Radicals exists in all religions and countries

I have never written a letter to the editor before, but the letter of May 9, "These words sicken him," by Richard McKenzie compels a response.

Mr. McKenzie seems to be extremely offended by remarks made by certain Israelis against the Palestinians. He produced statements made by Rabbi Dov Lior, Matan Vilnai and Rabbi Yisrael Rosen to support his position. The Israeli press labeled Rabbi Dov Lior as one of the five worst religious leaders on the planet. They named one from each of the major religions. He is an outspoken radical and does not reflect the sentiments of the vast majority of Israelis or American Jews.

The correct quote from Matan Vilani is, "The more Qassam (rocket) fire intensifies and the rockets reach a longer range, they (the Palestinians) will bring upon themselves a bigger holocaust because we will use all or might to defend ourselves," Vilnai told Army radio.

The comment by Rabbi Yisrael Rosen is also from someone most Jews would consider an extreme radical. … Just wondering why his letter didn't contain similar comments made by the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah or the president of Iran.

When unacceptable commentary comes from a Jewish mouth, he is quick to be sickened by it. Does he get just as sick when an Arab or Iranian makes a similar comment about Jews or Israelis? …

Gerald Graf

Carlsbad

Ancient battle continues on Letters page

Responding to disgruntled anti-Israel letter writers past and present, namely, Mike Thielk, Rose Eckenrode, Robert Green, William Dreu, Mel Crawford, Phil Grice, Chris Pulse, Bob Harvey and Sorab Ghandhi: Palestinians are not an endangered species; they have not been hated and targeted for extinction throughout the ages like the Jews. They insist on land that was never theirs to begin with. Why don't the Muslims who occupy the majority of the vast Middle East share their land with their fellow Palestinian Muslims? Could it be that, by so doing, it would show acceptance of the Jewish state? I think so.

I hope the above-mentioned are not motivated by the oldest purpose of all, the destruction of the Jewish people. Without Israel, the days of the Jewish people are surely numbered.

I want to thank the following writers whose letters defended Israel against the above-mentioned, namely, Phil Epstein, Morris Schechet, Max Isaac, Harold Reisman, David Salyer, Jack Strumpf, John Cusumano, Robert Matthews, Alexandra Cloney, Larry Falick and Jack Davis. It's an ancient uphill battle, folks, but one that we can't afford to lose, so keep those letters coming and G-d bless you all!

Dolores Wiener

Oceanside

Let oil companies drill

Stop punishing the oil companies and the people of this country. Let them drill for oil in Anwar, the oceans and the gulf. It can all happen safely. Then they have to build refineries. This takes billions of dollars. This also provides employment of at least a million people. Employers pay taxes. This helps reduce our national debt. This also allows people to earn their living and keep their self-respect. It reduces the government payout for unemployment. We sure don't need the government in charge of oil. The companies will use the money more wisely. We also need nuclear power. It is the most efficient and safe. This has been proven. We also have an excess of oil. France is entirely nuclear, I am told. I have lived close to San Onofre for 40 years. No complaints.

Bettie Heldring

Escondido

Proposition is dangerous to elderly

Your editorial of May 11, "Vote 'no' on Props. 98, 99," must have taken all of 10 minutes to write. It told voters little of the dangers to seniors/elderly and handicapped. Voting "no" is ludicrous; as you well know, whichever gets the most votes wins.

Your May 6 article, "Dueling propositions target eminent domain," was grossly misleading. Stating, #&Residents now living in rent-controlled units would not be affected,#8 is ludicrous. Park owners have the right now to raise rents, and many double them in Escondido when the home sells. Also, the statement, #&12 California cities have rent control,#8 is more misleading or shows zero fact-investigating, as over 100 [mobile-home] locales in California have rent control. …

Facts: Every homeowner has more invested in their space than any park owner. If Prop. 98 passes, tens of thousands of senior/elderly can be evicted from their homes, and taxpayers or family will have to support them on welfare or turn them out to a life of being homeless on our streets. There are 11 resident-owned parks in this area and the average monthly fees are $123; that includes sewer, water, trash, etc. Anyone stating different should challenge me to prove this anywhere in public, including our City Council, who has had this info for years but refuses to consider it.

