Jeremy Adams: Letter of the Year
Bakersfield High School teacher Jeremy Adams' September letter to the editor about the overlooked nuances of managing a democracy has been selected The Californian'sLetter of the Year.
Adams and 11 other 2007 Letter-of-the-Month authors were honored this week at a reception at The Californian, where the top honor was announced. The theme of Adams' letter is particularly important as Americans are engaged in a yearlong campaign to select a new president.
"Governing a country as diverse and complex as the United States is a colossal task for any lawmaker or executive. Don't expect easy answers to difficult issues," Adams warned in his letter.
The government teacher noted that "social consensus and national progress do not result from sour partisanship or a 10-second sound bite. Instead, progress occurs when leaders encourage a national conversation that is honest and straightforward about the complexity of the issues we face."
He pointed out James Madison "understood that in a nation of competing factions, ever-changing public opinion and geographic diversity, compromise plays an essential role in the nation's progress.
"But compromise and thus progress are not possible in a political arena where simplicity and partisanship trump genuine dialogue."
He quoted Thomas Jefferson: "Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle."
Other 2007 Letter-of-the-Month recipients honored by The Californianincluded:
January: Alvis West,history teacher at Bakersfield College and Summit Bible College. West wrote about the poor driving skills and behavior of some motorists on Kern County's roads.
February: Helen Venosdel, a retired Earl Warren Junior High School teacher. Venosdel wrote about the threat of gangs, offering solutions the community can initiate.
March: Jeff Peterson,a truck service manager who lives in Bakersfield. Peterson wrote about the kindness he was shown by total strangers when his truck became stranded. Peterson was attempting to round up a stray lamb on 7th Standard Road when his truck's wheel became stuck in a hole. Motorists stopped to help him and to help corral the animal.
April: Ray Swopeof Bakersfield, who retired from a career in security work. Swope wrote about his pride in the young women who worked in war plants building Liberty ships during World War II. As a merchant seaman, Swope sailed in these ships.
May: Gay Mitchell, a postal worker in Tehachapi. Mitchell wrote about the touching ceremony she witnessed when her son-in-law and 985 other people became American citizens.
June: Emily Thiroux,an English teacher at Cal State Bakersfield and community volunteer. Thiroux wrote about the void in filling community leadership posts. She particularly noted the lack of women filling these posts. Thiroux offered constructive tips for people interested in getting involved and running for public office.
July: Howard Harris, a sales consultant who lives in Bakersfield. Harris wrote about "Bakersfield's wealth," which he defined as the many people who step forward often as volunteers to do good works.
August: Ben Taft,a Bakersfield citrus farmer. Taft "hit the wall" one Saturday morning in August when he woke up to find yet again the air filled with smoke and ash from other cities, in this case the Santa Barbara wildfires. Sick of choking on the mess, Taft asked what many of us were thinking: Why must we be sickened by Santa Barbara's weeks-long "control burn"?
October: Peggy Dewane-Pope,an eighth-grade teacher at Stone Creek Junior High School in Bakersfield. Dewane-Pope wrote a touching tribute to her niece's young husband who had died in Iraq when an explosive detonated near his vehicle.
November: John Peter Konopak, a senior at Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest. Konopak wrote about believing in yourself and drawing inner strength. He drew examples from his competition in cross country, as well as his involvement in music.
December: Melissa Grahek, a Bakersfield community volunteer. Grahek wrote about a childhood experience, when non-Christian students were required to stand and listen as the Lord's Prayer was recited by classmates in their public school. She used the experience to discuss religious freedom and tolerance.
The Californian selected the Letter of the Year from the 12 monthly winners.
