FYI = "Faces"

[Brian Essi]

Just curious, Do you think that it is possible that one side is right and another is wrong?

Nope. I think both sides are shades of gray. Just my humble opinion but I do not think there is a "right" or "wrong" in this issue.

Of course, there is a hierarchy issues, not just one issue.

So there is no black, no white, just grey?

No facts, no fiction, no truth and no lies, just opinions?

So how does one come to a decision with that approach?

[Matthew Lee]

Just curious, Do you think that it is possible that one side is right and another is wrong?

Nope. I think both sides are shades of gray. Just my humble opinion but I do not think there is a "right" or "wrong" in this issue.

Of course, there is a hierarchy issues, not just one issue.

So there is no black, no white, just grey?

No facts, no fiction, no truth and no lies, just opinions?

So how does one come to a decision with that approach?

Wish I knew the answer. Both sides of the hospital debate seem so certain of fact that it is hard to tell what is real and what is not. But, to answer your other question, I think that both sides have way to many opinions trying to pass as facts.

This reminds me of the scene from "Inside Out" where the boxes of "Facts" and "Opinions" get spilled and everything gets mixed together. Joy, the character, then says "Oh, facts and opinions. Who can tell them apart?".

[Brian Essi]

I am very curious about your specific views though. It seems you really don't have any firm stance.

Who do you like for Mayor, and why?

What Ward are you in, and do you like and why?

Who do you see on Council that is admirable and a leader?

[Matthew Lee]

I am very curious about your specific views though. It seems you really don't have any firm stance.

Correct. I don't. I want what is best for Lakewood and not certain what that is because neither side of BL and SLH is really making much sense.

Who do you like for Mayor, and why?

I wish that Kucinich would run for mayor but that won't happen.

What Ward are you in, and do you like and why?

Ward 1. Good for now. Definitely upset about the McDonald's but ok with everything else.[/quote]

Who do you see on Council that is admirable and a leader?

Nobody. Not a dismissal of anyone but just have not been to enough meetings to know.

[Michael Deneen]

I wish that Kucinich would run for mayor but that won't happen.

If Kucinich were Mayor, do you think he would support the hospital closure plan?

[Matthew Lee]

No idea at all. Maybe. Maybe not.

[Brian Essi]

What Ward are you in, and do you like and why?

Ward 1. Good for now. Definitely upset about the McDonald's but ok with everything else.

We have found agreement something then.

May I suggest you consider some oldies but goodies:

"history in about choosing sides"

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

[Gary Rice]

So much of our society seems to be based on the win-lose mentality.

How much have we been conditioned to think of win-lose-only as being the best, or only solution?

I think of the old Quaker expression, that there are three sides to an argument:

Thine, mine, and Truth.

Let's hear it for negotiated compromise.

Of course, having the Browns and Steelers sit down at a table on the 50 yard line to discuss a win-win compromise for their ball game might seem to be a bit extreme for some people.

In the same vein, it would be very hard to imagine a compromise in the hospital discussion. Either there will still be a hospital at Detroit and Belle, or there will not be one. Sometimes, answers are hard to come by, but we still have to try to look for them.

Back to the banjo...

[Brian Essi]

Gary,

I love your stuff, but in this case, there a small problem.

A "negotiated compromise" requires all parties to be at the table.

Currently, one side is not represented at the table.

That's why there is a lawsuit, a charter amendment and an election that are designed t force the other sides to include the excluded side.

[Jim Kenny]

Alex, I learned that you have taken offense to my appearance in the campaign Build Lakewood and I knew I needed to respond immediately.

First, please allow me to echo some comments in this thread by saying how humbled I am by your contributions to the fabric of Lakewood in the short time you’ve lived here. My son is a senior on the varsity football team. I’ve watched many of his teammates for the last six years. My heart melts seeing your portrayal of their senior season. Thank you for honoring them and all of us with your artwork.

Bearing witness to your work across town makes me wish that you had moved here sooner. A sooner arrival would have also helped you to realize that the concept of telling a story, any story of a larger group through a pictorial is convention our region, not just Lakewood, has embraced for some time. Cleveland Magazine does a great job of this. I was first introduced to it when the publication started an annual campaign in 2011 called the Faces of Care. It and other comparable campaigns still operate today, which only confirms that the format is an effective way to help others understand humanity.

Again, I’m delighted that you chose to be part of Lakewood. Of all the places in the U.S. that you could have chosen for this chapter of your life, I am honored and humbled that you are a vital part of Lakewood.

Thank you.

[Alex Belisle]

No offense taken Jim and if I implied that, I apologize. My primary concern was that someone (not you) took a positive idea and used it for political gain.

When I see your son on the field I'll give him a big shout-out and maybe some extra photographic attention. Feel free to email me his # and position so that I can more easily pick him out.

Lastly, I want to thank you for your kind words. Lakewood has an abundance of fine, caring, thouthful people who I've had the luck and pleasure of interacting with through my camera. I plan to "catch the light in Lakewood" until I die.

[Gary Rice]

Well said Alex.

As a person having childhood so-called "disabilities", I saw and experienced many injustices, and went through many conflictual experiences over the years in order to assert my rights as a human being to any number of fundamental issues that others take for granted. All of that cumulated in my becoming a Special Education instructor, so that I could help others who were going through the same sort of trials that I did.

Conflicts and trials are sometimes necessary in life. The 1960's, for anyone who is old enough, (and can!) remember, was a time of a sea change in values, human rights, and indeed, conflict.

One fellow that I met during the time that I was giving my attention to the guitars at the Rock Hall was Woody Guthrie's son, Arlo. We had some discussions over his dad's mandolin that I rebuilt. Arlo had arrived at a great perspective on conflict. He discovered that he oftentimes had more in common with the caring passionate people on BOTH sides of an issue, than the many people who simply sit on the sidelines of life.

Not long ago, Arlo came up with a GREAT song "When a Soldier Makes It Home" in support of America's veterans.

You have to roll up your sleeves and get involved in life and stand up for what you believe to be right. You also have to respect and not villianize someone else who may be on the opposite side. They CARE as much as you do, and that's the key here. God willing, when the conflict is over, you and that other caring person may well work together on a cause that you both support.

With the "handicapped" card I was dealt, I could have been a very bitter lonely person in life, but having great parental and community support, I turned those "handicaps" into assets and discovered and affiliated with other caring individuals, and that has made all the difference in my life.

Here on the 'Deck for example, my deformed legs, speech impediment, and hearing loss matter not at all.

By all means, speak up, speak out, and do so with conviction AND compassion. Just understand, as Arlo pointed out, that you may have more in common with your opponent that you realize.

Back to the banjo...