I recall Gulliver's Travels about a war being fought by two nations over whether an egg should be opened from the top or bottom.

Is this Grove Civil War really over a 3 or 5 a.m. bar closing? Is this Grove Civil War about one or possibly two bars and the extension of time by just two hours?

Commissioner Tomás Regalado (now mayor) voted against changing the 5 a.m. closing to 3 a.m. in the case of those bars that had the license for years. He voiced his opinion that those businesses (Mr. Moe's still open and the other that closed) had the right to be grandfathered in and that the city did not have the right to change the time which would negatively impact its business.

Marc Sarnoff represents all of us Groveites and quite a few of them have asked for his help in making the Grove quieter and safer with the 3 a.m. closing. They have a right to voice their feelings and Marc has a duty to consider their concerns.

Joe Sanchez voted to change the closing to 3 a.m. Regalado did not.

An interesting observation is that most of those folks going to war against the present 3 a.m. closing appear disrespectful to Marc, Tomás and other Groveites who disagree with them. They also appear to have supported Joe Sanchez for mayor.

A bit ironic to say the least!

If you really wish to voice your concerns about the 3 or 5 a.m. bar closing issue, then please attend the commission meeting in January.

That is when everyone will be heard by our elected representatives who will help decide policies that will be implemented and affect us all for years to come. You need to convince them, and only them, what is in the best interest of both Groveites and business operators.

Bring more then just your anger or passion for whichever side of the issue you are on. Bring facts, petition signatures, statistics, wisdom, common sense and some attorneys if you have them.

Let's call a truce, grandfather in Mr. Moe's, move on and work together to solve some of the other more important issues that we all are concerned about.

HENRY EMILIO GOTTLIEB

COCONUT GROVE