I should say later that same morning after the sun had risen, we were reintroduced to each other. She was curious about the strange man who had entered her life a few hours earlier and decided it was worth the effort to get to know him. We sat next to each other on the couch as we watched TV with her roommates. She spent the next few hours checking me out while one of her roommates filled me in on her life story.

She was the 'special one' of the tenant of the rental property next door. She was exposed to his drug dealing and his drug use. There were days she was not properly fed. During a time when the tenant was in jail for a few days, she was accused of attacking someone and locked up herself for a few days on very questionable assault charges. She actually came close to having her life taken while in jail. As things worked out, she was saved by one of her current roommates and brought to live in the residence where I was staying. There were provisos for her release: (1)she would be on continuous probation and (2)she would be subject to ongoing electronic monitoring by agents of the city of Sacramento

During the time I spent in Sacramento during the first week of April, she and I grew closer. We reached the point where she fell in love with me, and I admit I was saddened that my time here looking for work and getting to know her was quickly passing.

As the days wore on, we often cuddled on the couch. She would lie across my lap as I caressed her sides and whispered sweet sentiments in her ears. I was warned there were potential dangers in being so close to her. She had the potential based on her size and strength to hurt me seriously though she actually is one of the most gentle creatures I have ever met.

Finally, my week in Sacramento ended. I left for the airport in the wee hours of the morning to catch my flight to Chicago. When I left, she was asleep. I did not wake her. It was hard enough leaving her without having to look into her soulful, sad eyes.

The next couple of weeks back home in Kenosha, Wisconsin were hard. I missed her deeply and thought about her often. I kept in contact with her roommate while I waited to hear back from my interviews. I had just about given up hope of finding a job and returning to Sacramento when an unexpected opening occurred at a local company I had not even interviewed at but to whom I had previously sent a copy of my resume. A couple of phone call interviews later, I had a job and a start date about two weeks later(the first full week in May).

It was with a joyful and excited heart that I took the train out from Wisconsin to Sacramento to start my new job and be reunited with my unexpected love. I counted the hours till I would be reunited with my love in Sacramento as the Amtrak train made its way across the Midwest and onto the Great Plains and passed through the Rocky Mountains, delayed slightly going through a blizzard outside of Denver. After fifty(50) hours, I finally arrived in Sacramento.

Arriving in my new home in the middle of a warm afternoon, I entered the house and was greeted by my love and her roommates. It was a wonderful reunion. She was every bit as beautiful and loving as I remembered on those lonely nights upon my return to Wisconsin. Her glistening hair; her warm, broad smile; her soulful, beautiful eyes and the heart-shaped mark above her right eye---she was everything I remembered. We hugged and kissed.

It was at that point that I knew I was 'home' in Sacramento with a truly unexpected love!

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/85247/Unexpectedly_finding_love_in_Sacramento

Received my second front page award with this article(in as many weeks)!  Awesome!!!!!!

Zimmerman: Too Hispanic to be white; too white to be Hispanic!

The inspiration for the title of my article was a chance posting by the Editor/Publisher of this newspaper(El Conquistador), Victor Huyke, on Facebook. Reading it struck a nerve with me, not only because of the main stream media and many African-American community leaders ignoring of the facts of George Zimmerman's background in order to use the hot button issue of race as a dimension of the Trayvon Martin shooting, but also for more personal reasons which I will get into later.

The alternative and/or non-traditional media is recent days has revisited what the regular media only touched on briefly during the early days following the shooting. It is reported that George Zimmerman's father is a WHITE American and his mother is born in Peru which would indicate both Spanish and Native American ancestry since mestizos(mix of Spanish and American Indian) make up a large portion of the population.

The Everyjoe.com website posted a picture of Zimmerman's mother with its story. Both George and his mother on their Florida voter registration cards self-identify as Hispanic while the father identifies as white.

