Transfer of principal hurts school

I call on the board and superintendent (of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District) to recognize that the decision to transfer Principal Craig Richter has personal implications for the parents, staff and students at Ronald Reagan Elementary ("District shuffles principals," May 18).

I am not protesting out of concern for Craig Richter's placement or future, even though I respect and admire him as a person. I am asking the district to reconsider its decision because many dedicated individuals have committed a great deal of time and effort over a three-year period (before the school even opened) and are now confronted with watching efforts go for nought without having had sufficient time to fairly assess whether test scores or any other measure of student achievement can validate what is being done at this unique school.

Ronald Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same."

Debbie Callahan

Wildomar

Fences will be good for Lake Elsinore

I believe the fences will bring about a sense of boundaries to not only the lake but the city ("Council praises budget," May 30).

Lake Elsinore needs to be more boundary defined. The city is a little too scattered and lacks a sense of structure that Murrieta and Temecula have. I live in the Canyon Hills area of Lake Elsinore and believe that structure and boundaries has helped my community not only succeed commercially but also in safety aspects. Fences bring about the sense of a well-defined community. Hopefully the fences that would be installed along the beaches of Elsinore are nice looking.

While on the topic of the lake, does anyone happen to know when they will finish the new homes that are being developed alongside the lake near the stadium? I'm glad new homes are finally being brought around the lake it will make the lake a much more beautiful place to live.

Living close to water should be luxurious. The majority of the homes currently around our lake are anything but that. Look at Mission Viejo Lake. It's gorgeous and the homes around it are simply beautiful. Having a gorgeous lake community will attract tourism, which is what Elsinore needs, because our city truly has the potential for it.

Seabrook Mendoza

Lake Elsinore

County control no longer good enough

Martha Bridges (Letters, May 25), writes of concern regarding comments from Wildomar Incorporation Now (WIN) members Bob Cashman, Sheryl Ade and Bridgette Moore. They speak of the reality of county governance vs. the potential for local control.

Ms. Bridges' mention of a community divided is in large measure the result of decisions made at the county level. The county's vision is no longer responsive to local needs as it once was. Population increase and demand to serve diverse needs of the district has compromised its effectiveness.

Concern for infrastructure is a result of county direction. Ask county Code Enforcement to address an issue in your neighborhood. It will require diligence, patience and a tolerance for frustration.

The second fire station was not missed. That announcement from Riverside County Fire came after the fiscal report was submitted to Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). By unanimous vote the Board of Supervisors expressed their intent to resolve the impact. LAFCO feels that it cannot be considered.

Gerard Ste. Marie has deposited $25,000 with the state controller to determine the appropriateness of the offer. Mr. Ste. Marie may well receive a result opposite of his personal intent.

Cityhood will not be a panacea. There will be challenges. There will be opportunity for direct input into the direction our community will head. If the result of that direction is something disagreed with there will be responsive recourse blocks from your door. That is no longer the case with 4080 Lemon St., Riverside.

Wesley Lobo

Wildomar

Internet empowers consumers

So many people don't like the way the country is going and feel like their hands are tied and can't do a thing about it. Well, guess what -- you can do something about it!

Today we have the most powerful tool in the world, and don't have to leave home to use it. It's called the Internet! You can e-mail your congressman or even the president and let them know how you feel about the new immigration law. Also remind them you will remember their names! You can use this tool right from home.

Everyone can use this tool. Age or handicap don't matter. Now you too can speak up. All you got to do is use it with the proper Web site and the people's desire to put control of the price of items sold in this country (gas) back in the hands of the consumers! But only if all the people unite. That's where the Internet comes in. It can reach all the people without being edited. The choice is ours!

Felix Gonzales

Sun City

Triangle ideal hospital site

For years, the Murrieta Planning Commission and the City Council have been looking for the best use of the "Golden Triangle," a piece of land between Murrieta Hot Springs Road and the 15 and 215 freeways. The Golden Triangle area is an ideal place to build a new fully accredited hospital. It has freeway access on both sides along with street access. Is not close to any business or houses.

With the people of the south Temecula area objecting to the one being built in their neighborhood, the Golden Triangle would be an ideal place.

