me with your thoughts. Or go to http://www.slywy.com.The following are letters I wrote to the Chicago Tribune over the years that found their way into print (virtually all of them). Now if only some of my essays and stories would. ;)
Date: Wednesday, December 16, 1998
Source: Diane L. Schirf.
Section: COMMENTARY
Column: Voice of the people (letter.)
Dateline: CHICAGO
Copyright CHICAGO TRIBUNE
Trees cleanse our air and return oxygen to us. In spring, they come alive, blooming with buds, sometimes flowers, and finally leaves. In autumn, they shower us with the beauty of reds, golds, oranges, yellows. Even in mid-winter, their bark and hollows provide food and shelter for everything from insects to deer.
A tree can be a comfort, always there, always lovely.
Not in Chicago.
Many Chicagoans apparently see one thing and one thing only when they see a tree: A bulletin board. In the flesh of each of the venerable trees outside my building reside 30 or more thumbtacks. Moving sales, lost pets, housecleaning services—all are an excuse to find another use for the tree.
Climb a tree; water a tree; write an ode to a tree. Do not stab a tree and walk away.
A few days after this letter appeared in the Chicago Tribune, I received the response below from Chicago's Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation. If Mayor Richard M. Daley commends my action, will I vote for him next election? Hmmm . . . I'm so glad I'm not so jaded that I would think that . . .
December 16, 1998
Dear Ms. Schirf:
I saw your letter to the editor in today's Chicago Tribune concerning the use of trees as bulletin boards.
As the municipal agency that plants and trims Chicago's parkway trees, the Department of Streets and Sanitation is very aggressive in enforcing the city ordinance against posting signs on them.
Mayor Richard M. Daley several years ago toughened the law against such signs, allowing us to issue tickets against anyone who benefits from these illegal postings. Previously, it had been necessary to actually catch the person who put up the sign, which was nearly impossible.
Although we also enforce a similar law against signs on light poles, our most urgent concern is signs on trees that are nailed or tacked into the bark since this causes actual damage to the tree's protective covering.
If you ever again see a sign posted on a parkway tree, I urge you to call my office at (312) 744-4611. I will have an inspector sent out to investigate and, if appropriate, write a ticket.
In the meantime, both Mayor Daley and I commend your strong defense of the benefits trees bring to our urban environment. You have our best wishes.
Sincerely,
Eileen J. Carey
Date: Friday, November 7, 1997
Source: Diane L. Schirf.
Section: COMMENTARY
Column: Voice of the people (letter.)
Dateline: CHICAGO
Copyright CHICAGO TRIBUNE
I did not follow the so-called "nanny" trial that closely, although from the summaries I've read I do think that the evidence and testimony presented were inconclusive and that there was some reasonable doubt.
That aside, I question the judgment and common sense of the parents. Why did they choose an inexperienced 17-year-old to care for an infant full time? For full-time day care, especially for a baby, I would think parents would want a more mature, experienced person—not a 17-year-old who may not recognize signs of distress in a baby or know how to handle emergencies or other situations and who probably has not at least gone through parenting courses, as most first-time parents do.
I simply would not entrust a baby, who has so many needs, to the care of someone who may not be able to take care of those needs. Yet I suspect this situation is not uncommon. Unfortunately.
Date: Monday, March 13, 1995
Source: Diane L. Schirf, (University of Chicago alumna).
Section: PERSPECTIVE
Column: Voice of the people (letter).
Dateline: CHICAGO
Copyright Chicago Tribune
In response to Su Kwan of the University of Chicago, who was disappointed that so many service organizations turned down U. of C. students who offered themselves as volunteers:
I've worked as a volunteer for several organizations during the past 15 years. In each case, members of the staff interviewed me, just as if I were applying for a paid position. After I was accepted as a volunteer (in training), I was required to attend several weeks of classes—60 hours total in one case; 20 in another. Now that I've passed muster and am actually performing volunteer services, I still must attend continuing education sessions, as I must for my "real" job.
Like any job, volunteer positions are specialized. Even if you are a bright, enthusiastic U. of C. student, most likely you will not be able to "hit the ground running" in a volunteer capacity any more than you could in your first paying job as a professional. Service organizations also require long-term commitment on your part—sometimes one to two years, or even more. After all, the organization has invested a lot of time and effort in you.