Activists all along the racial/ethnic spectrum have reason to try and paint George Zimmerman and his background in a way which suits their political agendas. Many right-wing Republicans and their supporters want to make Zimmerman as minority as possible to take the wind out of the sails of those who want to portray George Z. as a rabid racist who used the 'white' race card to escape punishment for killing an African-American youth; Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton and their Liberal and so-calleProgressive friends want to make Zimmerman as white as possible so that they can use him to batter the Right-wing on every issue from gun control to an unjust court/prison system.

Many Hispanic groups don't want to deal with the question of any Hispanic background for Zimmerman because it draws them into the black-white argument. They want to ignore or have amnesia in this case because it would put them smack in the middle of the clash between the extremes of the racial and political extremes. Also it would call to mind in Florida, past cases of Hispanic officers in the Miami area who were accused of abuse of African-American suspects.

Now, for the personal part of the story. I am a mostly socially-liberal, fiscally-conservative Anglo(Irish-German ancestry) male who is the widower of a 1^st generation Mexican-American woman. I have many friends, relatives by marriage and godchildren who are Hispanic. Up to the time of my move to Sacramento, California in May of this year, I was actively involved in the affairs of the Hispanic community in my hometown of Kenosha and was a very active and vocal member of LULAC Council 320 in the Kenosha/Racine area; I was also a member of the Republican Party of Kenosha County. While for most people in both organizations to which I belonged, I was easily accepted as someone who could walk easily in both worlds and help each try to understand the other. But for some on each side, I was dangerous because I wasn't a simple stereotype.

For the media, the 'inconvenient truths' of George Zimmerman's background mean, if discussed fully, the need to seriously address racial issues and not merely, no pun intended, present a black and white story. A discussion which would be more than a quick ten, twenty or thirty second sound bite. A discussion which would mean acting like adults and talking to each other, not merely trying to shout
each other down.


Published in the July 25th-August 1st  issue of El Conquistador Newspaper, Milwaukee, WI


Written by Jeffery Cassity.     Jeffery is a mostly socially-liberal, fiscally-conservative Anglo male who was deeply involved in his local Hispanic community as the widower of a 1st generation Mexican-American woman and his active membership in the local Council of the League of Latin American Citizens(LULAC) prior to his move in May 2013 from Kenosha, Wisconsin to Sacramento, California. Since moving to Sacramento, Jeff has been busy working at his new job with a local insurance agent and working hard to ramp up a writing career. He is looking forward to becoming involved with the local Sacramento community and LULAC Councils.  Jeff writes weekly for the Being Latino! website and has been doing so since earlier this year and has started writing recently for the Sacramento Press website.

What's with all the Fences and Gates?

Contrary to what some of you may be thinking based on the title, I am not channeling my inner Jerry Seinfeld as I write this article.

I come from a community back in Wisconsin where next door neighbors, even ones who may not really like each other , don't normally have their entire properties separated by fences and gates. They may maintain a fence along the the backyard to have a controlled area for their children to play or to keep pets, but the front yards are 'open range'. One of the more unusual things that I have had to get used to since moving from Wisconsin to Sacramento is that everyone has fencing and gates surrounding their ENTIRE properties.

Just as the city of Sacramento and the area where I live, North Sac, seem to be divided into separate and cliquish areas, each of the neighborhoods is further divided up by fences and gates made of both wood and metal and stone.

These borders have been hard for me to get used to in the two plus months I have lived here. While I have come to accept the status quo of the division of the city into neighborhoods and the division of my neighborhood into individual perimetered yards, I still catch myself pausing on occasion to wonder how/why this situation developed?

Is it fear of crime especially home invasion? Does it have to do with the fear of the homeless seen on the streets across the city? Is it an attitude left over from the settling of the West? No one I ask can seem to give me an answer as to this major case of parochialism on steroids. As someone, especially someone from the Midwest, raised on stories of the supposed laid-back California 'live and let live' philosophy of life, it makes me wonder what is the cause of this isolationist situation which seems to belong more in the Balkans in sunny California!

