Stop port expansion
Plans for a new port terminal in North Charleston will be moving forward into the construction phase soon unless residents speak out against it. The increased truck traffic, air pollution, water pollution and road damage are legitimate issues that convince me that no further port facilities should be constructed here. However, I believe there is another reason this giant truck stop should not be built - the current shipping boom is going to end.
Our local port industry seeks to expand here before other Southeastern ports do likewise. I believe this competition to build ports will result in too much capacity as growth levels out in coming years. Having seen plenty of empty docks and port facilities along the Cooper River as a child, I don't want to see them again.
It's already apparent that our nation will be experiencing significant belt-tightening in the next few decades as government and personal overspending will be forced to slow by global financial markets and pressures. Port expansion is premised on increased shipments of imported goods and continued trade imbalances. This overspending and imbalance cannot and will not continue for long. Increased debt payments will result in fewer purchases of imported goods, thereby reducing the need for new port facilities.
Because of our huge trade deficits, our nation's ports have become prime facilitators for the transfer of American jobs and wealth to other countries. Let's spend our investment efforts on domestic ventures that increase jobs here in South Carolina, not in China and India
Joe Gillespie
2311 N. Lander Lane
Expect better
"Yet another black eye for the NBA," the headline reads. What a surprise.
We have a large percentage of players who have taken their criminal behavior into the sport with them, and we are now reaping the fruit.
The sport, news media and fans have embraced the "bad boy" image of these players, just as in many other areas of society where "gangsta" rappers are the role models of our youth.
It is time that we expect a much higher standard of behavior for our celebrities and hit them in their pocket books, where it hurts, when they choose to live in the gutter.
Richard Wright
107-B Wood Duck Drive
Summerville
Stay with plan
I am writing this letter in total frustration at having to fight the town again in an attempt to preserve the character of my residential neighborhood and road.
The site of Lofton's Nursery on Whipple Road has been rezoned and a commercial development is planned. It will be set directly on the road frontage, completely out of character for the road. (Every subdivision is set well back off the road, as is East Haven Baptist Church and Woodlawn Nursery School.)
It appears building of this complex will begin before the proposed widening of Whipple Road, which is burdened with much more traffic than it is designed for.
Developers plan about a 20,000 square-foot, one-story building which is about the size of half a football field. They propose to have a 24-foot ceiling to the eaves. A peaked roof would add additional height so that this building would be seen in a large part of Candlewood and by travelers on Whipple Road.
The property values of our homes would be adversely affected by such a commercial building.
The town government has no right to deviate from the town's comprehensive plan relied on by its residents for the financial benefit of developers.
If this is allowed to happen to Candlewood, it can happen to other existing neighborhoods despite the promise made not to change existing neighborhoods.
JOYCE A. BUCKMAN
1581 Longview Road
Mount Pleasant
Mideast perceptions
The importance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should not be underestimated. One way or another, it relates to every area of strife in the Middle East. Even the 9/11 tragedy arguably has roots in perceptions of injustice that arise out of the conflict.
Under these circumstances, it is ironic that in America there is such a poor understanding of the issues of controversy between Israelis and Palestinians. Among factors responsible for this is a preponderance of information and commentary from the Zionist perspective. It is difficult to appreciate both sides of this dispute when most of what we know comes from one side.
This said, Jimmy Carter's most recent book is especially welcome. Our former president's book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," provides observations and insights not easily found in more readily available sources.
His accounts of Palestinian elections are especially interesting. Persons interested in deepening their understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will appreciate this book.
W. EUGENE NOTZ
12 Menotti St.
Obey speed limits
A recent Post and Courier article about the possibility of lowering the speed limit on Interstate 526 caught my attention. I drive for a living, and I am on the roads six to eight hours a day. The speed limits as posted are not the problem. It is the total disregard for the posted speed limits that causes the problems. Ninety-five percent of people on the roads seems to think speed limits are "suggestions." Everyone feels it is OK to exceed the limit by about 5 mph, or so. The police cannot be everywhere at once, so people feel they can get away with it, as long as no one is looking. How a person acts when they think no one is looking or when they cannot get caught says a lot.
The posted limit is the law. If everyone would slow down, relax and take it easy, lives would be saved.
By the way, that little lever on the left side of the steering column is for the turn signals.
Jim Blakeslee
9115 Axle Lane
Ladson
Confederate vets
As usual, I read The Post and Courier on Dec. 13, and that included the daily dose of cutting-edge journalism known as "Good Morning Lowcountry." It was on par with the usual daily offering.
Midway through a tirade about the Confederate flag at the Mount Pleasant Christmas parade, at which the author was not present, we are told, "There aren't any Confederate veterans left." Now that is top-notch journalistic work.
I suppose we are to believe that respect and honor are no longer required if a group is no longer around. There is, however, a group known as the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), the descendants of the veterans, carrying a charge for the defense of the Confederate soldiers' good name.
After 11 years as part of the SCV, I can attest that this organization not only fulfills its charge but gets involved in the life of its communities. Area SCV camps have participated in events that fund research into cancer and autism; they participate in adopt-a-highway programs; and in recent weeks, the Summerville camp was responsible for significant collections for the Toys for Tots program.
As for the Mount Pleasant camp, it has for the past two years been awarded second place in the town's Christmas parade. It would seem that other people respect the work of the SCV, as well.
As for the assertion by the writer that the Confederate flag "has offended many South Carolina residents over the years," that is simply the lie that gets told loud enough and long enough in an effort to make it believable. Polls refute the claim. During the period that led to the compromise legislation in 2000, it was clear that a significant majority favored that either the flag be left on the dome of the State House or placed at the soldier's monument.
The SCV has faced many enemies over the years. We can take on the "Grinch" as well.
Merry Christmas, Lowcountry.
Gene Hogan
Lt. Commander
South Carolina Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans
1962 Trimbleston Place
Mount Pleasant
See Babar exhibit
If you haven't gotten to the Gibbes to see the Babar exhibit, there is still a little time.
The exhibit runs through Dec. 31, and is an exhibit not to miss, especially if you or your children loved Babar books as much as my family has over the years.
I took my two teenage boys to see this collection of paintings and drawings by Laurent de Brunhoff, and they thoroughly enjoyed it.
Laurent de Brunhoff, son of Jean de Brunhoff, the original creator of Babar in 1931, has expanded the royal elephant family to have four children who present their royal parents with typical kids' situations.
The well-educated family of elephants is a model family that loves its friends, throws festive parties, enjoys great music and, most importantly, teaches its children right from wrong.
The theme of the exhibit is from de Brunhoff's "Babar's Museum of Art," a cleverly written book about a preservation project in the family's town - turning an abandoned train station into an art museum.
The Gibbes store also features Babar books that would make wonderful Christmas presents.
Melinda Lucka
931 Scottland Drive
Mount Pleasant
