The Reader Is Wrecking Everything

The San Diego Reader is ruining politics and sports, and is causing a lot of violence in San Marcos. You had a cover called “Trump Is a Farce, Bernie Is a Farce, Hillary Is a Farce,” and now, everything that you’re writing ... — for example, the taco issue is a brush on Trump’s taco tweet. The last cover was terrible, that picture of a man proud of killing a shark. And then the neighbors — it’s getting very nasty.

The Reader is very biased. It’s very conservative. CNN and ESPN are connected together in San Marcos. The Reader is not doing a good job. It’s actually wrecking everything at this moment. It would actually be best if you just stopped writing and remained totally neutral. Right now, when you read this newspaper, it’s possibly the worst newspaper you can have.

The March 24 cover bashes all three [presidential] candidates and says the best thing is not to vote. People are taking pictures and sending it to everyone else. This is making bad karma for San Diego. You recall when you wrote “Donald Trump Is the Enemy” and you got a big flood?

Also, please do not put any gruesome, disgusting pictures on your magazine cover, just to win that stupid San Jose Sharks team. The day they won was the same day Bernie Sanders was in San Jose. I know San Diego wants to predict, and they love predictions, but they forget it’s only one day at a time.

Who is the least terrible? I don’t like to discuss that information.

You guys want to control the whole United States of America, and I don’t think San Diego County is big enough to do that. I apologize if this sounds kind of rude, but it’s the truth. I’m sure you believe in God, so just think about it.

• Name withheld
• via voicemail

Not Contemporary

Re: “General Atomics, Sempra Get Welfare,” City Lights

The 1880 illustration was not contemporary to the whiskey rebellion which occurred 1791-1794. One of my uncles, Francis Murray, was a general in a Pennsylvania militia.

• Robert Burns
• Ocean Beach

Wildly Popular in the Middle East

My four-decade-long devotion to Middle Eastern cuisine compels me to correct the definition of za’atar as “a flatbread with cheese, and mainly thyme on top” (Tin Fork, “Too Much Deliciosity”). What he is describing is manakeesh, which is a round, flat disc of white bread covered with za’atar and olive oil, and then baked. Often white cheese or dried yogurt is added.

Za’atar is simply a blend of thyme, salt, and sesame seeds, and sometimes dried sumac, and is available bagged in cellophane in all Middle-Eastern grocery stores in San Diego. It is wildly popular throughout the Middle East and the Mahgreb and is Lebanon’s most demanded breakfast dish. (TMI: Za’atar is to Lebanon what peanut butter is to us.)

• Sue Garson
• Clairemont

The Face of the First Amendment

The local press seems quick to put the spotlight on the occasional signature-gatherer who misrepresents a particular issue. In this case, misrepresenting the Chargers initiative as also supporting Comic-Con. Here are some facts about signature-gatherers the public should know:

The majority of signature gatherers are trained to present their petitions in a clear, easy-to-understand, honest, and factual manner. Most of these petitioners are working as contractors for offices serving the San Diego area for over 30 years. They are also helping people to register to vote and have registered hundreds of people to vote in the June 9 primary and in the November election in 2016. They suffer harassment from store owners, rude people, and bad publicity from the local media. It is important to remember that they are the face of the first amendment in our neighborhood.

• Vivian Marlene Dunbar
• San Ysidro

All Lives Matter

Re: News Ticker, “Anything for an Autograph”

Someone is sending paid agitators to intimidate and assault homeless and impoverished San Diegans and drive-by street feedings provided by faith-based groups. I wish to God local reporters would report to we the people — the voters — the identity of those responsible, and to do so before the general election in November of this year.

If Kevin Faulconer was unemployed and standing in line for a dinner at 16th and Island, but got beat up instead, would anyone care? If Shelley Zimmerman was unemployed standing in line for a meal at 16th and Island, but was attacked by these agitators and beaten to the ground, would anybody care? If Todd Gloria was voted out of office, and standing dizzy with hunger, who would care? This is why all lives matter.

• Dennis Martinez
• East Village

Concerns Ignored

I’m not sure exactly who Bill Shirley is or if he is authorized to speak for Francis Parker, but I am happy to address his comments and concerns (Letters, “A Darn Good School”).

We are aware of the school’s history, and we all were aware of the school’s proximity when we purchased our homes. Over the years, however, Parker has increasingly encroached on our neighborhood, first by installing lights on the athletic field, then renting the field so that nighttime events (and their accompanying noise) occur continually, and now by proposing the driveway in question.

Why are we opposing the driveway? Surely Mr. Shirley must understand that Northrim Court is our only access street. We do not have alternatives as Parker does. Yes, traffic queues on Linda Vista Road in the morning and afternoon, but drivers can simply use the other lane to avoid the queuing. Parker claims that the driveway is necessary for safety issues, yet there have been no documented cases of accidents or injuries as a result of the current circulation plan. Adding hundreds of vehicle trips in and out of the driveway on Northrim, combined with our own traffic in and out of the neighborhood, combined with traffic in and out of 7-Eleven, combined with Parker students and other pedestrians crossing (often jaywalking) Northrim Court will create, in our reasonable opinion, a massive hazard that will greatly overshadow any perceived current safety issue.

I disagree that Parker has tried to “earnestly” convey the results of their studies. If Mr. Shirley had attended any of Parker’s community meetings, he would have seen that they consisted of Parker telling us how they plan to harm our neighborhood and then trying to convince us that it will be good for us. Our concerns have been ignored. He cannot conceivably believe that adding hundreds of vehicles daily to our street will improve traffic flow on Northrim Court, irrespective of dedicated turn lanes and a traffic signal, elements that we currently do not need and certainly do not want.

Contrary to his statement, we did indeed engage the services of a traffic engineer, whose conclusions were quite different from those presented by Parker’s firm. And, yes, we retained a land use attorney (not a “rights advocate” as he claims) to advise us and represent our interests. How is that not acceptable when Parker has retained Cynthia Eldred, a land use attorney, to advocate for their interests?

Mr. Shirley presumes that we have not read the documents related to this project. I can assure him that we have read every one of them, and our position has not changed. Furthermore, the possibility of using Parker’s lot to replace lost parking spaces has been proposed and rejected — by Parker.

We are always open to dialogue, but our experience has been that Parker is not. What we have gotten from Parker is a stance of no negotiation, no compromise, and no concern for North Rim. If that changes, and Parker representatives are actually willing to talk (and listen), we certainly are open to that.

• Jackie Landis
• Linda Vista

Can’t Be Responsible

The same dirtbag that was set up trying to get signatures in the name of Comic-Con was in front of the Walmart on Clairemont Mesa a couple weeks ago. When I challenged him and asked him about it, he said, “It’s for Comic-Con.” And I said, “No, this is for the Chargers.” And then he said, “I can’t be responsible for what other people endorse.”

I went into Walmart, bought my stuff, and when I came back out I said to him, “You know, it’s very dishonest to let people believe that this is for Comic-Con.” And he just started yelling at me. Kind of a strange, crazy character.

• Glenda
• Del Mar

What Did the Court Decide?

There were a series of articles about a year ago where the man was about 22 years old and he committed some crime, and the father’s very wealthy, and he’s out on bail. It was a crime committed against a little girl at an elementary school, and I never read a follow-up about what the court decided. Maybe you can publish the outcome of that case?

The author responds:
Jack Doshay is next due in court for a hearing on June 23. Doshay’s trial is not scheduled until mid-September. — Cathy Cranston