I read about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the case of Kelo v. City of New London, Conn., in which a narrow majority upheld the power of a local government to condemn private residential property for the purpose of forcing its sale to another private interest to promote "economic development."

As residents of close-in suburbs facing increasing development pressure, I recommend that we pay heed to the dissent of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who wrote that this ruling will likely favor those with "disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms." She warned that, "The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the state from replacing ... any home with a shopping mall ..."

This ruling directly impacts every homeowner in Montgomery County. Neighborhoods that prior to the ruling were only confronted with purely economic pressures for development have been suddenly stripped of constitutional protection from government intervention on behalf of private development interests. From this point on, any developer could approach a local government with an argument that an apartment complex or office tower or retail outlet would benefit the "public interest" more than our homes by generating more tax revenue.

We must face the fact that it is now federal law in the United States. Some may dismiss this as an alarmist view, but the time to deal with this potential threat to our communities is now, not after development interests have taken advantage of this new situation.

I urge our elected leaders to respond to the recent court ruling by going on record pledging that under no circumstances would they ever condemn our homes to force their sale to private interests for purely "economic development" reasons. They should enact appropriate legislation to back that pledge.

David Nolan, Rockville

Montgomery County Humane Society president sets the record straight

To set the record straight, Rita Flygar brought a stray cat to the Montgomery County Humane Society that she had found ("It's time to update animal shelter," June 29 letter). The owner never claimed it and happily Ms. Flygar adopted it.

In 1996, Ms. Flygar brought in a dead cat and in 2002 she brought in an intact stray shepherd/chow mix that had not been adopted from the MCHS. The dog had been in twice before as a stray and on this final occasion the owner did not claim her. However, the dog was spayed and placed in a new home.

Occasionally, the scanner's battery dies or breaks. We keep batteries on hand and replace them immediately. If a scanner breaks we have to send it back to the manufacturer, but we call them first and they send us another one immediately. We now have three scanners; two are universal that scan for two types of chips.

MCHS always scans dead animals for chips but, unfortunately, sometimes the body is so damaged that the scanner cannot read the chip. Recently, we were able to get a reading on a dead animal and we were able to notify the owner.

I do want to thank Ms. Flygar for her compassion and taking the time to bring these stray animals into the shelter, because without her doing so, they could have been found dead or injured. In regards to the dead cat she kindly brought in, she spared it the indignation of leaving it on the street. This is just another reason to keep cats safely indoors.

Margaret A. Zanville, Rockville

The writer is president of the Montgomery County Humane Society.

I have worked with the Humane Society for more than 10 years. There are many veterinarians in the county, such as myself, that volunteer their time and supplies to help the shelter care for its animals. This working relationship has included taking care of the shelter's sick and injured animals at my veterinary practice, participating in the spay/neuter program, and visiting the shelter.

Care of the shelter's sick or injured animals is done at the cost of the inventory used. For emergencies, the shelter transports the patients immediately to a hospital so that treatment can be instituted. I have had no problem getting authorization from the shelter for any treatment needed. I treat the shelter's animals just like any client's pet brought to me. The one difference is that I give top quality care to these animals at a reduced cost.

As stated previously, I also participate with the shelter's low-cost spay/neuter program. This program is set up for all shelter adoptions and for county residents of need. Any owner that brings in a certificate from the shelter will receive the same high-quality veterinary care for their pets at a significantly reduced cost.

Veterinarians also volunteer at the shelter twice weekly. We perform routine examinations on stable, non-critical cases and set up treatment protocols. This saves the shelter time and money in transportation costs. We also perform rabies vaccinations for the shelter at these visits.

I feel that the statements that the society is not caring for their animals adequately are unfounded and exaggerated. With the help of other veterinarians and myself, the shelter does a huge service toward the care of the county's creatures.

Victor Katz, DVM, Gaithersburg

The writer is with the Muddy Branch Veterinary Center.

Jesus 'was teaching Jewish texts'

The June 29 story, "County beat rush on Supreme Court ruling," contained an important and all too common misattribution.

