Turn down those air conditioners

One has to wonder, with the "Flex Your Power" energy conservation program under way, why is it that so many of our restaurants in town have their establishments so unreasonably cold? This is not only a total waste of power, but it makes many patrons uncomfortable, as well as resulting in food becoming cold before it is consumed. Hard to keep reminding oneself to take a sweater or coat when going out to dine in weather that is into the high 80s.

Managers, as well as servers, have been approached to turn down the AC in order to make the visit more pleasant, but most are reluctant to do so.

Charline Lacoe

Escondido

We need public transport to the Charger games

For years, North County Transit District has provided bus service to the Charger games, and inland North County season ticket holders have depended on this service (you must commit to season tickets in March).

In August, the Federal Transit Administration decided to enforce an old law that prohibited government-subsidized transport (i.e., NCTD/MTS buses) from providing charter service. Hence, no buses for Charger games. Congressman Filner got involved, and the FTA will allow bus service for the first two season games. MTS/SD will provide transport; NCTD will not! It seems that NCTD would prefer to put more autos on the road than provide a service that would aid the gasoline crunch and our atmosphere. We need public transport to the Charger games.

David Bassett

Escondido

Lots of baloney with McCain

This letter is written in response to William Ficere of Escondido (Letters, Aug. 12). He stated that white corn was 19 cents an ear unshucked one year ago. Now the price has risen to 69 cents an ear. Was this Barack Obama's fault? I think not. I am not a math major, but this is a 350 percent jump in price over a year. This all happened on Bush's watch. Can you imagine if we vote for John McCain? What will the price be in four years, since we all know Mr. McCain voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time?

Now take "McSame's" planned baloney and multiply that by 350 percent. My math may be bad, but what I do know is, that gets you a lot of baloney. This dude is dangerous!

Daniel Klembara

Temecula

Step up and support Safe Climate Act

Regarding "Groups mobilize against global warming," Aug. 10: It is understandable that there are still many questions and misconceptions about what global climate change is and its impact. I would direct you to the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment, which was a report made for policy makers and is nonpartisan. … You may find it at www.ipcc.ch.

The IPCC report states: "Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level. Observational evidence from all continents and most oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes, particularly temperature increases." …

Bilbray and Liebham must step up and support the Safe Climate Act before we end up as the IPCC has warned … "Warming in Western mountains is projected to cause decreased snowpack, more winter flooding and reduced summer flows, exacerbating competition for over-allocated water resources, coastal communities and habitats will be increasingly stressed by climate change impacts interacting with development and pollution."

Dee Gomez

Oceanside

Court has guts to advocate for fairness

Opponents of same-gender marriage complain in nearly a one-note melody: The California Supreme Court has overstepped its authority because it overrides the will of the people as it was expressed through previous voting processes on this issue. It's clear that the people in the heterosexual marriage bully pulpit have their noses bent out of shape. How audacious is it that even the idea of marriage being available to same-gender unions has enough validity to be given serious thought?

Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer Prize winning author and columnist for Newsweek magazine, wrote in a column on same-gender marriage published June 9, 2008, "The most sacred business of judges is not to ratify the will of the majority, but to protect the minority from its tyranny." Any issue having majority support doesn't, in that majority, guarantee it to be either right or fair. I'm glad we live in a state where the Supreme Court has had (at least in this case) the guts to advocate for what is right and fair.

Harold Stidolph

Carlsbad

Don't let this happen

According to a July 25 story in the North County Times ("U.S. widens visa program for Iraqis"), in July 2007, our government planned to allow 25,000 Iraqis to come here. In March, 2008, the Defense Authorization Bill was enacted, allowing 5,000 Iraqis special immigration visas. … This July, the visa program for Iraqi employees of our government was 5,000. Doesn't sound like much, but the hidden kicker in this one program is that each of the 5,000 admitted can bring a spouse and children. Many Iraqi households have six persons. So, the 5,000 suddenly increases to 30,000. But, there's more. Relatives, including siblings, parents and grandchildren, can also come. Now the grand total is a whopping 60,000 or more.

