As a resident who has attended many of the Los Gatos music programs, I can certainly agree with my good friend, Shirley Henderson, that Music in the Plaza brings great pleasure to our community. I can also agree that the Music in the Plaza program is the result of lots of volunteer work and merchant contributions. But I strongly disagree with her characterization of John Tice's letter opposing the move from the plaza to the civic center as "offensive." John Tice, like Shirley Henderson, is one of the hardest-working community volunteers I have known. While John may not always approach a community issue using all the niceties that many of us feel comfortable with, I have always found him to be well-informed and well-intentioned--always putting the community first. A number of years ago, when I became the new owner of Domus, John was struggling, by himself, to raise funds for the Music in the Plaza program. He was relentless in his pursuit of Domus to become a major sponsor of the program (which it did). And John has contacted me again and again to support other community projects that he felt needed extra help. None of these projects benefited John or his business. He just believed they were good for the community. John's devotion to the community, like Shirley's, should be unquestioned. I believe John Tice has raised very legitimate issues about the move of the Music in the Plaza program to the civic center. It would benefit the community to have these issues aired at a council meeting. In the meantime, I think we, as a community, should salute and support all of our volunteers like John and Shirley, who give so much time and energy to making our community the jewel it is.

—Margaret Smith, Los Gatos


Town should be flying our nation's flag

It was with sadness that I once again drove through our town today to see Old Glory virtually absent.

Today, with 300,000 of our country's dedicated young men and women in the Middle East, our fortunate town once again failed to fly Old Glory in their honor.

Reverence toward those who have served and continue to serve our country should command our town to fly the red, white and blue of our country 365 days a year forever.

Flags of another color should never be flown in our town. Just ask the families of those who have served and continue to serve.

—Dodie Gaines, Vietnam veteran, Los Gatos


Cartoon exposes the downside of cookie sales

I would assume that Steven DeCinzo's cartoon in the March 26 edition of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, titled "The Annual Girl Scout 'Cookie' Run," offended more than a few of your readers. It's hard to see how his depiction of supermarket customers being besieged by a gaggle of money-grubbing darlings would be appreciated by those who champion the Girl Scouts organization. Those particularly vexed would be parents of Girl Scouts, former Girl Scouts, willing contributors to the society, and others who feel Girl Scouts is the greatest thing to come along since sliced bread.

However, I would also assume that not a few supermarket customers who have had to run a cookie drive gauntlet were able to relate to the message of DeCinzo's effort. These would be people who willingly bought cookies, were shamed into buying them, disliked being accosted by shrill-voiced lasses egged on by aggressive parents who wouldn't be able to sell a cold beer to a permanent resident of Hell, or pretended the girls were not even present.

Whether people were offended by the cartoon or disliked it, fair-minded observers would have to admit that the oft-censured DeCinzo was once again able to take on one of society's holy cows, and, through exaggeration, hyperbole and artistic license, expose its downside. Given the mind-set of DeCinzo's targets, it is probable that the cartoon will result only in a further denigrating of DeCinzo by those who can see absolutely no good in the man's work. But maybe his cartoon will serve to encourage the movers and shakers behind the cookie drives to take a second look at their tactics. Not all citizens can be pleased with the frontal assault maneuvers of their little green-clad shock troops. And maybe, just maybe, a more civilized sales approach would result in greater revenues.

—Frank Stagnaro, Los Gatos


Town's resolution on Patriot Act a 'sharp' decision

Some sharp tools are aboard our town council. Its recent resolution on the USA Patriot Act II is a positive response since it asks important questions about practical implementations. This local observer often wonders (typically after watching CNN, Fox and MSNBC News): How can we small folk make a difference?

Well, it's clear that our town leaders have asked themselves the same question. (Whether towns or individuals, all are atoms in a huge place.) The council's statement is important because it anticipates many potential judicial questions like: How best to balance public safety, personal privacy and evidence collection? How to assure that common sense can offset security overkill/underkill? How to detect/select threats from a broad populace using targeted intelligence?

Indeed, all is a work in progress. My point: Our council has been reviewing details. And so maybe more of us should allot some time to do the same. Thank you, town council, for looking at the details.

—Joanne Hall, Los Gatos


Classroom isn't a place for photo of flag burning

(Letter sent to the Los Gatos­Saratoga Union High School District board)

Since when does the Los Gatos school district condone flag burning? It has recently come to my attention that a certain history teacher at Los Gatos High School has a picture of a U.S. flag being burned displayed on the wall of her classroom. As a mother and as a citizen of Los Gatos I am appalled that this is being displayed to our schoolchildren as appropriate behavior.

The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of speech; however it does not outline the right of public school teachers to apply their own sense of political conviction to the impressionable minds of our children. I am utterly stunned that this teacher would post a picture of a flag burning in her classroom in a public school, as am I appalled that Los Gatos High School administrative staff would not intervene.

While I believe this teacher has a right to her own opinions and beliefs, I find it beyond disturbing that she is being allowed to impose her beliefs on the children in her class. Especially in a subject so politically subjective as history, I feel there is no place in the classroom for a teacher's personal beliefs to enter into our schoolchildren's formal education.

Our teachers should be acting as the educators they are hired to be, to teach our children how to understand what is going on in the world around them as history is being made, helping them to form their own educated opinions and beliefs about the events of the world taking place around them.

In this time of war, we should be encouraging patriotism and respect for what our flag symbolizes. I cannot fathom how anyone who has supposedly studied the history of our country can so blatantly disrespect all those who have laid their lives down in defense of the freedoms we now enjoy, by displaying a desecrated American flag to young schoolchildren. Teachers should be encouraging support for the men and women of the armed forces, who, no matter what their own political beliefs, are at this very moment putting their lives at risk for this country, not teaching children to disrespect the symbols of our freedom.

There is no place in our public schools for teachers to advocate their political agendas or religious beliefs. And there is absolutely no place in our community for advocating the burning of the American flag!

—Robin Flury, Los Gatos