Letters to the Editor: Nov. 20, 2003

The Naples Daily News welcomes letters of up to 250 words. We reserve the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, brevity, good taste and accuracy, and to prevent libel. No poetry, attacks on private individuals, or letter-writing campaigns, please. Writers should limit submissions to one letter every two weeks. Include a phone number and make certain you have signed your letter.

Letter of the Day — Memorable landings

Editor, Naples Daily News:

When I read your Nov. 9 Perspective article and pictures about Florida's airports, which are landmarks in aviation history, I became very nostalgic because I was involved in part of that history.

I was a pilot of a B-26 Marauder operating out of MacDill Field in October 1943.

After losing an engine on takeoff, we crash-landed in the town of Brandon.

Luckily, we did not land in Tampa Bay.

My crew, with the exception of one, survived the crash. After five months of hospitalization, part at MacDill Field and the rest at the Don Cesar resort (then converted into a hospital) in St. Petersburg, I returned to active duty and finished combat training at Barksdale Field in Shreveport, La.

With a new crew, I went to the European Theater of Operations and flew 23 missions before the war ended.

I had never been to Florida before my assignment to MacDill Field, but because of that assignment, my wife and I have spent 25 years of retirement here in Naples.

So, thank you, MacDill Field, for introducing me to Florida and thank you, Florida, for giving us such a great retirement here.

P.S. -- The B-26 Marauder was a great airplane, but very unforgiving.

Touché

Editor, Naples Daily News:

In responding to Charles D. Mefford's "Just say no" letter, I have decided that debating his statistics would change neither his mind nor mine. I have decided to respond using his figures and assertions.

Based upon his statistics of the percentage of gay and lesbian populations in the United States and looking up the census figures available at census.gov, there are 3,865,499 gay men and 2,007,156 lesbian women -- a population of 5,872,655 people that Mr. Mefford feels should suppress their sexuality and remain celibate.

Again, seeing no purpose in debating the heredity/environment issue with a closed mind, that statement allows for at least a 50 percent chance in his thinking that homosexuality is hereditary. In that case the argument that we are not healthy, natural or moral makes as little sense as telling the person who inherited left-handedness, bad hair, etc., that they should not enjoy their lives as he has told us we should not enjoy ours.

I am a gay man, I am right-handed, I am bald. None of these things are unhealthy, unnatural or immoral and I will not just say no.

Not accountable, eh?

Editor, Naples Daily News:

What a farce! Ninety-four duly elected U.S. senators did not think the vote on the $87 billion "gift" to Iraq was worth their attending! Six senators attending held a voice vote to pass this monstrous expenditure by a count of 5 to 1.

It is very obvious that the non-appearance is a method "to get off the hook" and not be held accountable for the distribution of this money.

By holding a "voice" vote nothing is written to name the voting six!

If this were deemed by our elected officials not worthy of their presence, can't imagine what would be!

Competing for resources

Editor, Naples Daily News:

On the day the U.S. Senate approved an exorbitant, obscene military budget of $401 billion, caretakers for the disabled rallied against budget cuts for vital services.

Democrats joined Republicans in the 95-3 vote for a military budget of a magnitude unparalleled in history, greater than the combined military budgets of the next 25 nations, and 17 times higher than the combined budgets of the alleged "rogue nations." The bill recklessly eases environmental restrictions on the military and approves research and development of a new generation of nuclear weapons. It is a bill hailed by some as necessary to preserve freedom, but basically has the capacity to destroy life on Earth.

Arms accumulation and economic development both require large-scale human and material resources. But since resources are limited, pursuit of either process tends to be at the expense of the other. The world can either continue to pursue the arms race or achieve and sustain social and economic development for the benefit of all. It cannot do both.

It saddens me that the caretakers fail to make the connection.

Here we go again

Editor, Naples Daily News:

The Bush administration has recently expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of the governing council of Iraq. Ambassador Paul Bremer was called home for meetings, looking for quicker results in establishing a constitution for Iraq.

It appears that the administration's Iraqi policy has been thrown into the hurry-up mode. Hurry up and create anything that we can declare as a government capable of standing on its own, so we can slip out the back door.

For those who said this Bush gang had no exit strategy for Iraq, just hang on, for one is starting to come into focus: Drop a few bombs to excite the pangs of patriotism within the American people, declare a stable government in Iraq, and talk tough all the while we back out the back door. This should produce the same kind of honorable end to this nightmare that the Republicons achieved in Vietnam.

Oh, those letters

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Letters to the editor are getting too bizarre.

How many snowbirds strap a mattress to the roof of an automobile so they can drive 1,500 miles to dump it on the streets of Naples?

Snowbird driving: Percentage-wise, there are just as many idiots driving in off season as in season.

There is equal employee bashing in supermarkets in and out of season.

Most of the letter writers who want medical care for free think the government can pay the bill. How many of these people understand that taxpayers, not the government, must pay the bill? How many of these people realize that so few pay for so many and not just for medical care?

If letter writers, and you can include me, want more and better health care, let them blame the Congress of the United States.

