The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

letters to the editor

Letter to the editor: Lincolnites attend a compelling Democratic convention

To the editor:

Lincoln’s delegates were (front row, left to right) Jerry Gechter, Joan Kimball, Sasha Golden, Barbara Slayter, and Jennie Morris; and (back row, left to right) Alex Chatfield, Travis Roland, Chris Loschen, Alisar Cohen, and Virginia Welles (click to enlarge).

Spirits were high last Saturday as some 4,000 Democrats gathered at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in Springfield. Representing Lincoln were six delegates, four alternates, and one youth delegate, an activist senior from Lincoln-Sudbury High School.

Shannon Liss-Riordan and Steve Pemberton (candidates for U.S. Rep. Ed Markey’s seat in the primary) emphasized women’s rights, early childhood education, and getting corporate money out of politics. Others including current Reps. Lori Trahan, Seth Mouton, and Ayanna Pressley (via video) focused on fairness and addressing the dilemmas of our increasingly inequitable society.

There were many others with compelling personal stories and political objectives, but three speakers in particular stirred the crowd to cheers and chants as they vigorously waved signs with the speaker’s names: Maura Healey, Ed Markey, and Elizabeth Warren. All three electrified the MassMutual Center with calls for making “a democracy that works for all Americans” (Healey), implementing “big structural change” (Warren), an economy that does not “deny, deprive, and devalue” (Markey), and sharing a common recognition that “Mass Democrats don’t agonize, they organize.”

The final speaker was a compelling presentation by Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, who praised Massachusetts for its strong gun laws and touted the organization’s six million members determined to make a difference on gun violence. The plenary session concluded with affirmation by the delegates of 11 resolutions across a broad variety of political, social, and economic topics.

The afternoon breakout sessions featured panelists including State Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Joe Kennedy, and Framingham’s Mayor Yvonne Spicer as well as experts on the issues under discussion:

  • climate change, sustainability, energy, and the Green New Deal
  • realities of the immigration process
  • racism in American politics
  • narrowing the racial wealth divide in the Commonwealth
  • building coalitions and partnerships in the fight for Democratic values.

Lincoln delegates dispersed themselves among these sessions to glean new ideas and action agendas on each of these topics.

There will be a discussion of the convention and actions proposed for the 2020 elections on Sunday, Sept. 29 from 4–5:30 p.m. in Bemis Hall, facilitated by Lincoln delegates Alisar Cohen, Ginny Welles, Travis Roland, Alex Chatfield, Sasha Golden, Jerry Gechter, Jennie Morris, Chris Loschen, Joan Kimball, and Barbara Slayter.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayer and Joan Kimball
Co-Chairs, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee

Letter to the editor: a round of applause for swap table volunteers

Letter to the editor

To the editor:

The Recycling Committee would like to thank the volunteers at the transfer station. They are very much appreciated — just ask the transfer station attendants!

The volunteers help keep the area neat and clean. They throw out many of the unused items that get deposited in the swap area. They empty numerous bags and boxes so residents can see what is available for the taking. They keep the small shed neat and organized and dispose of books which are outdated and unwanted. The Recycling Committee and volunteers have donated books to the Lincoln Public Library monthly book sale as well as More Than Words, a terrific nonprofit a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers young adults who are in the foster care system, court-involved, homeless, or out of school to take charge of their lives by participation in a book-selling business.

We support Lincoln residents who, on occasion, collect items for charity. There is a particular need right in our backyard at a wonderful organization, Household Goods in Acton, which sets up folks in need with necessary household items — these are usually not “valuable” items in the sense that they’re worth a lot of money ,but they’re tremendously valuable if you don’t have resources to acquire them. We always encourage residents to take their items there directly if possible, but we’re thrilled when residents take it upon themselves to help such worthy organizations.

The main purpose of the transfer station is trash collection and recycling. That means that the more items taken away, the more we keep out of the landfill and the less the town spends in tipping fees. At the end of the day, many of the items left in the swap area are thrown out as there is a need to make room for more that keeps on coming — the less left over, the better.

Lincoln is lucky to have the swap area. As co-chair, I have been asked to speak to the recycling committees of other towns who would very much like to set one up but struggle to get the Department of Public Works to agree. We are appreciative of the support Chris Bibbo, director of DPW, gives to the swap effort here in Lincoln.

