Letters to the editor

Editor,

I read Jon Mays’ column "The ever escalating razor war” in the Dec. 21 edition of the Daily Journal at lunch over a burger at Oasis in Menlo Park. I had to respond to let you know you are missing the answer to the dilemma. Some four or five years ago, I started using an old fashion straight razor and I have not had to buy blades or new models in all that time. Stropping is fun and shaving each morning is an adventure rather than a mundane task. You get a wonderful shave and I have never cut myself in any way (well maybe a nic here and there). So I noted your comments on this method and just had to enlighten you. I don’t know why the straight razor died out — likely the product of advertising and fear. But I was surprised how quickly one gets used to that method and how great the shave is with a good-quality straight razor. There is an investment in the beginning but that will last you a long, long time.

Give it a try. You need to find a good blade and the right size for you, but once you "dial it in” you are good for many years. Well, that’s it, enjoyed your article and always a "Journal” reader.

Thomas Getchell

Menlo Park

Righteous Israelis

Editor,

As the heat, but not as much light, continues on the Israel/Palestine issue, I would like to point to the righteous Israelis and Palestinians who unselfishly continue to seek peace and justice for all concerned, all the while suffering the slings and arrows of their critics. Please google Btselem.org, Combatantsforpeace.org, GushShalom.org, Yesh Gvul.org, IsraeliCommitteeAgainstHouseDemolitions.org, BatShalom.org, Taayush.org, RabbisForHumanRights.org, and in the United States, JewishVoiceForPeace.org and tikkun.org. Hopefully this will help you have a happy holiday season.

Mike Caggiano

San Mateo

Israel and her zealous American supporters

Editor,

I was disturbed by two letters that ran in the Dec. 19 edition of the Daily Journal. Disturbed because they seem to typify an ominous pattern that I have detected of late. I’ll start with the easier one first.

Phil Smaller responds to a letter by Cynthia Burgess critical of the state of Israel, the powerful lobbying group AIPAC, and their zealous American supporters. Mr. Smaller suggests that to criticize any of these groups automatically makes one both an anti-Semite and a Nazi. No Phil, it doesn’t. And by finishing with "I had expected [Ms. Burgess’ letter] to end with ‘Heil Hitler’” — and, by the way, of course you didn’t — you both shame yourself and discredit your argument. It is entirely possible to support the survival of the state of Israel while at the same time being critical of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinian people.

But the other letter was, to my mind, even more subtle and insidious. In it, Sol Kutner suggests that because Jews have contributed more to "modern civilization” than Muslims — a debatable point, but we’ll leave that aside for now — that this fact is all one needs to know about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. As stated above, I am no fan of Nazi comparisons. They are far too often overly simplistic and just plain inaccurate. But to suggest that some innate condition of inferiority or superiority makes it all right for the "superior” group to take the "inferior’s” land — well, where have we heard that kind of logic before?

Michael T. Kirstein

San Mateo

City ignores illegal

without-license driving

Editor,

I would like to answer Mr. Robert Lingaas’ question about why are there are so many parked cars in the lower income areas of San Mateo. The city has allowed for landlords to have as many as six or seven people in a one bedroom apt. Now you have to figure at least three cars per unit and that causes the problem.

Not only do these people not have drivers licenses and insurance, we are also dealing with the trash that is thrown out daily from these vehicles.

Even though homeowners have complained about this problem the city councilmen have taken a blind eye to all this. I wonder if things would be different if they lived in this neighborhood.

Linda Medrano

San Mateo

Stop aiding Internet terrorism

Editor,

Don Havis (Letters, Dec. 11) argues against Senate Bill S1959, a bipartisan effort to fight the violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in our own citizens. The Bill seems like it might be a good idea since a recent Pew poll revealed 25 percent of young American Muslim males say suicide bombing in the defense of Islam can be justified. Havis challenges us to read the Act itself, section 899B3. Well, here it is in its entirety: "The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist propaganda to the United States citizens.” What about this does Havis not grasp? Shall we remain paralyzed when Al Qaeda sends "Bomb assembly for dummies” manuals to Muslim students in Saudi run Virginia schools? But the larger question for Havis is this: if we prosecute child pornographers, Mafia drug dealers and the Aryan Nation who use the internet to perpetrate their crimes, why shouldn’t we be concerned about Muslim Supremists who use the same internet to foment and plan their hatred and violence?

Scott Abramson

San Mateo