Mailbag - June 26, 2001

Recent article a bit too offensive

I have always considered the Daily Pilot a family-oriented newspaper

as evidenced by its coverage of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.

This includes features such as “Kids Talk Back” and “In the Classroom,”

as well as your sports coverage and numerous articles and programs at the

various schools.

Consequently, I found Sunday’s article (“Seeking the good in being

bad,” June 3) and picture on the Costa Mesa sex therapist’s new book

surprising and very offensive. She must have quite an effective PR person

who won you over. So much for standards.

And on the subject of standards, I do wonder why you give Dennis

Rodman the front-page headline coverage. That plays right into the hands

of this publicity-seeking has-been. It makes me wonder what the Daily

Pilot is trying to be.

LOUISE VAN DELL

Newport Beach

City made right decision with large boat

Two houses, one big boat (“Balboa Island yacht request runs aground,”

June 19). First of all, if a resident has two houses side by side, it is

normal to want to accommodate one large boat. What is not normal here are

two things: First, the applicant is not a resident, and secondly, there

is a code restricting this for good reasons. The city was correct in

denying this request.

PAUL JAMES BALDWIN

Newport Beach

Coffee just steps away outside library

I’m extremely concerned about the push to have a coffee kiosk, or

more, at the main library. Your editorial (“Hold the Shakespeare and pass

the mocha,” June 17) did not help my concern. As a volunteer at The

Friends of the Library Bookstore within the library, one of our main

rules is no food or drink in the store. Food attracts ants and flies.

Coffee and soft drinks spill on the books. Imagine the mess of sugar,

cream, coffee, paper cups, napkins, and spilled food or coffee even if no

food was ever allowed. You think the library might realize 3% to 5% of

sales. I think it will cost 10% to hire cleanup people after everyone’s

gone home. We suggest people take a short walk down the hill to Peet’s

Coffee or Bristol Farms and keep our library and our bookstore neat and

clean.

PATTY LILLEGRAVEN

Balboa Island

School exercise not teaching the basics

Welcome to America (“A harsh welcoming to America,” June 14) at

Lincoln Elementary School. What is going on? There’s the harsh interview

of the German girl and then Nicole Klein, who played the part of the lost

and confused woman from Scotland during this exercise. An exercise in

what? What is going on?

These kids should be learning phonics, basic math, algebra, geography

and political science. This is crazy. Please mark me down saying,

“Welcome to America” is a crazy exercise and also could be traumatizing

to some of our young children. In a democratic way, we must save the

children. As a Libertarian, I say, teach them math, teach them English,

teach them whatever, but get away from this.

JOHN PHILLIPS

Costa Mesa