LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (08/04/96)

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Belarusians left off White House list

Dear Editor:

I noted with regret that your article "White House hosts 'Celebration of Ethnic America'" (July 7), while listing participants in the White House event, failed to mention the fact that Americans of Belarusian heritage also participated.

I personally received not only a commemorative photograph with President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore, but also a thank-you letter for "helping make the day a success" from the White House Office of Public Liaison.

We have grown accustomed to the idea, in fact, we expect that Belarus and the Belarusian people will, depending on the situation, be either ridiculed or ignored by our Russian "masters" and their compatriots abroad. However, it is particularly painful when the similar treatment comes from our Ukrainian brothers. We hope that you are not writing us off from the international political map, that this was a single unintentional oversight.

Slava Ukraini! Zyvie Bielarus!

Russell Zavistovich
Fort Washington, Md.

The writer's is president of the Bela-rusian Congress Committee of America.

Editor's note: The account of the "Celebration of Ethnic America" published in The Weekly was provided by the White House. Thus, it was the White House that omitted mention of the Belarusian participants.

Re: transliterating Ukrainian surnames

Dear Editor:

Now that the transliteration of Kyiv has been settled officially (except in the little minds of some Western media types who can't handle the change), the Ukrainian officials responsible for issuing documents to people travelling out of Ukraine need to look at the way in which they transliterate Ukrainian surnames.

It may seem like a minor issue in the great scheme of things, but a Ukrainian travelling to an English-speaking country gets saddled with an "English" name like Rouslan Tscherkass, instead of Ruslan Cherkas, or Yourij Yourashtchouk [Yurashchuk], or Knijnik [Knyzhnyk].

It seems that the folks at the office still think that French is the lingua franca for the world when, de facto, it is English. Possibly the transliteration of a name should be tailored to the language of the country being visited or to which one is emigrating, since the same Ukrainian name would be transliterated differently into English, French or German. Perhaps the names are being transliterated from the Russian still in the old passports floating around. (I was told that it is very expensive for those who already have foreign passports to change them.)

Those of us already on this continent have around our necks the transliterated surnames which tell a history of our grandparents' or parents' fates. The "cz," "tsch" [ch] and "szcz" [shch] and "ou" [u] and the other tongue-twisters for the North American locals are remnants of Austro-Hungarian, Polish, German and other "rulers" of Ukraine. The identity papers tell under which regime a Ukrainian lived and left. Not always is it easy to change the spelling on all those papers. But for people just starting out, the English transliteration of their name should be as simplified as possible.

If Kravchuk, Kuchma, Udovenko and Shcherbak travel the world with their "easy" transliterations, why are others with the same surnames saddled with Krawtschouk, Koutschma, Oudovenko, and Tschcherbak? It's not fair for someone visiting or starting a new life in the U.S. or Canada (possibly the French would be appropriate if the person were to settle in Quebec, but not necessarily) to have another complication added to all the others. Then all the Igors and Olgas may also find their missing "h"s.

Andrij Solczanyk wrote (Letter to the Editor, May 12), that the names are being transliterated from the Russian - as if that were not enough, they are being transliterated into the French, for people coming to North America. This is probably a remnant of the old tsarist Russian tradition of using French.

Maybe all that's necessary is having on hand the Library of Congress transliteration table for Ukrainian.

Orysia Tracz
Winnipeg

My vote goes to Robert Dole

Dear Editor:

Andrew Ripecky's letter (June 30) ignores the facts as most Democrats do.

Democrats have controlled the U.S. Congress for nearly 40 years. That's right Mr. Ripecky, 40 years. As Mr. Ripecky is aware, I hope, it is Congress that passes laws. The president may from time to time propose law changes or additions. But it is the Congress which has the ultimate power to pass laws, presidential veto included.

Now, what has the great Democratic Congress of 40 years given us. Crime at an all-time high. Morals are in the gutter (e. g. Bill Clinton). Public schools are generally in severe decline. Taxes are at an all-time high. Employment is getting worse. Newt Gingrich, and the new Republican Congress have began to take measures to reverse the severe problems mentioned above. What is needed to help complete their noble and difficult task is a Republican president.

Bob Dole has my vote. When Mr. Dole wins the presidential election it will be the first time in nearly 40 years that there will be a Republican president and likely a Republican Congress.

The Republicans support the existing Clean Air and Water Act. They just don't think that billions should be spent on liberal think-tanks or outrageous grants to selected science projects to tell the citizens in 500 different ways that auto exhaust causes dirty air. Mr. Ripecky's standard Democratic rhetoric is just that, rhetoric and cliche without foundation. It sounds more like a fearful acknowledgment that the spending party is over.

As to the environment, Mr. Dole and Mr. Gingrich are two of the strongest supporters of national parks, severe penalties for polluters, and further controls for auto pollutants. What they don't support is an open checkbook for every cause possible. As a taxpayer, I want controls on spending, be they foreign or domestic.

Mr. Ripecky can, if he chooses, give 60 percent or more of his paycheck to whatever cause he wants. But please, stay out of my pocket.

Jerry G. Petryha
Santa Monica, Calif.

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