Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 76

24J0GAL THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE FRIDAY. January VL2002 In Sept. 1 1 aftermath, scales fall from eyes of many should sit In a Jail All for a decade and write a book about his Journeys both abroad and at home and donate the proceeds to victims of ter-rorism. I'd buy that one In hardcover. Realism Is about reckoning with our mistakes and Illusions.

For many young people who thought in black and white. It's about seeing gray as the universal primer. Realism says that if you've got a Job, even If It's an annoying one, nows the time to sit tight. It says John Walker may have been a confused and misled kid when he felt town, but when he picked up an AK-47 and Joined the Jihad, he was a grown man who chose his own path. Realism says all of us must be prepared to reap what we sow.

Undercurrents runs Mondays and Fridays. Reach Rory Loverly at or (51Q)208-6449. see how Walker screwed up. If we have sex. we must accept the possibilities of pregrancy or sexually transmitted diseases.

If we drive, we should accept that the highway Is a killing field. The most fitting punish-' ment I can come up with for Walker would be to take him on a long torn of this country, stopping In towns and military bases to face regular Americans. At each stop, he should have to sit and listen to their stories the stories of people whose lives collapsed when their spouses or kids were lost In the World Trade Center, or the stories of American Muslims who came here to raise their families and prosper but who now face discrimination and hostility. And alter listening to these stories. Walker should have to explain to them, day after day, why he chose to fight alongside the Taliban to protect al-Qakla.

At the end of the tour, he search for something genuine." I empathized with his de- sire to escape the neutered sensitivity of Marin lntellectu-aliam. If I had known. Walker ai year ago. I would have thought him brave (If odd to prostrate himself to God through Islam and to strengthen his faith by heading to Pakistan. At the very least, I would have admired his determination.

But then Sept 1 1 came and went and by the time he found himself fighting along-. side al-Qakla troops In Mazar-1-Sharif. realism should have trumped his Idealism. Walker knew he was fighting against American soldiers, and no matter how woozy and underfed he was, he knew he was being filmed when he expressed support for the terrorist attacks. Walker stuck to skewed Ideals.

He made his choice and will have to accept the consequences. That's realism. One hopes young people sperity. doing tt during hard times seems for-fetched. Our Irrational exuberance1 had already faded the day we first saw the video of; dirty- faced kid named John Walker express support for the Sept 11 attacks.

A lot's been written about Walker, and everybody's got an opinion on what should be done with (or to) him. Personally, 1 didnt write about him because I underestimated the power of his story: I thought he was Just a stupid kid whose treachery was a tempest In a teapot But people are still talking about Walker, and I'm starting to see how he embodies a much larger shift of perspective. When Walker left on his World Islam Tour, the pursuit of Ideals was what young people did. It was considered admirable, especially In the 1 Bay Area, to escape the vanity, greed and self-obsession so. evident durfog the '90s and to lory LAYUTY Undercurrents probably sounds silly to my elders, the ones who lived through the Holocaust and Vietnam and Watergate, but for many of todaysyoung people, an the attacks aid layoffs of 200 1 have been a revelation.

Before that. Jobs seemed plentiful. America faced no Imminent foreign threat, and It seemed like everybody could be a millionaire. People In their teens and 20s can hardly remember what life was like before the. last run of peace and prosperity began, and even worse, many of us took that prosperity for granted.

Now the cold truth is apparent: if you didnt prosper during pro King: Students experienced political hardball them to believe as did Martin Luther King Jr. that there is no limit on where their dreams could take them. As things turned out, their most memorable lessons took place outside the classroom as they traveled the rocky road of politics. On the way, they found many friends who helped them legislators and the governor him- self. They also learned that -racism Is ugly, alive and kicking.

Tha Indeed was perhaps the real life lesson they learned, the same that had Inspired their mentor, Martin Luther King when he proclaimed his dream that someday there would be equality and Justice for all people. E-mail Peggy Stinnett at someone should do about It. and they became the ones who said. "They began by support from their school bond, the mayor council and the county All supported their A McArthur led his students. the sometimes bruising of getting a dream Into law in the Leglsla- Gwendolyn Lovely Patterson, the prime lobbyists, who works with the department Employment and in Oakland, said: "The showed us the Importance of always being prepared for what you are about to the steps you must take things done.

We were only 17 years old then, but we our speeches In the car Patterson Is still friends with Apollo classmate Sonya Lyons Sumler, a pre-kindergarten teacher with Oakland public schools. "We had a wonderful opportunity to learn from real-life experience how (me person or a few people can get something important accomplished," said Sumler. We learned Dr. Kings way of working toward social equality. I have lots of positive memories." The third strident.

Karen Kennedy Ftadman, also lives In Oakland, but I was unable to reach her. Passage of the bill lnthe California Legislature, and afterward In Congress, came alter rancorous aud racist exchanges by legislators who tried to block Its passage. The students found friends tar former Assemblyman Harris and then-state Sen. Nicholas Pe tris, but learned the hard lesson that there was another political view that of right-wing Republicans who wrongly accused their slain hero. King, of being a Communist sympathizer, tainted by sexual misconduct.

