Love Letters, Hate Mail

Just Chill

Dear Editor,

Articles pertaining to the alleged global warming crisis

usually catch my eye, so I enjoyed reading "Chill Out" by David Deming, Ph.D (UTW, Jan. 18-24, 2007).

Al Gore gets all the press while pimping global warming, but the 60 reputable scientists who signed a letter last year stating there was no observational evidence to support the global warming theory got little or no press. These guys aren't quacks.

Why don't we see more in print that offers an argument refuting the global warming theory? Why isn't the opposing argument being offered a voice? Most people who believe in media bias know the answer to that question.

Thirty years ago, scientists warned of a global cooling, not global warming. So, why don't we just chill out on this issue? Wait, say, another 30 years. According to the Goldilocks model, by then the weather will be "just

right".

Todd Kreigh

Victory Plan in Iraq

Dear Editor:

President Bush has a clear plan for victory in Iraq that begins with training Iraqi forces so they can defend their country and fight the terrorists. We are making tremendous progress toward this objective.

Earlier this year, Iraqi forces led the fight in clearing out terrorists during the crucial battle of Tal Afar, with U.S. troops in a supporting role, and every day, Iraqis are taking more control of the situation on the ground.

Withdrawing from Iraq, as some Democrats in Washington propose, would send a dangerous signal to our enemies that we cut and run when the going gets tough. President Bush is offering a clear strategy to win, not a political quick fix.

Sincerely,

Josh McFarland

Beef with Bates

Dear Editor:

Michael Bates' February 8-14 opinion column on the Tulsa School Board District One Election is the most ignorant and misinformed column to be included in Tulsa Urban Weekly.

Michael, you rank consistently high in negativity. but usually have better factual data. Your characterization of Gary Percefull was malicious and just wrong. We have nothing negative to say about the other candidate, Mrs. Barre, but you missed the boat on Perceful.

Four years ago the District was holding meetings to propose closing Clinton and not building a new Eugene Field Elementary. This was due to declining attendance.

Mr. Percefull initiated the formation of the SW Tulsa Education Initiative. He and the Initiative went to work. Garry brought staff and citizens together to find solutions.

Four years later, a new Eugene Field has been occupied, Webster has received a new Field House, a new cafeteria, a new library and new class rooms and Clinton will be rebuilt into a state of the art model for middle schools. Also, Robertson has a new building and other elementary schools have significant improvements.

Our goal was to add programs that would attract students from elementary age through high school. We have started fine arts infusion programs, business technology programs, environmental science programs culminating in a horticulture program and Webster has been designated as the District Telecommunications Magnet. All of these programs and facilities will attract parents and students. SW Tulsa Schools have gone from questionable to the best cluster in the state.

Gary Percefull devoted extra time to drive solutions for his District. He is everything you said he was not. He is responsive at all times.

Michael Bates, if you have any ethical character as a journalist, you will print an apology to Gary Percefull. You just did not do your homework.

Writer's Note: Dear Mr. Ryan, You've called my characterization of Gary Percefull "ignorant and misinformed" and "malicious and just wrong," but I notice that you didn't contradict anything I wrote about him.

New buildings and magnet programs are a fine thing, but they don't speak to the reasons that families are moving to the suburbs or opting for private schools. (They aren't even a particularly impressive accomplishment -- bond issues have paid for improvements to older buildings in every part of the Tulsa district.)

Parents are looking for a safe and orderly learning environment, sound basic curriculum, and a school administration is open, accountable, and responsive to their concerns. The Tulsa district doesn't currently have those qualities, but I believe that replacing Gary Percefull with Brenda Barre on the school board will be a step in the right direction. Thanks for reading, Michael Bates.

Overheating on Global Warming

Dear Editor:

Concerning "On the Right Side" (UTW, February 1-7) profile of U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe)--do you think Senator Inhofe and other Republicans leaders realize how quickly they seem to be headed for the exits of serious political debate?

A recent National Journal poll shows that 84 percent of the influential Congressional Republicans polled deny that there's a human component to global warming "beyond a reasonable doubt". The international scientific community puts the likelihood at 90 percent.

Whoever these Republican leaders are, they are not reasonable people. Senator Inhofe continues to marginalize himself in the debate on the future of our nation's energy policy.

This is very sad in light of the fact that Oklahoma's energy-based economy will almost certainly have to adjust to a world resolving itself to deal with climate change. I'm not an alarmist about climate change, but I recognize that the overwhelming opinion of the world's leading scientists is most likely correct. That's

what makes Senator Inhofe's state of denial so disturbing.

Josiah Daniel

(outtake)

The City administrations that have governed our city since 1960 and DTU have been incredibly ineffective managing our downtown.

One Step Forward, Two Back

Dear Editor:

Last July, Henry Kaufman, John Snyder, Maria Barnes and I had lunch with Mark McCrory. We asked him for better police protection for Downtown Tulsa and he said "No."

In January, Chief McCroy came to a Downtown Tulsa Round Table luncheon in the ONEOK Cafeteria and announced that he had changed his mind. He announced the TPD would be using various resources from across the City to give Downtown Tulsa better police protection.

Between July 2006 and January 2007, Henry Kaufman and other Downtown Tulsa property and business owners had meetings nearly every Wednesday to discuss the homeless, parking, streets, safety and other issues of importance to them.

Various and sundry city officials came to the meetings. I do not know why Chief McCroy changed his mind but he did. However it happened, everyone who lives downtown, works downtown or plays downtown welcomed the additional protection.

Macy Snyder has reported that she has seen a reduction in downtown fear factors. We are happy. It looked like Downtown Tulsa won one.

It seems, however, that for every step we take forward, we take one or two back. One of the off-duty TPD officers hired by DTU to provide security downtown told me this week that DTU has given him or his organization written notice that their services will be terminated at the end of June.

Jim Norton told me that Don Himelfarb wants DTU to fund a downtown police substation. I for one, do not want a substation, I want better downtown security. Downtown Tulsa is not a particularly dangerous place but many people think it's dangerous. What they think is more important than the truth.

What I want is for visitors who come downtown to park their cars within view of a police officer or security guard who will help them if they need assistance. The kind of security visitors expect on the property of any shopping center anywhere in this city. Putting in a police substation and subtracting two part time off-duty police officers is going backward not forward in my opinion.

Norton says Himelfarb wants a police substation so we lose $40,000 in security for an unknown amount of police protection. I think both of them need to put their boots on the ground downtown and talk to the men and women who live and work downtown to find out what they want.

Having a cop parked in a fixed location is not the answer. The City administrations that have governed our city since 1960 and DTU have been incredibly ineffective managing our downtown. Everyone hates parking meters, but we cannot get rid of them.

Everyone hates one-way streets, but we cannot get rid of them. We beg and plead for changes that never occur because the people responsible for our downtown will not listen or claim that they do not have the money to run the place like a modern shopping center.

I will give Mayor Taylor's Administration credit or seeming to listen but time will tell whether at the end of the day, Downtown Tulsa has declined during her tenure in office or has made the turn to what if once was, our city's central business district where lots of Tulsans lived, worked and played.

Sincerely yours,

Kent Morlan