Dear Sir,
Perhaps the best solution for Stonehenge would be for Unesco to suspend its World Heritage status until the traffic problem is solved. That might shock the government..., so intones Ray Fleming. In truth such a move might be the minor irritant and the source of a bit of mirth. After writing an able piece on the current status of Stonehenge he tosses in this nonsense. Who cares what Unesco and its make work busybodies think? Their overtouted imprimatur has little value. A mention in a Michelin Guide dwarfs the worth of the pompous lay-abouts' evaluations. The successes of the UN parallel the development of successful bodies that provided the same service prior to the inception of the UN. Example, the Postal Union works because it worked before the UN came aboard. The international development aid that has been funneled through the UN has been a uniform waste. Its biggest project, overseeing the sale of Iraqi oil after the first Gulf War, was a cesspool of corruption. Inherent in Mr. Fleming's judgment is the enabling of the heavy deadening hand of bureaucratic control from yet another level of meddling know-it-alls. The United Nations has no business interfering with the way the United Kingdom manages its resources. Unesco is a particular inept body populated by overpaid unneeded self-righteous selfimportant pests. They are all about themselves. Your average travel magazine staff harbors more talent and expertise. It is best to ignore them in the hope that they will go away. A letter to your MP, Congressman, Delegate, Senator, or whatever, urging the defunding of this expensive boondoggle, the World Heritage Sites project, would be a good response to Fleming's suggestion. The United Kingdom can, will, and should be the sole custodian of Stonehenge.
Ralph McGaughey Boston.
Stonehenge: A British affair