Ron Sapp, B.A.R. Letters, 11 Aug-05, is quite correct when he says that people on the whole were friendlier in the Castro during the 70s and 80s. I have been in San Francisco since 1976 and have noticed a gradual deterioration in everything here. I have joked with a friend by saying, half in jest and half seriously, that this ship of state (San Francisco) is leaning so far to the left that it is in danger of capsizing and coming up on the other side, the right side. Apparently this has happened.

I do know that gay men and women enjoyed the proliferation of nightclubs, discos, and other venues in the seventies and eighties but now that that generation has gotten older, it can't seem to stand the thought of a new place opening up or an established one expanding. It seems like these people are saying, well, we had our fun but screw you. Then you have the gay business owner who discriminates against employees and customers while at the same time keeping one property shuttered for years so no one else has a chance to open up a legitimate business there while at the same time closing some of his other properties in an effort to destroy the client base so he can re-open with "his" people as customers.

This city is now so PC that you can't say anything about anyone or anything without offending someone or something. Also, if you attempt to put up a new building and it doesn't match the one next door, the planning commission goes bonkers and won't allow it. You can't tear down ratty looking old brick buildings (think Freed, Teller & Freed here or the South End warehouse at Second & Townsend) when putting up a new structure. You can build the new one but it must be within the walls of the old which really looks awful when the new structure is considerably taller than the original.

There is a lot of meanness around with rude and inconsiderate people practically on every corner and at every stop light. This even extends to the locker room of my gym where some people make a lot of noise by needlessly slamming locker doors and that really jars on the nerves at times.

I guess it would help if there were some purpose to people's lives and to this country. We seem to be a nation of 200 million people going in 200 million different directions at the same time with no idea who we are or where we are going.

I have had thoughts about inviting a friend from another country to live here but considering the direction this city, this state, and this country is going, I think he would be better off staying where he is and perhaps I can abandon this sinking ship and join him at home to live out my life in peace there.