I would like to compliment Saratoga council member Norman Kline and Judith Lawrenson for their wonderful new series on KSAR. I was able to see only a portion of the first release of the sensitive show on which council member Kathleen King was a guest; it was a pleasure to discover that there was a re-airing of the initial program so viewers could be sure to see the entire show.

I have really enjoyed the new telecast and intend to watch it on KSAR every Monday at 6:30 p.m. I hope other Saratogans will do the same.

—Dora Grens, Old Oak Way


'Saratoga Today' deals with current city issues

Thank you so much for the article dealing with Saratoga Today, the new KSAR program dealing with current Saratoga issues. Your reporter, My Ngo, was not only accurate and professional, but she seemed genuinely interested in our show and its purpose.

Presenting information in a factual and timely way is the perfect use of community access television. In the community access setting, there are no shows without volunteer crews. That is one of the basic principles of the medium. I would like to thank the crew that has given of their time to make Saratoga Today possible—our camera crew of Candy Brooks, Scott Peterson, Pat Lua and Robin Segarini; our director, Scott Brown; and the producer of the show, William Lawrenson. Norman Kline and I are indebted to these people for their commitment not only to our show but to the ideals of local television.

Community access director Carolyn de los Santos has given us her time and support to the extent that she has made difficult tasks seem easy. We are very grateful. The half-hour you see involves many hours of behind-the-scenes effort, without which the screen would be blank. Again, our gratitude goes out to those many people who, in the true spirit of Saratoga, give so freely and generously of their time.

—Judith Lawrenson, Co-host, Saratoga Today, Glen Una Drive


Column bashing airlines is 'irresponsible whining'

Bashing the airlines ("Point of View," May 14) is as common as bashing schools—both wrongheaded and totally devoid of any positive consequence. Each day, several hundred thousand passengers fly on more than 5,000 flights that allow them to attend business meetings and visit exciting travel destinations. To take the problem of one flight and indict the entire airline industry makes as much sense of indicting the entire restaurant industry after eating one bad meal at a restaurant, yet this is what Carl Heintze has done.

If he had done any minor reading, he would know that the airlines no longer serve food on many of their flights, due to their length or time of flight. I fly first class and I fly Southwest. I show up 90 minutes early and get an early boarding number. Then I go and have a nice meal or buy some food and enjoy it on the flight.

If I am going to an important meeting or to meet a tour group or cruise, I always fly at least a day earlier into the destination, just in case there are any delay problems such as he encountered, which are relatively few when you consider the number of flights each day.

The American airline system is unparalleled in its efficiency and hospitality if you return the same attitude to the fine people who serve you. I have heard so many stories of people who fly into a city on the afternoon a cruise ship is scheduled to depart, and then when they miss the cruise ship, they whine and blame the airlines.

It does no credit to your newspaper to turn, literally, to the first page and start to read this irresponsible whining of a curmudgeonous individual complaining over whether he got two or four crackers on a flight. It would behoove the Saratoga News to hire someone whose column can bring credit to the fine city of Saratoga and its citizens.

—Harry K. Wong, Chadwick Court


SUSD does not include all Saratoga students

In your May 21 article concerning the Saratoga Union School District layoffs, you quoted Redwood Middle School teacher Josh Marks saying that "the burden should be put on all Saratoga residents, in the form of a parcel tax" to solve the budget deficit.

Until the school district is willing to accept all students residing within Saratoga's city limits, it is unmitigated gall to expect families outside the current district to support such a parcel tax.

For more than 30 years, many Saratoga neighborhoods have repeatedly requested that they be included in the Saratoga Union School District. The requests were consistently met with arrogance, disdain and denial. I am confident that when the school district is willing to encompass all areas of Saratoga, we will be willing to pay our fair share of such a parcel tax.

—Marcia Fariss, Saratoga Glen Place


Sharing observations on travel conditions, more

My wife and I recently returned from a three-week trip to southern Africa, and I would like to share some observations on travel conditions.

First, concerning airport "security": my wife, age 76, was frisked by the attendant when the zippers on her convertible "safari" pants set off the alarm; the wand then discovered the snaps on the back of her bra. I commented on this to a nearby security employee, and he replied with a smile and a shrug. On the other hand, the meal we were served on the plane contained stainless steel knives and forks!

Second, after three weeks of isolation from any news sources, we returned to the Johannesburg airport and skimmed the local newspaper while we waited. The letters to the editor and general tone of reports from other countries were not flattering to our current administration. On return to the United States, we learned that though the war is over, no evidence of "weapons of mass destruction"—nuclear, chemical or biological—has been found. I realized that this administration has continuously lied to us and trumped up these "security" fears; there was no connection between Osama bin Laden and Saddam (and why did we take on Saddam when we still couldn't find Osama?), and the war was really about oil—and the pipeline that Cheney's company, Halliburton, and Bechtel will now be able to install.

The recent "conflict of interest" resignation of Richard Perle and the exposure of Bennett's hypocrisy—his addiction to gambling—increase my concerns about this administration. But what troubles me most is the public's and politicians' acceptance of all this chicanery—that is the real concern!

—Robert Wallace, Foothill Lane