The Price’ — an ode to a brave, fallen veteran Ski died young, ’neath a melting sun, In a field of flame far astray. Jets roared by, in the smoke filled sky, As I watched Ski’s life ebb away. His wound wasn’t much, and he was warm to the touch, So I thought he would be okay. But it wasn’t to be, as they took Ski from me, In the fiery green jungle that day. Now many years have gone by, and I still wonder why, My friend had to leave me that way. And my eyes start to blink, when I look back and think, What my dying young friend had to say, Hold on to me man, I know that you can. Listen to me while I pray. You ain’t gonna die, in anguish I cried As I pulled him up safe from the fray. Our eyes did then meet, and his face was so sweet, I bawled like a babe in dismay. Oh, don’t take my friend, I said to the wind. Let me go if someone must pay. But I could not save Ski; it was not him or me. The choice of the Gods had been made. Now I write this sad scroll, with a hole in my soul. Knowing a better man than I ever portrayed. Died a long time ago. A long way from home, And gave us all freedom. Prepaid. Stephen Bates, Ocean Beach Development of Whitney property  As someone who lives in the block that is in question and who owns property on Avenida De La Playa, I read with interest Dale Naegle’s recent letter to the editor (“Title,” DATE, page 6) about the proposed new building at the corner of Avenida De La Playa and El Paso Grande. I have had great difficulty understanding how the Whitney building will devalue anyone’s property or how it will destroy the distinctive identity of the La Jolla Shores. Frankly, I am quite disappointed in the way the properties along Avenida De La Playa have become worn and tired. While I agree that the character of this unique area needs to be maintained, there is also a real need for a facelift of many of the buildings along the street. The proposed new Whitney Building is wonderfully articulated to create visual interest with offsetting planes on all floors. The entry plaza at the corner is generously setback and relates to pedestrians. The series of arches on both streets create a pedestrian scale. At least half the building will have vertical landscaping climbing the south and west walls of the first two stories. The current street scene is a collection of varying building types and styles. What they have in common is minimal or no setback and street trees which add charm and a unique character for pedestrians to enjoy. The building design is consistent with the street’s scene that has developed over the years. Furthermore, from a quick reading of the La Jolla Community Plan and the La Jolla Shores PDO, I can see that the Whitney building is consistent with all the regulations and requirements of these land use documents. I respect the service Mr. Naegle has given the La Jolla Shores Community over the years, but I think his opinion of the project may be clouded by his own self-interest. It is apparent that Mr. Naegle feels his property values are affected by the project. He gives no basis for why he feels that way. The Whitney building meets the requirements of the LJSPDO and the Community Plan and injects new life onto this prominent corner and enhances this area of the community we love. The Whitney project will enhance property values and add new life and energy to La Jolla Shores. I do not know whether La Jolla Shores is world-renowned as Mr. Naegle states, but I can tell you that it is renowned and loved by those of us who live here. The Whitney building will only improve the commercial area and this corner in particular. Tom Hassey,  La Jolla Shores Serious sanctions are needed ASAP Iran has again rejected generous diplomatic offers from the West and we don’t have much time to get where we need to go — preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Serious sanctions must be put in place to convince Iran to change their minds. There should be no economic activity with Iran until the Iranians can prove to the world community that there is no uranium enrichment taking place and they ship their uranium out of Iran. Iran claimed publicly to have 3,000 working centrifuges but until recently hid their entire uranium enrichment facility in Qom. Now, weeks after those facilities were made public, there were inspections of those facilities. But what did Iran hide before these inspections began, and are there other Iranian-controlled facilities that we don’t know about either inside, or outside, Iran? Nuclear proliferation is one of the greatest dangers to world peace. The Iranian president has said that he would share nuclear technology with others. At the same time, Iran’s Arab neighbors who are largely Sunni (Iran is largely Shiite) are so afraid of Iran that they are starting their own nuclear sites. So we have a Muslim and Arab arms race in the most unstable part of the world. Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. It is arming, funding and training Hamas and Hezbollah. They are supporting terrorists who are killing Americans in Iraq. They are undermining peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians that could lead to a two-state solution and peace. It is time to persuade Iran to be a peaceful nation. If they are emboldened by possession of nuclear capability, Iran could increase its sponsorship of terrorism, and put nuclear materials into the hands of terrorists who could strike anywhere. Western negotiators need sanctions as a tool in their toolkits to get Iran to stop its nuclear program. We must work urgently and effectively with the international community to ensure that Iran does not get nuclear weapons! Monica Simpson, La Jolla