Airport critic has no legitimate gripe

Poor Lisa Lechnir (Letters, July 8). She is more confused than Mike Hawkins. Naive, too, if she believed what a Realtor told her about Oceanside airport activities.

Why on earth would anyone believe what a Realtor says about an airport if they're concerned about flight activities? Lisa should have visited the airport herself and at least looked if not spoken with the airport manager. I doubt she did either, but now she wants to close the airport.

I think she can complain about her Realtor, but that's her only legitimate gripe.

Before I bought my home near Carlsbad airport, I checked the flight pattern. It didn't stop me from asking the Realtor about it when a small plane few over as we were standing on the lot. I said, "Oh, do airplanes fly over here much?" She replied "Oh no. The airport is miles away and the planes rarely fly over here." When I pointed out that we were standing directly under the approach path that every aircraft flies when coming from Orange County she quickly changed the subject.

Poor Lisa Lechnir. She believed a Realtor.

PHIL GRICE

Carlsbad

Airport is not important

I take issue with the misinformation presented in the North County Times Community Forum of July 10 from the Oceanside Airport Association.

It is impossible to comment adequately in only 200 words on statements made by Mr. Alan Cruise, but here's some real facts.

The airport is not important. Helicopters can land on roofs of only a few hundred square feet. There are thousands of square feet of unused areas at the east end of the airport that could easily accommodate all the helicopters the fire department and Mercy Air would ever need in an emergency. It's time to put this continuing rhetoric to bed. Runways are not required.

Mr. Cruise insists the price of homes has increased. The airport was to remain small. Can he say what will happen with expansion to 250 planes? The reference to $240,000 homes of five years ago now worth $400,000 is a distortion and reflects newly built homes for sale. For the record, a 60 percent increase is not $400,000.

The real facts on other items such as schools, income to the general fund, hangar and tie-down rentals must wait until later.

ROBERT E. GAGNON

Oceanside

Asphalt plant defeated by NIMBYism

I was appalled and disgusted by the Escondido Planning Commission's recent decision to not approve Vulcan Material's proposed asphalt plant.

Never mind that the city of Escondido sent out an RFP (request for proposals) for the express purpose of acquiring a much-needed asphalt plant, never mind that the zoning is exactly perfect for that use, never mind that the city has historically had an asphalt plant in that area, and never mind that the plant would generate substantial sums of money into the city coffers in perpetuity. The arrogance of the committee in turning up its nose at the idea of actually generating revenue was astonishing.

Even more disgusting was the unvarnished NIMBYism of the local citizenry.

It probably escapes them that many of our fellow citizens depend on construction to feed their families, many of whom live right here in Escondido. One commissioner was concerned that residents of some as yet unbuilt condominiums might be actually able to see the plant. Never mind that the condos don't yet exist and that those residents don't actually live here yet. Tip to said commissioner: All asphalt plants are visible; the invisible ones are still in development.

Don't use logic or common sense - just never mind.

MARK S. MILLER

Escondido

Build the Sprinter and they will use it

The dictionary defines NIMBY as: One who objects to the establishment in one's neighborhood of projects, such as incinerators, prisons or homeless shelters that are believed to be dangerous, unsightly or otherwise undesirable. An example is David Melman's July 5 letter.

His attack on the supporters of the Sprinter had all the familiarities of Clintonism: Attack, deny, ignore. He and his Walnut Hills neighbor, Lee Thibadeau, who should excuse himself from voting on anything related to the Sprinter, are even trying to use a misinterpreted piece of legislation, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to try to stop the construction of the Sprinter. Build the Sprinter and people will use it. Talk to anyone who is packed on the Coaster or Metro rail commuter lines. It's all about alternative means of transportation.

Commuters will use the Sprinter to connect with the above commuter rail systems at Oceanside, and eventually, there is the opportunity for a Sprinter connection with the Bullet train in Escondido. David needs to get past the me, me, me and the I, I, I. The majority has spoken. If needed, I can get Melman the names of some local Realtors. I am sure he will make a killing on his Walnut Hills property, judging from his response to my letter, which seems to be the real "core driver" in his letter.

CHRIS JOHNSON

San Marcos

Looking for justice

I want to be able to speak my mind in public without fear of intimidation, investigation, incarceration. I want an equal and generous amount of public money to be spent on every school-aged child's public education.

I want every eligible citizen to be able to vote and to have that vote honestly counted. I want the press to put the public interest first. I want all public officials to once more become mindful first of the public good and then act accordingly.

I want all elections for public offices to be publicly financed through tax dollars only. I want people with lifestyles, sexual preferences, ethnic backgrounds and religions of all kinds to be treated with respect.

