Please stick to reason and facts

Gary H. Mason’s letter of Nov. 28 exemplifies a disturbing trend in public discourse: playing the "race" or the "religious" card instead of debating an issue on the basis of reason and facts.

Mason’s suggestion that opponents of the Heschel West Jewish School project are motivated by a desire to "keep the Jews out" ignores the facts of the case and is comparable to Johnnie Cochran’s playing the race card in the O.J. Simpson trial.

Personally, I oppose the project for reasons that, at least to me, seem obvious. I believe the school would alter the rural character of Old Agoura, bringing traffic, congestion and noise to a quiet residential area. I would feel this way if the school were a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, or non-religious school, or a training school for clowns.

Though I can’t read the minds of the residents of Old Agoura, it seems clear that they have many valid reasons for opposing this project that have nothing to do with anti-Semitism. Therefore, raising the specter of anti-Semitism is unwarranted and unfair.

If Mason believes anti-Semitism is an issue in the Conejo Valley (I for one have neither noticed nor experienced such a thing), let him raise the issue constructively, by citing examples and suggesting measures that can be taken to ameliorate it.

Johnnie Cochran at least had evidence that racism was a problem in the LAPD, but like Mason, he should have chosen a different forum to raise the issue.

Charles Zimmerman

Agoura Hills

Please see The Acorn editor’s comment that accompantied the previous letter.