The article refers to a plaque hanging in the Judicial Center that contains "a passage from the Book of Matthew attributed to Jesus Christ." For heaven's sake (as it were), Jesus is quoting two selections from the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, which was, of course, the only Bible Jesus knew. "Thou shalt love the Lord ..." are the beginning words of one of the most repeated daily prayers of the Jewish liturgy. They are from Deuteronomy 6:4-9. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" is from Leviticus 19:18, and is one of the most central commandments in Judaism. Jesus, as a Jew, was teaching Jewish texts.

Madeleine Cohen Oakley, Rockville

The Ten Commandments display in the county's Judicial Center in Rockville may well be situated along with other historic documents, but that does not alter the fact that there is no single agreed-upon version of the commandments. Thus, whichever version is displayed clearly favors some religious traditions over others and so is of questionable constitutionality.

There is no barrier to our many houses of worship displaying the commandments, any version they choose, in their yards and interiors, or to their placement on any other private property. But government has no business favoring some religions over others.

Edd Doerr, Olney

The writer is president of Americans for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C.

Density dilemma

While it is true that open or sparsely built land is a magnet for builders in the county, I am appalled at the number of family units that are built on the available property.

Instead of the one-quarter or even one-sixth of an acre for a family dwelling, townhouses are being built with 15 or more to an acre, thus not only increasing the population density of the neighborhood but many times creating a traffic nightmare.

Developers have to make a profit and people need a place to live, but reasonable limits should be placed on density for newly developed areas.

Nelson Marans, Silver Spring

Centralized approach may distract from realities

I agree with the June 15 editorial ("Put welfare of children first") that there is a compelling need to provide support and interventions to keep children safe in our communities. When abused and neglected children and their families fail to receive necessary services, the human and social costs are enormous.

National experts agree on one primary variable -- the shortage of a competent, stable workforce places children more at risk for maltreatment. A motivated, competent staff with reasonable responsibilities can and does make a difference. Workers are drowning in the paperwork and the burden of meeting the high demands and expectations. Critics demand best practices and high professional efforts from the workers of a foster care system that, indeed, needs meaningful improvements.

However, creating an overly scrutinized system with a punitive accountability process is not the answer.

Every day, child welfare workers are dealing with such social work activities as assisting a family with grief, soothing a person to deal with terminal illness, promoting an individual to change maladjusted patterns, artfully removing a child from an unsafe environment, teaching a family to celebrate a special life event, encouraging a foster child to reach potential, finding a suitable out-of-home placement for a child and numerous other daily constructive activities.

Creating a new, more centralized office that duplicates the present system may distract from focusing on the present realities.

Steve Zepnick, Gaithersburg

The writer has been a child welfare worker for 33 years.

Look at positive side of new traffic light

In response to Greg Wilmoth's complaint about the additional traffic light on Route 29 at the new shopping center, let's consider some positive outcomes ("New light adds to traffic congestion," June 8 letter).

For many of us, the existence of the new Trader Joe's grocery store there reduces travel and therefore impact on Route 29.

Also, the light at that strip mall slows down and groups traffic approaching Southwood Avenue making it safer to turn there. Route 29 is not a limited access highway along this stretch. There are Southwood and Lorain avenues and Burnt Mills Road -- all of which go directly into residential communities. Lockwood Avenue goes to homes and apartments in 100 yards, so it's still necessary to go slow there.

There are new townhouses being built across from Burnt Mills on Route 29, so there will be even more residences close to this revitalized shopping center.

The repairs needed to rebuild that center will have caused the infrastructure to be upgraded and less prone to age-related failure.

That strip mall is good for those of us who live nearby. That very fact is good for those who use Route 29 in their long-distance commute.

Kirsten Frank, Silver Spring

Traffic signs defaced

If I ever had to, I do not know how I would vote on the Intercounty Connector. Some data says that we need one. Some say that we cannot trust the integrity of the people doing the reports that tell us we need one.

There is one thing I can be sure of. I cannot trust the people who sneak around defacing the signs marking proposed ICC routes. This practice has now spread to defacing traffic "stop" signs. If this practice speaks to the type of person who is against the ICC, then I am for it.

Do these people believe in the general good or do they just vote for there own tail? How could you trust someone who slinks around defacing traffic signs and then has the gall to tell you not to trust someone else?