If anyone out there hunkered down in their gated and fenced property can enlighten me on how and why this situation exists, please let me know. I am very eager to learn the psychology of my new hometown and its residents.

 

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/84995/Whats_with_all_the_fences_and_gates

 

Received my first front page award with this article!  Awesome!!!!!!

The Gauntlet is laid down; Time for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

UNPUBLISHED LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW which led to an email exchange with the author of the article commented on. 

(P.S.  Stay tuned to see the article I am working on to submit to Mr. Kempa and the SN&R next week based on my exchange with Mr. Kempa.  It hopefully will be better than Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!)

 

 

Re “Off the mark: Three former Target employees...” by Dave Kempa(SN&R News, July 18):

As with most major news stories that the Sacramento News & Review writes, this story about the alleged discrimination at the Target warehouse in Woodland, California falls short of hitting the bull's eye(dar en el blanco) on several accounts. While it presents the surface story very well, it falls short of the mark on the underlying details at a level that makes one question the ability of the writer and the editor(s) assigned to his piece.

If one really wants to get the full story, it would behoove one to go to the story on Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/target-diversity-document_n_3618200.html) to get the full story.

Mr. Kempa and the editors of SN&R really should print a full apology to their readers, both in the next print edition and online, for their journalistic malpractice!



Jeffery Cassity
Sacramento

Dave Kempa < davek@newsreview.com>	Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 10:53 AM
To: jcassity05@gmail.com
Hey Jeff, As is often the case with your letters, you mean well but miss the mark. The story you've linked refers to a corporate-wide document on dealing with workplace diversity issues--the sort of document that EVERY large corporation has on file. This isn't to be confused with the document acquired by the Woodland plaintiffs (which, according to Target, was only distributed at that particular warehouse). Here's another article (written by the same HuffPo contributor) on the document I reference in my piece: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/target-multicultural-tips_n_3566873.html . The document in the link you sent me wasn't salient to the lawsuit, so I didn't include it in my story. Cheers, Dave P.S. - your use of the term "journalistic malpractice" is both telling an amusing. Dave Kempa Staff Writer Sacramento News & Review Work: 916.498.1234 x1359 Cell: 920.246.0210

---

 

Jeffery Cassity < jcassity05@gmail.com>	Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 6:53 PM
To: Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com>
Not telling half the story isn't relevant, not putting the document in question into context as well as looking at Target's diversity awareness program isn't relevant.  I have been in town just two months but I have learned that as much as I may like your publication and would love to write free lance articles for it, I probably would be out of place since I like telling the whole story when I write articles not the 1/2 or less that most writers for your publication are allowed to get away with.   Best regards,   Jeff C [Quoted text hidden]

---

 

Dave Kempa < davek@newsreview.com>	Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 8:02 PM
To: Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com>
It's called news judgment, Jeff. Target's corporate-level policy isn't in question here. The treatment and termination of the plaintiffs at the Woodland distribution center is the story, and the document distributed at that location is a part of that story. If you want to blog about Target's corporate training manuals, knock yourself out. I've got better things to do with my time. Cheers, Dave [Quoted text hidden] > ** > > ** Dave Kempa [Quoted text hidden]

---

 

Jeffery Cassity < jcassity05@gmail.com>	Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 8:21 PM
To: Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com>
You are right.  It is a waste of time to see if the evidence shows if even the documents in question are discrimatory or taken out of context by an attorney with possibly willing clients.   Newspapers and their writers should never let the whole truth get in the way of a good story, right? [Quoted text hidden]

---

 

