Letters to the Editor

Take action against noise

Editor,

Some Mountain View residents are taking the extraordinary action of calling the city of Palo Alto's Shoreline Amphitheatre complaint phone line to document the impact of unwanted noise from Shoreline Amphitheatre's amplification into their homes. As this amphitheater has apparently redirected its amplification away from the city of Palo Alto's sound measurement location, they are now polluting the air of new neighborhoods in southern Palo Alto and northern Mountain View.

But, as usual, the impact of the final crescendo of base drums and soaring sounds thump the walls and rattle windows of residents as far as the northern part of Palo Alto and even into Menlo Park with a jarring wake-up call in the late evening. There have been 12 concerts this 1994 season that have had over the 45 allowable complaints, eight more than the agreement made between Bill Graham Presents and the city of Palo Alto. The city of Mountain View must be forced to take action to control this controllable, rude, arrogant noise pollution impacting residents seeking restful evenings in their homes.

Ulterior motives?

Editor,

I want to thank Mr. Reginald Rice (Letters, Nov. 2) for informing us all about the positions concerning the Sand Hill extension of the candidates for Menlo Park City Council. One wonders why Mr. Rice chose to live in Sharon Heights if he has such an urgent need to reach El Camino Real. One also wonders if there aren't more sinister or self-enriching motives for Mr. Rice's constant promotion of the Sand Hill extension.

Mr. Rice contends that no one should "harbor fears of a Willow Expressway running across El Camino Real." Yet, within the recent past Mr. Rice himself proposed an underpass at Willow Road along the lines of those on the Oregon Expressway in the Menlo Park Almanac. Perhaps before the good citizens of Menlo Park accept Mr. Rice's constant recommendations, they would like to understand better his motivations and backers. How about some in-depth reporting about why he takes the positions he does? Then the Menlo Park voters can decide if they really want to accept his opinions on anything.

Lessons from Anne Frank

Editor,

Recently, we took our children to the touring exhibit, "Anne Frank in the World," in Menlo Park. It is a sad and horrifying tale, well-known to most: the story of a family and a people--pressured, demonized, isolated, restricted, hunted, robbed, incarcerated, enslaved, dehumanized and finally gassed to death and incinerated--told by a teen-age girl, herself a victim.

But distancing ourselves paints a false picture. The exhibit reminds us that it has happened here too--not on the same scale, and not as calculated genocide, but more than once. It is not a source of pride.

Our treatment of the first immigrants--who crossed the Bering land bridge in the Ice Age--is not exactly a shining example. Nor is our treatment of millions of unwilling immigrants from the slave trade.

In California, only 50 years ago, we herded American citizens into concentration camps and confiscated their property because of who their ancestors were. No, we did not kill them, but we have yet to return their property.

And now we have Proposition 187, which would bar illegal aliens and their children (many of whom are U.S. citizens) from public schools and from non-emergency medical care (even if they are willing to pay). No, we are not threatening to kill them. But we are threatening to turn the helping professions (teachers, nurses, doctors) into informers. How different is this from "Juden verboten"?

We as a nation have a right to secure our borders. We as a people--and we think of ourselves as a just and humane people--have a duty to do this in just and humane ways.

All of us are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. Don't ever forget it.

A legislative miracle

Editor,

It was a great day for all of us who are concemed about preserving our natural resources when Congress decided to fund the full amount for the purchase of the Phleger Estate. This decision was the final step in a long process which included an unprecedented outpouring of private donations in support of the preservation of this pristine piece of land.

While congratulations should go to all of the hundreds who donated money, time, and expertise to this landmark project, special thanks are in order for the staff of Peninsula Open Space Trust, in particular Audrey Rust and John Wade, who spearheaded the effort and never gave up even when prospects seemed bleak. And we should not forget our own freshman congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, who, in the opinion of those who know, performed a legislative miracle by wrangling the funding out of an increasingly parsimonious Congress.

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