Incentives for Landmarking, Thanksgiving with Martha Stewart and God Bless the Veterans

November 14, 2002

Dear Editor,

As the City Council considers whether it should adopt the Homeowners' Freedom of Choice Initiative, it might want to consider the ordinance of the City of Ontario where the landmarks agency has the power to obtain control over the facades of historic building through gift, contract or condemnation.

There is nothing in the Homeowners' Freedom of Choice Initiative that would prevent the City from having a similar ordinance in Santa Monica. The only change that the initiative makes is that if the City wishes to force a homeowner to make their home a landmark, they would be required to provide fair compensation for that homeowner's loss.

Providing more benefits, to homeowners, is only one of the ways the city can get homeowners to volunteer their homes for historic status. Another is curbing some of the power of the Landmarks Commission. For example, if landmark law specially provided for homeowners to be able to expand their homes, subject to the home maintaining its original architectural style, they would probably find homeowners more open to entering into landmark agreements.

Jeff Segal
Santa Monica

November 14, 2002

Dear Editor;

Martha Stewart will not be dining at my house this Thanksgiving as she is in demand by the Securities and Exchange Commission. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised.

I've made a few small changes for Thanksgiving since Ms. Stewart won't be visiting: Our driveway will not be lined with homemade paper bag luminaries, as shown in Martha's Thanksgiving Book on page 34. I decided that rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect in the Santa Monica Mountains, in the fall, as they do elsewhere.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens or fancy China. If possible, my wife will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this is Thanksgiving, the Fakehany's will refrain from using the plastic wreath plates and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.

Our centerpiece will not be the usual tower of fresh fruit and flowers. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper our youngest son made in Sister Mary's forth grade class for this occasion. He assured me, twenty years ago; it is a turkey and stands by this statement today.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty bell to announce the start of our banquet. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method of yelling "DINNER." We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, gather around the table and sit where you like.

I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any
circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.

Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts as in the past, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and a fingerprint or two. You will still have your choice: take it or leave it.

We will be offering a time-honored prayer before dinner and ask a blessing for our nation and world peace. Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won't come next year either, as most likely she will be dining in a reserved cell in upstate New York.

And that is all I have to say.

Tom Fakehany

November 14, 2002

Dear Editor,

Speaking out for our much loved and much respected Honorable Veterans I have two question that our Green Party Mayor needs to answer?

Why was their no Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony on Veterans Day at the Santa Monica Veterans Memorial? Why did he as Mayor fail to either be at the Veterans Memorial or have someone from Santa Monica City Council be present to acknowledge and provide some respect?

$40,000 was spent to build a Veterans Memorial that would feature six marble columns that would cast an aligned shadow at the 11th second of the 11th minute of the 11th hour of 11th day of the 11th month.

On Monday, November 11, 2002 11 seconds past 11:11 a.m., I was at the Veterans Memorial at Ocean Ave by Santa Monica Boulevard. There was no ceremony, no City Council members, no flag other then the one that I carried.

Last year, the mayor failed to bring about any dignity to the Veterans Memorial when three drunks made a total mockery of the Veterans Memorial Ceremony in front of families.

The people of Santa Monica and our loved and honorable Veterans deserve better. My anger towards the Mayor was instigated by his disrespectful personal actions as the Mayor on Sept 11, 2001 and on Nov 11, 2001.

I love my country and I deeply hostile to anyone that disrespects our country, our Veterans, our flag, and our emergency workers that risk their lives 24 hours a day. With vision, a plan, courage and effective leadership, I will use my anger towards creating a better world.

God Bless the U.S.A. our Great Country our home.

God Bless our honorable Veterans.