Dave Kempa < davek@newsreview.com>	Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 9:09 PM
To: Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com>
Oh dear, I'm not sure how many times I need to explain this, Jeff. They're different documents--one corporate, the other, so far as we can tell, local. Perhaps understanding what's salient to a story just isn't your strong suit. Sadly, I'd hoped a fellow Wisconsinite would be able to follow. There is a solution to this, Jeff: Write. Write to your heart's content. Show the world all there is to know about Target's corporate policies! Don't leave anything out! Dissect the corporate handbook, page by page, until we get to the very bottom of things, until we answer all mysteries related to and not related to Target Corporation. I want the ontological, Jeff, the teleological. If a tree falls on a target, do we need to tell HR? What aisle is the bleach on? Is this lane open?? Looking forward to your work. Feel free to send links. Cheers, Dave ----- Original Message ----- From: Jeffery Cassity <jcassity05@gmail.com> To: Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com> [Quoted text hidden]

---

 

Jeffery Cassity < jcassity05@gmail.com>	Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 10:33 PM
To: Dave Kempa <davek@newsreview.com>
I welcome the challenge and will have it to you by next week.     [Quoted text hidden]

Celebrating the Fourth---Sac-style!

My first Fourth of July celebration since moving from Kenosha, Wisconsin to North Sac was very different from what I was used to experiencing.

In Kenosha, we would walk or drive down to the Lake Michigan shoreline for a 30-minute extravaganza put on by the city after enjoying the two hour long parade the previous Sunday afternoon(for some unfathomable reason, the city felt to have the parade and the fireworks on the same day---the actual holiday---was too much). There would be the occasional unauthorized fireworks displays in neighborhoods, they were few and quickly stopped by local police.

Here I was able to witness several competing fireworks shows in just my little area which went on most of the night and compared favorably with the tape of the official fireworks at Cal Expo that I saw on the television news. I was also able to marvel at the coordination which kept the 'bears in the air(i.e. the Sac PD helicopter patrol) flittering back and forth across the sky trying to locate the sources of the multiple displays. Added to all of this was watching the informal game of 'Fireworks or Gunshots' with the ability to earn bonus points if you could identify the type of gun being used.

I understand that other areas of Sacramento(both city and county) also have their own unique ways of celebrating the Fourth from sedate and properly-mannered cookouts in backyards to neighborhoods where the residents quietly and very unofficially blocked off streets and rented jump houses and water slides(both of which were used by children and adults alike) which were placed in the middle of the streets while the neighborhood Gordon Ramsey would create wonderful meat offerings on rented large cookers---avoiding, for the most part, smoke damage to trees on his property. Neighbors would supply and share various types of adult and general drinks. Backyard pools became communal swim sites for the children in the neighborhood. Fireworks displays were also part of the entertainment.

All in all, I have to say that I enjoyed the Fourth for the first time in a long time and am looking forward to many more years of fun-filled National Birthday celebrations here.


http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/84766/Celebrating_the_FourthSacstyle

Why Only Public Employees?

JULY 18, 2013 edition of the Sacramento News and Review    Letter to the Editor

Re “This is your American Dream ” by Sasha Abramsky(SN&R Feature Story, July 11):

I find it fascinating that the author of the story decided to highlight the certainly hard plights of two individuals who lost jobs in the government and non-profit sectors during the economic downturn of the last few years and not talk about, except in passing, the day-to-day struggles of the working and non-working poor of Sacramento.

I know from personal experience over the years that there are going to be periods of time when you are riding high and making good money, and there are going to be times you are facing unemployment with little or no money coming in. The idea for survival is to find any type of work you can and move up as the economy and your hard work allow.

Perhaps it is because these women are better able to articulate their stories than the more average individuals who face similar hard times that they were chosen as examples; perhaps it is the fact that these women move in the same circles culturally or socially as the author; or perhaps it is the fact that the author had a political/activist ax to grind against the downsizing of government jobs and monies for non-profit organizations and the sequestration of federal government funds(i.e. our tax dollars). Whatever the reason, it is clear that the author prefers looking at people who fell from middle and upper middle class comforts than dealing with the multiple factors that the working poor have to deal with on a long-term basis. Going with the subjects chosen makes it an easier story to write.

