Protesters get too much coverage I enjoy...

Protesters get too much coverage

I enjoy reading the Independent but have called before regarding

your coverage of the protesters. They get so much coverage.

I think it is time to cover the people who protest the protesters

and support the troops people. I don’t see any pictures on that. Go

look Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. at Edinger Avenue and Springdale

Street and you’ll see protesters protesting the protesters.

KATHY ERVIN

Huntington Beach

Fieldstone update is news to neighbors

Reading about the cleanup [of homes near Fieldstone] in the

Independent was news to me. Despite assurances during the community

meeting on Feb. 13 to keep the residents updated, we have not heard a

word about the status of the project until we read about it in the

newspaper. This is not what we expected. The decision to consider the

last round of testing as the “final round” is of concern. Until tests

produce no levels of PCBs they should at least discuss the plan with

the homeowners located adjacent to Fieldstone.

While I recognize that newspaper articles are not always

completely accurate, I would expect that the Department of Toxic

Substances Controls will communicate directly with us before any

final decisions are made to stop testing and certainly before any

cleanup activities begin. Please let us know additional information

about the status of the cleanup and when the next meeting will be.

ANDY WEISS

Huntington Beach

Scott’s arguments sound reasonable

This morning I was offered an opportunity to read the comments

expressed by Tim Geddes, Garin Payne and David Guido. Two of the

three took exception with comments made by John Scott (April 10,

“Southeast committee doesn’t represent area residents.”) I am

saddened to say that I missed the article and therefore am unable to

speak directly to Scott’s comments. I was taken with Geddes’ choice

of vocabulary. He related that John was ardent, implacable,

erroneously ascribed, blinded by his own moonbeams or delusional and

was a die-hard detractor. I have never met Geddes. I have known Scott

for the better part of 30 years as a co-worker and a neighbor. He is

a man with a big heart. He is extremely bright and very ethical. He

spent his career aiding the community. Guido failed to advise the

readers that he is a board member for Huntington Beach. He suggested

that some might find that they distrust and dislike redevelopment and

therefore should become “involved” in it.

Payne suggested that the Ascon location needed to be cleaned up

immediately and hoped that a benevolent redeveloper would look out

for the coyotes and foxes while minimizing the exposure to the

residents. I have been a homeowner and have lived at the same

location in the southeast section for more than 27 years. I do not

know any of the members of the present board and am not a member of

the Southeast Huntington Beach Neighborhood Association. In that

time, had we accepted the ideas of numerous individuals who believed

in redevelopment we would have the following: high rise hotels from

2nd Street east to Brookhurst Street; a loss of the wetlands from

Beach Boulevard to Brookhurst; Hamilton Street would be a through

shot from Beach Boulevard to the Costa Mesa Freeway posted at 40 mph

and vehicles traveling at 50 mph; there would be a bridge over the

Santa Anna River making Banning Street a thoroughfare with cars

whizzing by Eader Elementary School; the Ascon land fill would have

400 low-income housing units; the area around the power plant would

have an industrial park affixed with light industrial manufacturing;

there would be a desalinization plant selling water to South County;

infrastructure would be impacted by hundreds of additional cars and

quality of life would have been permanently impacted. Tax revenues

would have been increased, people who do not live in the area would

be making a ton of money off it and local schools would be severely

affected by a highly transient population.

After giving the topic much thought, I think Scott’s voice sounds

pretty reasonable.

DAN BRAUN

Huntington Beach

Rohrabacher to call for professor’s firing

I totally agree with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher calling for the job of

that Columbia professor who said immoral things. The professor was

hoping for a slaughter of American troops as they fought the evil

Saddam Hussein regime. That is very wrong and immoral. Good for

Rohrabacher for taking on the professor.

MARK COHEN

Huntington Beach