LETTERS

Anti-prayer arguments smack of hysteria

I can’t understand why people get contentious about prayers before

official functions.

Irv Rubin apparently went into hysterics about a Christian prayer said

before a City Council meeting. He is head of the Jewish Defense League.

City Manager Bud Ovrom said the denominations of the ministers who

deliver the prayers rotate each week.

That sounds fair enough.

I think some perspective has to be brought into the discussion about

the use and type of public prayers. They can have positive effects on any

public proceeding.

Some people like to create a Constitutional argument about anything.

It definitely keeps lawyers busy.

WESLEY GREENE

Burbank

Framework is no coup for residents

Anyone reading Wesley Greene’s letter (“Credit for pursuing airport

solution”) in the Dec. 1 Leader would know that it’s Wesley who is “out

to lunch,” or at the very least, has been doing a great Rip Van Winkle

impersonation.

I hope that Mr. Greene will not be shocked to learn that for six of

his sleeping years, the city of Los Angeles has kept the airport from

expanding as a result of their environmental lawsuits, in which Los

Angeles said that “the Airport Authority’s past actions to expand the

airport, through a series of projects, without preparation of any

Environmental Impact Report, constitutes an implicit practice and policy

of segmentation of airport projects, in violation of the California

Environmental Quality Act.”

Los Angeles then named 30 such projects that the airport has embarked

on since 1977. In January the Second District Court of Appeals agreed

with Los Angeles.

I don’t know if Mr. Greene if fully awake yet, but the time for Mayor

Stacey Murphy and Councilman David Golonski’s “pursuing of negotiations”

is over; they, along with City Manager Bud Ovrom, Councilman Bill Wiggins

and Councilman David Laurell, all appear to have made up their minds and

are holding up the Framework for Settlement as a wonderful deal for

Burbank. As a result, they’re on a fast track to getting it implemented

by segmentation, instead of bringing the entire plan forward as suggested

by Councilman Bob Kramer.

Mr. Greene, before you start slamming you door on the “Burbank Airport

Petition” volunteers, you better check to see how you and your family

will be impacted by 1,000-plus flights, 24 hours a day, as projected by

the proposed transfer of flights from LAX and the airport’s Part 150

Study.

MIKE NOWAK

Glendale