Every time I see a sign painted over or with stick on letters added I'm encouraged to be for the ICC.

Bill Witte, Silver Spring

Knowledge is preferable

Regarding the letter writer who worried that the county's proposed sex education curriculum would make teenagers promiscuous, ("Sex-ed program: Too much too soon," May 18), teenagers have been having sex since before sex ed in the schools, and they have been having sex after sex ed in the schools. The crucial difference is that sex ed helps to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Ignorance is never preferable to knowledge. Furthermore, bigotry against homosexuals, whether religious-based or otherwise, has no place in a civilized society.

The county should continue in its enlightened efforts to inform young people of the biology, risks, joys and diversity of human sexuality. Parents can and should guide their children's moral development as sexual beings, but it is up to the schools to ensure that all children are fully informed of this most basic and powerful part of human existence.

Michael Gurwitz, Silver Spring

New upcounty emergency facility will play important role when minutes matter

As a nurse, I know how valuable extra minutes can be during a medical emergency. In some situations, travel time to an emergency medical facility can mean the difference between life and death.

With housing space in the down county limited and the working population moving farther away from Washington, D.C., the upcounty -- including Gaithersburg, Germantown, Clarksburg and points north -- as well as southern Frederick County have experienced a population boom in recent years. Unfortunately, while houses have been built as fast as residents can purchase them, the community infrastructure that supports population growth is challenged to keep up.

A number of years ago, we recognized that a "perfect storm" was developing in the upcounty. The growing population combined with significant distance between Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and the next closest hospital along the Interstate 270 corridor, a stressed EMS transport system and severe traffic congestion were creating barriers to emergency medical care for upcounty residents.

Imagine, for example, that at 8 a.m. on a weekday, a child in Clarksburg suffers from an asthma attack. The closest facility to receive emergency medical care is Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, which requires a trip down I-270 -- a road that is notorious for severe traffic congestion and extensive rush-hour delays. For this child, valuable minutes could be lost during the extended travel time.

As an organization, we saw the need to collaborate with state and local elected officials as well as community members to develop a plan that addresses this problem and increases access to emergency medical care.

At the conclusion of the 2005 General Assembly, state legislators passed and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich signed into law legislation enabling Shady Grove Adventist Hospital to establish a facility in Germantown that will provide improved access to emergency medical care in the fast-growing upcounty. The critical support and dedication of residents as well as many state and local elected officials allowed us to reach this important point. We are grateful to the 11,000 residents who wrote letters in support of our efforts.

Upon completion, the facility, which will be administratively linked with Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, will provide 24-hour emergency care for patients, including those who arrive by ambulance. We anticipate the facility will be open to care for patients in early 2006.

The emergency facility will be located behind the three-story physician office building visible from Route 118, across from the Germantown Town Center and near the intersection with Middlebrook Road. Updates on the facility's development and opening date will be available on the Web site www.GermantownED.com.

I thank the many members of our community who worked with us to improve access to emergency medical care in the upcounty and save time when minutes matter most.

Deborah A. Yancer, Rockville

The writer is the president of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. She also is a registered nurse.

Why communities favor Option 1

Although the article about the boundary advisory committee report for the new elementary school in the Northwest cluster was a good overview of the issues, the one sentence it devoted to the views of the Vistas at Woodcliffe Park, Woodcliffe Park and Seneca Creek did not adequately explain our position ("Communities divided: Little commonality on boundaries," June 22).

Our communities favor Option 1 not just because "parents felt it met the most criteria" but because it is the only option that meets or partially meets every criterion (eight are fully met and three partially met). By any objective analysis, none of the other options even comes close.

The article correctly stated that two out of the five communities that attend Matsunaga favor Options 6 or 7. Aside from the manifest superiority of Option 1, we object to Options 6 and 7 because both require extensive busing of our children past existing elementary schools, over significant distances and across two major highways just to ensure that children from homes that are geographically closer to the new school can attend Matsunaga.

We believe that both these options are illogical choices that are not in the best interest of the children of all the affected communities.

Stephen D. Wolpe, Boyds

The writer is chairman of the Vistas Boundary Action Committee.

