Letters to the Editor: June 9, 2006

Daily dose of comment and insight from our readers.

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.

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Sour note

Editor, Daily News:

Peg Goldberg Longstreth’s overly long non-review of the American Guild of Organists concert at the Phil on Sunday afternoon was so full of silly drivel and inaccuricies that it’s hard to believe that she even attended the event.

Surely the Daily News could find a musically literate and astute person in town to review musical events better than this.

This “review” was embarassingly inept.

Longstreth evidently had no clue as to what was going on.

Douglas Courtright/Naples

Criticism put in its place

Editor, Daily News:

Re: Letter “The Lowly Waste Receptacle” published on May 11.

Sapphire Lakes is one of many communities that was developed in phases.As each phase was developed, the Collier County code changed regardingthe construction of dumpster enclosures. This is evident in SapphireLakes as the dumpster enclosures are of three varying types. Thedumpster enclosure depicted in the picture you published is one of manyenclosures here and yes, it is built to meet with the current CollierCounty code.

Hurricane Wilma was devastating to Sapphire Lakes as it was all overCollier County. The dumpster enclosures were damaged, as were roofs,landscaping, etc. During this time period, many contractors wereunderstandably overwhelmed with work. It was very difficult followingWilma to find contractors to perform certain tasks just because of thevolume of need in this area.

The board of Sapphire Lakes has done its duty to return Sapphire Lakes to its original state. Infact, a contract was just approved to have the badly damaged dumpsterenclosures repaired.

If letter writer Mr. DeMicheli attended board meetings, visitedthe Sapphire Lakes web site, requested minutes to the board meetings or made an appointment with the onsite property manager, whorepresents Resort Management, he would have been informed of this.

It is unfortunate that a few misinformed residents make assumptionsabout the board’s lack of attention to its responsibility.The Sapphire Lakes Master Association Board of Directors takes pride inthe community and the maintenance therein, and will continue to do so.

Floyd Chapin/Naples

We're OK(9) with it

Editor, Daily News:

I can say we certainly are all for the idea of dogs being allowed to join their owners at outdoor restaurants.

Many people are taking their pets (usually dogs) with them everywhere anyway. It’s certainly preferable from our point of view to have a pet on the restaurant patio with its owner than to be left in a car or tied up to a tree outside somewhere.

Besides, pets are great at breaking the ice and making people feel more at ease and informal. There are many restrictions on just where in a restaurant and under what conditions it can be there, so dogs will not be a health hazard or a nuisance to others.

We hope responsible pet owners who take their dog to restaurants do their part to make sure this pilot program is a success so we can see the law allowing doggie dining to become permanent.

Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

Stephen Wright/PR Coordinator, Humane Society of Collier County

Yours and mine

Editor, Daily News:

I read the Letter of the Day on May 28 by Russ Rector asking us to not feed wild animals.

Here’s the problem. I like feeding the ducks and the other birds. It gives me great pleasure to see them up close, snacking on seeds and enjoying themselves.

I feed the ducks every single day and I intend on feeding them as long as I want to.

People love animals; that’s why they put up bird feeders and have pets.

This is not a control issue or a superior issue; this is an entertainment issue.

You feed humans if that’s what gives you pleasure and I’ll feed the dcks and brds as that’s what gives me pleasure.

Eric H. Gross/Naples

Level playing fields?

Editor, Daily News:

I am appalled by the community’s attitude toward the Immokalee High School sanctions.

They are simply not severe enough.

Do you want your highs chool football players competing against athletes that by age and experience could be in the NFL?

The Florida High School Athletic Association went too easily.

I have officiated soccer for more than 20 years — 15 of them in Michigan.

After officiating in Florida from 2001 to 2005, in simple terms I gave up.

Simply put, high school soccer is not very important (make that not at all important) in Florida and especially in Collier County).

I recently had the opportunity to fficiate the youth state cup championships in Fort Myers. The competition and sportsmanship were beyond reproach. A Naples team advanced to the final four in the state.

In my opinion, in spite of being in the under-16 age group, they could compete against and probably beat any high school team in the state — not only in ability but in class.

When in Michigan we had the Arabic influence that didn’t think they had to follow the rules. Florida has the Spanish.

The youth games I alluded to made each team verify their players’ ages through means like birth certificates.

What a novel idea.

Quit crying; you cheated!

You got off too easily.

Bill DeJohn/Naples

Deal or ... ?

Editor, Daily News:

Maybe someone can help me understand this. Naples City Council is confusing me.

Just a short time ago council stated that a deal was a deal when it came to a private golf course, where one of the council members is a club member.

No matter the extra cost. The deal had been done and they wouldn’t stop it.

Cost to city taxpayers: Thousands of dollars.

Now they say no deal. Just because Naples Municipal Airport has a valid lease, takes no city funds, houses a fire department, Mosquito Control, an airborne ambulance and law enforcement — not to mention the economic benifits to this area — no deal.

When is a deal a deal, or do we need Howie Mandel here to explain?

As I have said before, if you were not here when the airport was built then you really can’t complain. The airport was here first.

Jim King/Naples

Should have covered us

Editor, Daily News:

I was very concerned that the efforts of the Conservancy of SouthwestFlorida in relation to the recent Florida Fish and Wildlife ConservationCommission meeting on Wednesday in West Palm Beach were not reported in the article, “Manatee, eagle knocked off Florida’s endangered list,” on Thursday.

The Conservancy emailed our position on June 5 to Rodney Barreto, chairman of the Florida Wildlife Commission, the vice chairman, executive director, board members and Gov. Jeb Bush.

