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TERMS OF USE: The Tower District News [TDN] Editors welcome comments from readers. Unsigned e-mail and, or e-mail designating that the writer's name may not be published, may be routinely aggregated by the editors in column material. Unless the writer specifies otherwise, e-mail may also be aggregated and posted by sender names. No open letters will be published.
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Recent Letters to the Editor

[04/21/02]Editor: Re Tower District News. I enjoy the arts & Letters along with the lively style, layout and the variety of subjects covered. - Computer Science Professor, Longmont, CO, March 10, 2002.

[04/19/02]Editor: Re Tower District News. I do enjoy the OnLine news. You have articles which can be put to work by writers and performers! -Teacher/Professional Musician, Salt Lake City, UT

[04/15/02]Editor: Re Tower District News. I thoroughly enjoyed the new Tower District News issue! I find the online newspaper interesting and educational. - Independent Bookstore Employee, Lafayette, CA. March 8, 2002.

[04/12/02]Editor: Re Tower District News. I enjoyed visiting the site, and want to thank all involved for the wonderful job. Considering the job President Reagan did fighting communism and promoting our values, I think it may be a good idea to provide all those touched by a recent downturn in his health with an opportunity to express their gratitude and best wishes to this magnificent President and amazing human being, and Mrs. Reagan, the gracious, supporting, loving First Lady only few of us are lucky to meet. - Jack Strohbach, Tobyhanna, PA

[04/10/02]Editor: Re Tower News ads. I buy as much as I can on the net. I buy stuff I wouldn't normally buy, on the net. I clicked on the Chicken Pie Shop banners and found it very helpful in locating a great place to eat. - Nancy Swan

[04/07/02]Editor: Re Scott's twisted Tower District charity. Charity is more often referred to as love, and love is always a challenge to define accurately. But certainly what is at the heart of love is not misrepesentation! Too bad you finally came to the party, too late. That bus left last week. The one you're on now is the "streetcar named desire." My advice to you is to quit belly-aching for a free-ride and forget about any more Tower charity. Why didn't you take time to tour the world famous Tower Web site before it was taken down and reformatted? According to the news story, you were behind on paying agreed monthly service charges. A material fact you failed to mention. Stupid is as stupid does, they say. - Rev. Jan

[04/06/02] Editor: Re Tower District. I own a Tower District business and this is my first time looking at the site. I think charity is supposed to be something that does someone some good. Please spare us this kind of charity because it makes us all look stupid. - Scott

[03/18/02]Editor: Re Tower Changes. The make-over of this site may have been a long time in coming, but it appears to have been worth the wait. I am interested in the intellectual aspects of the art & entertainment world and this new TowerDistrictNews.com site is more than overdue. Thank you. - Jane

[03/12/02]]Editor: Re Tower News. Found out about your site on Micro Publishing News. What a great find! I'm begining to get back into the true nature and purpose of my soul, and this is the right type of site for inspiration. No more artistic block for me! Maybe all that y2k fallout did it for me! I can see clearly now! We must allow others to see for themselves that the Fresno Tower District now has more going for it than a cup of last year's frozen yoghurt! - Yolanda

[03/10/02]] Editor: Re Tower stuff. Greeting cybernauts! I'm writing a story on "Favorite web sites" and, other digerati and welcome your new format. - Carolyn

Editor: Re Tower News. You certainly get my vote. Hope you make the Best of The Internet sites award again this year! Like monks in a monastary, illuminating script,Tower2000.com is carrying on the tradition in a Brave New World. - Larry

Editor: Re Tower News upgrade. Amazing site. We're regulars. Very beautiful and fab content. We've put a link to you from our Web site. Keep up the wonderful writing. We'll be reading you! - Kenny G.

Editor: Re Web Site changes. I am greatly enjoying Tower News updates--please keep them coming. I am also "spreading the word," and giving your URL to as many of my artist friends in California as I can. Once again, thanks for the great site. - Maria

