Park loan

Dear Editor: I find it hard to believe that only two Mountain View residents spoke in favor of repaying loans of millions of dollars to the Shoreline Regional Park Community. The loans were "enforceable obligations," as stated in the Sept. 30 Mountain View Oversight Board agenda.

The question is, who would enforce payment if the city council opts to waive repayment, which I think it will? What rot to borrow money from the park community, with a written promise to repay, then opt to forgive repayment to the park.

Shoreline Regional Park is $52.3 million in debt for other bonds and is responsible for maintaining the park and adjoining levees for the below-sea-level areas of Googleville. What if an earthquake destroys the levees? I guess we can stand to lose the regional park, but I don't think Google, Intuit and other businesses would be happy.

Donald Letcher,

Mountain View

GOP death panel

Dear Editor: I thought the Republicans didn't like "death panels." But now the House Republicans have appointed themselves a death panel for the entire government. Kids' access to cancer treatments? Yes, live. Veterans' benefits? No, die. National parks access? Well, maybe. Intelligence services? No, die.

The fact is, Republicans have painted themselves into a corner and don't know how to get out. They remind me of the fish at the end of "Finding Nemo" -- having escaped the dentist's office in plastic bags, bobbing in Sydney harbor, they suddenly realize, "OK, now what?"

Peter Stauffer,

Palo Alto

Chemical weapons

Dear Editor: One hates to again disillusion Jagjit Singh in yet another of his anti-Israel tirades (Letters, Sept. 27), but Hasan Rouhani did not claim the Holocaust took place or that it was a crime. The Wall Street Journal pointed out Sept. 26 that this was a bad translation into English by CNN. Rouhani never stated what Singh and fellow "no war now" progressives claim.

The Iranian news service Fars stated that what Rouhani uttered was in English "historical events." The Wall Street Journal's independent translation supports Fars' description, not CNN's. Rouhani said he wasn't a historian and the events characterized should be clarified by historians.

This classic dodge by Holocaust deniers to deflect the Middle East's historical support for the Nazis' planned and systemic genocide of 6 million Jews and non-Jews is evidence of their apologists' intellectual capacity. Saddam Hussein in the 1990s used the same gossamer fog of imprecise rhetoric to gull a perpetually gutless United Nations. Singh lambastes Israel for having 100 to 200 nuclear warheads, but to date Israel hasn't employed them or chemical weapons. Only Hitler, Saddam and Iran toady Bashar Assad have used them on humans (Hiroshima was hit by an atomic bomb).

Iran has learned, as has Syria, that the use of sarin or VX gas carries no penalty whatsoever. It took U.S. boots on the ground to stop Saddam from murdering Iraqis; it will take them on the ground in Syria to prevent Rouhani's buddy Assad from using them again. When that happens, since the U.N. won't stop it, Singh will blame Israel for it.

Norman P. Higby,

Menlo Park

European heritage

Dear Editor: This letter is in response to Chris Yonts' Sept. 18 letter about people of European heritage getting overlooked. Why can't we establish a European History Month? This subject has been a thorn in my side for a very long time. Kudos to Chris for bringing the subject to our attention.

Lynn R. Scott,

San Mateo