El Toro, the GOP and Constitutional Rights

* I had to chuckle when I read the Aug. 16 article “Both Parties Steer Clear of El Toro.”

El Toro airport is seen as an issue to stay away from because it will “rip the party apart.”

The Republican Party has already been ripped apart over more fundamental issues, one being the constitutional rights of women. Why worry about ripping the party apart over El Toro?

The president of the GOP Lincoln Club of Orange County said, “We have a broader agenda.”

Those backing freedom of choice for women are called “one-issue” people, but Assemblywoman Pat Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) says the airport is a “defining issue” and she will refuse the endorsement of any candidate who is not against it.

Is Bates a “one-issue” person? One-issue people are frowned upon by our party when the issue is the constitutional rights of women.

And what about guns? Those in the Republican Party stand firmly for their “constitutional right to bear arms” and oppose reasonable waiting periods. The Republican Party cherry-picks the constitutional rights it will support.

The party leadership is worried now about the endorsements of their chosen candidates between the north and south.

What about endorsements of those who stand for a woman’s constitutional right to choice? That never seems to be a question the party worries about.

Our party won’t support candidates if they say they are pro-choice, regardless of other “broader” issues.

Others are quoted as saying that support for the airport should be easy for the Republican Party because the airport speaks to the core issues of the party: economic growth and jobs. What about the growth issue of reaching out to the hundreds of women who have left the Republican Party over the issue of constitutional rights?

So in addition to supporting constitutional rights on a selective basis, our party fails to provide leadership on its core values: jobs and economic growth for our region. What we should concentrate on is electing individuals of character.

EILEEN PADBERG

Irvine

* The Aug. 16 article was to the point in describing the dilemma facing both major political parties in dealing with the El Toro airport issue.

The reality is that the 1998 election reflected a shifting of the Republican political power structure in Orange County.

The Republican reign has been negatively affected by a number of factors, namely demographic changes, urbanization, ethnic makeup, the woman’s vote, term limits, open primaries and of course the county bankruptcy.

However, the most serious single factor affecting local as well as the state political power structure will be the attempted construction of an international airport at El Toro.

An elite club of wealthy Republican power brokers with financial self-interest is promoting the airport under the guise of public benefit. They exercise their control over the local GOP by having a majority on the Board of Supervisors do their bidding.

Should tens of thousands of angry Republican voters, whose quality of life will be destroyed by the negative impact of an airport, continue to support a party hierarchy blatantly catering to a handful of self-serving developers? This political divide must not take place.

It is time for the Republican leadership to come to grips with the undeniable fact that this single transportation issue will jeopardize eminently more important agendas, including potential losses in close statewide races, conceivably starting with next year’s elections.

By supporting the Safe and Healthy Communities Initiative, Reps. Christopher Cox and Ron Packard to their credit recognize the political dynamics on this noxious airport issue.

PAUL WILLEMS

Laguna Niguel

* For the past 30 years, I have lived and had offices in both the approach and departure paths of John Wayne Airport: Villa Park, Tustin and now Newport Beach.

Do I hear the aircraft? Yes. Is the noise level disturbing? No.

I’m amazed that although the recent noise level measurements during the tests at El Toro are less than John Wayne, South County residents feel this will be disruptive.

I’m sick and tired of anti-El Toro forces spreading nothing but false information and projections.

The air fares out of John Wayne are up to double those out of Los Angeles and Ontario airports because of its limited flights. The reason is simple: the law of supply and demand.

South Orange County residents can “say no” in a bigger way by boycotting John Wayne.

Anyone with a South County ZIP Code should be prohibited from using John Wayne. They can drive to Los Angeles, Ontario or San Diego. Let them put their money where their mouth is.

DICK BROADWAY

Corona del Mar

* Current federal law requires airports to operate 24 hours a day.

A significant stumbling block to a compromise on El Toro could be removed by placing a curfew from 10 p.m. until 7 a.m. on any new airport at a former military base. Such a curfew would not affect existing airports or bases already in reuse elsewhere and therefore should generate little opposition.

Extreme examples are used in emotional debates. In the El Toro debate, 3 a.m. flights are continually thrown out as a scare tactic.

Legislation would help eliminate this extreme and would bring the debate down to the merits of an airport with reasonable protections for neighboring property owners.

CHRIS A. WELSH

Newport Beach

* Attendees at a recent county supervisors’ meeting were given a glimpse of the type of tactics Supervisor Tom Wilson uses to appease his anti-airport supporters.

He put the results of the “noise test”’ on the evening’s agenda, which drew more than 30 speakers.

Even with a strictly enforced three-minute time limit at the podium, it became a long evening.

Toward the end, one speaker finished his three minutes and had the audacity to request additional time to show his homemade video of the flight demonstration.

Chairman Charles V. Smith politely stated he should have used his three minutes for the video, but was interrupted by Wilson, who stated he had “taken the liberty” of making previous arrangements to have the video ready to show.

Of course, the predominantly anti-airport audience applauded on cue, the video was shown, and Supervisors Wilson and Todd Spitzer wore gleeful expressions mindful of little boys who just stole some goodies from the cookie jar.

E. FINE

Newport Beach