I have worked as a volunteer with many non-profit groups over the years and have been a member of the Board of Directors of some of them. What always struck me was that as much as these organizations talked about getting off the teat of government funding/grants, most did not make hard efforts to find alternative private funding sources or work to develop individual donors.

As for government work, there has been a back and forth tussle over the years between those who believe that government is there to be 'everything for everyone' and those who believe that government should be there to serve only certain societal needs and goals. Even in times of recession, there are those who seem to think that government jobs 'are forever'. That, unlike the private sector, government should maintain the status quo or grow in size and not adjust to meet economic realities.

It is obvious from the story in the July 11^th edition of SN&R and others in previous editions where the ownership and staff of the paper views lie.

Jeffery Cassity

Sacramento

A Tale of Kings and Paupers in Sacramento!

When schools open again this fall across the Sacramento Catholic Archdiocese, one of them will be as silent as it has been this summer-St. Joseph Catholic School on El Monte Avenue in North Sac. The reason given initially by the Archdiocese was a mold problem, but the real motivation for the closing is the rampant and increasing prostitution and drug activity in the area. While it is probably best for the safety of the young students who attend the school, it is not a good thing as far as what it says about the church and its mission as well as the response of city officials and the media.

In the approximate three years of his public ministry, Joshua ben Joseph(aka Jesus Christ) made it a point to preach and teach to the outcasts and the lowly and those who were the dregs of society(lepers, tax collectors, the poor, prostitutes, etc.). He was willing to face evil and not cower before it. It would make more sense for the Archdiocese to help the parish provide added security with assistance from the Sacramento Police Department so the school could remain open. The staff and parishioners of St. Josephs should be the leaders of the movement to reclaim and clean up the neighborhood, not to shutter the doors of the school. This is especially true if the local Church wants to follow the example of the recently elected Pontiff, Francis. The Church Parochial should follow the lead of the man who as Archbishop of Buenos Aires gave up the palatial residence that came with that office to the needy and lived in a simple apartment among the poor and working classes, dealing with all the attendant vices of the area.

A St. Josephs Parish staff member not authorized to speak on the record about the closing said, “It was a Diocesan decision.” Archdiocesan spokesman, Kevin Eckery, in response to inquiries, stated that the decision was made to offer “St Joseph students a more modern and cost-effective place(i.e. Saint Philomene's School) to receive an education.” Mr. Eckery seemed more interested knowing who was this author's source than in answering questions regarding the closing. He specifically asked if the source was an employee of the Archdiocese. This to my mind opens up many other interesting questions for another day.

What is even more disheartening is that there is nothing in the mainstream media who put such effort into the relatively unimportant campaign to keep a basketball team in Sacramento. One must wonder where the Mayor of the People, the Great Sac Savior, is on this issue. Perhaps he burned himself out in the hypermedia exercise to save the Kings and has no energy left to address the issue of those who are paupers!

Maybe the problem for the media and the mayor is that the work of cleaning up and developing the North Sac community is not sexy enough for television and the newspaper nor a politician looking considering higher office. It involves what are considered sensitive issues and would take an ongoing effort to fully address. There are few 'feel good' 10 second  camera shots full of cheering crowds.

Also for Hizzoner and most of the rest of the city government, it is probably a matter of that the problem is far enough away from Downtown that they don't care about it so much. It is not an issue which will affect the new Arena and the retention of the Kings nor the recruitment of additional sports teams such as the new professional soccer team and the possible re-establishment of WNBA basketball team in Sacramento. As long as the issue doesn't spread into the downtown area and remains on the fringes of the city, life is good. City Council members seem to be looking more to their political futures than addressing hard issues and concerns faced by the average citizens of North Sac. After all, since the ascension of Hizzoner, more and more members of the City Council are just looking upon Council membership as a stepping stone to higher political office for themselves.


http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/84560/Opinion_A_tale_of_kings_and_paupers_in_Sacramento

Details, Details, Details...

