In response to Mr. Birenbaum’s letter to the editor. I can see why Mr. Birenbaum’s neighbors find Mr. Birenbaum to be so unlikable. I found his letter to be childish, vindictive, and very poorly written. In reading between the lines of Mr. Birenbaum’s letter, I found that the real issue with him seems to lie with a deep hatred toward dogs (and probably for his neighbors too!). It seems that he is just using the “no dogs on the beach issue” as an outlet for his anger towards his neighbors and their dogs.
If he has such a deep concern for the ecological impact that a few dogs have on the beach with their feces, why doesn’t he fix his antiquated septic system. It is now quite legendary throughout Malibu that the Birenbaums have been using “the ocean tide–the best flush in town,” to dispense their own excrement into the ocean. Talk about yuck! I’ve got a better idea than making it illegal for dogs to be on the beach. How about making it illegal for people to use the beach. Every year my wife brings home many garbage bags full of trash that she collects from our beach – which consists of everything from cigarette butts to dirty diapers. This seems like a far greater health risk than a few dog poops. If we are going to cite health risk as the rationale for keeping dogs off the beach, it seems to me that people are a far greater health risk to themselves and the marine environment. Oh, I forgot, we are more arrogant higher beings which gives us the right to defecate into and pollute our beaches and oceans – sorry!
By the way, I am not even a Malibu Road resident but I have been a Malibuite for many years and I really feel horrible for what the residents on Malibu Road are going through right now. I am a dog owner and lover of all of God’s creatures.
William Showalter