Monumental Movement

It is about time that Fort Ord be saved from greedy developers who bulldoze the landscape then go broke and leave, or other developers that build obnoxious big box stores and malls (“Local activists head to D.C. to push for Fort Ord National Monument,” Jan. 26-Feb. 1). Stop plowing up Fort Ord and paving it over with L.A.-type freeways.

I suggest that a permanent ban be made on all further development of any kind on Fort Ord lands. Maybe even tear down some of what has already been started. There are thousands of acres of land in Monterey County or even in California that are left and can be blighted over by development. Some of those lands are logical and located in areas of need for development. Make what’s left of Fort Ord a National Monument and a park and memorial to all the veterans that served there, some who saw it and the California coast for the last time as they went off to war and never returned. Have the decency to respect the veterans who served.

I also wanted to mention that the freeway signs by Fort Ord in each direction should be shown as “Fort Ord” and not “Ord Community.” It was, is and will forever be “Fort ORD”! To list it as anything different is disrespectful to all of us who served there! - Truck | via Web

Perhaps Friday the 13th of January was a lucky day for 15,000 acres of Fort Ord Public Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and other officials toured the area and hosted a public forum on a potential National Monument that would permanently protect the area for hikers, mountain and road bikers, runners, equestrians, photographers, veterans, history buffs, youth educators, scientists, local residents and others who cherish its unique and wonderful plants, animals and military history.

A National Monument under the National Conservation Lands System would protect our public lands from future mining claims, land sales, etc. Special events important to the local economy like the Sea Otter Classic would continue.

From where Salazar stood on Wildcat Ridge, he saw the entire Monterey Peninsula, the Salinas Valley, and surrounding mountain ranges. After hearing from a supportive audience, he encouraged the community to continue the momentum.

Your help is needed now. Please contact our local media, Sens. Feinstein and Boxer, Rep. Farr and Secretary Salazar to express your support. You’ll make a difference in protecting our wonderful BLM wildlands for generations to come. - Henrietta Stern | Pacific Grove

[Editor’s note: Ms. Stern is president of Fort Ord Recreation Trail (FORT) Friends.]

We Try and We Do

I’d be happy to support an environment-friendly restaurant that was also customer-friendly (“New Schooners Coastal Kitchen gives Monterey County what looks like a landmark seafood restaurant,” Jan. 26-Feb. 1). $30 for “shrimp in a bag,” or lamb chops? Haven’t you, and Schooners, noticed the economic situation on the Peninsula? They of course are free to commit hara-kiri, but as the go-to source for (among other things) Peninsula foodies, shouldn’t MCW be featuring affordable restaurants? - Andrew Allison | Carmel

What say, Mr. President?

Allow the middle class the opportunity to succeed by reducing crippling statist regulatory oversight, allowing a true free and open market to reign, secure energy independence through the exploration of safe domestic alternatives, and giving peace a chance. (“President Obama will address the nation in just a few minutes. What are the most important topics the nation needs to address in the coming year?” Posted Jan. 24 on Facebook.) - Jasper Casey | via Facebook

Shell Go Boom

Lucky he’s alive!!! (“Squid Fry – Darwin Award,” Jan. 26-Feb. 1.) Well, at least he admitted he needs a brain transplant. - Cathy Anaya | via Facebook

Guns don’t kill people… dumb people with bullets and power tools kill people. What was he looking for, the cream filling in the center? - Maury Treleven | via Facebook

Know it when you see it

The ad for Nu-Art Theater is offensive (Jan. 26-Feb. 1). Do you have any guidelines whatsoever as to what advertising is acceptable? “Best Place to Blow” and a photo of a female mouth about to give a blow job? Do you perhaps think this makes the Weekly cutting-edge and risque? I can’t begin to imagine.

What I do know is that your values and aesthetic sensibilities and your politics are far away from mine and from my family’s. Today my two teenagers, my husband and I discussed the offensiveness of this ad. Quite simply, if I turn to the “movie” section, I don’t want this kind of obnoxious, sophomoric bullshit ad in my face.

Sayonara, Monterey County Weekly. I, and we, do not respect your publication. And we do not feel respected by you. - The Cohen-Jones Family | Monterey

Memorial Woes

I was extremely disappointed of how superficial and not informative Mary Duan’s article was (“Local Spin,” Jan. 26-Feb. 1). The article perpetuates the myth that Salinas Valley Memorial hospital’s public funding is limited to 1 percent. That’s only the direct funding, which is a small portion of the district’s residents. How about the real estate holdings within and outside the hospital campus? How about the abatement of other income and sales taxes, fees and interest. I dare say that the real cost is in the tens, if not hundreds, of millions. - Nick Yacub, M.D. | Salinas

Ask LAFCO what the largest independent special district is in the county and how much public tax revenue they receive. You’ll be surprised to find out it’s Memorial Hospital. The total revenue for special districts is in the neighborhood of $275 million, and Memorial gets somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 percent of the special property tax revenue. - “Reliable Anonymous Source” | via Voicemail

Corrections:

A story on an ongoing investigation by county Environmental Health (“Pain in the Asphalt,” Dec. 22, 2011) stated county staff was testing core samples from a dump site. The county does not conduct core sample analysis.

Ewalker James, the Seaside Cultural Arts Group and the city of Seaside are responsible for bringing a component of the Carmel Bach Festival to Seaside for the past 28 years (“The Beautiful Struggle,” Jan. 26-Feb. 1). The story incorrectly credited Mel Mason.