frontlines >> letters FREE COMMUNITY- WIDE EVENT How to Send Letters We prefer letters relating to JN articles. We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Letters of 225 words or less are considered first. Longer ones will be subject to trimming. Letter writers are limited in frequency of publication. Letters must be original and contain the name, address and title of the writer and a day phone number. Non-electronic copies must be hand signed. Send letters to the JN: 29200 Northwestern Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax (248) 304-8885; e-mail, letters@the jewishnews.com . We prefer email. Rat Story Overlooked Benefits Of Oak Park I really take offense at your article "Oak Park's Rat Race" (Aug. 16, page 8). Oak Park is a wonderful place to live! We have shuls, a JCC, a Jewish Senior Life residential campus, kosher restau- rants, an all-kosher supermarket nearby (One Stop), new and old yeshivah schools, a host of public school options, public gardens, Yad Ezra nearby, an incredible bookstore (Book Beat) and sidewalks! We have an awesome community. We are close to hubs like Royal Oak, Birmingham and Berkley and not so far from Detroit. They still sweep our streets weekly. I think that this rat problem is not a thing that is specific to our amazing city. We Jewish people cannot all live in the western suburbs nor do we want to. If someone from out-of-town looked at your paper, they would think the rats are overtaking Oak Park. Oy vey, they would not want to move here! And this is not so. Several years ago, many of us stopped composting our kitchen waste and doing other things that attracted rodents. I would hope that in the future you would accentuate the positive. I moved back to Oak Park in the '80s and have been enchanted by the culture here since. I would not live anywhere else! Pamela Shriman (proud to say) of Oak Park You'll Remember 'Bubba' Even After The Election I am responding to your publisher's "Odds And Ends From The Campaign Trail" remarks alluding to the name "Brad" being better than "Bubba" (Aug. 16, page 48). After running my first campaign, my team and I sat down and determined that, with all things being equal, the only reason why I lost was because the Jewish community did not cross over and support me in West Bloomfield where your publisher stated that at least 20 percent of your readership resides. We knew going in to this that I was a huge underdog running on the Republican ticket because of my pro- choice position and the more moderate issues that I support. The thought was that if we picked up 25 percent of the Jewish vote on the western half of West Bloomfield, which should have amount- ed to approximately 3,000 votes, we would have won the splintered district and moved on to beat the Democrat in a district that is 55 percent Republican and 45 percent Democratic. We believe that our community was more concerned about re-electing Gary Peters and a very dysfunctional town- ship board rather than electing me to represent the 39th District in the state House. Gary has been a strong leader for Israel and a responsible moderate in the U.S. House; he is a good man! At the end of the day, it was my com- munity that did not support me. Do you really believe it was my name? "Bubba" should be defined as: a Jewish kid that came from nothing and appreciates everything his community has done for him and one who tries hard daily to help anyone who is in need because it is the right thing to do. Not some Southern redneck ... Every day since the election, I have been receiving handwritten notes and phone calls from competitors, sup- porters of other campaigns, sitting politicians and citizens thanking me for bringing class back to the electoral pro- cess. You will always remember Bubba from this election, not that I came in fifth, but you will remember my name. Will you remember the man that came in second or even the one who won the race? Odds are no. Bubba Urdan West Bloomfield B'nai Moshe Didn't 'Host' Eagle Meeting Or Take Sides I am president of Congregation B'nai Moshe, and I want to clarify an important point related to the Eagle Elementary School meeting held at our facility on Aug. 8. I want to make clear that B'nai Moshe did not "host" the meeting held by the opponents to the site sale. We simply rented out our building for a commu- nity meeting (which we often do). B'nai Moshe is a nonprofit religious organization and does not "take sides" on political topics such as this. We believe in and advocate religious freedom for all faiths. This is very important to us and is a core part of our values. As a result of the debate surrounding this meeting, we are currently re-evalu- ating our policy on building rentals. We are considering the adoption of a policy that prohibits the renting of our build- ing to either side of bipartisan issues. Either way, the rental of our building to any group should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that group. If you wish to send me any com- ments, my email address can be found on our website, www.bnaimoshe.org . Time To Drop Opposition To Eagle School Sale Enough is enough. I can't say it any more clearly than that. As a former Farmington Public School teacher, administrator, and a longtime resident of Farmington, I care deeply about the education of the chil- dren of our two cities. Over the years, I have observed our Board of Education make difficult, complex and important decisions in a number of areas. Their responsibility is tremendous. And the hours they spend gathering information and deliberating over tough choices are countless — far more than most community members realize. That's why I say to the Care4Eagle group, "enough is enough:' Like many of the community members I've spo- ken with, I'm appalled at the depth of the animosity shown by members of Care4Eagle and the amount of time they've stolen from consideration of the real educational issues facing our school board. I'm also very alarmed when I consider that a member of our current board, Dr. Murray Kahn, is a part of Care4Eagle, especially when I review on YouTube some of the comments he made while seeking election to the board. When Care4Eagle attempted to try in the courts the issue of the sale of the Eagle site to the Islamic Cultural Association, their case was dismissed as having "no standing," which is instruc- tive to us all. To accuse Karen Bolsen and Howard Wallach of bribery is slanderous. Anyone who knows these two dedicated and passionate public servants finds this accusation absurd — and a measure of the desperation of Care4Eagle as they continue to distort the facts, divide the community and distract from the busi- ness of educating our children. And let us remember that in Farmington, thankfully, our children come from a wonderful variety of racial, religious and cultural backgrounds. Our school board serves them all. School will start in just a few weeks. It's long past time for the Care4Eagle group — including Dr. Kahn — to let this issue go and, if they truly care about the children of Farmington, to allow the school board to move forward, unencumbered and free of harassment, as they guide us through another school year. Mary E. Brown Dan Sperling Farmington president, B'nai Moshe West Bloomfield Letters on page 6 Lauren Potter On Monday, September 10, 2012, JARC and Temple Israel will host Lauren Potter, who plays Becky Jackson, a cheerleader with Down Syndrome on the television series, GLEE. Lauren will speak about bullying and making her dreams come true. 5:30 PM - Intimate Pre-Glow Dinner and Afterglow Meet and Greet '300/person 7:00 PM - FREE Program 8:00 PM - Afterglow Meet and Greet '36/person For details call Lindsey Fox-Wagner at 248-488-7524 or lindseyfoxwagner (qarc.org 32" Annual Fall Fundraiser . [many- OCTOBER 23, 2012 FOX THEATRE www.jarcorg 248.538.6611 August 23 • 2012 5