In short, our detailed, science-based document urged the commission to consider the implications of down-listing any species, advocated upgrading the status of the gopher tortoise, urged them to stand firm in resisting any down-listing influence and to err on the side of caution and work to ensure these species’ persistence in perpetuity.

More importantly, I actually attended the meeting in West Palm Beach as the only environmental representative from the Southwest Florida area and gave testimony throughout the day.

The Conservancy continues to stay true to its mission and will remain active in preserving Southwest Florida’s unique fauna and flora and quality of life. The Southwest Florida community and Conservancy members need to be aware of the efforts made on behalf of all of us.

Andrew McElwaine/President and CEO, The Conservancy of Southwest Florida

The way to go

Editor, Daily News:

Collier County took a step forward in responding to the tremendous need for affordable housing at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting.

I’d like to thank our five county commissioners for their favorable, unanimous vote on four developments that will provide much needed affordable housing in Collier County. The actions will result in 76 gap units and 111 low-income units in the Naples area and 162 very low-income units in Immokalee.

Thanks also to the excellent job the Daily News has done in showing the importance of affordable housing.

Of course, much more needs to be done to eliminate substandard housing. The only objective study of the need for affordable housing, conducted by the University of Florida Schimberg Center, cites a need for 30,000 units in Collier County. We at Habitat for Humanity will continue to lead the effort to build simple, decent homes until substandard housing becomes socially, morally and politically unacceptable.

Sam Durso, M.D./President, Habitat for Humanity of Collier County

How could you miss this?

Editor, Daily News:

On Sunday, June 4, more than 400 local athletes competed in the 20th annual Naples Fitness Triathlon. The race began and ended at the Naples Beach Hotel on Gulf Shore Boulevard. It included a 5K run, 15K bike ride and a quarter-mile swim in the Gulf.

Hundreds of people turned out to watch the event and cheer the competitors.

Local sponsors included the Bike Route, Anchor Health, Water Works, Better Roads, Allen Concrete and others.

Race results were delivered to you on the same day. No story has appeared in your paper.

Where were you when all this was going on? Why no photos, no story, no results?

Emily C. Harris/Naples

Seeing red?

Editor, Daily News:

Re: Mr. Ryan’s letter on mass red-light running.

Living north of Pine Ridge Road and Logan Boulevard myself, every day the intersection jams with the northbound lanes of Santa Barbara Boulevard attempting to turn left onto Pine Ridge.

My question is, why do the lights turn green from east to west for morning traffic? In this manner, the traffic heading west cannot go anywhere until the westbound traffic ahead moves first.

Likewise, in the evening, for eastbound traffic, the lights would turn green from east to west.

Also, after many months of threatening to destroy the fronts of most homes on Santa Barbara, someone finally got the bright idea to take one of the two northbound lanes onto Logan (which merged anyway) and turn it into a third turn lane! Amazing. Problem solved.

One would presume that a community as wealthy as Naples has the traffic lights on a computer grid since there are cameras at some of the major intersections that are, again, presumably there to monitor the lack of traffic flow.

Unfortunately, the red light runners will continue to do so until the law does take this matter seriously and the law leads by example. I haves een this many times myself and was told they were “on a call.”

Anywhere else in the U.S., the police have their lights on when responding to a call.

I have also watched officers sitting at an intersection not go after a blatant red light runner. Maybe it will take one of theirs being killed or injured before this is stopped?

Julie Shepherd/Naples

Hello and goodbye

Editor, Daily News:

Interesting how a Hell Fire missile took Al-Zarqawi to “heaven,” isn’t it?

Jerry Rodeheaver/Naples

An opus of foolishness

Editor, Daily News:

It seems Christianity-bashing is in vogue.

Carol Rabaut’s recent letter with its puerile tone states she “never heard” of Opus Dei until she read “The Da Vinci Code” and now she is an expert on the subject.

Her less-than-researched information must be exposed for what it is — foolish and false. I have never heard such ridiculous pap that women without children beat their upper thighs two hours daily with a “spiked chain,” as she claims. She may be too young to recall the days when the Catholics were accused of killing babies to drink their blood. Some people are always willing to accept foolish, false truths.

Opus Dei was founded and still is a Catholic organization dedicated only to living the Christian message in the marketplace. It is not “a truly elitist organization with a very mysterious agenda.” Members do not ordinarily divulge the fact that they are Catholic messengers for fear they will be “tuned out.” They have had great success these many years, mainly by their example. It is precisely such persons, as Carol, that Opus Dei is trying to reach, but sadly enough, she has tuned out.

Opus Dei is not threatened by the release of the movie “The Da Vinci Code,” which is based on proven false facts.

Pure fiction, Carol. Get it?

Opus Dei is disappointed that it has been cast in such a totally negative and evil light and some people believe it. It shall survive and continue to spread the “good news” to ordinary people with open minds.

Please, Carol, look into the history and actions of Opus Dei.

Fred Savina/Naples

Mixed message?

Editor, Daily News:

I pulled behind a Hummer at a traffic light today and, as if that weren’t bad enough, the vanity plate on this gas guzzler read “Hum This.”

In the world of bada-bing, this double entendre would seem almost fitting and no doubt earn the guffaws of appreciative cronies.

However, it was the chosen inscription on the bottom of the plate that provoked my doubletake: “Invest in Children.”

It did get me to wondering how much extra gas money one would have to invest in children if you simply chose a different vehicle.

As for the “Hum This” sentiment, perhaps the owner was referring to humming a lullaby.

Yeah, right!

Christopher Frey/Naples