Against Construction of Muslim Center
Dear Editor,
Over the years I’ve come to respect supervisor Don Gage’s views and believe he’s done a fine job.
However, he must have had his head in the sand for the past several years when he made his comment about this mosque becoming “a social asset for South County.” Name one place in the known universe that has had its social environment or quality of life improved by the introduction of Islam. Please review a few examples of the “improvements” Islam and its believers have brought to Thailand, The Philippines, Algeria, Somalia, Indonesia, Pakistan/India, Afghanistan, and Iran. Take a look at more recent events resulting from the activities of Islamists in France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Lebanon and Turkey, to name a few. I could not find a single example of the Muslims bringing anything but chaos and violence to areas where they have increased in numbers to the point of numerical dominance or strong political status. I submit that these are not the kinds of enhancements that will benefit the local residences.
The presence of a mosque as a dominant structure in San Martin and South County will be a gross mismanagement of land use and is certain to have an impact on land values.
Bill Currie, Morgan Hill
Favoring City, not Jackson Oaks Trails
Dear Editor,
I read your pro-trail editorial and understand that you may be stunned by the forceful response of the Jackson Oaks homeowners. I am totally against the trails up here and have signed on as such, BUT, I am for the trails and the overarching goals you articulated. Your points are simply misplaced for this small portion of the trails, but are apropos for trails in general.
Jackson Oaks would be forever transformed due to the unique nature of this open space. The appeal of living here is being in close proximity of nature and the wildlife in an intimate and delicate ecosystem.Â
Almost every home is open to the back space (only a few with pools or dog runs have fences), and the wildlife freely traverse certain areas between homes. My response to public trails in such a confined area will be to fence off the property, as most homes do along trails elsewhere. I submit that my neighbors will do the same, and the result will be an environment that is much more hostile to the wildlife.
For the life of me, I was stunned to see the proposal – it’s very clear that the engineer never walked up here to look at the reasonableness of the idea, but instead looked merely at a satellite image.
The hills are onerous and only elite bikers will enjoy the trails. The high speeds attainable will be dangerous and deleterious to the wildlife.
I invite you to visit my house, or simply go to the community clubhouse and evaluate it firsthand for yourself.
Trails are a good thing for Morgan Hill, but trails in Jackson Oaks are not.
Dave and Christine Payne, Morgan Hill
