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Hacienda could be a lovely B&B

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published January 10, 2007

I've been hoping to follow the plans for the Hacienda Hotel as they unfold. First, I am not in favor of using any of Sims Park for this venture. The stipulation that it be used for the enjoyment of all New Port Richey residents must be honored as it was intended.

I do think the person who wrote a letter to the editor last month about a bed and breakfast has a great idea. Think about it: a place to rest your weary head from travel and not have to rely on a busy hotel on U.S. 19. Rooms that are decorated in the time period of the hotel with antiques and reproductions. A dining room open for breakfast for the guests and then open for lunch for any and all. Oh, if only it could be set up and run like Lunch on Limoges in Dade City. If the dining room could accommodate small groups, there are Red Hat Ladies, Junior Service League members, Delta Kappa Gamma members, etc., that could gather and make use of the facilities.

It would seem that we would get beds available in a lovely setting that would encourage guests to walk along the river, Orange Lake, downtown dining, and would provide a place where New Port Richey residents can go and enjoy. The courtyard area could be extended in the back to offer a view of the park with tables where coffee and tea could be purchased. Add the fact that wireless Internet access is available, and it opens up lots of possibilities.

So, please do not change the overall size and stature of the Hacienda. Use it in such a way that New Port Richey residents as well as friends and family will be able to make use of the facility. Northern visitors and other guests will have a lovely spot to settle in for the night.

Jeanne Rogers, New Port Richey

Yacht's advocacy knows no bounds

From clothing store, a life in public health Jan. 7 C.T. Bowen column

I add my voice to the chorus in praise of Marc Yacht, my friend and advocacy colleague. Marc's passion for persuasion is second to none. Whether it's through his prolific writings, his on-the-spot ideas or his gentle guidance by example, Marc's abilities to attract attention and move people to action are among his most formidable attributes. When it comes to loving leadership, in a world of rocking rowboats, Marc's a yacht!

When I think of a person with the courage to express his thoughts and opinions, I think of Marc. And, really, who doesn't?

He never seems to shy away from the moral compass that differentiates right from wrong. He sincerely believes that when it comes to advancing policy that prevents problems and addresses human needs, there is no better calling than speaking up. In Marc's world, silence is not golden and can even prove deadly.

Marc preaches and practices powerful advocacy every day of the week, every week of the year. From newborns to frail elders, he has no advocacy boundary. He is a solid citizen who knows that teamwork is the essential ingredient for success. His leadership extends across the spectrum of health, education, family services, and intergenerational and cultural interests and organizations. Marc knows that not unlike an individual human body, a community requires all of its parts to operate in cooperation, and each relies on another to do its job for a better quality of life.

I'm confident that his work for those who need him most will continue. Marc's life's work for good is still sailing, and I plan on staying on board.

Jack Levine, Tallahassee

Judge put trials above his dinner 

Judge insensitive to potential jurors Jan. 5 letter

Jury service is an essential part of the U.S. justice system, and for the vast majority of the thousands of Pasco County residents who answer their jury summonses each year, it is a pleasant and satisfying service. Even though misperceptions soured the experience for (letter writer) Doris Nunziata, the courts are grateful for her service.

Justice cannot always be served on an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. Speedy trial rules, juries of your peers, defendant rights and other stalwarts of the system make it impossible to predict how long jury selections and trials will take.

The Clerk of the Court's Office, which is responsible for jury pool management, advises all potential jurors to listen to a recorded message that instructs everyone to "bring food items which you require." This would seem to include food needs of diabetics, and it should be pointed out that they weren't the ones who protested. Ms. Nunziata purports to speak for them.

Because the judges are sensitive to jurors' needs and desires, they listen and respond to criticism. It is likely that the clerk's message will be examined to determine if it can be made even more clear about what the people of Pasco County can expect when they receive a jury summons.

The biggest misconception is that what happened to her is the result of "megalomania." The truth is just the opposite. The trial for which she was summoned and another one assigned to Judge Stanley Mills had to be completed that week. So that no one would have to be in court on a Saturday during the holiday season, Judge Mills made sure both trials finished by week's end.

The first trial ended at 10 p.m. on an evening when Judge Mills was scheduled for an anniversary dinner with his wife. To keep the week's trial calendar on schedule, Judge Mills postponed his celebration.

Someone with delusional fantasies of power would have selfishly exercised his authority to send everyone home at 5 p.m., making sure he honored his personal commitment, rather than his obligation to justice.

Ron Stuart, Clearwater, public information officer for the 6th Judicial Circuit

Fact is, women batter men, too 

Resolve to help end domestic violence Jan. 5 guest column

Well, it's the same old discredited propaganda again.

It's a fact that half of all domestic violence are women-on-men assaults, and this has been well proven since 1982. Penny Morrill needs to look up some data from any time since then.

One could read Philip W. Cook's Abused Men: The Hidden Side Of Domestic Violence. Ms. Morrill is clearly one of those who had either been denied knowledge about abusive women or who has ignored it in her position as an activist for one side only.

One Web resource that corrects Ms. Morrill's one-sided view can be found at oregoncounseling.org/Handouts/DomesticViolenceMen.htm. It lays out the overview of the issue, one that feminists in their rush to demonize men would prefer that people not know about, as then they would have to share the money that should go to help all real victims of domestic assaults.

The Web site www.batteredmen.com is another source of rebuttals for the sexist only-men-assault and only-women-suffer fictional nonsense.

Andre Lieven, Trinity

[Last modified January 9, 2007, 22:48:31]