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E d i t o r i a l sCommemorating The Spirit Of LibertyEverv vear we celebrate the birth of our nation on July 4th and salute the people whose spirit and determination created this unique place that America is. This year, as we mark the centennial of the raising of the Statue of Liberty, we recognize and remember the people who took America and built her %u2014 those people who came to our shores from around the world to find a new life in these vast and once largely empty lands. They all have made contributions that have enriched life for each succeeding generation that followed. And the process still continues today.On the Fourth of July we don%u2019t just mark a date. Our celebration is a commemoration of this spirit of our land %u2014 a spirit that was conceived in a Declaration of Independence and nurtured in the framing of our Constitution. And this year we pay special tribute to the millions of people who saw and who still see those documents as signs marking a new road %u2014 people who still come to America%u2019s shores with the flame from the torch of Lady Liberty to light the way.Liberty and freedom are not a panacea for the ills of mankind. They do not build housing, or pay bills or assure that people will treat each other with respect. But they are tools that help man achieve those ends. The concepts are a reality that is a continuous current inAmerican life; they set the stage, but they don%u2019t write the play.Our nation, over the decades, has seen many mistakes by its leaders, its people and its institutions. At times we have ignored the common good for the benefit of a few and have used the fallacy of the common good to mistreat other few. Even as we celebrate our birth as a nation, for example, Native Americans are being pushed from their ancestral homeland in Arizona. At various times, we have seen slavery, prejudice, greed and violence. But throughout the acendancy of those misdeeds, the underlying currents of basic human liberty and freedom have reversed those tides. The institutions we have created have worked %u2014 eventually %u2014 to cure or soften injustices and we believe they will continue to do so. That is part of what we celebrate when we commemorate July 4th.As Americans, we too often take liberty for granted. And that%u2019s another reason for celebrating the birthday of our nation %u2014 to make sure we never really do. In the pages of our newspaper this week are the stories of some people and families who don%u2019t take what America has to offer without recognizing its value. They are people who have risked their very lives to come and partake of our precious intangible assets. Through their eyes and their stories we are reminded that life without hope and without opportunity is a stifling condition. And we are also reminded that the light from Lady Liberty%u2019s torch only lights the way; we must each make our own lives worthwhile %u2014 for ourselves, for our families and for our fellow man.S ound O FF FEEDBACK FROM READ ERSRegina Says ThanksThank you very much for attending a performance of Regina Opera%u2019s recent production of \show for The Phoenix.Our staff is always pleased when members of the press take note of the work of a modestsize ensemble such as Regina Opera and give it recognition. The feedback you have provided helps our volunteer Staff and singers to make each production better than the last and encourages us to continue to bring music at an affordable ticket price to the CommunitySince the major part of our operating budget comes from public donations and ticket sales, it is crucial that the neighborhood be aware of the frequency and quality of our performances. Reviews such as yours serve to encourage people to come and support our Company.We at Regina Opera wish you a pleasant summer and hope that you will again be in the audience when we begin our 16th season this Fall. %u2014 Francine Garber, Secretary, Regina Opera Company.Save The Met OperaIt has belatedly come to my attention that the Metropolitan Opera%u2019s annual opera performance in Prospect Park has been cancelled. As appalling as this is to me, I find it incomprehensible that this was allowed to happen without one word of comment from The Phoenix.You are always among the first to feature all the positive things that are continually happening these days in Brooklyn. It would seem to me that you have an obligation to make a total investigation of the reasons for this slap in the artistic face of Brooklyn and to report it to your readers.In addition, at least as much attention should be paid to the demise of these performances as there is to the dead issue of the long lost Brooklyn Dodgers. %u2014 Joseph V. Giacalone, Park Place.EDITORS NOTE: In our June 12 edition we wrote in %u201cMet Comes to Brooklyn But Not Prospect Park This Year%u201d about a new arrangement that will bring the opera to the park in alternate years, due to the Met%u2019s own funding problems. Look for the company in 1987.Fair Isn%u2019t HeavenlyI am bewildered that your newspaper could logically, and in good conscience describe the recent Seventh Heaven street fair as %u201cheaven sent,%u201d when in fact it was an absolute bust. Frankly, in the eyes of this Park Slope native the fair was once again very disappointing, and the only lasting memories I have of it are of the large garbage piles strewn about the avenue afterward, some of which had still not been cleaned up as of the writing of this let ter. I fail to see where your reporter comes off describing the event as a big success, especially if it was your purpose in reviewing it, to be open-minded and objective Perhaps a better headline describing the fair would have been %u201cSeventh Heaven: Where was the beef?