Letters to the Editor

Fly Your Flags at Half-Staff

Dear Editor,

On April 17, in honor of the shooting victims in the Virginia incident, the President of the United States ordered all U.S. flags be flown at half-staff.

This was supposed to continue until sundown Sunday, April 22. On April 19 on my way to work in Gilroy I was appalled to see every flag that I passed hanging at full staff, save for two.

The McDonald’s on First Street at Wren Avenue and the McDonald’s on 10th Street at Chestnut Street were flying large, clean beautiful American flags at haf-staff. Kudos to them and their management.

Shame to every auto dealer on Chestnut Street and on Monterey Street and Luchessa Avenue. All their flags hang 24 hours a day and many are in poor condition.

We need to show respect to the victims by following the president’s orders.

I expect those responsible for the maintenance of these flags are also unaware that when a flag is presented at half-staff, it is to be raised “briskly” to the top of the pole and then lowered slowly in reverence to its final resting position half-way down the pole.

I am not a retired veteran. I have never served in the U.S. military, nor am I some flag-waving nutcase, but I am constantly amazed by our society’s lack of respect for something that our children are currently giving their lives for.

To learn more about the flag and how to respect it, visit www.usflag.org.

Jim Martin, Gilroy

Congratulations to LAFCO

Dear Editor,

Congratulations to LAFCO on completing the public meetings, workshops and hearings and adopting an agricultural mitigation policy within one year. It’s 43 years overdue, but will be a model for other counties to adopt.

The county’s LAFCO commissioners are to be commended for their efforts and hard work.

Although I personally would have preferred a more stringent agricultural land and open space mitigation policy, it’s a beginning to formally curb urban sprawl and preserve the remaining agricultural lands and open space in Santa Clara County. General policy item No. 5 will allow LAFCO to review, strengthen and revise the policies if the cities do not live up to LAFCO’s mission, goals and the purpose of the LAFCO agricultural mitigation policies.

I support LAFCO’s adopted agricultural mitigation policy and strongly support its immediate application to all proposed Santa Clara County annexation projects.

I am willing to see if the cities will follow through on their responsibility of developing meaningful agricultural mitigation policies within their own city boundaries as well as for LAFCO annexation applications as encouraged in the General Policies item statement No, 2. See the LAFCO Web site at http://www.santaclara.lafco.ca.gov/ for more information. Again, congratulations to all of Santa Clara County for a remarkable move to improve responsible urban planning, discourage urban sprawl and preserve agriculture lands and open space for our future.

Ken Bone, Gilroy

No Troop Withdrawal Without Oil Assurance

Dear Editor,

Republican candidates for president agree with George W. Bush that we can not withdraw troops from Iraq until we have rock solid guarantees that Iraqi oil will remain privatized and open to marketing by Exxon, Chevron, et al. We must also protect the interests of our good Dubai, Arab friends and the Halliburton Energy Services corporation. Democrats talk timelines and bringing our troops home but do not offer a single answer for these crucial problems.

Frank Crosby, Morgan Hill

Had Enough With Iraq War?

Dear Editor,

Weapons of mass destruction. Nigerian uranium. Stockpiles of bio-weapons. Aluminum rocket tubes. The Saddam-Al Qaida connection. “A few dead-enders.” Halliburton. Jessica Lynch. Pat Tillman. Abu Ghraib. Five hundred billion dollars. A total of 3,300 American military fatalities and 20,000 or more wounded, both rapidly climbing. Inadequate body and vehicle armor. Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Multiple extended tours of duty. Unprecedented call-up and retention of National Guard troops. The “surge.” “The next three to six months will be critical.” “Our commitment is not open-ended.” 

Now General David Petraeus, chief commander in Iraq, tells Congress that conditions may get harder before they get better and that “an enormous commitment” over time will be required by the United States.  

Had enough yet?

Robert B. Mitchell, Morgan Hill