I’m amazed at the items I find whenever I show up at the transfer station — it’s always interesting, fun and often rewarding. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

To address some concerns that have been raised: if a resident sees someone they don’t believe lives in Lincoln, they can point the individual out to the attendant, who can then ask to see their transfer station sticker — easy fix there! And, of course, no one should take anything out of someone’s car — that’s theft.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at 781-259-8149. I’m happy to hear what you feel is working or not working, and we are always looking for interested folks to join the Recycling Committee.

Sincerely,

Laura Berland
Co-chair, Lincoln Recycling Committee

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: join the parade!

To the editor:

We are writing to invite you to join Lincoln’s Annual Fourth of July parade. This year, our quintessential small-town parade will be led by Parade Marshal Becky Eston, who’s retiring as a Lincoln School teacher and community treasure for the past 39 years. This is our chance to honor her dedication, compassion and talent as an educator, so please join us to send her off in style.

We expect the parade to include well-loved traditional groups such as the Lincoln veterans, the Fire and Police Departments, the Lincoln Minute Men, and the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, to name a few. But this year we also encourage new participation — we’re talking to you parade newbies! Come up with something you want to promote, something the town should be aware of or proud of, and roll on out!  Not sure if you have a good idea? Please give us a call and run it by us!

Download a parade application and return it either electronically to dpereira@lincnet.org or by mail to the Parks and Recreation Department at 16 Lincoln Rd. You’ll then receive detailed instructions about the event. Most importantly, on the morning of July 4, please meet on Ballfield Road before 9:30 a.m.  We look forward to seeing you in the parade!

Sincerely,

Lindsay Clemens and Ingrid Neri

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Assange arrest is an assault on the 1st Amendment

To the editor:

We live in a privileged, isolated, elite bubble in Lincoln. Most are comfortable, secure and safe. Some are not comfortable and some do not feel secure or safe, even in Lincoln. I worry about this bubble and it has bothered me for a long time.

Lincoln does not have a newspaper (or even an active blog) staffed by much-needed professional journalists or even citizens capable of objectively covering the many town meetings, committee meetings, police/fire happenings, school/after school happenings, or other important local issues. Everyone should know what is happening, but not everyone can spend hours at the many, many meetings or doing the necessary legwork to find the real news. Sadly, too many have grown used to not knowing. And sadly, too many are not comfortable discussing too many issues or events.

In light of the recent use of the 1918 Espionage Act to indict publisher/journalist Julian Assange for publishing the truth about war crimes by the government of this country, and in light of the many other journalists and whistleblowers pursued under the Obama administration and the lack of outrage (even coverage) expressed by mainstream journalism or political leaders (with a few exceptions), it is important that we wake up to the fact that this is a direct assault on the First Amendment to the Constitution, and to our country in general, by an administration that is seeking to end press freedom in this country — an administration that has become very dangerous.

This must-watch 20-minute video cogently summarizes and analyses what is happening and has been happening for years.

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

— Martin Niemöller

Sincerely,

Jean Palmer
247 Tower Rd., Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: leaf blow bylaw is the wrong approach

To the editor:

Like many in town, I really hate the fall and spring “cleanup” seasons when squads of lawn care workers descend upon the lawns of Lincoln with their high-powered leaf blowers to afflict us with an awful racket and clouds of debris and dust. It seems like it takes forever for them to do just to do one property, and you hear (and see) this mayhem for weeks all over town.

Also, the environmentalist within me cringes at the ways in which what are seen as “standard” lawn care practices harm the environment — such as the overuse of leaf blowers and the bagging of grass clippings — both of which strip important nutrients from the soil. This in turn increases erosion and encourages the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides — all of which washes into our ponds and streams.

Every defense I’ve seen for this proposed bylaw — as much as I agree with them — focuses on how bad leaf blowers are, and how good it would be to protect the environment by eliminating their use. In other words, it is a moral argument. And (as history teaches us) attempts to legislate a specific standard of morality through a ban, without a solid communal consensus in support of it, tend to fail — badly. So, to me it is obvious that a ban such as this cannot work, and will cause a lot of needless strife and controversy.

As additional evidence for the difficulty of making such a ban work, it appears that the proposed bylaw has been rewritten and tweaked many times to address the concerns of specific groups. The introduction of such complexities and exceptions before the bylaw has even been brought up for a town vote is a clear indicator that the basic approach is flawed. This ban is not a robust solution. It is not a fair solution. It is not a workable solution.

Let me be clear: I heartily support the goal, but I am convinced that this proposed Bylaw cannot work, and will create significant negative consequences and complications — many of them unanticipated and unintentional. An entirely different approach is necessary.