Currently, it is estimated that more than 2 million Iraqis are seeking resettlement, and the Bush administration claims to have a moral obligation to these refugees ("U.S. admission of Iraqi refugees well below promise of 1,000 a month," Jan. 3). The Taliban and al-Qaida have cleverly reduced attacks to allow our leaders to think we can withdraw from Iraq. When this happens, these religious fanatics will quickly take over the nation and the U.S. will legally be invaded by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of refugees. Help!

Leon Smith

Oceanside

4-H member tells truth about animals at fair

I am the 16-year-old co-president of my 4-H club. I have raised market animals for the past four years, but also raise dairy goats year-round.

In response to Shirley Cameron (July 19) and Gary Myers' (Aug. 8) letters, which accused 4-H of "training" us to kill our animals and abusing them, I would like to say that I am tired of hearing the clear misunderstanding that there is between the public and the hard-working youth of 4-H, FFA and Grange. Animals are changed every week at the fair, and only the last week is for market animals.

I choose to raise market animals because, although you may be vegan, a large portion of the population is not, and for them the best kind of meat that they can eat is raised humanely in a farmlike setting where animals are raised individually. 4-H offers more than just livestock projects.

I am respectful of people having opinions, but telling the public lies about our program is uncalled for; these letters were exaggerated and false. It is your choice to be vegan, but not everybody is.

Ariel Vieweg

Encinitas

Abortion not the most important issue

The North County Times headline, "Obama, McCain take stands on abortion rights," Aug. 17, suggests the candidates' stands on abortion were the most important facts to emerge from the Saddleback Community Forum Saturday night. John McCain, against abortion, leaves the mother to take care of the unwanted baby. Barack Obama, against abortion, realizes he can't run a woman's life. He'd advocate birth control and offer assistance so the baby could be offered for adoption. Who had the more realistic, more compassionate approach?

McCain states that the greatest moral shortcoming of America is its failure to "devote ourselves to causes greater than our self-interests." The issue of abortion is important to all people, but to single-issue voters, it is so important that they would impose their strictures on others. Isn't that view an example of "self-interest," an egocentric view that my religion is more important than your well-being, i.e., having to care for a baby for decades? As Obama said, McCain and conservatives should listen to Jesus: "Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me." Perhaps they should try placing themselves in the other person's shoes.

Zoltan Lucas

Progressive Democrats of North County

Oceanside

Love does not sanction sin

Regarding "California court gives love a victory," July 30: Donna Taylor got it wrong not once, but twice. "Equal" has many definitions, including "sufficient in degree," "proportionate," "of the same degree," "of the same quantity," "adequate," etc. Does she endorse equal rights for all fringes of society, such as polygamists? Equal rights must be tempered by certain historical and inalienable societal norms.ˇ

Second, Jesus did indeed condemn the sin of homosexuality. Contrary to Taylor's assertion, Jesus … divinely spoke the entire Scripture penned by human hands. To try to distinguish Christ's "red letter" words as separate from the whole of Scripture is disingenuous and dishonest and displays a sad lack of understanding of biblical truth. She is right in one regard: Love is foundational to Christianity. But Jesus never endorsed "love in all its forms." And love does not sanction sin.

David Bouck

Poway

Negativity and defeatism on oil drilling

Regarding, "Drilling for empty promises," Bob Herbert's Aug. 13 column (whoever he is) against drilling was a very sorry display of negativity, defeatism and pure propaganda. First, he claims it will take too long (10 years), as if we will not need oil in 20 or 30 years from now. Then he claims it will not really help much. The fact is that ANWR, the Outer Continental Shelf and the Gulf of Mexico are estimated to contain 60 billion to 80 billion barrels of oil, which could power the U.S. without one drop of oil imports for at least 25 to 50 years.

Then Mr. Herbert misleads about drilling damaging the environment. The technology is much better now, and very little oil is lost into the water or land. Hurricane Katrina destroyed many drilling platforms in the Gulf, and no oil was spilled.

Since none of his arguments are the least bit credible, what really motivates him? Does he like paying outrageous prices for gas or pouring the National Treasury into terrorist regions like the Middle East? Fill his space with cartoons or advertising from now on.

Paul Thomas

Carlsbad