After a five-hour vitriolic session on the Senate floor, Petris carried the day, and the bill was sent to Brown. The Jubilant students seated in the Senate chambers that day cheered and hugged each other and Democraticieglslators, according to a Tribune story by staff writer VbgU MeiberL who. now works In the Senate Research office. In 1983 Congress and former President Ronald Reagan followed, making the King birthday a national holiday. The Oakland students called themselves the Apollo Class of 81, and McArthur Inspired Continued from LOCAL-1 an assemblyman at the time of the students' lobbying effort At least three of the student lobbyists also will attend.

Putting the event together Is former Technical High teacher Tay McArthur, now living In Foster City, who found Ids former students Gwendolyn. Lovely, Sonya Lyons and Karen Kennedy living and working In The project got Its start In McArthur's classroom one day hi 1979 when the students questioned why Oakland public schools had a holiday on Kings birthday but the nation did not. McArthur told them the holiday had been voted down nine times by Congress. (Two other school districts In California also had the holiday, like Oakland, as a result of teacher bargaining.) "That's when the students decided something McArthur seeking land and city supervisors. project.

through process turned ture. cxie of now of Fair Housing experience do, and to get T6 or wrote School Continued from LOCAL-1 OMETIMEINTHE last year, realism made a comeback. It was probably Sept. 11. Of course.

Journalists attri-. bute everything to that Infamous day. whether it's a spike in estate planning or the growing popularity of a local gardening club. But sometimes they're right And as far as realism is concerned. Sept 1 1 was as real as It gets.

But then. Idealism has had quite a few other bad days lately. The days of layoffs and worthless stock options, the postelection mess in Florida, the energy crisis that proved to be a set-up. after all. Fm not the only one who's now looking at the world through -more realistic eyes.

I guess I Just never realized how things really are," said David Chen. 20. of Berkeley. "Now I know." Ideals are luxuries. That statement's so obvious it Priest to talk about aiding foster kids FROM STAFF REPORTS The Rev.

George Clements, founder of the One Church One Child movement, credited, with finding permanent hones, for 100,000 foster children across the country, win be a guest speaker today at the' Oakland Airport Hilton. 1 Hegenberger Road, Oakland. Clements, a Catholic priest from Chicago, will talk about his work to area religious leaden and their congregants from 12:30 to. 1:15 p.m. at an event sponsored by die county Social Services Agency and Chabot College.

The event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., also wdl feature remarks by a foster youth' and a foster parent The public lis Invited. Brunch will be served. The county Social Services. Agency Is reaching out to mem-.

ben of the nlty to help them become Involved In becoming either foster or adoptive parents. Team: Court must still Continued from LOCAL-1 solely as a consequence of a "contractual business relationship between the parties." The team's refusal to pay up Is a breach of contract, he found. Hell later issue a finding on exactly how much they owe. Last March, a different arbitrator ruled the Warriors must pay a much larger amount In what's basically back rent. Streeter said that figure, with Interest still accruing, to nearing 820 million.

The Warriors con-. tlnue to dispute It, and the case to pending before the state. Court of Appeal- i These withheld, payments, along with poor personal seat 11-' sales for Oakland Raiders 'games, have forced city and county taxpayers to subsidize I tbe Coliseum Authority to the tune of about $130 million In reticent years. The facility fee money Isn't hi -the bag yet Streeter said. An arbitrator's award Isnt enforce- -hble until the parties no to court 'and have It converted Into a Ju-didal Judgment He predicts the Warriors will ask the court to vacate the arbitrator's award 'as they1 did with tbe larger award last year but Judges rarely grant such requests.

Oakland City Council Prest-'dent and Coliseum Authority Chairman Ignacio de la iFuente said the Warriors should "rethink their relationship with the taxpayers of the city and -county, Mop being deadbeats "and pay their bills tike anybody else. Hopefully, they will Just pay so we can move on." August after former principal Brenda Bias and another temporary principal left last year, said the problem 1s due to. a lack of qualified teachers statewide. "it has been' very challenging because we (knit have a large pool of teacher candidates." Flowers said. "The district to working with me very diligently to get teacher candidates who are appropriate, and It's my Job to not hire Just anybody that comes through tbe door.

Several other Oakland middle-school principals said they had no vacancies this year, and others reputed only a few. school on a lack of qualified applicants for middle school teaching positions In the city. Flowers said' he rejected a few people who applied tor teaching Jobs this year but didn't meet the school's stand-. aids. Despite the teacher shortage, the school has managed to up an after-school arts academy and.

other successful programs, said eighth-grade teacher Stan Lake. "If I'm working here. I know I have to deal with teacher shortages," said Lake, a 14-year veteran at the school. It's a reality of urban education." problems at Calvin Simmons, but students are still being exposed to the state standards and curriculum as mandated." Flowers said. Standardized test scores at the school were In tire bottom 10 percent of middle schools statewide last year.

Chaconas said the district has assigned 12 regular substitutes to Calvin Simmons to fill In needed. The district to also recruiting more aled teachers to work at the school, which lost about six teachers this year to resignations ortransfers. Chaconas blamed the vacancies at the schoolyard," Oremland's letter states. Teachers said the school has had vacancies since. September, despite repeated requests to the district for more personnel.