Sincerely,

Allen Vander Meulen
30 Beaver Pond Rd., Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Fox asks for your vote

To the editor:

My name is Valerie Fox, interim Town Clerk in Lincoln, and I am honored to be on the ballot for a three-year term as Lincoln’s Town Clerk. I will follow esteemed predecessors Susan Brooks, who served as Lincoln’s Town Clerk for 13 years and retired last July, and Nancy Zuelke, who ably served Lincoln in the role for 22 years.

Service is the key word for this position and is at the forefront of all its functions. One of the oldest positions in municipal government, the Town Clerk is the official keeper of town records, attesting by her signature and application of the town seal to the authenticity of everything from Town Meeting appropriations to the finality of Planning and Zoning Board decisions.

The Town Clerk serves as the administrator of elections, the chief registrar of voters, and the conductor of the annual town census. The clerk is the local liaison with respect to campaign finance, open meeting law, and conflict of interest laws. The office is also the registrar of vital records and the issuer of marriage licenses and dog licenses. And in Lincoln, the clerk serves as the town’s cemetery agent, overseeing the operations and maintenance of the four public cemeteries and providing assistance to families in the burial of their loved ones.

I hope for your vote on Monday, March 25 and feel so fortunate to be offered the opportunity to continue serving the residents of Lincoln as Town Clerk.

Sincerely,

Valerie Fox
250 South Great Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: deCordova/TToR integration should go forward

To the editor:

On Saturday, March 23, we will gather for our annual Town Meeting. Town Meeting matters. It is the legislative body for our town. It is in this legislative body where discussion, debate and ultimately decisions (votes) take place that will govern our town for the coming year. As in other legislative bodies, during discussion and debate, amendments may be offered and voted on. This is why citizens who are registered voters must be present to cast a vote.

This year, the town will be asked to support a major change to an institution that has been an integral part of the town’s life since 1950 — the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.  Originally the estate of the late Julian de Cordova (1851-1945), it was gifted to the town in 1930 to be a public museum of art after Julian’s death. This gift has proved both a blessing and a curse for the town. The curse lies in the fact that Julian crafted a problematic will and did not provide for the ongoing support of this property and art collection. Over the decades, different boards and administrators have sought to find ways to maintain the museum and park. 

The town has been the beneficiary, as we have enjoyed innovative installations, a beautifully maintained (and expanded) facility, art classes, music programs, unique outdoor art, all in a stunningly landscaped setting. All this has been supported primarily by a few very generous donors, museum membership, and programs, with no financial support from the town. Valiant efforts by various boards, most recently led by Linda Hammet Ory, have not been able to “right the ship.” Continuing in the current structure, was unsustainable. Something had to change.

Under Ory’s leadership, the deCordova has found an enthusiastic potential partner, The Trustees of Reservations (TToR), to carry on the mission of the sculpture park and museum. TToR will bring not only financial backing and administrative support, but more importantly, a commitment to mission. TToR has years of experience in managing properties similar to deCordova (the Crane Estate, Fruitlands, etc.).

The deCordova the governance structure would be changed to include TToR. The governance of the museum is established through its bylaws, which can only be amended through town meeting vote.  We will be asked to vote on this change. Click here for more information.

From a Lincoln resident’s perspective, the experience of deCordova will remain the same.  Any major changes will be required to go before the Board of Selectmen and the town. The vote before the town is an opportunity to secure the future of this cherished property and institution while adding no financial burden to the town.

The leadership of the town — led by Selectman James Craig, the working group who crafted the agreement, the town’s administrative leadership led by Town Administrator Tim Higgins, the administrative leadership of the deCordova, deCordova director John B. Ravenal, and the leadership of the deCordova Board of Trustees and Overseers, Linda Hammet Ory — deserve our thanks and a vote of support for the proposed integration at our upcoming Town Meeting

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: vote “no” on leaf blower question

(Editor’s note: this letter was sent by Byrnes Landscaping to their customers in Lincoln, and the Byrneses asked that it also be published as a letter to the editor.)

To the editor:

At the upcoming Lincoln Town Meeting, there is a proposed bylaw to limit/ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. We have compiled some facts and thoughts on this issue. Our purpose in writing this letter is to explain how the bylaw will affect our customers (and their neighbors), not to get into a debate about the studies completed by the commission.

