Sarbanes' legislation would improve parks with mass transit
Your editorial underscoring the increased overcrowding in the national parks acknowledges that steps must be taken to handle the traffic or park visitors and resources will suffer ("Overcrowding in paradise," July 27). The editorial, however, neglected to mention that one of Maryland's own elected officials, U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes, is in the forefront of developing a solution.
It has become increasingly clear that many of the parks are experiencing an overload. Visits have reached as high as 269 million annually, a figure sure to increase. The long lines of cars winding their way to some of the most beautiful sights on earth treat their occupants to the gridlock that they had traveled to escape. Some of our best loved national parks register air pollution levels rivaling those of downtown urban centers. The result is frustrated, often angry visitors and a degradation of the natural and historic resources that people come to experience.
To help resolve this problem, Mr. Sarbanes has introduced a farsighted bill, the Transit in the Park Act. Authorizing $50 million per year over the next four years, it would allow the National Park Service and other federal agencies to work closely with state and local governments and the private sector to develop a wide range of projects that could improve visitor access, reduce crowding and protect resources in national parks, refuges and other sensitive public lands.
These funds would draw revenues from non-federal partners to develop such projects as light rail lines, clean-fuel bus and van pool services, bike trail connections and pedestrian walkways.
Mr. Sarbanes' leadership has made clear that mass transit choices aren't suited only to urban areas, but also to our treasured public lands.
Thomas Kiernan
William W. Millar
Washington
The writers are, respectively, president of the National Parks and Conservation Association and president of the American Public Transit Association.
Filth on our streets indicts city officials
Regarding vagrants ("A city tradition and homelessness collide," Aug. 14), I can remember when Baltimore City had public restrooms and even public showers.
I can put up with the trash, because that is cleaned up periodically. But when public officials tolerate filthy, unhealthy conditions, it is an indictment of the officials.
Leo A. Williams
Baltimore
Israel and rescue unit getting deserved attention
Israel is finally getting the good press it has long deserved. Its acts of mercy all around the world which, though not always asked for, are often furnished by Israel's crack military search and rescue unit, a unit of skilled soldiers with specialized cutting tools, doctors and sniffing dogs raring to go.
The unit has honed a reputation for readiness to rush to rescue disaster victims anywhere in the world. It proved it anew recently, when it went straight from the airport to the blast site in Nairobi and plucked at least three survivors and 26 bodies from the rubble.
It is not surprising. For years, ties between Israel and Kenya have been strong. Israel had used that country as a refueling stop and fall-back base during the July 1976 Entebbe rescue, in which Israeli commandoes freed hijacked prisoners held by Palestinians in Uganda.
In addition to its domestic efforts, such as aiding Israeli survivors of Iraqi Scud missile attacks during the 1991 Persian Gulf war, the search and rescue unit has seen overseas action in earthquakes in Mexico and Armenia, a fire in Turkey and a refugee crises in Rwanda.
These stalwart rescuers also helped dig through the wreckage of Israel's embassy in Buenos Aires, devastated in a 1992 bombing that killed 29 people.
The Israeli team's ability to move fast and sleep rough is an outgrowth of the country's military doctrine, one that relies on citizen soldiers to drop what they're doing and be at their posts within 24 hours.
For these brave and noble men, most of whom are reservists, each operation is a mitzvah, a good deed required by Jewish law. And while they never seek publicity, its nice to see that they, and Israel, are getting the good press that is long overdue.
Elie Fier
Baltimore
Custom-made newspapers can help conserve trees
Congratulations to Randallstown tree pruner Michael Cotter and to Sun writer M. Dion Thompson and the editor for "Climbing to the top" (Aug. 15), about Mr. Cotter's ascent to world champion climber by being "cool at the end of his rope."
Plaudits aside, I want to suggest that Sun readers and editors consider saving enormous numbers of trees, Mr. Cotter's usual work subject, before they are depleted.
Clearly, recycling has helped with our use of pulpwood for newspapers. However, the newspapers could help even more by sending people only the sections they want or need. I can never remember using a real estate section (there were three in Sunday's paper), automobile section or sports section, except for the occasional fishing or sailing news.
My wife uses the financial section, which does not interest me at all. Most of the local news is of some interest, and of course, the national news is of some interest.
In short, for me, most of the newspaper is wasted trees, as I expect it is for many others of your readers. Certainly the local and regional news is tailored to us; I'm sure The Sun could tailor the paper to us as well. Although this is a daunting job, though perhaps only for the delivery people, it is worth considering.
R. Ben Dawson
Columbia
Raymond Brown's writings live on for scholars, laymen
I was sorry to read of the death of the Rev. Raymond Brown ("The Rev. R. E. Brown, 70, priest, authority on Gospel of St. John," Aug. 12). Thanks for John Rivera's well-informed obituary.
The obituary mentions many of Father Brown's major theological writings but does not mention his most accessible short books, available as relatively inexpensive paperbacks: "A Coming Christ Advent," "An Adult Christ at Christmas," "A Crucified Christ in Holy Week," "A Risen Christ in Easter Time," "A Once-and-Coming Spirit at Pentecost" and "Reading the Gospels with the Church."
These books of short essays, each volume only 50 to 100 pages, exemplify the Rev. Robert F. Leavitt's comment, "He had the capacity to make the most difficult things seem obvious and clear," and the remark by Cardinal William H. Keeler that he was "much appreciated, not only by scholars, but by the bishops across the United States, because of the clear and truly inspiring way he could teach about the word of God."
Father Brown was able to use his vast knowledge of scripture to illuminate these foundational Christian stories, elucidating their meanings and their sources in and relationship to the entire body of Jewish and Christian scripture, all written succinctly and clearly.
"An Introduction to the New Testament," which Mr. Rivera mentions as Father Brown's last book, is a sort of one-volume encyclopedia, a reference to which one may turn for a scholarly and lucid discussion of every book of the New Testament. It has taken its place on my bookshelf alongside Rabbi Joseph Telushkin's "Biblical Literacy."
Father Brown's death to this world is a loss to his friends, %J students and colleagues and to those of us who awaited each book. But his books live to enlighten scholars and lay students.
Edna E. Heatherington
Baltimore
MTA managers should look closely at light rail system
Your editorial, "Light rail, lightweight" (Aug. 13), basically shows the failure of Mass Transit Administration management to judge the popularity of the light rail.
The MTA now must ask the public to ride the bus instead. Maybe MTA managers should get out and ride every bus line so they can comprehend the problems of the transit system.
Walter Cerevic
Baltimore
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The Mass Transit Administration, the city and the Ravens can alleviate the transportation problems at the new stadium by looking to the old one.
If the powers that be are going to raze Memorial Stadium, why not turn what's left into something useful, such as satellite parking for the Ravens stadium? Season ticket holders could be given priority parking, and the rest of the commuters can park as space permits.
MTA can then run shuttle buses between the parking lot and Camden Yards.
Marc Towson Villa
Alexandria, Va.
Pub Date: 8/22/98