Bill Charles

Murrieta

Scooters fit right in in Las Vegas

I suppose in some ways the city of Las Vegas, founded on overindulgence, would be among the first to realize the use of scooters for otherwise able-bodied individuals ("Tourists taken for ride on Strip," May 25). Having traveled there on many occasions, I found it invigorating to walk between casinos, and have even bicycled The Strip at times. What better place to burn off the effects of those buffet lines?

It seems those who are legitimately disabled are the true losers in all this, though. Can you imagine a day when a person rolls their wheelchair to the front of the line, only to be told that the young drunk guy ahead of him just rented the last scooter?!

Edward Sibby

Temecula

How global warming works

Perhaps we're familiar with smog, and we think of pollution as a noxious chemical stew or a hot exhaust spew. A certain political wing reads their subliminally wrong ideas into global warming reports, and reduces science to their simple notions and words. The naysayers create basic fallacies and wild exaggerations, echoed incessantly.

The global warming theory states that the increased CO2 retains heat (physics), not makes heat (chemistry). The heat can be man-made, or extraterrestrial sunspot activity, it doesn't matter - we can't get rid of it! The past ice ages and warming periods are actually a confirmation of the correlation of CO2 and temperature. The fact that CO2 is natural doesn't lessen the fact that we're flooding our atmosphere. That the molecule CO2 is in itself nontoxic is meaningless. Water is natural and nontoxic, but too much is called a flood, and we do something about it. The physics can be demonstrated: Park a black car, windows up, in the sun. The paint will be too hot to touch, yet the interior will be hotter than the enclosed black trunk. The glass retains the thermal heat energy wavelengths, trapping them inside. Global warming is a very real problem.

Richard Crews

Encinitas

Voice your opposition to the airport

Wake up, Oceansiders, and stop our City Council's plan to keep the airport open and even expand it. The council has failed to show any financial or other significant benefits to the city, and the airport is environmentally bad due to the danger, pollution and noise. Great financial gain would occur if the general area was developed, and the people in the northwest quadrant of the city would benefit greatly.

The airport is only a playground for a few handfuls of pilots, and their backers have spent thousands of dollars to sway council members to keep the airport open. The proponents have lied, saying the airport is a national asset but have provided no substantiation. They lied also saying the vast majority of residents want the airport. Balderdash. Ask yourself, how do you benefit?

The council is jeopardizing public safety by having an airport in a populated area. The low-flying planes jeopardize lives daily by flying low over areas such as Rancho Hermosa and Oceana. Please, residents, voice your objections in the press and to our council.

Bob Sheard

Oceanside

NAFTA reflects freedom

Doug Bell writes (Letters, May 25) contra NAFTA with passion, hate and lack of facts. Bell states that "thousands of American businesses" have abandoned the U.S. for Mexico, taking with them $17-an-hour jobs. Poppycock! Actually, the number is hundreds, not thousands, and "lost" jobs thousands, not millions. Officially, each job lost to Mexico or Canada is accounted for, and special training funds are available to retrain those involved. About 50,000 jobs a year have been so lost to NAFTA and retraining offered to many, who turned it down because they had comparable or better new jobs. Concurrently, for every job lost, 30 or more jobs were created in the United States. …

Mr. Bell declares that NAFTA is a failure because Mexicans still come here to work. They have been coming here to work since 1848, almost 150 years before NAFTA. … Lamenting the voluntary departure of any privately owned business reflects fascist tendencies. In a fascist society, companies remain in private hands, but the government tells the companies what to do and when to do it, including moving or not moving. Free enterprise is pretty much the opposite. Bell reflects a fascist mind-set that we free-marketers reject, for we expect freedom, not some bureaucrat like Bell telling us what to do.

Raoul Lowery Contreras

Del Mar Heights

Immigration bill fatally flawed

Shame on the sponsors of the Senate immigration bill for trying to ramrod its passage without discussion and any cost estimate. George Will ("Immigration deal fatally flawed," May 27) states that Americans are skeptical about the proposed legislation and have concluded that the federal government can't be trusted to enforce the proposals.

