JACOBS' LEAVING IS VALLEY'S LOSS

MY thanks go to departed Mercury News columnist Joanne Jacobs (Opinion,
Jan. 4) for her profound contribution to the quality of culture in Silicon
Valley.

In a world where debate is increasingly defined by marketing slogans and
``sound bites,'' where our new president has a deep and abiding lack of
understanding of English grammar, her thoughtful and reasoned discourse
always provided a basis for discussion. With the length of an American's
attention span following some demented inverse Moore's Law, her patient and
careful analysis of a given issue was something for which I was always
thankful. While I didn't always agree with her (more often than not,
however, I did), I found that she had the capacity to cause me to
re-evaluate my beliefs and positions, and that's about the most an Op-Ed
pundit can hope for.

In particular, I want to thank Jacobs for her firm and non-wavering support
for substance abuse treatment rather than incarceration and for her strong
pieces on the folly and futility of the ``drug war.'' Indeed, in matters of
law enforcement and substance abuse, her courageous columns made a real
difference in the community.

While I am pleased that Jacobs has chosen to pursue her dreams and follow
her muse, I am deeply sorry to see her go. Our neighborhoods, I fear, will
be poorer for it.

Good luck and all the best in all her future endeavors.

Michael Hyatt, Los Gatos