Letters:
Christmas 2001
This year, we strain to hear the silver bells
Over dark waves of misfortune whipped into frenzy by the Martian winds
With wave after wave of passions seeking martyred eternal dates, How does one find peace?
Maybe, you search not in Macy’s, Target, Wal-Mart or Neiman Marcus
Or the nooks and crannies of each shopping mall or e-com site, But rather a snow covered field in Flanders
Where Tommy and Fritz on one cold December day
Left the security of a trench
To use their fingers to shake hands,
Not to pull triggers,
To use their voices, not to bark commands,
But to sing softly .
“Silent Night, Heil’ge Nacht, Alles schlaft, all is bright ”
To exchange gifts instead of shells,
To play soccer instead of the losing game of war,
To score the goal of peace.
If they could, so can we.
Maybe not for a lifetime,
But at least for more than one day
With the lifeboat filled with love, peace, and tolerance,
Rowing easily to the tranquil shore
And the soft refrain ..
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men.
Michael P. Ridley
Poet and lawyer (day job)
Newport Beach
Toll Road
Reporter Rajiv Vyas is to be commended for his comprehensive reporting of California Private Transportation Company’s successful refinancing of the 91 Express Lanes this past July (“Toll Road Operator Finds Light at End of Tunnel,” Dec 3). Indeed, the successful AAA-rated refinancing illustrates the investment community’s continued confidence in the long-term value and viability of the facility and its measurable contributions to traffic relief along the 91 Corridor. Moreover, it improves the toll road’s profitability over the remaining 29 years of the franchise.
I would, however, like to correct the record with respect to the sidebar article’s reference to the proposed sale of the 91 Express Lanes in 1999. It reports that American Transportation first offered to sell the 91 Express Lanes to the Orange County Transportation Authority and then NewTrac.
In fact, American Transportation Development has no relationship whatsoever with the 91 Express Lanes, nor did CPTC ever offer to sell the 91 Express Lanes to OCTA. CPTC is the sole owner of the project. Rather, ATD holds the franchise rights to construct and operate a proposed toll road project between the 57 Freeway near Edison Field and the 405 Freeway in Costa Mesa.
Greg Hulsizer
General Manager
California Private Transportation Company
Editor’s note: The correction is noted. The 1999 plan called for a non-profit agency to issue tax-exempt bonds to buy the 91 Express Lanes from CPTC. OCTA would have recovered $9 million in road-design funds from the controversial deal, which was aborted.
El Toro, Cont’d
I’m not surprised but disgusted that Barbara Lichman of the Airport Working Group, on a recent debate on KOCE’s “Real Orange,” would try to leverage 4,000-plus innocent New York people dying to advance her El Toro-airport-at-any-cost agenda. She also tried to leverage the recent crash of flight 587 by saying incredibly that if that incident happened at El Toro no one would have been killed.
This is the level to which El Toro airport supporters will stoop.
M. Chieffo
Lake Forest
For months now, pro-airport forces have spent millions of dollars on misleading TV ads and mail pieces insisting the “Great Park” initiative will raise taxes and cost OC taxpayers billions. An impartial fiscal analysis commissioned by the County of Orange makes clear the “OC Central Park & Nature Preserve Initiative” will not raise taxes and dismisses the wild allegations about park costs previously made by pro-airport groups.
Newport Beach power brokers will attempt every trick in the book to derail the enormously popular park initiative in order achieve their ultimate goal,shutting down John Wayne Airport.
Sergio Prince
Laguna Hills
Kudo
I was pleased and impressed with the quality of Andrew Simon’s Nov. 19 article on Exult. It’s clear that he took the time to research the facts and to understand the company. It’s refreshing to see this kind of reporting.
James C. Madden V
Chairman, President, and CEO
Exult Inc.
Irvine
