Stop Fairway Peaks 

To the editor

Phoenix-ased Vanderbilt Farms plans to destroy 620 acres of ponderosa pine forest just off Lonetree Road to complete their top level golf course and high-end housing development. The multimillion dollar project, “Fairway Peaks”, will include 1,285 total dwellings with ¼- and ½- acre lots starting at a hefty $800-$900 thousand dollars. “Affordable housing” makes up less than 10 percent of the entire development -- 125 homes which will be segregated from the rest by a major road.

For years this area, previously owned by the Chamberlain family, has been a refuge for both nature lovers and wildlife, providing a natural corridor to Walnut Canyon. According to Flagstaff Planning and Zoning, Vanderbilt Farms must spare 50 percent of the original trees from destruction, but this count will take place only after the forest is cleared of all trees smaller than six inches in diameter, and all those that grow under the canopy of another tree. Performing the count after this “fire prevention” process significantly reduces the total standing number of trees in the Fairway Peaks project, allowing the net destruction of more trees within the parameters of law.

Is this what the community of Flagstaff wants? Is this what is best for the land? All assurances that this is not a “gated community” aside, the plans clearly suggest a vision of Flagstaff that is comprised of segregated havens where the very rich may mingle privately in their second or third homes, occasionally venturing out in the SUV to contribute to traffic problems on their way to the new big box store in town.

The Flagstaff citizen picks up the tab on several levels. Golf courses, are as much a nightmare for biodiversity and ecological health as box stores are for cultural diversity. A single golf course consumes as much water yearly as 60,000 average American families. This plan invites on a massive scale consumer culture to Flagstaff, chasing ever further the dream of a sustainable local economy. Vanderbilt Farms managed to squeak their plan through the City Council as the last item dealt with before the new electees were ushered in.

However, the project is not at all a done deal. According to the City planner, permits still need to be filed and these must be cleared and the ground broken within 2 years. Otherwise, the city council will need to be consulted again. This might allow for more citizen input and awareness that could sway the council towards the good sense of nixing such a project.

Contact city officials, raise awareness, make a stink of some sort or another. Fairway peaks is bad news for Flagstaff culture, local businesses, and the ecosystem. It must be stopped!

Heather Linhardt and Owen Johnson - Flagstaff

Christians do good work 

To the editor

I have never written to a newspaper, but after reading the September issue of your new newspaper Flagstaff Tea Party I feel I must respond to your acceptance of William Edelen’s hate message against Christians. First, I noticed that all the rest of the articles were written by “local residents” as you claim to want, yet Edelen is a “local resident” of Palm Springs, Calif.

Second, I would like to know if your newspaper’s board agrees with the “hate” message against Christians that Edelen spews. I can only assume you do because you allow his angry, hateful, divisive words to be allowed in your newspaper. No other group of people, i.e. gays, lesbians, blacks, animal rights activists, environmentalists, etc. would ever be allowed to be spoken about in such a mean, hateful way. Nor do I believe they should be. But why Christians?

Lastly, I would like to point out a local organization, the Sunshine Rescue Mission, is run by very dedicated, hard working people who provide food and shelter for homeless men, and a chance to get back on their feet. Also, Hope Cottage is associated with the mission. They also provide food and shelter to women and children, and help with getting their lives back on track. These people work very hard and give up a lot to help people that quite frankly you and I and most people do not want to deal with. Why do they do it? They do it because they are Christians and they want to show the love of God to those in need. I would like to also point out that the Mission is able to continue to function largely because of the support of the local churches in Flagstaff.

So I ask you to please drop the hateful message presented by Edelen and instead focus on the good things being done here in Flagstaff. I’ll end with a saying my mother drilled into my head and I’ve passed on to my children, “If you can’t say anything nice about a person, don’t say anything at all.”

Laura Scott - Flagstaff

Tea Party Editor Dan Frazier and Publisher Lisa Rayner reply:

We do not feel that the column exhibited “hate” against Christians. Rather, it points out several examples of prejudice that a number of church fathers and modern church documents exhibit toward women. No one is assuming that all Christians hold the opinions of the church fathers quoted by Edelen. Any ideology or belief that is built upon eternal truths will ultimately benefit from honest criticism and debate. Edelen’s views do not necessarily reflect the views of the board. We agree that many Christian organizations including the Sunshine Rescue Mission do important work in the community. 

Though William Edelen is not a local writer, his column ran for many years in the Daily Sun, and we believe he has many fans in Flagstaff. We also hope to publish submissions on religious topics from local writers.

