Rabbits make wonderful pets, not food

In all my years of reading the letters to the editor, I have never read one as bad as the one written by Robert Matthews on July 22, "Plump, tasty rabbits." This is exactly why Jan Murphy, who wrote a letter to editor, has a problem with rabbits being sold at farmers markets. …

Rabbits are smart, social animals and make wonderful pets. No animal, dog, cat, rabbit, etc., should be sold at farmers markets. How can it be known by the person selling these animals that they are going to a good home? This is a true concern by anyone who cares anything about animals.

Carolee Hill

Oceanside

Nobody shoved conscience in a closet

Kudos to David Horwitz for his wonderful July 23 letter in response to the misleading hysteria in Richard Kirk's "Shoving conscience in a closet," July 15 column. Nobody is "shoving conscience in a closet," as Kirk claims in his title. Indeed, it's because of our conscience, morals and family values that many churches, groups and individuals oppose Proposition 8, which would deny same-gender couples the right to marry.

Kirk's attempt to bamboozle is evident when he claims that those of us opposed to Prop. 8 are arguing "What's the big deal? Live and let live. It doesn't affect anyone else." On the contrary, we think it is a big deal, a major civil rights issue, another important step in the evolution of human values toward justice, equality and the pursuit of happiness. That's why many North County people are working on a gay-straight task force to defeat Prop. 8. Look for us in public places and look for notices of our meetings and other events in this newspaper and at ProgressivePost.com. …

California led the way for interracial marriage in 1948, and is leading the way for same-gender marriage today.

Dick Eiden

Vista

Fire services will come with a price

Monday, I left the house at about 1:15 p.m. An hour later, from the freeway, I saw the smoke and my heart sank. An eon seemed to pass before the house came into view, ringed by fire engines with helicopters overhead. All I could think of was our house full of rescued animals, alone without me. But it turned out, they didn't need me. The dog was in the backyard hanging out with firefighters, and the cats, rabbits and parakeet were safe inside.

Were it not for the quick action by multiple agencies basically throwing everything at a brush fire in the bluffs, which was moving toward the house, the flames would definitely have reached our property. I cannot thank those involved enough for their courage, professionalism and dedication.

But, having followed the status of firefighting capabilities in this county and state, I'm increasingly concerned that the prevailing anti-tax sentiment threatens our ability to continue to fund this kind of coordinated and successful response, especially as global warming increases the chances of brush fires.

As taxpayers, we need to realize what my parents' generation did, that the services we expect and need come with a price tag.

Diane Calkins

Encinitas

Not change, but the same old liberal rhetoric

Obama, the great orator. Yes, as long as he's scripted. Have you listened to him when he's not? Every two or three words, pause â€"â€" ah â€"â€" ah â€"â€" ah. Three words, ah â€"â€" ah â€"â€" ah. Even President Bush doesn't do that.

All you left-wingers must be really happy that he is sounding more and more like Bush and McCain. Strange, isn't it, that he has to go to the right and to the middle to get elected? Hooray!

But those of you who are undecided, don't be fooled. Once he's elected, he'll go back to his roots. He isn't the most liberal senator in the Senate for nothing. Wow! Look at all the money he's going to take from our pocketbooks. If you think things are bad now, just wait. It will be Carter all over again. He'll play right into Gore's hands and make him even richer. Do as I say, not as I do.

Change? It's the same old liberal rhetoric. The emperor has no clothes. For those of you who are holding your hands out, expecting the government and Obama to take care of you, you're going to get them slapped.

Jean Carroll

Carlsbad

Enforce regulations that are on the books

A 7-Eleven, in a dark parking lot, with a bar on one side, and crowded, low-rent apartments on the other should surprise no one when a robbery happens ("Robber holds up 7-Eleven," July 24). The place is just blocks from the city limits and inches from a dark side street. A look reveals cars stacked bumper-to-bumper, attesting to the population jammed into the supposedly single-family apartments. A short walk places you at the site of a deadly police shooting. That thief tried to run down the officers, who had cornered him in a tenement parking lot.

Vista needs to enforce regulations that restrict single-family dwellings to just that: single, immediate families. Dorm dwellings are breeding grounds for this sort of thing. The City Council needs to enforce the laws on the books and 7-Eleven needs to hire an armed security guard or two.

Don Shively

Vista

Don't overlook safety issue of going nuclear

Al Tschaeche (Letters, July 24) continues to tout nuclear energy as a safe, efficient alternative to dependence on foreign oil. However, Tschaeche overlooks some rather serious downsides: The cost to build these behemoth plants is enormous, and it takes many years before they come online. If the same money and time were invested in wind and rooftop solar, the increased production would come online gradually, starting immediately. …

As for safety, look to the private sector: Commercial insurance companies are in business to make money by insuring against manageable, predictable risks. Companies that produce solar and wind energy have no trouble getting normal commercial liability insurance. But not one private insurance company will insure nuclear plants, which have to operate under federal guarantees.

When commercial companies agree that this is safe enough to profitably manage the risk, I'll consider listening to the safety issue. Solutions? I never thought I'd endorse proposals from a billionaire Republican donor like T. Boone Pickens, but his campaign for wind and solar as profit-making private business ventures are definitely the way to go!

Douglas Dunn

Escondido

We need to keep our people's hospital

I wish to acknowledge that there have been several very favorable incidents that have occurred at Tri-City hospital with me and my husband. Tri-City is really a fine hospital, with many wonderful doctors, nurses and employees. Among them, Ondrea Labella, Patient Services Representative, who went out of her way to assist me with a very serious insurance problem. Thanks are not enough â€"â€" but a vote of confidence is!