Although the proposed regulation has come along way from the outright ban they originally proposed, it still bans the use of all gas-powered leaf blowers from June 1 to October 1 and from December 20 to March 20. The bylaw does allow for the use of electric blowers to be used during this period. If this by law passes, it will require Byrnes Landscaping to either stop cleaning debris from client’s properties or charge an additional fee to cover the extra time required and the new equipment to be purchased. 

Currently, battery-operated landscape equipment is three to ten times more expensive than its gas counterparts and is significantly under powered. We continually monitor the progress of this innovative industry and will invest in new greener equipment when it makes good business sense. Following are some common misperceptions and our responses.

1. All gas-powered blowers use two-stroke engines which exhaust large volumes of toxic emissions.

  • Byrnes Landscaping uses STIHL four-stroke hybrid blowers. They are equipped with reduced-emission engine technology. They deliver low emissions, increased fuel efficiency, and low noise when compared with their two-stroke counterparts.

2. There is no need to blow off any hard surfaces (walkways, driveways, patios, etc.) from June 1 to October 1 since there are no leaves falling.

  • We are blessed in Lincoln to have lush trees and sprawling properties. This also means that debris is constantly being dropped from trees. In the Spring/Summer we have flower buds, pollen, and other tree debris. In the late Summer we have acorns, and leaves from the birch and apple trees.  When debris is not removed it becomes a slipping hazard and it can stain hard surfaces.

3. If this bylaw passes, all noise will be gone in Lincoln, since leaf blowers are the leading cause.

  • During routine maintenance, blowers are only used on average for 3-5 minutes at the end of the job to clear debris. Lawnmowers, which are not included in this bylaw, are used on average for 20-25 minutes during routine maintenance. Lawn mowers create more noise than blowers; therefore, the limitations on sound during the summer will be marginal.

4. Other towns are restricting blowers; therefore, Lincoln will not be alone.

  • Lincoln is unlike any other community east of 495. Lincoln is comprised of large properties, dense tree coverage, and houses that are spaced far from each other. To make comparisons to Cambridge, Arlington, Newton, or a community in California is misleading and uninformed. Lincoln’s population density is 555 people per square mile. Lincoln is 8-27 times less dense than those compared communities.
Final takeaway

In New England, there are only a few months each year that we can enjoy the outdoors without bundling up. We appreciate this and want to make your outdoor Eden (which you all worked so hard to earn) beautiful and safe. Our crews are courteous, efficient, and receptive to individual customer needs. Please feel free to give feedback on this issue and let us know how we can better serve you.

We ask that you vote NO on this bylaw in its current form. We would support regulations on older two-stroke blowers. We would also support a phased-in approach to electric equipment. An immediate ban puts undo stress on DIY residents and the companies that operate in Lincoln.

We respect the fact that the Leaf Blower Study Group has been working hard for six years on this issue and value their opinions. However, we need to remember that this is a voluntary committee (with exception to town employees/other board members) and their time was donated because they had an agenda or strong views against leaf blowers from the onset. Length of time spent on a project should not dictate a desired outcome if an equitable conclusion has not been derived.

Sincerely,

Kyle and Brendon Byrnes
Byrnes Landscaping (82 Mill St., Lincoln)

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: pursue a zero-waste lifestyle

To the editor:

It is an unfortunate reality that recycling is becoming harder to do, more expensive, and less effective. Plastic recycling for the most part has always been quite unsuccessful. Our oceans, rivers, food, and even our bodies are filling with plastics even though most of us have been optimistically washing and sorting our plastic for the recycling bin.

Mothers Out Front Lincoln is working to reduce the use of single-use plastic and aspiring towards adopting a zero-waste lifestyle. We have been inspired by the David Suzuki Foundation’s Zero Waste Pledge, which states the following.

We agree to adopt one or more of the proposed actions:

  1. REFUSE single-use plastic items that I can do without
  2. ASK for reusable cutlery and pass on plastic straws
  3. REPLACE single-use items with reusable items
  4. GIVE UP nonrecyclable plastic disposable items
  5. PROMOTE the choice of single-use items made of eco-responsible materials
  6. BUY items that contain recycled plastic
  7. PICK UP plastic debris in cities and natural areas
  8. REDUCE the amount in my recycling bin without increasing the size of the bin
  9. APPLY the 5Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot/compost
  10. ASPIRE to a zero-waste lifestyle

We are excited to announce two new initiatives we are working on here in Lincoln that will help move our community towards a zero waste life style, apply the 5Rs, and reduce our disposable waste and carbon footprint.

