A treasure in La Jolla Shores As I parked my car one evening recently on Avenida de la Playa in La Jolla Shores village, I couldn’t help but notice how enchanting the little boutiques looked with their Christmas decorations in their windows all lit up. One boutique had arranged their windows with Old World European papier mache figurines sitting on antique tables next to clothes and accessories too attractive to walk by without stopping to admire them. There were Christmas trees with twinkling lights on the upstairs balconies. Other shops next door and nearby were also attractively decorated in Christmas colors and had such a warm, appealing glow to them that I felt compelled to linger a while to enjoy the enchanting scene a few minutes longer. I was reminded of European villages I had visited at Christmas time and thought how utterly charming the whole scene was. Since that evening, I have heard that a large modern building is being planned by a private developer to be built right next door to the row of boutiques I have mentioned above. I was incredulous when I was told about this and shown a drawing of the proposed structure. Is there no one on the planning commission or on the council who understands how precious this charming little area is and its tourism value to the community as a whole? What can an ugly, pseudo modern building like the one being proposed on the corner of Avenida de la Playa and El Paseo Grande possibly do for either the village or the village residents? If anything, it will denigrate it. Visitors will no longer find the area special. There is no question that modern architecture has its place in the world and there are, indeed, several modern homes and large research facilities not far from the streets in question which blend in beautifully with the environment and can be admired for their architecture. This proposed building, however, must be called what it is — a monstrosity! I would like to appeal to your paper to take up the cause to stop this private developer from despoiling what is without a doubt one of the most attractive villages in Southern California. Selma Leigh, Rancho Santa Fe Stop Iran’s nuclear menace Iran has again rejected generous diplomatic offers from the West and we don’t have much time to achieve our objective: prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Serious sanctions must be put in place to convince Iranian government leaders to change their words and actions. There should be no trade or other economic activity with Iran until the government proves to the world community that it has stopped enriching uranium and has agreed to ship its uranium out of Iran for refinement. Iran claimed publicly to have 3,000 working centrifuges but until recently hid a major uranium enrichment facility in the city of Qom. Weeks after the existence of the facility was revealed, International Atomic Energy Agency officials inspected those facilities. But what did Iran hide in the weeks before the inspections began, and are there other Iranian-controlled facilities that we don’t know about either inside, or outside, Iran? The Iranians rejected a U.S.-backed deal last month to ship most of its enriched uranium abroad, leading to a censure resolution from the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is time to demand that Iran stop seeking a nuclear bomb and pursue a peaceful path. Allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon would embolden the Islamic republic, prompting the government to increase its sponsorship of terrorism and make good on its offer to share nuclear know-how with terrorists who could strike anywhere, at any time. The time has come for severe sanctions as a means to get Iran to stop its nuclear program. The international community must take urgent action now to peacefully stop the threat of a nuclear Iran. Following are nine ways to curb the threat and avoid war: • Until Iran halts its nuclear program, the international community should stop doing business with companies that supply refined petroleum to Iran. Due to a lack of oil refinery facilities in Iran, it must import 40 percent of its refined fuel. Halting such imports into Iran will help discourage Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon and its support of terrorism. Iran is currently the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. • Governments that care about security and peace must ban banks from providing credit, insurance and loan repayment guarantees to foreign oil companies that supply fuel to Iran or help expand the country’s domestic refining capacity. The international community should prohibit insurance companies from insuring tankers going to Iran. The majority of tankers carrying gasoline to Iran are insured by Lloyds of London, a company that should be forbidden from helping the world’s largest state sponsor of terror. • Freeze more Iranian bank assets. In 2007, Bank Melli, Iran’s largest state-owned bank, cashed in its dollar assets for euros. The Iranian banking strategy depends on the euro. In June 2008, all of the EU’s 27 member-states agreed to freeze any assets held by Bank Melli in their jurisdictions. Those EU measures, taken in 2008, signaled growing impatience with Iranian foot-dragging in negotiations over halting uranium enrichment. But as Iran continues to pursue its enrichment program, more must be done. The French and German governments must divest their large holdings in Bank Melli Iran. • Issue travel bans. All Iranian government employees and their families should have their foreign assets frozen. They should also be subjected to travel bans until Iran is verified to have stopped its nuclear program and support of terrorism. • Ban arms sales to Iran. In 2006, the United States called on all countries to stop arms exports to Iran, but much more must be done to verify that it has occurred. • Increase targeted broadcasting into Iran through various communications channels, including Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, the BBC and especially private broadcasting entities. Support democracy activists by broadcasting events inside of Iran so that activists can more easily learn what is occurring in the various cities and towns in Iran. • Ban Iranian commercial airlines from entering European Union countries for failure to meet international safety standards. • Work quickly and effectively with the international community to ensure that Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons. Tough economic sanctions can change Iran’s nuclear policy. It’s not too late. The time to act is now! Monica Simpson, La Jolla Clearly the nuclear aspiration of the Iranian regime is the most clear and present international threat to the security and interests of the United States and our allies. The thought of Iran with nuclear capabilities is incredibly unnerving — if we do not act immediately, we will be enabling a scourge to international peace, stability and security that cannot be undone afterwards. Even considering the dangers presented by Iraq or Afghanistan, these countries absolutely pale in comparison to the global danger presented by a radical Iranian regime with nuclear weapons and delivery technologies. As the most pressing security issue of our day, I urge you to enact every legislative measure available to curb this threat and derail Iran’s agenda of global destabilization and destruction. Our international allies must be encouraged to do the same in no uncertain terms. This situation is non-negotiable and there is no compromise. Either we act boldly now, or generations to come will pay the price for our inaction. Eliot Feldstein, La Jolla