%u201d . It doesn%u2019t surprise me that the organizers of this yearly event, which has declined in quality since the year it was introduced, should call it a success. I%u2019mWhere are the trash receptacles for the avenue we heard so much about in previous years?I think that the organizers of this event are selling short the people of Park Slope. Since when is it a fair representation of this neighborhood, when only a sprinkling of the vendors who participate are the artists and craftsmen who make this community unique, and a majority are professional vendors selling overpriced tube socks, irregular underwear, used and aged cosmetics, costume jewelry, and a dozen different types of sunglasses made in Korean sweatshops.What's even more of an outrage is the lack of concern for the community shown by the organizers. It angers me to no end that on Monday morning after the event, or for that matter on the Thursday after the event there are very visible signs of the trash which was left behind.If the organizers of this event want to throw a party for Park Slope they should learn to do so in style. They should seek out the artists, and craftsmen, and avoid the common street corner vendor. If the intent of this fair is to bring people to the neighborhood, to shop in our stores, and to show off the people that make it great, then they failed miserably. %u2014 Gregory J. Perrin, Carroll Street.Kudos For The DraftAs we celebrate the 210th anniversary of the birth of our great nation, it is easy to recall those whose names are recorded in the annals of history. However, there are many unsung heroes deserving our recognition and thanks who have namelessly contributed to the strength of the United States of America.From the days of the permanent settlement in Jamestown, through the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the American Civil War, both World Wars and most recently, Vietnam, men have borne arms to fight the common foe when occasion demanded.During peace and during war, committed men have maintained the military strength so vital to the strength of the nation. Today we are blessed with peace and are fortunate to celebrate more than 13 years of draft-free existence. However, we must be prepared to bolster the all volunteer armed forces in the event of a national emergency.Since Selective Service registration was reinstituted in 1980, more than 16 million men have added their names to the list of those eligible to serve their country in a time of need.As we take time to celebrate this national day of pride and rejoice in the unveiling of the refurbished Statue of Liberty, let us also take the time to celebrate the commitment of 18-year-old men who take five minutes of their time to register with Selective Service and thereby continue our efforts to keep America the %u201cland of the free and home of the brave.%u201d %u2014%u2019Wilfred L. Ebel, Acting Director, Selective Service System, Washington, D.C.Freeze The NukesPresident Reagan said, %u201cNuclear weapons pose the greatest threat in history to the survival of the human race. We seek the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons from the face of the earth.%u201d However spending for nuclear weapons has more than doubled since Reagan is in office. Now he requests over eight billion for new nuclear weapons.The Russians instituted a ban on nuclear testing last August 6 (Hiroshima Day) and challenged the U.S. to do likewise. Rather than accept the challenge, which would in effect freeze weapons, because you can%u2019t build new weapons without testing, the U.S. tested more than nine new types of weapons. The Russians have now extended the ban to next August 6.It seems to me that Pr esident Reagan says one thing, but does another. Actions speak louder than words %u2014 Bea Rubin, Chairperson, Peace Site, Brooklyn Ethical Society, Prospect Park WestClinton Hill Left OutI read with amazement a recent article extolling your extensive coverage of Brooklyn%u2019s spring house tours %u2014 amazement because, as an interested party, I followed your newspaper for over a month looking for some mention of Clinton Hill%u2019s Spring House Tour. There was no notice of my community%u2019s event, not even a listing in your community calendar.I personally know that you received all of our press information. In fact, the chairman of the house tour committee was contacted by your newspaper regarding purchasing advertising space. Could this have been a pre-requisite for receiving coverage from your newspaper? I would be interested in knowing the reasons for your oversight. P.S. Despite your lack of coverage, there were more than 700 tickets sold to the Clinton Hill House Tour this year %u2014 Bernice Landis, Greene Avenue.EDITOR%u2019S NOTE: Over the past few months, we%u2019ve had hundreds of news items about community and civic events in one or another of our downtown Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhod. Almost none of the sponsors have bought advertising in our pages. We regret missing any news item, particularly one about a coming community event like yours. Thank you for reporting on your success.An Event for MontaltoA photograph caption in our For The Record column incorrectly identified the location of a photograph of 52nd Assembly District Democratic Leader Joan Millman, Democratic Senate Candidate Joe Montalto, and U.S. Senate Democratic primary candidate Mark Green. The three were at a Manhattan fund-raiser for Montalto.SIG N O F T H E MIMES4 M i r n l o A n r v c t in ^ O r o c W o f l Q O f T V. V 5 ! %u00b0 J U Q o* r*r\\rta\\i lo la n H a c n a r t r t f t h o i r * i i i i -r i - u - %u2014 41--------q u i l t : a i u e u i c j r a u i u a n is i M I C o p a c c o c n k jneeded to, to come away with a nice sum of Adopt-A-Landmark project. Exhibition continued at LIU Library/Learning Center, Flatbushmoney. But where is that money going? Ave Extensi%u00b0n, through July 14.July 3,1986, THE PHOENIX, Page 46