[04/14/01] Editor: Re: Power Crises. President Bush is making plans for expanding fossil fuel prospecting and has used the California utilities mess as justification. Yet California's troubles are purely financial, brought about by the deregulation of wholesale power pricing and the selling of generating stations to private owners (Business Day, April 9). There is no energy crisis in California, only a financial crisis caused by privatization. A solution is for the electric infrastructure to be publicly owned, just as roads and bridges are.
-J. Rooney
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Editor: Re Yosemite Master Plan: "The making of gardens and parks goes on with civilization all over the world, and they increase both in size and number as their value is recognized.
     Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.
     This natural beauty-hunger is made manifest in the little window-sill gardens of the poor, though perhaps only a geranium slip in a broken cup, as well as in the carefully tended rose and lily gardens of the rich, the thousands of spacious city parks and botanical gardens, and in our magnificent National parks -- the Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, -- Nature's sublime wonderlands, the admiration and joy of the world.
     Nevertheless, like anything else worth while, from the very beginning, however well guarded, they have always been subject to attack by despoiling gainseekers and mischief-makers of every degree from Satan to Senators, eagerly trying to make everything immediately and selfishly commercial, with schemes disguised in smug-smiling philanthropy, industriously, shampiously crying, "Conservation, conservation, panutilization," that man and beast may be fed and the dear Nation made great.
     Thus long ago a few enterprising merchants utilized the Jerusalem temple as a place of business instead of a place of prayer, changing money, buying and selling cattle and sheep and doves; and earlier still, the first forest reservation, including only one tree, was likewise despoiled.
     Ever since the establishment of the Yosemite National Park, strife has been going on around its borders and I suppose this will go on as part of the universal battle between right and wrong, however much its boundaries may be shorn, or its wild beauty destroyed."
      In addition to the above words from John Muir's well known reference to the flooding of Hetch Hetchy, could he have been prophesizing of the eventual Yosemite Valley Plans for the widening of Southside Drive and the cutting down of the old growth Pines, Cedars and Fir trees there to make way for the new expanded road that will accommodate the increased day use bus traffic?
     Perchance he was also foreseeing the grandiose new 16 bay tour bus depot that will allow all who come to Yosemite the assurance that a timely tour of the park's grandeur can be had in less that two hours, and they can be safely returned to the luxury of their hotels in El Portal by early afternoon, before dinner time.
     I wonder if he was foretelling that the park planners would plan to shuttle visitors like cattle to all the important vistas along a system of planned bus stops, so that the tourist could say that they saw it all in an efficient two hour tour?
     Was he making reference to the Yosemite Valley Plan and its improved traffic flow for buses in The Valley when he made this statement about "schemes disguised in smug-smiling philanthropy, industriously, sham-piously crying, "Conservation, conservation, ...?"
     When he stated, that this was all under the "disguise" of "conservation", I am surprised that he couldn't anticipate that the 21st century word used for disguising "philanthropy" would be "environmentalism", not "conservation".
     Wasn't John making reference to the park wanting to remove the Apple Orchard at Camp Curry too, under the disguise of helping the bears? The fact that the buses will then be able to park there without scratching their roofs on the branches, was not mentioned by the park when the told us on the side that the orchard had to go.
     A little less car parking, but lots more bus parking so that the increased bus schedule from the new gateway area hotels will increase the volume of entrance fees for the park service to huge proportions. They'll be able to charge by the head, and we all know there are lots more heads in a large bus that a car. They didn't require smaller buses.
     No, what would be the point in that? The park happily anticipates the augmented bus schedule, as was made public in their statement that they "will be able to handle the increased buses" under the new plan. The empire that the park planners want to build can be easily afforded when all the new money passes hands during the next decade or two, no doubt.
     The late John Muir must have thought the 21st century Mariposa real estate people and their intentions of making their fortunes from the expanded Yosemite tourism in years to come could have been easily foreseen.
     The financial returns on the millions of dollars invested in international tour guide magazine ads about the magnificent grandeur of the Yosemite Valley must have also been what the legendary conservationist John Muir was talking about in that heartfelt prophesy. I am sure that is the case, aren't you? - Mark Sutherlin @ mark@sutherlin.com

Respond! 04/18/01]

Editor: Re TNT News Content: I am 10 year old staunch Republican! I like your paper. I found it accidentally looking for information for the web site I am building for school. I would like to know if I could have permission to link to your site and if you could give me permission to use the pictures you have on your site dated December 19, 1996 about the Old Mummies found in China. I am building a web site for ThinkQuest Jr. Thank you, God bless, long live the Republicans. -Dane
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Editor: Re Web site improvements. Allow me to congratulate you and your staff on the excellent caliber of the Tower 2000 News writing and editing. As usual, a first rate effort benefit all who know Tower District amenities. It occurred to me last weekend as I ate a splendid lunch in the Daily Planet, what a singular contribution you have made especially to the Internet and its millions of users. I know that every one in Fresno must be very proud of Tower 2000.com and the image it projects to the World of the wonderful Tower District area. Please know how proud we all are of you and what you have built the Tower2000 Web site into for all of us to enjoy. - M. Maibach
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Editor: Re Tower 2000 News. I enjoyed visiting the site, and want to thank all involved for the wonderful job. Considering the job President Reagan did fighting communism and promoting our values, I think it may be a good idea to provide all those touched by a recent downturn in his health with an opportunity to express their gratitude and best wishes to this magnificent President and amazing human being, and Mrs. Reagan, the gracious, supporting, loving First Lady only few of us are lucky to meet.
- Jack Strohbach, Tobyhanna, PA
Respond!

Editor: Re Tower 2000 News ads. I buy as much as I can on the net. I buy stuff I wouldn't normally buy off the net. I clicked on the Chicken Pie Shop banners and found it very helpful in locating a great place to eat. Thanks. - Nancy Swan
Respond!

Editor: Re Tower District. I own a Tower District business and this is my first time looking at the site. I think charity is supposed to be something that does someone some good. Please spare us this kind of charity because it makes us all look stupid. - Scott
Respond!

Editor: Re Tower 2000 News. Great site! So glad to be here! And with a column entitled "Final Frontier" this Alice would not pass up the opportunity to take a closer look at what's not going on in the rowdy Tower District, after all. - Lindsay
Respond!

Editor: Re Tower2000.com. Found out about your site on Micro Publishing News. What a great find! I'm begining to get back into the true nature and purpose of my soul, and this is the right type of site for inspiration. No more artistic block for me! Maybe all that y2k fallout did it for me! I can see clearly now! We must allow others to see for themselves that the Fresno Tower District now has more going for it than a cup of last year's frozen yoghurt! - Yolanda
Respond!

[04/14/01]Editor: Re Tower stuff. Greeting cybernauts! I'm writing a story on "Favorite web sites" and, other digerati and welcome your new format. - Carolyn
Respond!