Every member of Congress, from both sides of the aisle, wastes money to buy votes and they succeed nicely in doing so.

Cut the billions in wasteful spending and we might just have sufficient funds to pay for universal health care.

To the Bush-bashing letter writers: Do you think we should have depended on the United Nations, France, Germany and Russia to prevent terrorists from killing us in New York and elsewhere? Those who do still believe in the tooth fairy.

The people who write letters should blame the media, not President Bush, if they want a scapegoat. The majority of these cretins do not inform us of the facts. Instead, they foist upon us their personal biased views.

Bush measures up

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Re: Jane Varner's attempt to manipulate a virtual question-and-answer session with President Bush.

In order:

-- "They hate our freedom to rule them, kill them and occupy their land." Be specific. The Saddam Hussein loyalists who had their jackboot to the neck of the Iraqi people didn't like being pushed from their tyrannical perch. How unfortunate that in an attempt to appease a faction that this writer represents, we went against our own experience and failed to perform the basic equivalent of denazification. Now we have to correct the error. The rest of the ridiculous claims of this massively misinformed writer defy common sense.

-- "... previous order and cohesion"? The Nazis were quite tidy as well with their "final solution."

-- "... Kurds had autonomy"? No duh. We and our allies patrolled the sky over a barrier land to keep the butchers at bay.

-- "... the inspectors moved freely." And the weapons of mass destruction moved even more freely. Satellite confirmation of truck caravans to the heavily fortified Bekaa Valley in Syria indicate that Saddam had no intention of getting caught with the goods.

-- And finally, "... our president made Iraq a terror magnet ... ." Another no-brainer; we either fight them there or here. Guess my vote.

The truth is Bush made a brilliant move to bring the battle to the enemy with the understanding that Iraq showed both the greatest threat and the best opportunity to establish a peaceful democratic foothold in the troubled Middle East -- that is unless Ms. Varner insists on providing her own defense when they come here.

Who hid?

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Re: The Nov. 4 comment by K.C. Jones about President Bush hiding behind the National Guard.

At least he was in something which is important to our country. Former President Clinton was in nothing, hiding behind deferment through a friend in the government.

Former President Clinton said (it is documented) that eventually Iraq would have to be dealt with. However, he chose to ignore all the signs and information given him. He also ignored the opportunity to deal with Osama bin Laden.

Whether you like President Bush or not, when is this country going to pull together and show united support for our military, which is trying to protect our beliefs and way of life?

Stop the nonsense of closing your eyes to the erosion of this country. Also, stop catering to the un-American people, wherever they are from, who want to change our laws and traditions. They left their countries because they didn't like their life there. Either embrace our country or go back.

Film should be celebrated

Editor, Naples Daily News:

There is much discussion about Mel Gibson's film regarding the final twelve hours in the life of Jesus Christ. The movie, "The Passion of Jesus Christ," is scheduled for release in February 2004.

Some criticize Gibson for showing the truth of the last day of our Savior's life on this Earth, for bringing to film the life of our God who took on the very humanity of us all, while suffering and dying for our sins. His action had the greatest influence in the history of the world.

The accuracy comes from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- historians and disciples of Jesus Christ during the 33 years he was with us. Their reports, although written independently of each other, are identical in describing the passion and death of our Lord.

Why are some of our Jewish brethren upset with this historical account? They refuse to allow the horrors of the holo caust to fade from view, so why the double standard with Gibson's movie. It does depict the fact that Jesus, a Jew, was put to death at the request of Jewish leaders.

Are we supposed to redo history and make the Puerto Ricans or the Irish responsible? Better yet the Catholics, since they remain the only religious group fair game for attacks from the politically-correct genre.

Not the usual fare coming out of Hollywood today, that's for sure. We should rejoice in the resolve shown by Mel Gibson in portraying the greatest act of love the world has ever known in spite of the unfair and hypocritical attacks on himself.

Sudanese baloney

Editor, Naples Daily News:

In response to Jack Stirling's letter regarding filling our tanks with oil. Let me correct you, sir. The Sudanese government is feeding you a baloney sandwich and you have gobbled it up.

The Sudanese government has been methodically and purposely killing all Christians, mainly Catholics, by starvation, murder, genocide and crucifixion.

Women and children are enslaved and raped. To date, 3½ million Christians have been murdered. This is a genocide by Muslims against all Christians in order to obliterate them from the face of the Earth.

Our liberal media and wimpish church leaders say little about this situation. The pope has been calling this an outrage for the past 10 years and begging world leaders to intervene. No one has.

I am outraged and so should we all be.

Does anyone care?

It's not the tourists

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Re: Dee Modjeski's letter about tourists dumping trash on our roadways.

Dee, these people have been coming down here annually and are mostly retired executives owning homes both in the North and in the South. They do not dump garbage by the side of the highway or throw beer bottles out of their cars.

That's ridiculous.

Each year they add millions and millions of dollars to our economy which is why Naples survives

If it wasn't for those snowbirds, most of us wouldn't have a job. Think about that.

They didn't dump the garbage. We have to look at our ourselves first.

