Letters

Editor,

I am requesting that the city of San Carlos reject the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Environmental Impact Report as presented. I have been a resident of San Carlos for 22 years. We all know that the proposed location is a toxic site with leaching of hazardous materials into the groundwater and migrating off site.

The EIR does not show any specific actions that PAMF will perform to guarantee this toxic site is completely cleaned up. How can the residents and property owners be assured that the site is no longer toxic?

Where will the toxic materials be transported to during construction? What are the environmental impacts and effects to the workers and neighbors during the clean-up process of the toxic materials? Will the properties across the street and neighboring inhabitants be affected by the air-borne particles?

The fact that the solid waste facility is in such close proximity and hazardous fumes and air pollution that too, was omitted from the EIR.

Joseph McCabe

San Carlos

Criticism is undeserved

Editor,

Recent criticism of the San Mateo County city council members that comprise the Coalition to Expand Transit Service (CETS) by our local transit officials is unwarranted. By closing stations, Caltrain is opting for its own efficiency over the needs of the communities it serves. The elected officials whose residents are inconvenienced and whose communities’ ability to plan for increases in population is significantly damaged by the station closures. The council members are voicing their concerns and are asking Caltrain for a remediation.

They are doing their jobs as elected officials and I commend them for it.

No transportation agency makes a return from their fare box. Public dollars subsidize transportation costs. The closures of the stations in Atherton and Broadway in Burlingame are affecting those communities, even though they have low ridership. To criticize local officials for standing up for their cities is out of line. City councils decide to stand up for their residents? Who doesn’t agree with that? Should not elected officials defend their constituencies?

Bruce Balshone

Burlingame

The letter writer is the former chair of Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee.

Rise in wartime trauma

Editor,

The rise in psychological trauma associated with the war in Iraq should not surprise experts. The extent of wartime trauma is directly proportional to the type of warfare fought and the experiences encountered. Studies of Vietnam veterans show that between 26 and 31 percent have experienced PTSD. This rate is understandable given that the Vietnam War combat environment included both guerrilla and conventional warfare. It is arguable that the war in Iraq compares to the Vietnam War, as there is no safe place, no enemy lines, and threats surround the soldier on all sides, situations that can contribute to the development of PTSD.

Now soldiers who suffered from PTSD and other mental illnesses are being send back to Iraq, after serving there. I work as a volunteer counselor at the VA Hospital in Menlo Park for 17 years as a musician therapist. I work mostly with Vietnam vets.

War is the national creed of America. Like the neighborhood bully, America is proud of the fact that it can beat up anyone else, and it flaunts it in the media. See how this competitive war thing has been the final stage of every great civilization and empire.

Ted Rudow III

Menlo Park

Scare tactics don’t work

Editor,

As a resident of the Laureola neighborhood in San Carlos, where the Palo Alto Medical Foundation project would be built, I have great interest in the city’s decision to approve or reject this project. I think an open debate about this project is critical so that residents understand the pros and cons.

I have twice opened my front door recently to young men, who in no short order, have tried to scare me into thinking that if the Palo Alto Medical Foundation builds a medical center, it would cause gridlock along Holly Street and on Industrial Road. I listened, grew suspicious and simply asked who was paying them? I got the same answer twice from these young men, "We don’t know and we don’t care.”

What type of organization sends people into the streets of San Carlos, with an incredibly divisive message, and then won’t divulge who exactly is behind the message?

There is a well-funded group out there with the sole purpose of killing this project while offering no alternatives or solutions. I think it is wrong that they hide behind someone or something to remain anonymous. Maybe now they won’t come again to my door. If they do, I want them to know that no amount of scare tactics, especially arguments with no facts behind them, will lessen my support for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

John Lewis

San Carlos