Letters to the Editor 5-2-13

D.C. Trip
Editor: Each weekday, my class and I wake up, attend school, and return home later, after learning and reading about history, science and math, among other subjects. Each day we learn more and more, building on what we learned in previous classes, on previous days, in previous years. We learn and expand our knowledge, we think about what is important, and what is valuable to know. This April I learned in a different way than usual: I travelled to Washington, D.C., on my school’s annual eighth-grade trip. The foundations of our county are of great importance, and seeing the historical monuments, buildings, and documents was fascinating way to learn more about my country.
Over eight days, we saw many of our nation’s important sites and places in D.C. and Virginia, including the White House, the Supreme Court, the Capital Building, and the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The first memorial we saw, on the night we arrived, was the Iwo Jima Memorial. My first impression at this memorial, as well as at others, was that it was larger than I’d thought, having never seen it in person. The image of the memorial was moving: it reminded me of bravery and our freedom, and those willing to fight for it. This I could not have felt without seeing the monument, and I am so glad that I now have.
We also saw the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery, at the latter of which I saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Changing of the Guard. The tomb was very sad, to think of someone dying and remaining unknown, though also interesting, in seeing the guard change. Four members of my class participated in the Wreath Ceremony there.
My favorite places that we visited on our trip were Mount Vernon and the Library of Congress. Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, was beautiful and I enjoyed learning about its history and seeing the land around it and the river it is next to. The Library of Congress was also beautiful, and I found the exhibits of ancient books and maps very interesting. It was great to lean about cultures and the ancient world through the many documents and books kept there.
I learned so much on our Washington, D.C. trip that I could not have, if I had not taken the trip. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to see our capitol, and hope to someday return to see it again.
Danielle Altizio
Windsor Christian Academy
Happy Birthday
Editor: To my amazing, beautiful daughter, mother, sister, aunt, wife, principal,
I want to wish you a very Happy 60th Birthday! We all love you so very much. Since you were born you were always strong and ambitious. You amaze all of us with all you do with your family, friends, teachers and students. We hope you have the most amazing and best birthday ever.
Bobbie Rainone
Windsor
Letting Go Of The Wheel: An American Dilemma
Editor: I grew up through a time when life in America was increasingly adapted to function around the automobile. The village was left behind. No longer were the necessities of life to be found within walking distance. Homes, once built with front porches and separate garages, now had garages built into the front and front porches became back patios. The shared culture of our Great Depression gave way to the insulation of materialistic privacy. Decades of growth, supporting a huge middle class, set us all securely in the driver’s seat of private mobility.
Now, unfortunately, many of those who were instrumental in the creation of this auto-centric American dream are being relegated to the cold netherworld of non-driving. After decades of independence and freedom of mobility, the harsh reality of inadequate alternatives to the comfort and privacy of one’s own automobile can be a devastating experience. Except for the condition that prohibits their driving, many of these individuals are still viable and active older adults who are now cut off from a life that depended on their mobility.
Considering the contributions of these older drivers to the American way of life that so many of us continue to enjoy, I believe we owe it to them to find a more compassionate and dignified transition from driving than is currently available. And, since we also know that the majority of drivers on the road today will outlive their ability to drive, wouldn’t it make sense to prepare the way for all those to come?
Although public transit and ParaTransit can be an important part of individual transportation planning for older adults, along with other, more flexible alternatives; the sudden transition from sheltered privacy to public exposure can be quite traumatic, especially if the cessation from driving involved some physical limitations. I believe we have no less than a moral obligation to provide older drivers (our grandmothers and grandfathers) the means for a dignified, incremental transition from driving.
Ideally, this transition from driving will take place over a period of time, from the first sign of the need to limit or change driving behavior to the decision that the time has come to finally let go of the wheel. In this way one can adapt slowly, recognizing and addressing the risks of continued driving before becoming a threat to self or others. As a matter of fact, for some older Americans this may be a transition from isolating independence to the surprising benefits of inter-dependence.  
Because, as Bill Cosby once pointed out to a group of school children, “we are all growing an old person,” what we do now to enhance the quality of this transition will not only benefit those who are currently retiring from driving, but all those to come as well. Many lives will be saved if we can show that driving cessation is not the end of life, but simply a transition to another stage of life, one that can be as rewarding (if not more so) as any other.
The Sonoma County Area Agency on Aging Transportation and Mobility Committee is facilitating a Transition From Driving Support Group pilot program at the Healdsburg Senior Center on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, 1 to 2:30 pm. Whether you are contemplating this transition, currently going through it, or have done so already; your help is needed in co-creating a Support Group format that can be spread to Senior Centers throughout the county.
Rabon Saip
Santa Rosa