ReaderWire ReaderWire (November 11, 2005)

Leave the leaves

Once again our trees become beautiful with the leaves of autumn. And once again those beautiful leaves begin to fall.

And then what do we do with them? Most of us sweep them into the gutter.

Let me suggest three reasons for letting the leaves of autumn lie where they fall:

1) Autumn color. Fallen leaves are like a scattering of golden coins. We see the green of our lawn or ground cover throughout the year. Why not take advantage of this season to enjoy a change of hue?

2) Leaves hold in warmth, which is beneficial to whatever is growing beneath them.

3) As they decompose, those leaves become nourishing mulch, also good for whatever grows beneath them.

Color, warmth and compost: Who could ask for more?
Bryan Wiggin
Marcussen Drive, Menlo Park

Shocked from San Jose

I am shocked and disappointed at the news that the Menlo Park City Council has decided to go ahead with plans to develop some of our last remaining precious wetlands and build a golf course.

In the citizenship class I teach for adults, I encourage students to communicate with their government officials, ensuring them that this is the way democracy works and that their concerns will be taken into account.

The Menlo Park City Council proved me wrong.

They voted to go ahead with plans for the golf course and sports complex and ignored the hundreds of concerned citizens who showed up to affirm that biological diversity is more valued than Astro-Turf and threatened ecosystems are as important as dollars.

I hope that people will continue to speak up for what really matters and we will be able to see some true democracy in action. We can always build another golf course, but once the wetlands are gone they will never come back.

Humans can go somewhere else to recreate but species like snowy egrets and grey herons have few remaining habitats where they can live -- and they can't get in their car and drive 10 minutes further to find what it is that they need.
Miriam Sachs Martin
Tradan Drive, San Jose

Non-responsive reaction

Daniel Rand's reaction (ReaderWire, Nov. 4) to my comments on candlelight vigils was non-responsive and flawed.

1) Ad hominem attacks are meaningless.

2) I did not state that "holding vigils somehow makes the United States more susceptible to terror attacks." Rather, the point of my letter was that you give them continued hope that we will weaken politically and that we will surrender and lose the war by cutting and running.

Since they cannot beat us militarily, this is the only hope they have. The best way for us to support and honor our troops is to demonstrate a united front at home. If you don't believe me, you can ask them by going to www.usafns.com.

3) Support for MoveOn.org is not support for the troops. MoveOn represents that they organized the vigils to honor the troops, but a cut-and-run, America-lose strategy is not honoring the troops.

4) I did not state, nor did I imply, that if the vigils stopped terrorists would no longer kill or intimidate (wow). Again, my position is the same as that stated by the president, the secretary of defense, the secretary of state, the U.S. military leaders running the war and many members of the U.S. Congress: that a united front at home with a fierce and dedicated commitment to victory would be advantageous to America expeditiously winning this war.

Candle-holders organized by MoveOn are, by definition, diametrically opposed to an American victory in Iraq. This is appalling.
Brad Steinhoff
Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

Fallujah massacre

Nov. 7 marked the one-year anniversary of the U.S. assault on the Sunni city of Fallujah. What was originally touted as a great victory by the Pentagon and imbedded journalists has now been shown to have been a massacre.

On that fateful day, U.S. and Iraqi military forced out the town's residents, bombed hospitals and buildings, attacked whole neighborhoods and denied entry to relief workers -- 10,000 buildings were destroyed, with thousands more seriously damaged. At least 100,000 residents were permanently displaced and hundreds died an agonizing death.

A recently released Italian documentary (produced by the Italian TV network RAI TV) entitled "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre" shows extremely graphic images of the charred flesh of civilians in Fallujah caused by white phosphorus incendiary bombs dropped illegally by the U.S. military.

One U.S. soldier admitted on camera that these chemical weapons were used extensively in the siege of Fallujah in 2004. The attack on Fallujah was purposely delayed to occur after the 2004 presidential election to minimize the impact of public opposition. The use of white phosphorus bombs was also reported by Newsweek and Time Magazine.

It is ironic that we should assume the moral high ground in condemning Saddam Hussein, a former U.S. ally, but ape his despicable behavior with the sadistic treatment of prisoners and chemical-weapons attacks on the civilian population of Iraq.

I urge readers to contact their elected officials and demand accountability from this thoroughly discredited Bush administration. Sinking approval ratings reflect the general public mood of mounting opposition to the polices of the White House.
Jagjit Singh
Louisa Court, Palo Alto

Embracing autumn