Thirty-seven years is long enough; build Brookeville Bypass now

How long should it take to build about a mile of two-lane highway that would bypass the town of Brookeville and eliminate a dangerous intersection and a treacherous narrow winding road?

A road that would bring immediate relief to town residents who suffer unsafe, unhealthy and unnerving torrents of speeding, loud and noxious traffic just outside their windows? A road that would halt the degrading of a nationally recognized historic district? And yes, a road that would end infuriating commuter queues that compound these problems and add one more aggravation to the journey home? Five years? Ten? Maybe 20? Well, would you believe we've passed the 30-year mark and counting?

The Brookeville Bypass was in the Olney Master Plan almost before there was an Olney. As Olney grew and the cows were quickly replaced and outnumbered by new houses, infrastructure capacity issues became everyday subjects at the dinner table -- at least when one could get home in time for dinner.

The hard work of the Greater Olney Civic Association and its political allies ultimately led to the widening of Georgia Avenue and Route 108 in order to make more room for the rising flood of vehicles. Master plans were eventually revised to accommodate these new realities and policies on growth. But, as if in a time warp, one small part of the planned infrastructure and the various iterations that were to help make all this growth possible and somewhat palatable, the Brookeville bypass on Route 97, remained just a short inanimate line on a map -- a "bypassed bypass."

It is true that much progress has been made, given the limited practical resources of a small municipality up against the real world of superior political networks and "greater" transportation priorities to be served.

While most of the original Brookeville bypass activists now have varying amounts of gray hair, the bypass has officially and successfully gotten through the byzantine barrier-ridden gauntlet of state and county processes, regulations, statutory changes and hearings and now has the federal seal of approval as well. It even survived a costly two-year project planning delay when then-Gov. Parris Glendening, with great irony, suspended work on the bypass because he decided it was antithetical to his Smart Growth Initiative. That got fixed with the help of the county.

A little more than two years ago, the County Council and County Executive Doug Duncan agreed to step forward and put some money on the table to move the bypass to final design and engineering -- normally a state-funded exercise and the final hurdle before construction. This was great, we thought. No sooner had we begun to uncork the champagne, the money went "missing" -- lost to internecine political squabbles between county and state elected officials.

This is the 37th year since the "birth" of the Brookeville bypass. We think the time has arrived to make this project happen. It is unconscionable and irresponsible to delay the bypass any longer. It's ready to go and needs to come off the shelf of important and unfinished business.

The community has endured enough collateral damage in the meantime. We don't need any more. And the almost certain traffic impact of the Intercounty Connector may be literally and figuratively just around the corner.

Build the Brookeville Bypass now.

Richard S. Allan, Brookeville

The writer is president of the town commissioners.

Commandments' differing versions

The Ten Commandments display in the county's Judicial Center in Rockville may well be situated along with other historic documents, but that does not alter the fact that there is no single agreed-upon version of the commandments ("County beat rush on Supreme Court ruling," June 29).

Thus, whichever version is displayed clearly favors some religious traditions over others and so is of questionable constitutionality.

There is no barrier to our many houses of worship displaying the commandments, any version they choose, in their yards and interiors, or to their placement on any other private property. But government has no business favoring some religions over others.

Edd Doerr, Olney

The writer is president of Americans for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C.

Emulate, don't destroy, Seven Locks ES

I recently attended the Seven Locks Elementary School end-of-school picnic, the fifth-grade promotion ceremony, and the "clap-out" of the graduating fifth-graders and "graduating" parents.

These events reinforced to me why so many people have worked so hard to Save Seven Locks Elementary. The spirit of family and community at Seven Locks is so powerful that I cannot do it justice in words.

You have to see all the families and kids hanging out on a beautiful Friday evening, my first-grader chasing around fifth-grade boys like they were older cousins, and the smiles on all the faces of the kids as they run the clapping gauntlet like they are getting introduced for the Super Bowl.

You have to hear all the cheering and laughing during the class video or for the kids at the end of the year awards ceremony.

You have to feel the emotion of the staff as they watch the kids they nurtured all these years take the step to the next level. You have to watch the incredible work that the parents put in to make Seven Locks the special place that it is.