Many citizens feel that several Senate bill proponents are under the influence of companies that want a cheap labor supply. The Heritage Foundation reports that more than $2.5 trillion in entitlements would result if 10 million illegals are given amnesty. Our Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are already on shaky ground. Furthermore, some items should be included in any compromise bill but are missing in this one. For example, this country is losing foreign-born Ph.D. recipients in this year's graduating classes of scientists (Tom Friedman, "Exporting our educated," May 24). Especially pertinent is the fact that our own advanced science students are so few. Why can't the Senate pass a bill that would allow highly skilled, motivated foreign students to become U.S. citizens if they so desire?

Jack Pomeroy

Escondido

How long must we wait for enforcement?

President Bush asked for forbearance in combating illegal immigration. He asked us to give the government a chance. The Simpson-Mazzoli Reform Act of 1986 dictated closing the border and enforcing employer sanctions for employing illegals. The government has had 7,490 days to do that, and could have done it on any of those 7,490 days.

President Bush has been in charge for 2,321 days of those days. Can President Bush tell us how long we should give government to enforce existing law, and how long it will take to enforce a new law? I know government is inefficient, but …

Allen Hemphill

Escondido

Mexican hypocrites

With all of the immigration hoopla going on here, with the Mexican consulate and other followers voicing concern, demanding that we change our immigration laws to suit them, open our borders and be more compassionate, I find it interesting that in the May 28 San Diego Union-Tribune paper, "Man dies in migrant sweep in Mexico," that these same people would demand us to change our immigration laws.

It is incredible also how they booed Miss America for the Miss Universe pageant. Why is that? They, the Mexican government, do not care about us and want us to bend over backward to accommodate illegal immigrants but yet they themselves deny hardworking people into their country. How about taking care of your country first before you constantly push us in how to run ours?

Howard Brenner

Poway

Liberal values on display

Paul Cavanaugh (Letters, May 30) got off to a great start citing liberal values (equality, public safety nets and lack of greed) but stopped short. Also, most unfortunate, was Paul's confusion of "classical liberalism," which granted citizens individual rights and responsibilities, with "contemporary liberalism," which removes individual responsibility and promotes mediocrity.

Paul generously touts the "dignified life" provided by liberals. Of course, it is easy to be generous with other people's money. Conservatives are not opposed to helping people who need a hand up (and more comprehensive assistance for the elderly and disabled). Most oppose assisting people to become continuously dependent on government largesse through handouts. All the money in the budget would not cure the ills of our public school system.

In the last 40 years, we have seen an erosion of society with liberal moral relativism. The exponential rise of illegitimacy, the early sexualization of young girls, the acceptance of vulgar language in everyday parlance, the quest of liberals to understand an enemy that is like no other we have faced and advocacy for the intrinsic evil of abortion are liberal values. Maybe Cavanaugh forgot to mention these ññ probably due to space constraints.

Alexandra Cloney

Carlsbad

Impeachment is the only solution

George Bush has employed over 1,200 signing statements in order to place himself beyond the law. This is but one of his many offenses for which impeachment has been recommended by the framers of our Constitution. Unfortunately, the spineless Democratic Party leadership has taken impeachment off the table, lest it be accused (by Republicans) of dividing the nation and diverting it from the main goal of ending the Iraq war. This is circular reasoning, since many of Bush's impeachable offenses are directly related to this war.

For his administration, 9/11 was not a disaster, it was an opportunity for grabbing power, and they leaped at it. Bush single-handedly escalated our response into a global, never-ending war on terror, having called it a crusade in a moment of candor. Now, he has established himself as the "commander guy," with kingly powers to break any law he chooses, as long as this war is ongoing. He asserts that, as chief in the war on terror, he has the unitary executive authority to ignore any act of Congress.

Impeachment is the only solution. All Democrats should withhold financial contributions to any party candidate until Speaker Pelosi places it back on the table.

Sorab Ghandhi

Escondido

A slightly entertaining Thornhill

The "Thornhill's View" cartoon on May 17 is the first one I have ever found even slightly entertaining. However, I find it most interesting and revealing that conspicuously absent among the dancers is the radical right-winger Christopher Hitchens.