And yes, Dee, the traffic is going to get heavier, but look on the bright side: The average price of a home in Naples went up 36 percent last year. Why? Because of snowbirds or you and I? I rest my case.

Join the madness

Editor, Naples Daily News:

As teachers and organizers of many weekly mah-jongg games, tournaments and cruises embodying the National Mah-Jongg League that raises thousands of dollars annually for local and national charities, we invite the Daily News to share a different glimpse into the growing fascination with this exciting pastime.

The phenomena described in your article are no accident. I and many of my peers volunteer hundreds of hours each year to share our knowledge and enjoyment of mah-jongg with others, including women and even men who can no longer live independently and need stimulating social activities.

As coordinators of the sanctioned Mah-Jongg League, we give a portion of each mah-jongg card purchased through our several clubs to charity.

Naples and Southwest Florida is rich with ladies like Sylvia Tumpson, teaching and hosting mah-jongg tournaments long before 1990; and Rochelle Goldstein who organizes the Naples Jewish Center tournament. Students and experienced players come to Naples from all over Southwest Florida to enjoy the therapeutic, social and competitive aspects of mah-jongg madness. Mah-jongg is surely the fastest growing activity in Naples.

For more information call 455-2005 or e-mail jpcusu@aol.com

Re-election strategy?

Editor, Naples Daily News:

If there were no weapons of mass destruction, what was the real reason for the invasion of Iraq with a army too small to prevent the looting, rioting and killing of our soldiers?

Is there an intent to encourage the terrorists and guerrillas from Syria, Iran, etc., to show themselves so that our Mad King George II can invade in a holy war that would end in a final victory in Jerusalem as he gives a Christmas message from Christ's birthplace?

Far-fetched? Perhaps. But he would be re-elected in a landslide.

Fight the destroyers

Editor, Naples Daily News:

To those who treasure ambiance over avarice, the Nov. 14 article on the Collier County Planning Commission's Vanderbilt Beach decision was nectar. Will this decision, reinforcing a similar view by the Environmental Advisory Council, outweigh the contrary view put forth by the developer-loving county Planning Department? We will now see if the county commissioners favor the developers or the citizens.

There is no end to developer greed, espoused by their planners and attorneys, who are no better. Names on request.

Civic groups need to cooperate, countywide, to combat these destroyers of neighborhoods.

Further courses of action are:

1. Elect honest, decent commissioners. We did it in District 2.

2. Take the Bert Harris Law to court, see if it can withstand judicial scrutiny. If it does, change it.

3. After the manatee scandal, we naively assumed the Planning Department would be reformed. Didn't happen. Do it. Clean house.

4. Change the Growth Management Act and the Land Development Code, both written by the developers. Stop the crime in Collier County. Where there is crime there are criminals. Lock them up. And not for only for 364 days.

Cunning and repugnant

Editor, Naples Daily News:

Re: Sunday, Nov. 16, financial section.

On the front page, you show Richard Strong, the founder of Strong Financial Corp. His gleaming smile is at best repugnant to me, as it probably is to millions of other investors nationwide.

To many of us, Richard seemed to have most everything, including an estimated net worth of $800 million, a highly respected firm which he founded and many other accomplishments which he earned over the years.

Not content with all this wealth, he proceeded to make trades which New York's attorney general feels may have benefited himself and his friends and family. On Nov. 2, Richard stepped down as board chairman of Strong Financial Corp.'s mutual funds.

About 200 years ago, one of our great nation's founders, Dr. Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia, was quoted as saying, "One man may be more cunning than another, but not more cunning than everybody else."

Prepare for a draft

Editor, Naples Daily News:

The handwriting is on the wall: There is going to have to be a military draft, since very few of the enlisted National Guardsmen or reservists will be re-enlisting.

I cannot believe the country will accept a Vietnam-type draft with all the deferments, where only the disadvantaged had to go. This will have to be a lottery-type draft, where if your number comes up, you will be called to serve.

It's going to be interesting to see the reaction of the Iraqi war hawks, when their loved ones are called to do their patriotic duty.

I'm sure discussions are under way in the administration right now on how to prepare the American people.

Watch for future developments.

Letters and freedom

Editor, Naples Daily News:

For a long time I was a frequent contributor of letters to the Daily News. Recently, however, doing so has ceased to be fun, so I stopped.

This, however, is not the fault of the editor. Indeed, I think that the Daily News policy on letters to the editor is rather fair and balanced (to use a popular phrase).

There are folks out there who will take the Daily News to task for what they perceive is the printing of absurdities in letters. But, alas, absurd statements are like beauty; they are in the eyes of the beholder. Thus, individuals who believe absurd positions are printed which are contrary to their own views should ignore them.

The fact is that while there are letters published which seem absurd (depending on one's point of view), railing at them serves no purpose. To begin with, you cannot convince those who take absurd positions that they are not right. In addition, those who know better will not pay any attention anyway.

If it is a matter of keeping those with whom you disagree "honest," don't worry about that either. Do it if you must, but don't get upset if you continue to see them in the editorial pages. After all, this is America, and there is freedom of the press.