Looking ahead

Israel

Regarding “Blame the Arabs” letter (Page A9, Tuesday), the writer’s criticism of Noah Horwitz’s portrayal of Arabs as blameless is not entirely off course. Indeed Israel has offered the Arabs “land for peace” as she stated, but it is non-arable, undesirable land that certainly has no holy/ religious tie-in, which is what they pilfered from the onset.

In juxtaposition to Western standards and mores, Israel is perhaps the United States’ closest ally within the region, but it walks not on water (to allude to my personal Christianity). If Israel truly desires a lasting peace, it will withdraw from occupied territories and revert to pre-1967 internationally recognized boundaries. Then, terrorism — as we have experienced (i.e., the 9/11 attacks, etc.) — will greatly subside. Behold the chickenegg conundrum.

David N. Hooper, Conroe

Houston

Regarding “A walkable city: less parking, more trees” (Page A9, Tuesday), it’s maddening that, if I need a loaf of bread, I cannot just walk the halfmile to Kroger’s to get it; rather, I must get in my car, drive there and park in their 10-acre lot. Meanwhile, our streets are perpetually clogged with traffic. Someone has finally pointed out the reason for both of these phenomena.

The op-ed did not also mention the mountains of tax dollars spent to build, and rebuild, all these ever-widening streets and roads. This is another example of where the solution to a huge problem is simply less government.

David M. Woods, Houston