That's where you come in

Smelly hippies suck

Well, the global-warming freaks are at it again ["Cover Story," July 3]. Al Gore is such a self-deluded idiot. Here's a guy who has an annual energy bill 20 times higher than the average person, has tons of money in Occidental Petroleum and rides around in expensive, gas-guzzling private jets to tell us how to conserve energy.
Or how about that whack job Sheryl Crow telling us to use only one freaking sheet of toilet paper when you give birth to a brown trout? I'll bet you didn't know that ol' Al Bore owns this whole Live Earth racket? How much wasted energy and pollution will this rip-off create? How much money will he pocket from this useless feel-good enterprise?
I always remember how Woodstock '94 looked like after that "Save the planet" hoax. It was awful! Where were all the smelly, planet-saving, drugged-out hippies the next day to clean up that fucking mess? You guys are so fulla your own self-righteous bullshit that you could sprout daisies. Woodstock T-shirts for $28 and you want to lecture us about greed? Ha!

Jeff Webster,
Allied Gardens

'Gentleman' Brian

I write a column for a little neighborhood paper in the 5th City Council District. I came down pretty hard on Brian Maienschein ["The Front Lines," July 3] about the Kroll report. However, I ended my column with the suggestion he apologize to the district for not asking questions and finding out more about the budget before signing off on it. He should have done that, rather than join the chorus of those blaming the staff and the city manager.
Family illnesses would be difficult for anyone to handle with all the city issues. He really is, I believe, a good guy who wanted to do the right things for the public. Politics requires a very thick skin and tough nature. Brian is a gentleman. He would be an excellent county supervisor. I hope he finds a place in public office.

Sylvia Hampton,
Scripps Ranch

Unintended consequences?

I read, "Too late for a cap?" ["The Front Lines," July 11]. The article quotes a San Diego city official as saying that new parking requirements for condo-conversion projects will serve as a disincentive because of the cost, "effectively ensuring that a number of older apartment buildings would never become condos."
Instead, this parking requirement could lead to demolitions of old apartment buildings, for new condo development, as in the city of Los Angeles. Perhaps the city of San Diego needs a cap on apartment demolitions in addition to its cap on condo conversions.

John A. Mozzer,
Los Angeles

The first step

How wonderful it is that a weekly newspaper provides an opportunity for other human beings in San Diego to connect with the homeless ["Homeless Person of the Week"]. Thank you. Maybe someone who has read your article might see the person featured and simply say hello.
Unfortunate circumstances in your life should not erase any person from the ranks of human beings. If you should happen to meet a homeless person, extend yourself in any simple way that you can.
Perhaps we could persuade those who supposedly represent all the people of San Diego, including the homeless, to implement programs that provide practical help, such as housing, nutritious food and other human needs.
Should you happen to speak to the homeless person, you find that some may be suffering from addiction or mental health problems, but clearly a good number do not. They all need some help. Begin with hello and a smile.
Thank you kindly for helping them.

Pauline Salmon,
Downtown

Humanizing the homeless

I just ran across your "Homeless Person of the Week" feature. I think it is a wonderful way to humanize a very misunderstood problem. I can't help but think that people will think differently about homeless people as they see them, especially when they recognize a face from your feature.
Great work!

Ron Logan,
Allied Gardens

Ideal locations

Here is an idea: How about the City Council members who voted against banning supercenters ["The Front Lines," July 18] offer up where these megastores should go in their districts. I am sure the good voters of Point Loma, Rancho Bernardo and Del Cerro would be thrilled to have Wal-Mart Supercenters in their neighborhoods. Or maybe the mayor would offer up his Kensington neighborhood as a potential site?

Brian Polejes,
North Park

Wal-Mart is super

I think Donna Frye did the right thing voting for a Super Wal-Mart in San Diego ["The Front Lines," July 18]. I do not think it would hurt the mom-and-pop stores. We used to have Fed Mart and Gemco, and they were like the super Wal-Marts and they did not hurt the smaller stores. I am glad they will be bringing that type of store back.

Marion Whaley,
Clairemont

Editor's note: Just to clarify, Councilmember Frye didn't cast her vote against the Wal-Mart ban because she's in favor of supercenters in San Diego; she did so because she didn't want the Wal-Mart issue on the 2008 ballot.

A day without vomit

I want to thank Troy Johnson for his fair and funny piece about the Padres' Pride event ["Music," July 18]. My husband and I were among the many "supporters" who sat in the LGBT section. It was, not surprisingly, a typical day out at a baseball game.
Apart from the Padres losing, nothing negative happened. Just a bunch of Padre fans having a good time. In fact, there was a lot less profanity and drunken awkwardness than we are used to seeing in our regular season-ticket-holder seats. Not one single person in our row threw up on themselves, which, of course, happened at one Saturday night game at the beginning of the season for loads of children to witness. Save our kids, indeed.

Karen Ellis,
Normal Heights