We do need our dedicated hospital people who care about us. Please vote for the bond issue, and let's keep this hospital the people's hospital. Thank you.

Jacqueline Loesch

Oceanside

Let's not have a world without Tri-City

I have been a volunteer at Tri-City Medical Center for almost five years. I find the hospital employees to be caring, knowledgeable, understanding and efficient.

In just the last week, I, fortunately/unfortunately, became a patient. Every single person I came into contact with was caring, knowledgeable, understanding and efficient, just like before. Even the food was good! Why people who need this hospital facility can continue to bash it for a very few dollars is beyond me.

I cannot imagine my world without Tri-City hospital in it, and that is what some people are trying to make it come down to: Simply close its doors and try to get to a facility that is miles away in a time of need. I pray this does not happen.

Gail Dannen

Vista

California court gives love a victory

I congratulate the California Supreme Court for their recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage. There are two basic grounds for this decision: 1. Constitutional, and 2. Religious. 1. The Constitution guarantees equal rights for all citizens. The dictionary definition of equal is to be exactly the same. "Marriage" and "civil union" are not exactly the same, or they would have the same dictionary definition. Therefore, gay and lesbian persons did not have an equal right to marry, which is a violation of their constitutional rights. I rest my legal case.

2. The Christian Bible is a compilation of direct quotes of Jesus and subjective interpretations written by others. Therefore, for a definitive answer to the question of same-sex marriage, one should refer to the specific words of Jesus. The first page of a fold-open handout on this subject was titled, "Everything Jesus Said About Homosexuality." The two inner pages were blank. What Jesus actually said about homosexuality was zero, nada, zip. What Jesus said was to love one another, period. I rest my religious case.

Love is the foundation of Christianity and is always good and right and should be honored and respected in all its forms.

Donna Taylor

Encinitas

Change was handled wrong

I was extremely disappointed in the way that the Vista Unified School District handled the recent debate about starting school 1 1/2 hours earlier for middle school students ("Vista drops plan to change school bell schedule," July 18). … The entire issue was confusing from all sides, especially when brought up two days after school ends when no one is paying attention to school issues. The school board should have sent out notices, posted information about both sides of the argument on their Web site … conducted a survey and … ensured that the data they collected was representative of the constituents they represent. …

In contrast, I am glad that cooler, more logical, heads prevailed and the decision to start earlier was overturned. However, only a handful of parents were present to participate in the decision. Science supports later school start times for adolescents because they are more in line with their circadian rhythms and natural tendencies. It enhances attentiveness, grades and test scores.

I hope that the next time the school district has a mind to make significant changes to its operations, it does so in a more professional and inclusive manner.

Ursula Cunneen

Vista

Did the NRA get what it wanted?

The Washington, D.C., council approved firearms legislation that will allow residents to comply with last month's Supreme Court decision that struck down the city's ban on handguns. The law will allow handguns to be kept in the home if they are used only for self-defense and carry fewer than 12 rounds of ammunition. Other legal firearms, such as rifles and shotguns, must be kept unloaded and disassembled or equipped with trigger locks, unless there is a "reasonably perceived threat of immediate harm." Is this what the NRA wanted?

Some writers in the July 20 North County Times made some fascinating comments. "Banning guns won't prevent suicides," and one said there are other ways to kill oneself. True, but 31,000 people didn't use them. Gerald Reaster says everyone should have the right to self-defense. He also wonders how the unorganized militia be disbanded "because it consists of every person who owns a gun and will use it in defense of our nation. The Centers for Disease Control should not use public funds for non-disease purposes and leave gun regulation to the Congress and a Glock with a supersized clip is fine with me." Except they are illegal. …

Sandee Enriquez ("Strange gun people") mentioned words written in 1824 and 1764, "a total breakdown in law and order now would require" everyone to carry a gun. What kind of breakdown?

Joseph Grant

Oceanside

Two things could help keep prices low

There are two things that would help the U.S. now. Highway speed limits should be reduced to 55 mph, as they were during the Arab oil embargo of the 1970s, and Colin Powell should be the vice presidential candidate on John McCain's ticket, as suggested by the eloquent and brilliant Fox News correspondent Juan Williams.

Frank Dati

Oceanside

Degradation of the middle class

Up until a few decades ago, one of the purposes of the U.S. government was to upgrade the standard of living of the middle class and the poor in this country. Programs were introduced to benefit the average citizen, such as Social Security, Medicare and the promotion of a living wage for the workers. Businesses kept increasing benefits to retain their employees by offering health care, pensions and higher wages.

Labor costs became the greatest single expense for most businesses, so they concentrated their efforts on reducing the need for hiring high-priced American labor. By giving government officials money and other favors, they were able to stop government regulation of businesses and proceed with a massive program of replacing American labor with cheap foreign labor. Visa programs were expanded to bring in foreign workers, plus guest worker programs and a failure to secure our borders against illegal immigration. Labor costs were sometimes completely eliminated by moving the manufacturing overseas or by purchasing products from foreign countries like China. …

The only solution to the degradation of the middle class is to manufacture and sell products within the U.S. This will also cure our trading deficit and our financial deficit.

Herbert Pairitz

Carlsbad

Congress must enforce the law

The Bush administration cannot be above the law, and it is the obligation of Congress to enforce and protect our coveted Constitution. Failure to impeach would be failure to do that. So please don't make this merely a political decision not to rock the boat. It is precisely what our forefathers would have expected of us! Thank you for honoring them with your appropriate action.

Karla Nolan

Oceanside