Michael Deegan

San Marcos

Kool-Aid drinkers

Judging from the number of letters over the last couple of weeks, it appears the Kool-Aid drinkers have finally realized that if they impeached President Bush, Vice President Cheney would become president. So now we have letters from the usual suspects calling for the impeachment of the vice president. None of the writers ever states what the specific high crimes and misdemeanors are to warrant impeachment; that portion of their letters is usually full of gibberish or generalities.

My guess is that if they were to get their wish they'll go after President Bush next. Just what we need, President Pelosi. One writer appears to have run off the reservation and now wants Attorney General Gonzales impeached as well. Never mind that no laws were broken, just impeach him for stupidity. Keep those letters coming; they are more entertaining than the Comics pages.

Dan Shapiro

Oceanside

Candidates are slaves to big money

On the front page of The New York Times on Memorial Day was a major article about fundraising by presidential candidates. The campaign is already in full gallop, nearly one and a half years before the next president is elected, because the candidates are slaves to money and must raise many millions of dollars to compete. Much of this money comes from wealthy private donors and from corporations, including those of the industrial-military complex. Kenneth Lay and Enron, for example, were President Bush's largest donors in 2000.

The Republican Party traditionally is the party of big money, but the Democratic Party is more and more enslaved to big corporate dollars. The Democratic Party, however, still has a heart that beats faintly, but it can no longer claim rationally to represent the poor, children or labor; nor can it claim to support first-class public education, affordable health care, or a rational foreign policy.

The news media, as the face of big money, shirk their constitutional authority to inform the public. We know too little, for example, about 9/11/01 and the elections of 2000 in Florida and 2004 in Ohio. An informed public would not have tolerated a war in Iraq, and would not have re-elected Bush.

Harold Weber

Oceanside

This land of California

Today there are thousands of Mexicans living in California. No matter where you look, you see men, women and their children, living, working and going to school. Each day the number of Latinos is growing with no end in sight. Most newspapers, TV or radio are fed up with this situation and complaining about this unbearable condition.

From the day that the U.S. took California from Mexico by force of arm, nothing has changed. The land is still full of Mexicans. Since nothing else is working, I suggest it is time that the U.S. should give back California and this entire problem to Mexico. Let them worry about it and do what they want to do here.

The rest of us who do not want to live with the Mexicans, gather our things and move to Alaska. This is the land that belongs to us; we paid for it in cash. And I hope nobody will bother us there anymore.

Ata Agah

Escondido

Community supports VHS athletic training

As the athletic trainer at Vista High School, I would like to give special recognition to my medical team: Thomas Balcom, M.D., U.S. Navy; Charles Lewis, P.T., Tri-City Physical Therapy; and Kyle Tetz, D.C., Cottrell Chiropractic. These medical professionals volunteer countless hours to our athletic program.

I would also like to commend the following community members for their time and expertise performing preseason physical exams The following medical professionals give generously of their personal time: Kevin Seufert, M.D., Cassidy Medical; Andrew Cooperman, M.D., Orthopaedic Surgery; Ron Cottrell, D.C., Cottrell Chiropractic; Channel Calhoun, M.D., director of pediatrics, North County Health Services; Jeffrey Pearson, D.O., Medicine-in-Motion; Dennis Smith, P.T., and Kim Brummett, P.T., Tri-City Physical Therapy; Maria O#'Neal, P.T., and Monica Schupt, P.T., Rancho Physical Therapy; Patty Hoffman, L.V.N., Roosevelt Middle School; Brian DeClerk, D.C., and Phil Dixon, D.C., Ocean Vista Chiropractic.

Vista High School appreciates their participation in these fundraising events for the athletic training program.

Michelle Hamilton

certified athletic trainer

Vista High School

His approach to illegal immigration

My approach to common sense in the illegal immigration problem is as follows: Illegals who can prove six or more years of continuous, crime-free residency should be allowed to apply now for U.S. citizenship. Those who refuse U.S. citizenship should be deported. Those with less than six years of crime-free residency should be deported but get some preferential treatment when applying for legal re-entry. U.S.-born children can return to their parents' home country with the deportee, or can remain in the U.S. with legal friends or family. Concurrently, the U.S./Mexico/Canada border must be secured ññ really secured. U.S. employers shall be fined a minimum of $10,000 U.S. for every illegal they are found to be employing/harboring. Documentation will be scrutinized by federal authorities before employment. A sound guest worker program (federally run) must be implemented, allowing foreign workers to sign up with licensed contractors to provide a temporary workforce in the U.S. for agricultural/landscaping duties. …

It's not a perfect formula, but it is a common-sense start toward a permanent solution. So far, the politicians have not come up with anything better.