I want high-quality public higher education to be affordable and available to anyone who has the desire to attend.

I want universal comprehensive health-care coverage in this country. I want high-quality, affordable, accessible child day care and elder day care for all who need it.

I want us as a people to combine our best efforts, our considerable treasure and talent, with those of the rest of the world to stamp out war, poverty, slavery, disease, ignorance, intolerance and abuse of other human beings and the natural world.

I know I'm not alone.

MARIJO VAN DYKE

Poway

Experience the pride parade

for yourself

On July 26, I'll again march in the annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade in San Diego. And I'll have lots of company. Predictions are that the total number of GLBT people and their supporters, either marching or on the sidelines, will again go over 100.000. This is because, every day, more open-minded citizens realize that homosexuality is just another natural and normal human variant, like left-handedness.

The Supreme Court has recently affirmed what we parents and friends of gays knew all along - that gay people are not to be considered as second-class citizens. In this day and age, with all the good scientifically authoritative information available, it boggles the mind to still see die-hards clinging to myths and their resulting prejudices. They still insist on keeping a significant fraction of society in the back of the bus, so to speak.

Come, march with us, or at least watch from the sidelines, for a most enlightening, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Years from now, when this civil rights milestone is successfully completed, you and I can tell our grandchildren that we did not drag our feet on this social justice issue but supported it.

ROCKY VELGOS

Vista

To Bush, war was a mandate from God

According to Haaretz newspaper (June 24), Bush told the leaders of Palestine and Israel that "God told me to strike at al-Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problems of the Middle East."

Now, as a U.S. citizen, I ascribe to the belief that our actions should be based on high moral principles. However, it terrifies me to think that the president of the most powerful nation in the world makes major life-and-death decisions on the basis of a direct communication link with God. Perhaps he has deluded himself into thinking that he is the Second Coming of Christ.

To our born-again Christian leader, all of his lies to the people of the United States and to the United Nations concerning the weapons of mass destruction were irrelevant, because winning the war justified the morality of waging it. They fell in the category of noble lies, since Dubya's war on Iraq was a mandate from God. To Cheney and the rest of the fanatics and crooks in his administration, however, it was a mandate from Halliburton.

SORAB K. GHANDHI

Escondido

The buck stops there

President George W. Bush is taking a page from the book of President Harry S. Truman - "The buck stops here." But George W. is augmenting it with one little letter, "t": "The buck stops there."

MORRY SHECHET

Oceanside

Land ownership comes with responsibility

Greg Minor says that real estate investment is the American dream (Letters, July 9). I always thought that having a place of your own was the American dream. Minor says it takes discipline, patience and fortitude to speculate in real estate. Funny, I didn't see the word "greed" mentioned, but it's clear to me and to many disciplined, patient, mortgage-paying citizens that greed is what distinguishes this class of investor from those of us with IRAs and 401(k)s.

I respect someone who buys a piece of property to build a house upon, if he occupies the home and becomes part of the community. It's the ones who destroy communities for private financial gain I'm not crazy about.

What property-rights nuts don't understand is that investing in land isn't like investing in precious metals or pork bellies. Landownership, especially in California, comes with responsibility to others whose lives are affected by the disposition of that land.

To protect quality of life for thousands of San Diegans and to protect what's left of the open space Minor says he misses, voters should approve the Rural Lands Initiative (formerly the Clean Water and Forest Initiative) for the March 2004 ballot. Or all join Mr. Minor in a chorus of "We Love L.A."

DOUG BELL

Rancho Penasquitos

Mean-spirited letters promote hate

Why would the North County Times allow itself to be used to spread tasteless, inflammatory remarks about a large segment of the community that it serves (Gary Walker, Letters, June 30)? Certainly, editors must know that they are condoning and perpetuating divisiveness and hatred among residents of their readership area.

In a nation and community aiming to promote unity, I wonder why NCT continues giving alarmist, mean-spirited and most likely racist ranting letters the light of day. NCT is, by virtue of its position and product, a leader in this community. How does printing hateful, humiliating remarks help advance community relations? Anybody can sow distrust and divisiveness. True leadership is about bringing people together and focusing on our commonalities in order to accomplish what is best for the greater good of all.

Yes, Gary Walker and his kind have the legal right to believe and say what they want as spelled out in the First Amendment. However, they do not have the legal right to have it published; that is a decision made knowingly, or otherwise, by NCT. So why choose to print letters that serve no obvious purpose other than to attack a specific ethnic group simply because of differences? When is an institution such as NCT held accountable for what it promotes?

