SOMALI DIASPORA
A familiar situation for many Minnesotans
One hundred years ago, my grandfathers walked across Europe to various ports, leaving our families in czarist Russia, with its terrible persecution of Jewish communities, to plant roots in the imperfect freedom of America.
They labored long hours in sweatshops in New York City, and pinched pennies to support and rescue our families from the horrors of Russia.
My grandmothers and their children endured persecutions, World War I, famine, the Bolshevik Revolution, the 1918 flu, and the trek across Europe to the bowels of a steamship. There was minimal communication in the seven to 11 years of separation.
Our Somali-American neighbors are living the same immigrant story, with the horrors endured by loved ones left behind. The same family values drive them to support parents and extended families in war-ravaged Somalia.
Tragically, the last remaining bank that facilitated funds transfers to Somalia has succumbed to fear of prosecution under current Homeland Security and banking laws, closing this life-saving pipeline to refugees and displaced persons.
We must urge our banks and regulatory agencies, via our elected officials, to create a safe means for Somali-Americans to support their relatives. This is a moral issue and, surprisingly, a means to project a positive image of America in East Africa.
MICHAEL HINDIN, ST. LOUIS PARK
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My heart goes out to my fellow Minnesotans who suddenly find themselves unable to wire money to desperate relatives in Somalia ("Somalis face 'a hopeless situation,' " Jan. 9). I hope a work-around solution can be found fast.
It's disappointing, though, to read that some in that community blame the banks and others the U.S. government and the regulations. This is akin to blaming the Transportation Security Administration explosives screener for a missed flight.
To identify correctly all the culprits in these unfortunate events, you have to remember why the screener -- and those banking regulations -- are there in the first place.
BRAD JOHNSON, ST. PAUL
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HOCKEY INJURIES
We've long had data showing the risks
I actually spit out my coffee Friday morning as I read "Use data to make hockey a safer sport," the Jan. 6 editorial. The data on youth hockey and injuries date back at least 45 years.
Locally, Susan Goodwin Gerberich of the University of Minnesota started researching the topic in 1982 after three teenage players suffered fractured necks in the metro area.
In 1992, Janny Dwyer Brust, a Richfield hockey mom and public health leader, and Dr. Bill Roberts, past president of the American College of Sport Medicine, published research showing that illegal checks and violations were associated with 66 percent of injuries during youth games, but that only four penalties (14 percent) were assessed.
It also found that kids felt it was OK to hurt someone in order to win. While the research received attention and some hockey leaders were interested in making change, there were just as many who were opposed.
I'm not saying Jack Jablonski's horrible injury could have been prevented. In fact, Roberts said that Jack's injury appears more accidental than others he's reviewed over the years.
It's a reminder, he added, of the risks of playing the game and the catastrophic consequences of injuries that occur in a heartbeat.
The unfortunate reality of these injuries that don't happen often is that very few of us can remember the name of the last Minnesota player who broke his neck. The shock dissipates too fast for all but the close circle of family and friends.
Brust's reaction? "I'm just sick about it. Gathering information about injuries is important, but much more is needed. There are reams of research detailing how the sport could be safer."
We've had the data for 45 years. When do we get the will to make hard changes?
EILEEN SMITH, ST. LOUIS PARK
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VIKINGS STADIUM
If it's the Dome site, here are the concerns
It's no surprise that the stadium talk has come full circle and that we're back to the Metrodome site. It was never going to be built anywhere else, so let us now focus on what matters involving this site.
A forgone conclusion is that the University of Minnesota will agree to host the Vikings for four years during construction. Is there an agreement between the parties involved?
How much will it cost to adapt TCF Bank Stadium for four years of Viking games? How much of that cost will taxpayers bear? How will the team manage the loss of revenues during this time?
(They will be substantial. Anyone who thinks you can have alcohol-free Vikings games has never been to one. We are talking four years of playing in a venue not designed for pro sports.)
The Metrodome site is completely dependent on these and other questions. Perhaps the Vikings can go on a four-year sabbatical. When they return, perhaps they can field a team worthy of a billion-dollar home.
MICHAEL MUMMAH, BROOKLYN PARK
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CORRECTION
A column by Glenn Garvin of the Miami Herald, published Dec. 27 in the Star Tribune, stated that the National Science Foundation "funded a study on Jell-O wrestling at the South Pole." That is incorrect. The event took place during off-duty hours without NSF permission and did not involve taxpayer funds.