Robert Green

Fallbrook

I'm from the government; I'm here to help

Republicans like to claim they're on the side of small businesses. But what happens when a small meatpacking business wants to voluntarily test 100 percent of its premium quality beef for mad cow disease? Does the Agriculture Department applaud their entrepreneurial skill? Sadly, no. It sues them to stop, because it might impact the profits of the larger beef conglomerates. (See http://tinyurl.com/2dvcrd.) They'd rather protect the profits of Big Beef than the beef on your table.

Keep in mind, nobody was suggesting we force all of them to test even 1 percent of their beef, but just allow this one company to make a better product. If you're a CEO, you should probably vote Republican. It works for you.

Why anyone else would even consider voting for these crooks is beyond me. Less than 1 percent of beef is tested for mad cow? I guess it's chicken for dinner tonight.

Douglas Crews

Oceanside

Family values

Recently President Bush said that because of American family values, we should not deport a head of household even though he is an illegal. Using that same logic, we should not send a head of household to jail. Maybe Guantanamo?

Wayne Haggard

Fallbrook

The right has learned nothing

I'm saddened by how the extreme right is reacting to the Matthew Shepard Act, a bill that would add specifically violent hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation to an existing federal hate crimes law. The bill has a specific amendment that says it cannot be construed to censor free speech, yet the extreme right still spins the bill as a "thought-control bill." To those people I say: You know you're still allowed to spew the hate and propaganda that's driven gay and lesbian teen suicide rates far above the norm, so what are you complaining about? Unless it's a part of your faith to go violently abuse people ññ like what happened at last year's pride festival in Balboa Park ññ then your rights are not violated by this bill.

The extreme right's dishonesty around what the bill actually does demonstrates the same disdain for truth and integrity that got them thrown out of power last November. Apparently, they learned nothing.

Matthew Palm

Rancho Bernardo

Proper flag display on Memorial Day

Traveling down Escondido's Grand Avenue on Memorial Day weekend, admiring the American flags hung to honor our fallen heroes. It was a peaceful day, and the mood was somber. Then, bam, I was smashed in the eyes with a gaudy display of advertising, or was it advertising or a slap in the face joke on all of us? Two stores with a splashy display of nothing but French flags and banners. One was a bakery, and one was a relics store.

As if this was not bad enough, I turned the corner onto Kalmia and, again, a big display of nothing to honor the merit of our own heroes, this time, not seemingly on a commercial store, but on the sign advertising our own Patio Playhouse. I looked for an American flag among them but saw nada. Being an American with a French grandfather who was proud to be an American, I just wonder, if we were in France, and on one of their main holidays I displayed nothing but a garish display of only American flags, what would be their reaction? Of course, the two stores will find an excuse for their actions, but shame on you, Patio Playhouse!

James Nemish

Escondido

Cemeteries are eyesores

Memorial Day, my husband and I visited Eternal Hills to take flowers to my mom and dad's plots. We were appalled at the condition of many of the plots. Some were covered with weeds. If Eternal Hills wants to expand, they should take better care of what is there now. Most people had tools so they could clean up their plots.

Next, we went to the old cemetery on Coast Highway, where my husband's parents are interred. This cemetery should be a city monument to the people of Oceanside. Instead, much is an eyesore. Again, we saw people bringing tools to clean up family plots. This cemetery should be a part of Oceanside's past and made into a memorial site. Reading the old tombstones was so interesting, as so many of their families are still here today. Let's take care so our children can visit and know their heritage.

Norma Nares

Oceanside

Nothing wrong with flying Mexican flag

The sight of the Mexican flag flying over Petco Park is not of anyone's concern. That includes people like Susan Coker of Vista (Letters, May 10) and Brenda Souza of Oceanside (Letters, May 27). They both wrote respective letters to the North County Times on this issue. Ms. Coker stated that both the Mexican and U.S. flags were flying at the same level at Petco and that it was a slap in the face of the military people who were there watching the Padres game, whereas Ms. Souza stated that it was of the color green. Maybe she was trying to be sarcastic. But perhaps both of them must've read or heard about last year's protest by the Minutemen against the Mexican flag flying over the Del Mar fair, and foolishly claiming that it promotes illegal immigration.