Gerald Lenhard

Escondido

The price for doing nothing wrong

If the commanding general of the I Marine Expeditionary Force lets Pvt. Hutchins' confinement remain at 11 years, Pvt. Hutchins could have his Ph.D. by the time he is released ("Marine's sentenced reduced," May 8). What a price to pay for doing nothing wrong in the first place.

Don Greenlaw

Oceanside

Illegal immigration is a stampede!

Regarding Bradley Morehead's letter of May 13. He, along with the majority of politicians, just don't get it. The illegals sneak in and tell us what they want, things their own country won't do for them. I think the resentment comes from the fact that our government does for them more than they do for our own citizens, and guess who has to pay for all these services? You guessed it: You and me.

According to statistics at CNN.com, $11 to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegals yearly; $2.5 billion on Medicare, $2.2 billion on food stamps, WIC, etc., $12 billion on education for children who cannot speak a word of English, $17 billion a year on children born to illegals … $45 billion in remittances back to their countries of origin; totaling a whopping hundreds of billions a year with other factors added in. Yes, a year. In the meantime, our citizens cannot find jobs, our schools are overcrowded and our children are not getting the attention they deserve, because the teachers have to teach English.

Our forebears came here to assimilate, appreciate and give back to the United States, not complain, and they came here legally.

Doris Martin

Oceanside

Prove you care about military retirees

Do we really care about military families and retirees? One measure of the degree to which we care is the quality of the health care plan we provide. Tricare prime, which operates like an HMO, now reimburses doctors and other health care providers at rates lower than all other plans.

Over the past 20 years, the prime program has decreased allowable fees from 90 percent of billed charges to about 34 percent. Unless Congress intervenes, this will be only 30 percent by the end of the year. This has resulted in many military families and retirees experiencing difficulty in finding providers, especially in rural areas and/or cities that are far from military bases. Since providers are reluctant to accept such low fees, many patients must turn to clinics rather than private practitioners.

Congressman Bilbray's office appears sensitive to this concern, but has yet to take any action. I would encourage anyone who truly cares about military families and retirees to contact their congressional representatives regarding the Tricare prime program. If we don't make some serious changes, we may show we really don't care, as we'll be offering a nearly worthless plan to those we deem to be heroes, as well as their family members.

Donald Bentley

licensed clinical social worker

Oceanside

An insult to our troops in Iraq

Undersecretary of State Patrick F. Kennedy has stated, "We cannot operate without private security firms in Iraq. If the contractors were removed, we would have to leave Iraq." How insulting to our 130,000 military personnel in Iraq to imply that 800 Blackwater contractors, and lesser numbers from two other companies, can protect State Department VIPs, while our own military can't do the job! (See The New York Times article of May 10, front page.)

Walter Lehmann

Cardiff

Steps to take to become energy independent

I am a retired exploration and production petroleum geologist. Our country must take the following immediate actions to increase our oil and gas supplies and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, thus decreasing the high price of petroleum: Begin drilling in ANWAR; begin exploration in the entire off-shore areas of the U.S.; increase exploration on federal and state lands controlled by the government; stop the ridiculous ethanol program; produce oil from oil shales and tar sands; build more refineries; get the government out of the oil and gas business; get rid of all politicians who oppose the proper development of oil and gas in this country.

James Edwards

San Marcos

Don't remove feral cats from state park

The problem at San Elijo State Park would get worse if the feral cats are removed ("Taming the feral cat population for over a decade," May 10). At this time, the rodent population is controlled, thanks to the cats. If the colony is removed, another colony of cats would move in and there would be no end.

The feral colony at this site is controlled by Patty Mosel, who cares for them. The Humane Society does not adopt feral cats. They would be euthanized. Is there anyone who can help keep the feral cats at the park? Would the park state officials meet with rescue groups or the Feral Cat Coalition volunteers to discuss a plan to help with the problem? The cats have not bothered anyone for years. It took one person who probably dislikes cats to start a problem. Thank you for your time and help.

Rose Keene

San Diego

Obama doesn't belong in the White House

How can letter-writers want Obama for president when he refuses to salute our flag? How un-American can he get? A person who won't salute our flag does not belong in the White House.

Mary Schatz

Escondido