  1. A zero-waste pop-up showcase — This year at Town Meeting, we will have a table showcasing some of our favorite zero waste products — things like shampoo bars, sunscreen in aluminum tins, cotton produce sacks, and plastic-free laundry pods. There are so many great everyday use products that don’t have disposable plastic. We will have a handout available with online sourcing. We are also hopeful that local businesses will start carrying some of these items so we can shop sustainably and locally.
  2. Town-wide composting with Black Earth Compost* — Lincoln can reduce its carbon footprint and significantly reduce our waste going to landfills and/or incinerators. It will be both easy and beneficial for Lincoln to adopt some form of commercial composting. Mothers Out Front Lincoln is excited about this endeavor and is figuring out how to make it happen in Lincoln.

*Black Earth Compost is a composting company based in Manchester, Mass., that offers environmentally responsible composting services ranging from residential pickup to site-based pickup to municipal-wide programs. They process all of their compost on site, do not mix in any outside waste, and forgo lawn clippings to keep chemicals out of their final compost product, which they would then drop off back in Lincoln for customers to use. They already serve all of the surrounding towns and have significantly reduced the amount of waste going to those landfills and/or incinerators. They are half the price of other composting companies because of their efficient and reusable bin system.

Please stop by our table at Town meeting to learn more about this exciting possibility and to check out our fantastic zero waste products. If you have any favorites or questions, please do share them with us in person or via email at lincolnMOF@gmail.com. Hope to see you Saturday!

Sincerely,
Staci Montori for Lincoln Mothers Out Front

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: vote “yes” on leaf blower bylaw

To the editor:

The leaf blower bylaw being proposed at Town Meeting by the Conservation Commission represents the culmination of six years of work involving research, education, events, and public forums. Its final form incorporates input from commercial landscapers and residents gathered during public meetings.

It allows the use of gas-powered equipment in the fall and spring seasons when more power may be needed for major cleanups while encouraging use of non-fossil fuel alternatives like electric tools, which are allowed year-round without restriction. Exclusions can be sought for public safety and emergency situations.

New models of electric blowers are much quieter than gas blowers. Their noise dissipates more readily and does not easily penetrate walls and windows compared with gas blowers. Toxic/carcinogenic exhaust is eliminated and greenhouse gas emissions reduced.

Passage of the proposed bylaw will help Lincoln preserve and protect the health and well-being of residents, protect our environment from excessive and harmful levels of noise and pollution, and take a modest step towards helping Massachusetts reach its greenhouse gas reduction targets. Importantly, it also contributes to Lincoln’s reputation in environmental stewardship. In passing the bylaw, Lincoln will join with nearly 100 communities in the US and worldwide who have taken similar actions around this particular lawn and garden tool.

Below are some statements extracted from our research findings on leaf blowers and health:  

  • Children’s Environmental Health Network – Noise from sources such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers can result in hearing loss, stress, high blood pressure, headaches, sleep disturbance, reduced productivity, mental health problems, and reduced quality of life.
  • Harvard Medical School – The noise that causes sensorineural hearing loss is usually not one deafening bang but decades’ worth of exposure to the high decibel accessories of daily life: leaf blowers, car horns, traffic, movie theater sounds, and so on.
  • Massachusetts Medical Society – Gasoline-powered leaf blowers pose health risks to both workers and the general public.
  • Medical Society of the State of New York – Recommends guidelines that would dramatically reduce the toxic emissions and noise level of gas leaf blowers for reasons of health.
  • Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Mount Sinai Hospital, NYC – Leaf blowers create large volumes of airborne particulates, many of which are respirable. Inhalation of these small airborne particles can provoke asthma and other respiratory diseases in children and can increase the severity of chronic lung disease in our elderly. Some of the other potential pollutants from leaf blowers and internal combustion power tools are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and, even, ozone formed from some of these other pollutants. Even lower-level exposures have been associated with respiratory and central nervous system effects.
  • The intense, high-frequency noise that [gas] leaf blowers generate can cause loss of hearing in the workers who operate these machines and can also affect hearing in children and other persons
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Being around too much loud noise — like using a leaf blower or going to loud concerts — can cause permanent hearing loss.

A copy of the bylaw proposal, an FAQ sheet, and supporting resources are on the Leaf Blower Study Committee’s web page.

Sincerely,

Jamie Banks (chair of the Leaf Blower Study Committee)

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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