Letters to the Boston Globe Editor

August 11, 2001

By playing the class card in your front page story "Airlines face tougher reviews at Hanscom," Mr. Brelis has succeeded in trivializing an important environmental debate and compromising the Globe’s journalistic standards. The story you printed reads like a press release from Massport, with not even ONE point of view from the affected communities, their many environmental and community allies in the Boston area, or the national organizations that are fighting aviation pollution and working for sustainable transportation systems for all Americans. You should be ashamed.

Rae André

Lexington

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Letter to the Editor

The Globe's coverage of the struggle to protect the historic sites of
the Lexington-Concord area from Hanscom Field expansion sunk to a new
low on Saturday, with the the front page story by Matt Brelis, which
should have been labelled a personal opinion piece.

Brelis managed to twist the FAA's decision to require environmental
review for new commercial operations at Hanscom into a rich suburbs vs.
poor city scenario, ludicrously implying that the FAA caved in to
pressure, even quoting Massport spokesman Jose Juves' far out assertion
that the FAA's action is "almost un-American."

The story that isn't told is that the FAA is acknowledging the singular
importance of the Minute Man National Historical Park which abuts the
airport, and the legendary Battle Road on which all cars must drive to
get into the airport. The fact that there is only one other airport
where this level of environmental review is required - Jackson Hole,
Wyoming - is mentioned but left out is the salient point that the
Jackson Hole airport is in the middle of a National Park. It's the Park,
stupid - nothing to do with suburbs and influence.

The FAA is doing the right thing here - for the American people, not for
those who happen to live in suburbs. Let's give them credit for making a
socially  responsible decision that considers the long-term consequences
of their actions. This decision is not un-American, Massport, it is
pro-American.


Kay Tiffany

ShhAir