Lucky us! Those of us who got to attend the outstanding scholarship concert at St. Joseph's Church put on by San José State University were truly blessed! The fine voices of the mixed choral groups thrilled us. The small choral group singing from the organ loft was inspiring. The orchestra was outstanding. Solo singers were most enjoyable. Putting it all together was San José State University professor Elena Sharkova. She is to be commended for the wonderful selections she made for the performances Nov. 7 and 8. The program opened with "Tutti Flutti," a wonderful flute ensemble. Thank you so very much!

—Mr. and Mrs. Harry Fromm, Los Gatos


Terrorists are no more than criminals

In his earnest Nov. 5 letter to the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, Lance Corporal Tom C. Ferguson, USMC, promotes the utility of the USA PATRIOT Act by stating that, "Terrorists operate without any concern for women or children, elderly and newborns alike. When they do plan to attack, it will come swiftly, without much time between the planning and execution phases. Not to mention terrorists are trained to blend in with their environment, leaving little warning."

Well, the exact same thing can be said about your average, garden-variety criminal.

Terrorists are no more than criminals attempting to commit crimes without being caught. And the protections afforded the citizens of the United States as specified in the Bill of Rights (which, by the way, is what the Marines are fighting for) should not be flushed because criminality has been given a new name. These protections were voted in place to keep the government from suppressing dissent by manipulating the law in their favor and by using fear as an excuse—which is exactly how our enemies function on a daily basis.

To deprive United States citizens of their rights while fighting a war in the name of those same rights is hypocrisy in the extreme.

—William Lorton, Los Angeles

A brief in the Nov. 19 issue, titled "Town switches to new website address," listed the address incorrectly. The website can be found at http://www.losgatosca.gov. Town staff email addresses should be the person's name, followed by "@losgatosca.gov."