Letters to the editor

Editor,

Seriously, I wish Linda Slocum Lara (letters in the Sept. 24 edition) would run for mayor of San Mateo so I could vote for her. She writes and works for the best of the city.

Jack Green

San Mateo

Smoking ban went too far

Editor,

First, let me say I am currently a smoker, but would have the following view points whether I smoked or not.

I think the city of Belmont has gone too far to tell people they may not smoke in their own apartments or even their own cars. I do not believe the government has the right to tell people what they can do in the privacy of their own homes. For those who say it is okay only in a private home this seems discriminating to the many people who simply cannot afford a home.

For those stating smoking should be illegal, it could very easily be said so should alcohol consumption, which has caused more disease and accidents yet still it deemed socially acceptable.

I very much respect the rights of many non-smokers and agree about smoking in public places, but we need to respect the rights of Americans to practice their constitutionally given freedoms, even if we do not agree with some of those practices.

Deidre Martin

Daly City

America’s influence

can’t persuade war

Editor,

All actions by people whomever they are and wherever they are in the world create new realities — realities are the foundation of the moment and all future direction emanate from that moment. So I do not understand the fear Carolyn Frake (Letter to the Editor, Sept. 25) attributes to the Bush aide quote.

"We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality — judiciously as you will — we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors ... and you, all of you, will be left to study what we do.”

If her fear is the word "empire,” then I agree, we have a great amount of influence in the world, but as it has been shown, it has little effect in harnessing other countries to participate to any significant degree in our wars. We rarely read about the authorized renditions of the Clinton administration carried out by Secretary of Defense Perry, a Hoover appointment — it was built on their reality. The global economy has enveloped markets in every hemisphere, another reality.

Reality is such, that there is tacit approval by foreign governments who are participating in strategic moves that are conducive to their interests. Otherwise, they could contain us by creating an international hegemony, another reality by history’s actors. You do not have to be an empire to create a reality, just look at sectarian violence and blood feuds.

Jack Kirkpatrick

Redwood City

Let the children play

Editor,

I just saw the front page picture and read the caption of the Sept. 24, 2007, issue of the Daily Journal. Apparently, there is a small group of neighbors and homeowners that live near the Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont that are complaining about the noise from children at the school’s recently remodeled athletic field.

Let’s see, first you can’t smoke in Belmont. There’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. Now, kids can’t play and have fun in Belmont. What is next?

Let me get this straight. A group of neighbors and homeowners are complaining that now that the playing field on the campus of the Norte Dame de Namur University has been remodeled and being used by school age kids, there is too much noise coming from the playing field. So now those same neighbors want to shut down the playing field. Oh, I get it. The homeowners and neighbors can move in and enjoy the benefits of living and owning a home is a nice, quiet, safe city like Belmont. The neighbors can enjoy the benefits of living near the campus of the Notre Dame de Namur University. The neighbors can enjoy the benefits of having their children attend such a prestigious school like Notre Dame de Namur University. The neighbors can enjoy the benefits of a high resale value on their homes and property. But, when the time comes when the local school-age children want to use and enjoy the benefits of the recently remodeled playing field, they can’t. What I don’t get is when each and everyone of those complaining neighbors first bought (or rented) their homes, they knew that there was a playing field on the campus of the University. The complaining neighbors knew that children play on the field and they knew that children do make noise having fun. Now those complaining neighbors want to deny the local school kids the benefits of having fun, good exercise, learning new athletic skills and learning teamwork, not to mention the benefit of breathing smoke-free air.

I hope the Belmont City Council is smart enough to recognize the pre-conditions each member of the group of complaining neighbors considered and agreed with when they first bought or rented their home. The pre-conditions include the fact that the Notre Dame de Namur University was located and built before many of the surrounding houses were built; those neighborhood houses were built within a school zone; those neighborhood houses were built next to or near a school; and, school-aged children use the school facilities, including the remodeled playing field. What’s that saying? Buyer beware.

Michael Oberg

San Mateo

Free press absent

Editor,

Iranian President Ahmadinejad is under the illusion that America has a free press and that the American people will get the "correct information” about Iran through his visit.

After almost six years since 9/11, 27 percent of the Democrats in America think Saddam Hussein had something to do with the 9/11 attack and that Americans actually found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Does this sound like America has a free press to you?

Why is the Iranian president so unwelcomed in the United States? Is it because he has compassion for the Palestinians and contempt for the murderous occupation of Palestine by Israel? And then the audacity of Lee Bollinger, the president of Columbia University, to refer to President Ahmadinejad as a cruel, petty dictator. I don’t see Iran invading any countries causing the death of over a million human beings just to steal their natural resources. Bollinger is not only an embarrassment to the school system, but he also sounds disillusioned and misguided about world affairs.

President Bollinger, learn your history. It was the United States and Britain which overthrew the democratically-elected government in Iran in 1953 which brought in the brutal repression of the Shah of Iran and his corrupt family. It was the United States who gave Saddam Hussein the chemical weapons he used to gas the Iranian soldiers in his war of aggression against Iran. During the Iraq-Iran war, it was the paranoid shoot-from-the-hip US Navy which shot down Iran Air Flight 655, a commercial airliner, killing all 290 passengers on board.

President Bollinger, I think your slights are misdirected.

Frank Scafani

San Bruno