This spirit cannot be duplicated at a huge elementary school, regardless of how new and shiny it may be. Seven Locks should be the model for elementary education in Montgomery County, not a school to be destroyed. I invite our elected officials to the back-to-school picnic in September to see for themselves.

Jay M. Weinstein, Bethesda

Schools slow to react to information on special ed

In the June 22 article, "Middle schools falter in assessment tests; special ed progress lags," School Board President Patricia O'Neill said, "We need to research the best programs in reading to target at those special education populations."

My husband and I wrote a letter to Ms. O'Neill that is date-stamped as received by the school board office on July 18, 2000. We wrote to inform Ms. O'Neill that the principal and staff of a public middle school had withheld reading test results that indicated our daughter needed additional reading instruction.

We wrote to Ms. O'Neill in January 2000 to let her know that our daughter was not receiving the special education instruction that the Maryland State Department of Education had directed she be give by the public school system. In our July letter, we expressed our concern that the school staff's behavior appeared not to be an aberration but rather part of a calculated approach to deny remedial reading services to students.

My husband and I closed our July 17, 2000 letter to Ms. O'Neill with the following plea: "We believe that you could improve the state of education in Montgomery County in the meantime by directing the MCPS superintendent to emphatically make clear to all MCPS staff that covering up unfavorable test results is never to be tolerated; that appropriate reading instruction in middle school is to be made available to all students who need it; that MCPS staff must review the comprehensive scientific research on effecting reading instruction practices readily available from MCPS's neighbors at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and that MCPS staff must act immediately to integrate proven best practices in middle school reading instructions."

Did it really take from July 2000 to June 2005 for Ms. O'Neill to acknowledge that "we need to research the best programs in reading to target at those special education populations?"

Our family's experience is that even when an effective reading intervention is identified to MCPS, it fails to implement it.

Kathleen Gilhooly, Bethesda

Key to dirty air

I'm not sure I know the purpose of the organization Bethesda Up but I do know one thing about it: The staff members apparently are not being encouraged to consider the environment as they perform their assignments.

Twice on one of our typical record-busting days the driver of one of the Bethesda Up cars left his vehicle in order to survey the area. When he was asked why he had left the engine running while he did so, he said it was so he could keep the air conditioning on.

So much for smog relief!

Ruth Fort, Chevy Chase

Hiker-biker path sorely needed along Falls Road

It's great that the county is planning to build a hiker-biker path along Falls Road in Potomac ("Potomac discusses bike trail," June 22 story).

Currently, the road doesn't even have a sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to walk in the street or along the narrow shoulder to reach neighborhood destinations such as the Potomac Community Center, The Bullis School and several houses of worship. In spite of the dangers, people still walk along the road.

But at the county's June 20 public meeting on the path, a few property owners argued against building the path on their properties. They stated that the path would be unsafe for pedestrians because drivers sometimes lose control of their cars on Falls Road. But the solution to the pedestrian safety problem is not to declare entire corridors off-limits to walkers.

The solution is to provide good pedestrian facilities on all major roads, keep car speeds down and make pedestrian crossings as safe as possible.

Ninety percent of pedestrian deaths in the county occur when pedestrians are crossing the street or walking in the road rather than on the sidewalk. If data shows that cars do leave the road at certain locations, the county should install short guard rails at these spots for everyone's safety, as it has on Seven Locks Road.

Fortunately many homeowners are eager to see the county build the 8-foot-wide path. Such paths are great for taking a stroll with the kids, meeting the neighbors, getting some exercise, and getting somewhere by bike or on foot. Conversely, if you can't leave your property except by car, your home becomes an island.

A sidewalk would suffice for pedestrian use, but a wider path would truly benefit the community and would also provide bike access along Falls Road, which is sorely lacking now.

Jack Cochrane, Bethesda

Not asking for much

I'm not expecting the Bush administration to pull out of Iraq tomorrow. We all know how successful that would be, and the image it would portray.

But even if it involves a gradual pull-out, is asking for a plan too much? All we hear these days is Republicans complaining Democrats have no plan, only criticism. It seems the pot is calling the kettle black.