The school should have about 50 full-time teachers, Calvin Simmons principal Barry Flowers sakl. Ten more teachers are needed to fill his roster, he said, but teachers say they need even more. The district has funds to hire seven teachers fin the school officials said. Flowers, who took over the school In The teacher shortage has caused UC: Berkeley created more jobs Words: Bush seemingly has outgrown his gaffes Continued from LOCAL-1 has been President George W. Bustoshe said The man has become articulate.

For the first nine months of hto presidency, hto gaffes and misstatements sustained the gag writers on Saturday Night Live," she said. Not any more. She Republican Sen. John Warner was no doubt excessive when' he sakl the president's Sept 20 speech to Congress "may be the greatest speech ever given by an American president." But It certainty was the oeatest speech of President Bushs life and established him as a major 'war' president," she fain Lakoff. anwiiftt she has watched Bush closely since that speech, looking for a relapse to lihflM, himhling patfwn It realty hasn't happened, she said He sometimes has a little trouble when he hasn't had time for preparation, she sakl.

But there has been no return to the old Bush. Lakoff studied linguistics under Noam Chomsky, the ground-breaking, radical MIT Engutat who believes that language to a window into the mind. She went on to apply lln- Ccs to feminism, showing men and women use language differently and how Ian- guage perpetuated sexism. In her new. book, she sug- gests the Oakland School board acted correctly when tt recognized African-American ebonies as a dialect of English.

It to a true dialect with Its own grammar just as standard American English to a dialect, she told the Commonwealth Club audience during her speech Wednesday. She advised Americana to be-. come "good language consumers. That to, we should be waxy of hyped speech and look beyond the words to the reality. The war of words since Sept, 11 may have been unavoidable because of our anger and frustration, but terms like we will hunt them down, smoke them out of theta- holen, does nothing to examine the causes of the situation, she said.

There to no way to ever excuse the horrible acts of Sept II, Lakoff. said. But nevertheless, we have an obligation to understand why it happened, and engaging in threatening speech does nothing to further understanding, she said. rant, who married French cooking with fresh. Ingredients gown locally to create what became known as California cuisine, to also a UC Berkeley gaduate.

So are the founders of Pow-erbar, the leading energy bar company based In downtown Students also contribute to tbe East Bays economy, the study says. In 1998-99, 6,628 students lived on campus; more lived off campus tar Berkeley; 6,3743 lived in other' East Bay communities; and lived elsewhere In the Bay Area. Collectively, these 31,011 students spent 8270.849 that yea r. an average of $8,734 per student. A copy qf the Sedway Group report can be found on the Web at: http:www.ber-ketey.edueconhnpactecoie-.

impact-pdf. child molester with one of the girls br hto car. parked near a Santa Rosa elementary. acbooL During Thursdays court hearing Hcnagian apologized for the molestations, lire mother of one of the glrto said her daughter was no longer allowed to use the family computer. Henaghan to also under Investigation for similar crimes to Napa and Santa Clara counties, authorities laid.

exists a formidable economic engne. Without all this talent and creativity, the Bay Area would be a dramatically different place, said Amy Herman, managing director of Sedway Group of San Francisco, which conducted the study. UC Berkeley graduates tend to stay around and a fair number have founded companies that have become nationally famous, said Michael Grtaso, the studyVauthor. is well-known that UC Berkeley scientists helped create two Iambus biotech companies, Chiron and Oetus, and die higty-tech Intel Sun Microsystems mid inktnmi, the Internet Technology and biotech are not the only areas where UC Berkeley students execL Alice Waters, founder of Berkeleys Chez Panisse restau-. sentence for Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Elliott Damn said Henagian will be sentenced within 90 days.

Henagum's sentence ranges from probation to up to 10 years eight months tar state prison. Henaghan met the girls on America Online, using instant messagng and then arranged to meet tfiem br Santo Rosa, where he molested them to hto car. Police captured Henaghan Continued from LOCAL-1 cession. But this repot shows that whatever the climate, UC Berkeley to a major contributor to the vitality of the. Bay Area economy and In the quality of hie we enjoy here," he said.

Berkeley compared favorably to three other leading research Institutions Harvard, Columbia and Johns Hopkins the study says. Although all three spent significantly more, UC Berkeley created more Jobs than either Harvard or Columbia. Johns Hopkins, a major medical research institution, had the most employees 38.259. The study points out that UC Berkeley to not alone tar the Bay Area and that, combined with Stanford, UC San Francisco, the Lawrence Livermore and Berkeley National Laboratories and the state universities, there Possible long FROM Wl RETORTS An Alameda man who molested two girls he met over the Internet must undergo a prison diagnostic exam before. befog sentenced, a Santa Rosa Judge ruled Thursday Brian Henaghan.

21, of Ala-, meda, remains in custody following hto November guilty plea to two counts of felony child molestation of two Santa Rosa girls, ages 12 and 14. Please recycle this newspaper after reading.