MARSHELA SALGADO

Escondido

O'side needs a directory of local businesses

An idea that might help keep local consumers shopping in Oceanside and therefore their tax dollars here would be some kind of easily accessible directory of local business. On about a quarterly basis, the Oceanside Magazine is published and would seem to be the ideal first step in this concept.

A free simple listing in the last couple of pages of the magazine would provide an easily accessible resource for the citizens of Oceanside to discover local business in their area that they might have never noticed in the past.

This would not only benefit the local tax base, but also the local small businesses. Simply put, should you need a service of some sort, be it going out to dinner or home improvement, and you want to use a local Oceanside business for it, you should be able to either pop up the Oceanside Web site or look in the back page listing of the Oceanside Magazine for a complete local business listing.

STEPHAN GRAHAM

Oceanside

K-8 school is the most family-friendly

Linda Johnson (Letters, July 6) and other parents who are concerned about sending their children to a K-8 school should visit the Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts. VAPA is a successful K-8 school that provides a positive atmosphere for both the middle-school students and the younger children.

Three of my children are VAPA graduates. They have commented that they were surprised when they got to high school and compared experiences with their friends from traditional middle schools. They hadn't realized how sheltered they had been in the K-8 environment. VAPA has none of the teasing, drugs, smoking or any of the other things Linda Johnson is worried about. The older children enjoy tutoring the younger ones, being involved in their classrooms and being their role models. The little ones look up to the middle school kids and learn from them.

The K-8 program is the most family-friendly arrangement available.

Siblings stay in the same school until they enter high school. No parent has to juggle calendars and schedules with one child in elementary school, one in middle school and one in high school. A well-run K-8 school provides a positive experience for both elementary and middle school students and is an option parents should welcome.

CINDY TYLER

Vista

District doesn't yet need new schools in Menifee

We would like to take this opportunity to express our concerns and disgust with the Menifee Union School District. The district opened a new elementary school earlier this month that is located outside our neighborhood. Our son, the only one from his class in our beautiful neighborhood, is being singled out and moved to this institution. We have tried to express our concerns of uprooting our son from the learning environment that he has grown accustomed to, but our actions have fallen upon deaf ears.

The school district is trying to fill a school with children to justify their gross and premature spending of funds for a school that isn't needed right at this present time. We have been told that our son was randomly taken out of the school by a dividing boundary of Newport Road. We can hear the school's horn blow from our house of the existing school, but not have to worry as our son will travel outside of the neighborhood to further his education.

We are in favor of building learning institutions to assist our area growth, but we think as parents who have supported the old school that our child shouldn't be a number to try and justify their gross, premature spending of money on the potential growth in the area that has yet to happen.

Eileen and Mark Ramer Menifee

Change law to protect burial grounds

After reading with growing concern about Pechanga's struggle to preserve the holy burial grounds of their ancestors against the progress of development, I feel I must speak out. I cannot undo what was done to our own American Indian people more than 125 years ago when they were forcefully moved from their ancestral lands, but I must not remain silent today.

When the Spanish missionaries introduced Christianity to the Luiseno Indians in Temecula 200 years ago, they taught the importance of Christian burial as opposed to past practices of burning the dead. How ironic that today an ancient burial ground along Highway 79 South is being given about as much respect as a city dump? Would I want the bones of my great-grandmother dug up and bulldozed under while my children stood helpless, watching?

Since 15 bodies have been uncovered so far, it is clear this is a cemetery. Pechanga should have the right to examine this property further and recover any bodies or artifacts. To leave responsibility for reburial to a developer is an outrage. The law that permits this must be changed. We cannot undo past wrongs, but we can try to do the right thing today.

Pam Grender

Temecula

Vote yes on assessment for added protection

Would you pay $8.05 a month -- the price of a meal at McDonald's -- to add protection for your family? The County Service Area 152D gives us more firefighters/added paramedics, and deputies that will be assigned to Wildomar and the plateau communities. They will get to know our communities, working hand in hand.

The very same group of people, who wanted to convince the Local Agency Formation Commission that they want to be annexed to Murrieta because they want better services, do not want you to support this measure. Get the picture?

The plans for the CSA 152D were planned before they were on the scene and it seems to bother them that we work as a community to address our own concerns.

The reason it bothers them is no secret to all our residents who want to keep Wildomar independent.

We are growing in population and this is a proactive means to care for our community. This has been the nature of the people who live and love Wildomar.

With hard work and a lot of volunteers, we addressed the need for flood control, stop signs, lights and other issues. Don't let a few people who don't want to be part of this community tell you to vote no. Please vote yes on CSA 152D. Save lives and be proactive.

Gerry Stevenson

Wildomar