Zachary Allen, Potomac

No criticism intended

I am sorry for the way part of my letter ("Eyebrows raised over high salaries of county's top officials," May 25) was interpreted by Michael Sheaffer ("Educators are often underappreciated, undervalued," June 8). It was certainly not aimed at his wife, or any teachers for that matter. Quite the contrary.

I was being slightly sarcastic and really intended the message for the county employees in the $150,000 range and up (the ones whose salaries were listed in the paper) who seem to be administrators. We don't really know what they do all day to merit those salaries and raises (and even a personal pension plan), and to The Gazette that felt that $8 million wasn't enough money to worry about saving.

I think my kids both had some wonderful teachers in the Wootton school district, and I do appreciate the hours and the salary issues. My daughter is pursuing a degree in elementary education, possibly because of some of her teachers.

I think the teachers are the ones who deserve all the credit (and salary) they can get, and they have my support and thanks.

I really do apologize if my letter was taken the wrong way. It was certainly not my intent.

Steven Doris, Rockville

Centralized approach may distract from realities

I agree with the June 15 editorial ("Put welfare of children first") that there is a compelling need to provide support and interventions to keep children safe in our communities. When abused and neglected children and their families fail to receive necessary services, the human and social costs are enormous.

National experts agree on one primary variable -- the shortage of a competent, stable workforce places children more at risk for maltreatment. A motivated, competent staff with reasonable responsibilities can and does make a difference. Workers are drowning in the paperwork and the burden of meeting the high demands and expectations. Critics demand best practices and high professional efforts from the workers of a foster care system that, indeed, needs meaningful improvements.

However, creating an overly scrutinized system with a punitive accountability process is not the answer.

Every day, child welfare workers are dealing with such social work activities as assisting a family with grief, soothing a person to deal with terminal illness, promoting an individual to change maladjusted patterns, artfully removing a child from an unsafe environment, teaching a family to celebrate a special life event, encouraging a foster child to reach potential, finding a suitable out-of-home placement for a child and numerous other daily constructive activities.

Creating a new, more centralized office that duplicates the present system may distract from focusing on the present realities.

Steve Zepnick, Gaithersburg

The writer has been a child welfare worker for 33 years.

Do not widen Longdraft

I am writing to give the perspective of a Boy Scout who opposes the proposed widening of Longdraft Road, a pleasant, two-lane road. Widening it to four lanes will bring noise and pollution to that end of Seneca Creek State Park. Foxes, squirrels, deer, turtles and beavers, all of which I have seen on or within 100 yards of Longdraft, will suffer. I often bike down Longdraft to the park, and a fast, busy, four-lane road will make this an unpleasant experience. The wider it is, the faster people will go, and the more damage will be done to our community.

I urge you to also take into account the damage to the environment and wildlife.

A.J. Appleby, Gaithersburg

The writer is a 14-year-old Scout.

Traffic signs defaced

If I ever had to, I do not know how I would vote on the Intercounty Connector. Some data says that we need one. Some say that we cannot trust the integrity of the people doing the reports that tell us we need one.

There is one thing I can be sure of. I cannot trust the people who sneak around defacing the signs marking proposed ICC routes. This practice has now spread to defacing traffic "stop" signs. If this practice speaks to the type of person who is against the ICC, then I am for it.

Do these people believe in the general good or do they just vote for there own tail? How could you trust someone who slinks around defacing traffic signs and then has the gall to tell you not to trust someone else?

Every time I see a sign painted over or with stick on letters added I'm encouraged to be for the ICC.

Bill Witte, Silver Spring

Knowledge is preferable

Regarding the letter writer who worried that the county's proposed sex education curriculum would make teenagers promiscuous, ("Sex-ed program: Too much too soon," May 18), teenagers have been having sex since before sex ed in the schools, and they have been having sex after sex ed in the schools. The crucial difference is that sex ed helps to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Ignorance is never preferable to knowledge. Furthermore, bigotry against homosexuals, whether religious-based or otherwise, has no place in a civilized society.

The county should continue in its enlightened efforts to inform young people of the biology, risks, joys and diversity of human sexuality. Parents can and should guide their children's moral development as sexual beings, but it is up to the schools to ensure that all children are fully informed of this most basic and powerful part of human existence.

Michael Gurwitz, Silver Spring