Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor (July 15, 2005)

No Zanotto's, but good job anyway

Editor:

Well, the decision didn't go my way. Still, I appreciate the time and effort expended by our city council and staff in deciding whether Longs Drugs or Zanotto's would be located in the new downtown parking garage. I'm also pleased that we'll have retail space and not parking on the ground floor. To council members past and present: Thanks for the nice downtown, and thanks for serving. Hal Mounce Loreto Street

Word to the grocery advocates

Editor:

After reading theVoice's excellent coverage on the decision to go with Longs Drugs instead of Zanotto's Grocery, I headed to get a cup of coffee at my favorite cafe, the Dana Street Roasting Company.

While there I noticed a group of people holding a meeting to galvanize support for an actual grocery store instead of Longs. Hoping to lend my support, I politely and quietly asked if this was the case, and a few of the folks quickly started to respond that it was. However, I was soon told by the woman at the front of the table to look at the agenda and basically not interrupt.

I felt insulted, and as I walked away I came up to the counter, where other cafe patrons were speaking about the group. Many felt the group was taking itself too seriously, and every one of them hoped that it fails in its endeavor.

Unfortunately, some of these group members forget that the only way they will win this battle is with community support, and that pushing away the very people who are trying to offer their support is a sure way to lose. I wish them the best, but I find it hard to agree with the cause of anyone who feels the need to treat others with such disregard. Randall Kiessig Orchard Glen Court

Pay attention to new Supreme Court justice

Editor:

I'd like to bring up an important matter: the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. While this may seem like something for the politicians to deal with, the outcome of the nominations and replacement could affect our very community and those surrounding it.

The decisions being made by the Supreme Court for the past years have often hung on a 5-4 balance, with Justice O'Connor as the swing vote. This is not just something happening in Washington, D.C., it is happening in America. And because it is happening in America, it affects you and me.

We should all be concerned, or at the very least aware, of what is at stake. Some of the most important issues are affirmative action, abortion, and privacy laws, just to name a few. We should all have knowledge of what is happening in the Supreme Court and have the right in knowing whether or not a fair, open-minded justice will be taking the courts soon.

We should discuss the issues that affect all of us in this community and this one should not be ignored. Catherine O'Sullivan Sunnyview Lane

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