Speak Out

Slow down on the 'noisy Minnesota'

I appreciated, and grew concerned, reading about the problems the folks are having over on "the quiet Minnesota."

Sometimes I need to be reminded that these shortcuts are perhaps unnecessary to me (how much time do I really save anyway?) and bothersome to the residents.

I am pleased to say that I was unaware of that particular shortcut, but I have taken others which I won't mention for fear of enlightening some "gotta get home now" drivers. (I wonder if traffic on Minnesota-the-quiet has worsened since the article.) I will keep this article in mind and do my best to travel the busier streets.

I, on the other hand, live on "the noisy Minnesota"-- the one with four lanes rather than two. The one on which people choose to travel at 45 or 50 miles per hour, rather than the posted 30 miles per hour. The one with a Public Library, two churches and a day-care center for seniors. The one with an elementary school. The one with a crosswalk at Newport and Minnesota for those people who actually walk to each of these places and for whom no car will stop.

Could courtesy be extended to even those of us who live, learn and worship here?

Patty Mitchell
Minnesota Ave.

Is it really so hard to call it 'Willow Glen?'

I have lived in Willow Glen for almost 50 years, and I have never heard a local resident identify him/herself as a "Glenite," nor refer to the area as "The Glen" until your paper started using these terms. I also don't hear them used in conversation--despite your apparent attempt to start a trend.

What's the matter with "Willow Glen?" Would the additional word strain your printer? It's a small matter, certainly not earth-shaking, but a continuing annoyance! "CLINTON VISITS THE GLEN" says your headline on Sept. 27; "The unscheduled whistlestop caught Glenites by surprise." Please!

And one more beef: the DeCinzo cartoon, also in the Sept. 27 issue, depicted book store owner Kathy Adkins as trying to block the president's view of a number of books critical of him and his problems. This was not based on the facts.

Except for one poorly written biography of Mrs. Clinton, Adkins has not carried many of these books, having decided that there would not be a great demand for them among the store's regular clientele. Get the facts right first, then do the cartoon!

On the plus side, let me add a word of praise for your attention in the past to our two locally owned book stores, Willow Glen Books and Hicklebee's. We are proud of them, and glad that President Clinton favored Willow Glen Books with a visit. I would have enjoyed being there at the time. It must have been exciting.

For all his peccadilloes, at least we have a president who can read, along with his other hobbies.

Patricia Buchser
Iris Court

Flower isn't good pick for fall planting

I have a comment on Tony Tomeo's column, "Autumn is an opportune time for many plantings."

In the article, Tony lists the plant Mexican bush sage, Salvia leucantha, as the flower of the week.

This is an excellent plant, but it should not be planted in fall as it is frost sensitive. The best time to plant it is in early spring so it can get established for as many months as possible before the frost comes again.

I'm sure Mr. Tomeo did not mean to indicate that Mexican bush sage should be planted in the fall, but with the title of his article, people could easily get mislead.

Otherwise, I enjoy his column.

Sherri Osaka
Laurelwood Drive

And on the other side of the debate ...

To counter Ron Price's recent letter in support of George Bush for the presidency of the United States, I write to oppose his view.

Bush's leadership is weak; his oratory skills poor and his understanding of world politics woeful. He has provided clear messaging on tax cuts and rearming of our defenses but provides no detail as to exactly how this will be paid for.

His moral stand is decidedly questionable given that he himself used drugs as a student and his running mate Dick Cheney has been prosecuted four times for DUI.

His stand on firearms is irresponsible, especially in the light of the many recent fatalities involving children and the misuse of weapons.

Today we have low unemployment, a healthy surplus and a booming stock market. The Democrats really have no opposition from the Republicans and if this country was able to break the two-party system then the Independent runners really provide the biggest threat to Gore. Unfortunately, though, as it stands a vote for them is a wasted vote.

Russell Sheehan
Los Gatos

Correction

Willow Glen Neighborhood Association President J. Michael Gonzales sent a letter outlining the organization's concerns about a proposed Longs Drugs store on Sept. 27, not Sept. 22 as was reported in last week's issue of The Resident.

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