So please don't knock service organizations for turning down your kindly intended if misguided offer. If you really are interested in becoming dedicated volunteers, go for the interview and attend the training. Then you may appreciate just how much service organizations and the people they serve value their highly trained volunteers and the services they provide.
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 1994
Source: Diane L. Schirf.
Section: PERSPECTIVE
Column: Voice of the people (letter).
Dateline: CHICAGO
Copyright Chicago Tribune
In the ongoing debate about riverboat casino gambling, one key point has been ignored by both supporters and opponents. The real issue is not the morality of gambling; it is not organized crime. It is the value of the product of this industry.
Manufacturing produces items people believe they need, just as the service industry provides services that people require. Aside from redistribution of wealth, I cannot think of one positive product of gambling.
To save the city from sliding further into the economic and social abyss, the mayor and his administration should be pursuing businesses that require all levels of skill and provide goods and services of enduring value. Do we want Chicago remembered for its cultural icons, its vibrant artistic and intellectual life, its ethnic diversity and its many invaluable industries and services? Or do we want it memorialized as another place where people came to lose money?
GRAPHIC: Richard Milholland.
Date: Friday, April 15, 1994
Source: Diane L. Schirf.
Section: PERSPECTIVE
Column: Voice of the people (letter).
Dateline: CHICAGO
Copyright Chicago Tribune
Why don't all these people writing to the Tribune to complain about the garbage littering Chicago's parks join Friends of the Parks and other organizations that help to clean the parks?
They could also try to educate those they see littering about the ugliness of this bad habit. Someday, if people would only act in a responsible manner, there would be no need for a huge work force to keep the parks and the city clean. After all, people are the source of all this trash.
Date: Saturday, February 12, 1994
Source: Diane L. Schirf.
Section: PERSPECTIVE
Column: Voice of the people (letter).
Dateline: CHICAGO
Copyright Chicago Tribune
The economy of Altoona, a city of about 50,000 located in south central Pennsylvania, was for many years based on the railroad industry and subsequently declined with the increase in trucking and consequent decrease in rail freight. In spite of the poor economy and erosion of the tax base, the Altoona Area Public Library is open weeknights until 9 p.m.
In addition, in contrast with the Harold Washington Library, books on the natural sciences are available for borrowing and are not just for reference. Is there any reason why the library system of the third largest city in the nation cannot be operated on the same level as Altoona's?
Date: Thursday, April 1, 1993
Source: Diane L. Schirf.
Section: PERSPECTIVE
Column: Voice of the people (letter).
Dateline: CHICAGO
Copyright Chicago Tribune
Now I know what it is that angers me about parents such as letter-writer Mark Vassmer (Voice, March 11). While claiming that the ACLU "does not trust the people to govern themselves," he would take away that very right by denying all schoolchildren access to books that do not meet his personal standards for his own children. If you do not want your children to read Judy Blume (or "Tom Sawyer" or "Catcher in the Rye" or any of the other popular books to ban), that is your right.
But I would want my children to have access to them so they can develop into open-minded, analytical, well-read individuals. Removing books from schools and libraries is not the answer. Taking the time to discuss books and the ideas presented in them with your children is.
In spite of (or maybe because of) the fact that I had access to and was allowed to read any number of "controversial" books, I believe I have grown into a moral, rational adult. I wonder if the same can be said of those who would dictate their beliefs to the rest of us.
Date: Monday, March 27, 1989
Source: Diane L. Schirf.
Section: PERSPECTIVE
Dateline: CHICAGO
Memo: Voice of the people (letter).
Copyright Chicago Tribune
Three times in the past few weeks, The Tribune has had occasion to print the expression "free reign." I am going to assume that you and your readers meant "free rein," which literally means a rider has loosened his hold on the reins of the horse's bridle and given the horse some slack. In another context, it means to allow someone to do what he will with a situation.
The last time I looked, "reign" meant the period of rule of a sovereign leader.
© 2001 by Diane L. Schirf.
me with your thoughts. Or go to http://www.slywy.com.
Updated 30 October 1999.