JULY 11, 2013  Sacramento News and Review    Unpublished Letter to the Editor

Re “What if...” by Jeff VonKaenel(SN&R Greenlight, July 3):

One would hope that someone writing for your newspaper would have a basic grasp of how the government works and where it gets its money to fund its programs including the subsidies it is planning on providing under the Affordable Care Act. This is especially important given the analogy he uses to try and make his point in comparing health insurance to homeowners insurance(or fire insurance as he calls it). Also he should consult insurance experts or at least look at his own homeowners and health insurance policies before using the bogus scenario he made up for the article.

First, the money that will be used by the 'government' to subsidize the policies of those who are young or unemployed will come from the taxes paid by the taxpayers of America---not grown on a mythical government money tree. So, the analogy the writer uses in the last paragraph of his article which he says we don't want to see (...you definitely don't want to be in the situation where your neighbor's house burns down, and everyone on the block has to pay to rebuild it...) will be and is the reality of the Affordable Care Act.

Second, insurance policies, whether for automobiles, homeowners, or health insurance have pages at the front of the policy which spell out the deductibles(and co-pays) in simple detail. They are not hidden 'on page 47, paragraph three' of his fanciful 98 page policy.

Third, the writer fails to talk about the many bi-partisan alternatives which were not allowed to be discussed at the time the Obama's so-called Affordable Care Act was being debated. Alternatives which actually did something to lower the cost of medical care and make it AFFORDABLE and not merely created another governmental mandate.

And finally, the writer does not acknowledge that though we have mandatory automobile insurance requirements here in California and several other states, there are tens of thousands of drivers who still don't have insurance and yet still drive. Similarly, the legislation which passed which will mandate health insurance for everyone will still leave millions of Americans without coverage. This is a fact even the Obama Administration concedes.

Perhaps this publication ought to hire more informed or, at least, more thorough and detail-oriented writers.


Jeffery Cassity
Sacramento

Kumbaya!

JULY 11, 2013 edition of the Sacramento News and Review    Letter to the Editor

Re “Sactopia: What if Sacramento seceded from the nation”(SN&R Local Stories, July 3):

I truly enjoyed this tongue-in-cheek article. It was a great article highlighting the kumbayah spirit that makes up what is seen as the 'real' Sacramento by the editors and staff of this newspaper as opposed to the harsh realities faced by most of its citizens. This spirit is further highlighted by the story in the same edition's News section “Passed Over”(by Dave Kampa).

 

Instead of reporting with cold facts, the writer and us readers would be better served if the writer had taken a few days and 'walked the walk' instead of just 'talking the talk'. That is, live as a homeless person would and provide a first-hand account.

Also it would be great if SN&R would dedicate an edition to talking about solutions to the problems: homelessness, gang violence, drug abuse, etc. and getting those possible solutions put into effect instead of merely just talking about how terrible the problems are.

Jeffery Cassity

Sacramento

It’s Kafkaesque!

JULY 3, 2013 edition of the Sacramento News and Review    Letter to the Editor


Re “Smart money” by Jeff vonKaenel (SN&R News, June 27):

It is with a sense of awe that I read the interview conducted with California Controller John Chiang. As someone [who has] recently arrived in California, I find it almost Kafkaesque that one of the chief financial officers of a state that was bordering on bankruptcy last year, and is the home of several large cities who are in various stages of bankruptcy, would be able to chastise the financial skills and morals of those who run large-scale financial institutions with a straight face. But, then again, given the featured photo of the comptroller, perhaps it is all a joke to him.

Perhaps it is as the Bible says, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Or, perhaps, it is merely the shrewd calculations of a politician looking at running for another political office to appeal to the 1 percenters and populists that make up a large portion of the California electorate.

Jeffery Cassity
Sacramento