Air-cargo trafÞc would decrease value of homes
After watching the July 1 public meeting about the possibility of air cargo at Moffett Field on our local cable station and reading the draft Environmental Impact Report, it is crystal-clear to me that NASA is the enemy of the citizens of Sunnyvale.
NASA wants to solve its 0.5 percent operating deficit on the backs of the citizens of Sunnyvale (to our unending misery). The decreased net value in housing prices alone over the next 20 years due to cargo aircraft overhead is easily calculated to dwarf the NASA deficit over the same period. Thus they only want to shift these costs to us, the ordinary citizens. On top of that, who is going to come up with the thousands of dollars it is going to take to soundproof my home?
The only good point I can think of is that when I retire in 15 or 20 years, perhaps I'll have lost enough hearing that I'll no longer be affected by the aircraft noise.
Why is this crucial issue not being covered in this newspaper? You could provide needed leadership in making Moffett a true defense base again.
I am a 20-year resident of Sunnyvale and have cheerfully accepted the noise from P3s flown by true heroes defending our country. No one, however, can accept screaming cargo-jet noise in the name of Federal Express profits and closing a 0.5 percent operating deficit for NASA. They can find that money somewhere else.
Jeffrey M. Weiss
Sunnyvale
Little Leaguer not 'one of the boys'
I'm writing on behalf of Kelsey Severns, whom I've never met, and also on behalf of the thousands of girls and women who play on baseball teams throughout the United States. I take great exception to the headline that ran with the story about Kelsey ["One of the Boys," July 3], which labels girls who play on teams, and especially those who play well, as boys.
Using this simple-minded cliché as a headline makes a mockery of serious efforts to break down stereotypes regarding women's roles in our society. The headline is also in conflict with the focus of your article--that gender is no longer a barrier to putting on a baseball uniform. Your article states that Kelsey is "a diehard baseball player. She's aggressive, determined and has good baseball skills." Are these traits limited to the male of the species? No. Determination and aggressiveness are universal traits found in successful people of both sexes. Women, and all individuals, should be recognized for their abilities and readily accepted in what previously may have been considered nontraditional roles--whether these be professional or recreational.
Why can't a young girl who plays baseball well be recognized as just that: a young girl who plays baseball well? Categorizing a young girl as "one of the boys" infers that only boys (or girls who act like boys) can succeed in this sport. Girls who play baseball are not trying to act like boys. They are girls participating in a sport they enjoy and (surprise!) may even excel at.
Please update your viewpoint (or at least your headlines) and stop putting men and women in boxes. It is careless journalism such as this that continues to undermine the successes achieved by the women's movement. Kelsey Severns is a good ball player. All good ball players are not necessarily boys.
Linda Crabill
San Jose
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 24, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.