Areas near Beltway aren't suitable for denser development
The Sun's article "Glendening reopens battle against sprawl" (Aug. 20) comes at a time when Baltimore County councilmen are making judgments about zoning issues. Government officials must clearly define where high-density areas are, so that voters know where they stand.
Most mature neighborhoods along the beltway should not be designated for higher-density development and are entitled to receive assurances to that effect. Their lack of adequate facilities along with quality of life factors require this.
Residents of Long Meadow, located in Pikesville, hope County Councilman Kevin B. Kamenetz realizes this. The Long Meadow Association also opposes plans for development of high-rise, mid-rise and rowhouse condominiums on 36 acres of Druid Ridge Cemetery.
Those with loved ones interred at the Druid Ridge Cemetery should consider the adverse consequences of such a development. The one-lane roads surrounding this area cannot accommodate the increased traffic it would generate.
And we don't want road widenings: the more roads, the more traffic.
Additionally, developing this land will threaten the area's environment and eliminate one of the community's cherished areas of green space.
Smart Growth means making sensible zoning decisions.
Alan P. Zukerberg
Pikesville
The writer is a member of the board of the Long Meadow Association Inc.
Curing addicts would be better way to fight drugs
Kudos for printing Mike Tidwell's column about how our drug war has simply caused drug production to move to another country and drug purchases to move to another block ("Change drug war targets," Opinion
Commentary, Aug. 17).
As Mr. Tidwell recommends, we must treat drug use as a "public health issue instead of a criminal justice issue."
The adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" has been stood on its head by our drug policy.
An ounce of cure for those addicted to drugs has less value than a pound of prevention in our ineffective, 20-year, multibillion dollar war on drugs.
Eugene Belt
Towson
Both sides destroy property, but not for the same reasons
In his article "Path to peace grows steep at key holy site" (Aug. 21), Mark Matthews attempted to describe the positions Israel and the Arabs have taken regarding Jerusalem, but drew extremely misleading comparisons.
First, Mr. Matthews compared the destruction of an Arab neighborhood in the old city of Jerusalem after 1967 with Arab destruction of Jewish buildings between 1948 and 1967.
Over the past century, the Arabs purposely erected buildings along the perimeter of the Western Wall in an effort to limit Jewish access to the wall. It is these buildings that Israel cleared so its citizens could pray at their holiest site.
Contrast this with the destruction of Jewish property by the Arabs during their period of rule. Without any respect for the Jewish religion, they destroyed houses of worship and used them as barns.
Second, with regard to access to holy sites, Jews could not visit their holiest site for a period of 19 years. Contrast this to occasional closures of the Temple Mount to Arab worshipers during times of a security crisis such as terrorist bombings.
The two situations are hardly equivalent.
Mike Langbaun
Baltimore
To clear the way for peace, Arabs must accept Jews
If the Palestinians would stop teaching their children and populace to hate Israel, be willing to co-exist with Jews and not expel Jews from their territory, maybe the Israelis would be willing to compromise more to reach a peace treaty.
Remember, the Israelis allow Palestinians to live in their country.
Erich Oppenheim
Baltimore
A vice president who thinks he's God?
After watching Al Gore's class warfare speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, I have come to this conclusion: He is going to fix the schools, hire more teachers and even have the teachers tested.
Mr. Gore will also fix Social Security and offer a Social Security-plus to all Americans.
He will also go after big oil and big drug companies, give seniors free prescriptions, offer abortions, special gay rights, affirmative action, fix global warming, pay down the debt, build up our military and get our troops off food stamps.
And Mr. Gore is going to fight for the little people.
It seems to me that Al Gore is not running for president, but he is running to be God.
Roy Davidson
Pasadena
Nation's `moral sewer' didn't start with Clinton
A recent letter argued that "Clinton and Tinsel World deserve one another. Unfortunately, we're heading down the moral sewer because of them" ("Clinton, Hollywood lead us all down the moral sewer," Aug. 22).
One ought not forget that the moral sewer began with President Reagan, who lied about selling arms for hostages in the Iran-contra scandal.
Then in 1988 George Bush's lied in his "read my lips, no new taxes" pledge just to get elected over his much more intelligent opponent, Michael Dukakis.
