I was deeply moved by the June 9 story on Cpl. Bumrok Lee of Sunnyvale, who gave his life while serving in Iraq.

Cpl. Lee represents the best of our community with his selfless dedication to his family, friends and country. Our community has suffered a tremendous loss. But we can feel grateful to live in a country that is made great by the goodness of men like Cpl. Bumrok Lee.

Nolan Chen

Cupertino

DeCinzo has humorous way of popping inflated egos

I have always enjoyed the political cartoons of Steven DeCinzo, from the time he contributed to Metro. I was pleased when The Sun chose to run DeCinzo's take on Sunnyvale's political and social scene.

He has a very humorous way of popping inflated egos and shattering icons. The negative responses to DeCinzo and his cartoons that I have read in your paper point out that his observations must be uncomfortably accurate. Otherwise, why should people be getting so upset about cartoons, after all?

Mike Sarhad

San Jose

It's becoming obvious the power is in hands of PSOA

One could not help but read Ms. Sims opinion piece in the May 26 issue of The Sun after reading the headline: "Letter to the editor creates quite a flap." I presume her assessment of Fred Fowler's attempt to get a letter published is accurate mostly because I have come to believe our city council considers themselves an elite bunch much more deserving of special treatment than the general public.

They have worked hard to earn that image and are well-deserving of it. But what really caught my attention and should have everyone else who read the article is the intervention of Sunnyvale's Public Safety Officers Association. Wow, was that ever a red flag.

I thought back to the effect that group had on Tim Risch's re-election bid and now this. It's becoming more and more obvious that the real power in Sunnyvale now rests in the hands of the police union. Of particular interest will be the effect they have on the city budget, police benefits, police wages and police working conditions.

Tom Martin

Sunnyvale

Chu's allegations about
saved funds unfounded

I wanted to finally respond to Vice Mayor Chu's assertions published in The Sun on May 12 that a significant budget savings was never properly communicated to the city council by our city staff last year while I served on the council.

Immediately after hearing this allegation, I reviewed the city's budget for the last five years. I found no such improper item as described by Mr. Chu. However, in order to assure the public that our city has and continues to operate above reproach, I immediately sent Mr. Chu a certified letter requesting that he clarify his remarks by specifically identifying the funds involved and the dates on which he believed the alleged improper action occurred. Unfortunately, I never received a response from Mr. Chu. Again, I can only conclude that Mr. Chu's assertions are unfounded and without merit.

Mr. Chu also reported in a June 2 letter to the editor in The Sun that crime statistics for the year 2003 showed an increase in overall crime. While this is true, this increase was primarily due to nonviolent burglaries and thefts, areas of police services that were not directly affected by recent budget cuts. Also, both Santa Clara and San Jose showed a 10 percent increase in motor vehicle theft in 2003, a rise comparable with Sunnyvale's. But the statistics also show that, more importantly, violent crime in Sunnyvale actually decreased by 10.4 percent in 2003.

However, year-to-year fluctuations in the crime rate are inevitable, and past history has shown that it is virtually impossible to determine the overall direction in crime by looking at a single year's statistics.

External factors such as the state of the economy also need to be considered. No doubt, proper funding of police services is one of the most important functions that the city provides, but so is optimal allocation of resources to ensure that the public receives the best service possible.

If the council's goal is to truly to reduce crime, then they should reprioritize funding, specifically targeting reductions in thefts and burglaries, something they have not done so far even though the city council has increased funding for police services in the recent budget.

Tim Risch

Former Sunnyvale vice mayor

Sophistication no barrier
against junk science

In the May 26 issue of The Sun, Broderick Perkins raises some concerns about "pesticides" applied to residential landscaping and gardens. I share his prudent approach to gardening and do not apply chemicals to my yard.

My wife and I are delighted by the birds and squirrels who use our lawn and patio for morning and evening meals of bugs and seeds.

However, his article had the expression, "deadly toxic danger" in reference to DDT. No reputable document I am aware of characterizes this chemical in such harsh terms. In fact, it is considered to be one of the most benign and effective controls for mosquitoes that carry malaria. It has low acute human toxicity, and reference to the most recent update on the International Agency for Research on Cancer [a part of the World Health Organization] website states that: "There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of DDT"—after many scientific studies and a massive epidemiological data set. The issue of damage to the reproduction of raptors is certainly of concern but is much too complex to air in this short letter.

We are fortunate to live in one of the most affluent and technically sophisticated areas of the world. Yet, we are exposed almost daily to conclusions based on half-truths or even junk science.

For example, Mr. Perkins will learn that his compost pile is likely generating minute quantities of dioxins—naturally.

Mr. Perkins should take advantage of local scientific learning, and, as a minimum, read the excellent book Naturally Dangerous by James P. Collman.

Collman is a professor of chemistry at Stanford University and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, among other honors to his scholarship.

Ed Johnson

Sunnyvale