Vote “No” on 102: Save Wildlife ... and your voting rights

To the editor

On November 7, voters will be asked to decide a number of ballot issues. One issue is very unusual. Proposition 102 will, in effect, ask the public whether or not they want any further say in the management of wildlife in Arizona.

Of course we do. But the question will be, how many voters will be deceived by the tricky way the measure is worded, and vote in favor of it?

Proposition 102, if passed, would require a two-thirds “supermajority” to pass any future initiative that “permits, limits or prohibits the taking of wildlife.” That would make it all but impossible for us to protect wildlife from unfair or inhumane treatment. Supermajority wins are so rare that it wouldn’t be worth the tremendous effort it takes to put an initiative on the ballot, so only the State Legislature would decide future wildlife questions ... and we all know how that works. Whoever has the most influence with the legislators, the most lobbying money, wins.

This proposition appears on the ballot because special interest groups want it there. They include animal bounty hunters, trappers, trophy-hunting consultants and others who profit from the hunting and trapping industries. It doesn’t affect any other ballot initiatives, only those dealing with wildlife. These special interest groups actually want to amend the Arizona Constitution to make an exception to the usual “majority-rules” system of Democracy.

Proposition 102 jeopardizes the citizen’s initiative process. Today it’s wildlife issues -- what about tomorrow? If Prop. 102 passes, it will open the floodgates for other special-interest groups to pass similar measures, and silence your voice at the ballot box. 

The implication is clear: that Arizona voters cannot be trusted to decide certain issues. The special interest groups promoting this issue seem to be saying that they no longer believe in allowing the majority of voters to decide issues that affect all of us, our environment, our planet, and our future.

Between now and the election, you’ll see advertisements paid for by proponents of Prop.102. You’ll see pretty pictures of wildlife, and hear the confusing and misleading name they’ve given Prop. 102: “The Wildlife Conservation Management Referendum.” Don’t be fooled! Prop. 102 will hurt wildlife – that’s why it’s critical that we defeat it.

The fight to inform voters by November 7 will be expensive. Estimates are that the other side will be spending over half a million dollars. If you care about wildlife, you can’t give your money to a more important cause than defeating Prop. 102. Even if wildlife issues aren’t important to you, your rights as a voter in a democratic system are truly in danger. Send your check to No on 102, P.O. Box 36436, Phoenix, AZ 85067. (Unfortunately, donations to political committees are not tax-deductible.) Volunteers are also needed to distribute literature. If you can help, enclose a note with your check or call 525-3107. To learn more, visit No on 102’s Web site at www.no102.com.

Jean Myers - Flagstaff

A French perspective

To the editor,

I discovered your journal during my holidays, appreciated very much the articles. I thought you might be interested in getting a little “international” note to your magazine.

Organizing a tour for ones family in the wild wild west is not an easy exercise. It involves a lot of evenings bent upon maps and guides, determining the best way to:

- Visit all the best known and most impressive sites.

- Find a very personal and atypical trip, which no one could have thought about before.

- Avoid driving too many kilometers a day.

The two last ideas being, as one could have suspected, totally impossible to achieve. Everywhere (Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Lake Powell ...), we met a lot of tourists, mostly Japanese, German or Dutch, and ... French. The Japanese are easy to spot: they travel by bunches of 20 or 30, the women wear white socks in their sandals and sometimes gloves, and their guide holds high an umbrella to shepherd the group. The German and Dutch also wear socks in their sandals. They speak loud and laugh the same. The French ... well, they always seem a little lost. No wonder, they don't speak a word of English and are misunderstood when they try to.

By the way, how come that we French were so numerous, with a French franc so weak that it could give you the feeling of belonging to an underdeveloped nation? How come that so many people of the same country had had the same idea for their holidays, on the same year, to do the same trip? We recognize each other from one canyon to another.

Then came Flagstaff. Between Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon, during two days, we rested in your town. And for the first time, felt at ease in a real city, with a center of the town, where there were no tourists (or at least no groups), where we could drink real coffees (espressos). Universities, even if we were there during the vacation time, always give a special mood to the places where they are settled. More people cycling, impressive book and sport implements stores. We had the feeling of being back in civilization again.

It is there, while sipping a delicious espresso, that we discovered the first issue of Flagstaff Tea Party. What a wonderful (and evident) idea for a community to print its real identity. How odd and pleasant to read from Americans about the support of the little stores against the anonymous chains. As good readers, having read the article about the Davis family's hardware store, we went there and bought seeds of giant pumpkins!

Daniel Bailly - Nogent sur marne, France