Copyright 2001 The Houston Chronicle Publishing Company The Houston Chronicle
November 12, 2001, Monday 3 STAR EDITION
SECTION: A; Pg. 31
LENGTH: 1077
words
HEADLINE: Viewpoints
BYLINE: JANE W. ELIOSEFF, MICHELLE GREEN, JOHN CORNYN, PAUL
SCHROETER, VICTOR CANNON, M.E. ALLEN, ED DRAPER, JENNIFER DALEY
BODY: Calling for action on air
Mutual problem, solution
When the new federal
health standards kick in, Mark T. Evert will get his wish concerning the
reporting of ozone excesses (Nov. 7 Viewpoints, "Fair's fair on city's air").
Ozone levels at each of the region's monitors will then be
averaged over eight hours and this new approach will give a somewhat different
picture of hazardous exposures.
To average across all
of the region's monitors, as Evert suggested, would be grossly unfair to those
residents living "under the plume." For better or worse, we are all in this
together.
It is also important to remember that ozone
- which forms in mid-air from other compounds, and is not emitted at the
tailpipe or the smokestack - is only an indicator of broader air pollution
problems.
Jane W. Elioseff, Houston
Senate should do more
I guess we can all breathe easier knowing
we're not the worst in something, but losing to Los Angeles for the "smoggiest
city" will not clean up our air (Nov. 1 Chronicle, "Los Angeles poised to
dethrone Houston as smog capital of nation").
When the
Senate takes up energy policy in the coming weeks, it will have an opportunity
to pass strong legislation such as the Clean Power Act to help tackle our smog
crisis.
The Senate should support energy policies that
promote clean, renewable energy and increased energy efficiency, and the
Environmental Protection Agency should reject proposals to weaken enforcement of
the Clean Air Act.
By requiring sport utility vehicles
to meet the same fuel economy standards as cars, we could save
more than twice as much oil as we could ever get from the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge.
By enforcing the Clean Air Act on our
nation's old and dirty power plants, we could eliminate enough air pollution to
prevent as many as 80,000 asthma attacks and 7,000 deaths each year.
We need clean energy solutions, not more pollution.
Michelle Green, Houston
Cornyn keeps record staright
The Chronicle's Nov. 6 Metropolitan story, "Cornyn wanted
GOP district switch," contained several inaccuracies regarding the legal process
and arguments in the federal trial on Texas state Senate districts.
To clarify, my goal in helping my fellow members of the
Legislative Redistricting Board draw Texas Senate lines was to produce a map
that would pass legal muster with the Department of Justice. I'm proud to say we
achieved that goal.
The legality of the districts is
what motivated our actions both in and out of the courtroom. To suggest that I
was motivated "solely" by another reason is to misunderstand the process.
I was also proud to communicate my accomplishments in
Southeast Texas after the board completed its work. I've stood before the people
of Texas many times to answer questions both friendly and hostile. That is part
of my duty and I'm proud to do it.
Many folks have
strong feelings about redistricting, but we must keep the record straight.
Attorney General John Cornyn, Austin
Shoot straight on Valdez
Being a 66-year old native Texan, I've always
been in favor of the "awl bidness." But according to the Nov. 8 Page One
Chronicle article, "$ 5 billion award over Exxon spill ordered reduced,"
Exxon/Mobil has given the oil industry a black eye.
If
Exxon/Mobil refuses to pay for cleaning up the Valdez spill in the Prince
William Sound area, it will have lost one long-time supporter.
I've always been on the side against the environmentalists, but now I
see their point. Exxon may have saved a few million by shopping for a judge for
10 years, but it isn't the straight-shooter I thought it was.
Paul Schroeter, Hilltop Lakes
Fiction on Nicaragua
Mark Weisbrot's Nov. 8 Outlook article, "U.S. helps prolong Nicaragua's
misery once again," contained more fiction than fact and made me wonder if he's
ever even been to Nicaragua.
The Sandinistas were
despised by most Nicaraguans, which is why they were voted out of power when
free elections were held.
In fact, a common term in
Nicaragua for the Sandinistas is "the idiots," a nickname they earned by the
chaos they created by trying to use Marxist theories to run the government.
Victor Cannon, Houston
Lament for civilization
As the war on terrorism continues, I lament what has
happened to "civilization" at the start of this new century. We have such
technological advancement that a machine can read my identity in my iris, yet we
continue to solve our differences with the same approach.
With a few exceptions, power, wealth, comfort, arrogance and hatred (as
well as religion) have driven leaders in their efforts to prevail against
threats. Social scientists and moralists seem to seriously lag behind their
hard-science colleagues and uninspired political leaders.
"War" provides a broad canopy that justifies injustice, jut as the
death penalty argues for a sadistic cycle of wanton destruction of life in
retaliation for wanton destruction of life. Must hatred be our only
motivator?
Are there leaders out there who are willing
to discuss a more reasoned, less-hateful approach?
M.E.
Allen, Houston
'Olympic-sized' problem
Kudos to Houston conservatives who stayed out of the public fight for
Proposition 2 and condolences to progressive, fair-minded voters who understood
that discrimination of any type would harm all citizens.
Jeers to the myopic extremists who cloaked efforts to legalize
discrimination with the pretense of fighting to save families, thus lying in the
name of religion to hurt a minority and tarnish their city's image.
Houston now has a problem - a brand new, "Olympic-sized"
image problem - because of voting to discriminate against gay people. Civic
champions should step forward to mitigate the damage.
Ed Draper, [former Houstonian and Houston Chamber of Commerce member],
Washington D.C.
Peirce gives
mother hope
I read with
interest and hope the Nov. 4 Outlook article from Neal Peirce, "Can't win war on
terror fighting a war on drugs." This war against drugs has been a dismal and
very expensive failure. Even after years of wasting taxpayers' money in this
futile effort, we are now worse off than when we began.
If the Drug Enforcement Agency would follow Peirce's suggestions to
reassign DEA agents to investigating terrorist cells and preventing
bioterrorism, then maybe my children and others will have an opportunity to grow
up in a safer and more secure world.
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