Gonzalez and gay rights

In his June 1 letter, Matt Gonzalez left out an important fact that illuminates the degree to which he is on record championing gay rights.

At the Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club forum – before winning his place in the runoff election – Gonzalez stated unequivocally that he supported gay marriage. Gavin Newsom demurred.

Was Newsom afraid to speak his conscience in 2003, or did he change his mind in 2004? Either way, not the kind of advocacy I'd trust.

judy b.
San Francisco

Manchurian Newsom

I've been out of town for a while, but when I opened the paper recently, I couldn't believe what I read. Has Gavin Newsom become the progressives' puppet?

What happened? Has Newsom finally realized that we were right and he was wrong about gay marriage, tidal energy, labor unions, and the environment?

What's next – legalizing medical marijuana? I'd love to see Newsom hand out pot at City Hall! Imagine the national publicity he'd get then. Why, he might even get arrested! Who knows – he might get his suit and hair mussed up in the scuffle and start to even look like Matt!

Now, a cynic could say the United Nations environmental conference hosted by a fellow whose environmental record earned him a D from the Sierra Club, was all show and actually just a boon to the hotel industry (SF Hotel Council and Chamber of Commerce), which funneled thousands into Newsom's mayoral campaign and his two antihomeless initiatives. And gay marriage was a disingenuous stunt to win over the likes of us locally, distract from the allegations of his campaign's electoral fraud, and gain him national publicity, which he so craves.

Yet it's still baffling to figure how this homeless-basher, Pelosi suck-up, and Bechtel-, Getty-, and Schwab-financed white-bread Marina boy who was handpicked and appointed by Willie Brown, has suddenly become one of the biggest preachers of the Gospel of St. Matthew!

I always knew Newsom was a Manchurian candidate, but didn't realize he was ours!

P.S. Shh – don't tell anyone – especially not SFSOS, Fisher, Hellman, Feinstein, the Hotel Council, Golden Gate Restaurant Association, and all those Republicans who voted for him and bought him Room 200.

S. M. Peters
Seattle

Arsenic abounds

From Matthew Hirsch's article ("Between a Rock and a Hardwood," 5/25/05), one might think that we no longer have a problem with arsenic-treated wood. He briefly mentions how San Francisco used to buy wood treated with arsenic but that now it is banned from city purchasing.

Despite this ban on future wood (in 2003), it was estimated in 2002 that 90 percent of existing outdoor structures in the United States are made of arsenic-treated wood. This includes many backyard decks, picnic tables, and playground equipment. Arsenic is a known human carcinogen, linked to lung, skin, and bladder cancer. Arsenic leaches to the wood's surface and can get on people's hands after touching the wood. Young children can ingest the arsenic after putting their hands in their mouths and are at increased risk of cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency recently issued an announcement recommending that people with arsenic-treated wood structures seal them at least once every year. People should be alerted to this avoidable health risk. To find out more about how to protect yourself from arsenic-treated wood, go to www.safe2play.org or call the Center for Environmental Health's toll-free hotline at 1-877-604-KIDS.

Susan L. Chiang, MPH, MPP Safe Playgrounds Project Director Center for Environmental Health
Oakland

Criminal expats

I was very emotional after reading your story about Igor Belov ["From Russia with Blood," 6/1/05]. He could be an innocent man, no doubt, but some general trends highlighted by the story make me wary. Isn't the American government making the same mistake again and again?

I, like Belov, was with the Soviet military troops in Afghanistan, but unlike him I ran away from that place to escape killing the innocent people. And I am not a strong man. So I know perfectly well that it was possible to escape military service in Afghanistan.

I know that the American government did a great and noble job, helping the Afghan people to overcome Soviet aggression. But by financing each and every mujahideen group without any distinction, it helped terrorists and created al-Qaeda.

Belov allegedly started his American life by lying to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and that is a very serious problem. I do not know him personally, and once again must stress my opinion that he could possibly be an innocent man. What I do know is the fact that the Russian community is deeply affected by criminals exported from Russia in the last few years.

Zeev Shin
San Francisco