Anti-Mosque Letters Generated by Fear
Dear Editor,
After reading all the back-and-forth letters about the Mosque proposed for San Martin, I’ve come to the realization that the letters against the Mosque aren’t reflecting hatred as I had originally thought. Instead, I believe that the letters against this project reflect fear and ignorance. And I don’t mean ignorance in the pejorative sense, but rather in the sense that these people, bound by their fear, can’t see past the images of radical Islam presented daily in the media.
I have not known many Muslims personally, but the ones I have known were just like you and me: regular folks.
I have found that to be true regardless of whether the person is Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Mormon, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Wiccan or, like me, Deist.Â
Folks are folks; it’s the nut jobs on the fringe of any religion that cause all the problems.
One has to keep in mind that the Mosque must go through the same planning processes and approvals as any other project. We should all also remember that our ability to have this discussion in a free press, along with the ability for people to propose a Mosque, Synagogue, Church, etc. are enabled and protected by the same document: The Constitution of the United States. It’s not a perfect document, but it’s the best I’ve ever seen and I trust it.
The Mosque proposed for San Martin is not going to be an al-Qaeda training camp; it is going to be a place of prayer and worship for people, Americans, who are already our neighbors. I, for one, welcome them.
Steve Harkness, Morgan Hill
Mosque Will Be Partially Loaded Gun
Dear Editor,
The most recent PEW survey states that 60 percent of young Muslims in the U.S. think of themselves first as Muslims, rather than Americans and that only 38 percent of the total U.S. Muslim population is satisfied with America. Only 35 percent of Muslims think it was the right decision to invade Afghanistan (where the Taliban gave free reign to al-Qaeda who attacked America). Only 40 percent of American Muslims believe Arabs conducted the 911 attacks. Roughly 20 percent of U.S. Muslims think suicide bombing is justified in the defense of Islam. These are facts. Keep these in mind when you consider we have approximately 300-plus Muslims living in South County that will attend the new mosque in San
Martin.
Now with all this and more, it’s no wonder why people are concerned about having a Mosque in their backyard. If you buy into the whole “it’s a peaceful religion” that is shoved down our throat, just look to the Gaza strip for what to expect. In a recent interview, Sheikh Abu Saqer, leader of the group Jihadia Salafiya, said that Gaza’s Muslims “expect our Christian neighbors to understand the new Hamas rule means real changes. They must be ready for Islamic rule if they want to live in peace in Gaza.” And that any Christian missionary suspected of trying to convert local Muslims will be “harshly punished.”
Having a Mosque in South County is like placing a partially loaded gun to your head.
Andrew Serrano, Morgan Hill
What the Water District is Not Telling the Rate Payer
Dear Editor,
In 1987, the Santa Clara Valley Water District turned on the Central Valley Water Project, which brings imported water from the Delta to the Santa Clara County. This project was built at a cost of $247,800,000. The United States Bureau of Reclamation loaned this amount of money to the Water District and required them to pay it back. Since that time, the Water District has had a disagreement with the USBR about how much they should be repaying for this project. After many years of negotiating their current contract with the USBR, the Water District now must pay back the full capital cost of this project, plus $80,000,000 of interest on the debt of this project. SCVWD entered into litigation against the USBR over this issue. It concluded in a settlement in March 2005. The upshot was the SCVWD had to pay the accumulated interest on the unpaid debt for the San Felipe project.
In discussing this matter with Water District staff members, the question was asked, what happened to the money that was set aside for repayment to the USBR, as stated in their Comprehensive Annual Financial Report? I was told that it was spent on other projects.
Had the Water District been making annual payments every year there would not have been this large interest payment that has to be paid on top of the capital cost.
So, now we the rate payers will have to pickup this extra cost over the next 30 years. How is it that we, the rate payers are expected to tolerate this? What did we get for $80,000,000 of accumulated interest? NOTHING! That’s a lot of money.
The current balance plus interest on this project is now about $319,000,000.
This summer when you are filling out your Water Production Statement, for those of you that are on private wells, think about the extra cost that you are paying.
For the residents of Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy that are on a water system that is not a private well, will see an increase in their monthly water bill.
Robert J. Cerruti, San Martin