I feel that there is nothing wrong with the Mexican flag flying over the fair, Petco, or any other venue in the county. Besides, many military people are of Mexican descent and are serving proudly. I also feel that they and Petco management do not need to listen to such nonsense because they have other things on their minds. Now I know that both letters are the real slap in the face.

Juan Blanco Jr.

Valley Center

Artists, kids can use your help

I'd like to start this letter off with an apology to Donna Davis. It seems I didn't place her proper title, leader of the Kiwanis of San Diego, in my May 14 letter and, it seems, according to a very close source, she is up at the crack of dawn feeding hundreds of hungry people. The world needs more like Donna Davis. Thanks once again.

The person I described as the schoolteacher at Kinko's who's helpful to just about everyone, he told me to let you know his name is Bob. Gloria Valdez, owner of the Metaphor on Second and Juniper, is providing music, and a number of artists, poets and musicians got their start with her because she gives them a break. Thursday night is Jazz and Art night. One of her waitresses, Jessica, is … a phenomenal artist and may be featured in NAMI Beginnings: The Youth's Voice. Plus, she plays a dynamite piano, she has a positive attitude, and she hopes to own a business like the Metaphor one day real soon.

Now last, but certainly not least, is Tom Prothers from USMC Camp Pendleton. He's in public relations and helps distribute hundreds of newsletters each and every week to our wounded warriors, men and women who are artists and damaged-challenged who want to join the Auction for the Challenged. Help the children at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

Margery Sterling

Escondido

Cut and run was Reagan's choice

Hezbollah was organized in 1983 and, the following year, it showed its power by blowing up a Marine Corps barracks and the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon in simultaneous suicide bomb attacks that cost some 300 American lives. This happened during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, who had sent the Marines and government personnel between Christian and Muslim groups engaged in a civil war. Hezbollah decided to take them out. The difference between Lebanon and Iraq was the civil war was going on in Lebanon, and in Iraq, it started after they arrived.

After the massacre, Reagan withdrew the survivors in what is now termed "cut and run" and didn't send replacements into an untenable situation. Reagan was already showing symptoms of Alzheimer's and answering questions with "there they go again" until he was stopped from holding press conferences and was judging the character of visitors to the Oval Office by the way they ate jelly beans from a dish on his desk. Despite his mental condition, he had much more common sense than Dubya, the dummy on Cheney's knee.

Joseph Grant

Oceanside

Time to take our country back

Alfred E. Newman is alive and well and living in the White House. He doesn't realize how much harm he has caused this great country of ours. He lives in a world of fantasy. He doesn't have the brain power to lead the country; he's better suited to reading goat stories to 5-year-olds. How many years will it take to repair the damage he has done?

It's time to take our country back from Washington lobbyists and giant international corporations. It's difficult to buy anything that is made in America. All goods and services come to us from around the world, especially China.

It's also time to stop this insane war in Iraq and pull our military out of harm's way. This is an illegal war, justified by false pretenses. I served in the Army in World War II, a just and legal war.

Phil Saenz

Vista

Gore scrambles from reason

Harry Shearer, while interviewing Al Gore about his new book, "The Assault on Reason" … raised this question: HS: Are we looking at, in the run-up to 9/11, a god-awful incompetence on a biblical scale, or are we looking at something else? AG: Well, let me knock down what I think you are suggesting with the "something else." HS: You think I'm implying a conspiracy? AG: I do not, for one moment, entertain that other hypothetical that you just spoke of. …

I see Gore's response as a scramble away from reason. … Here is just one issue from a number I might have chosen related to the World Trade Center buildings, and the subsequent investigation and analysis by National Institute of Standards and Technology: Architect Richard Gage, of American Institute of Architects, has said, "While the NIST-sponsored UL (United Laboratories) floor assembly fire tests demonstrated only 2 to 4 inches of sag with no failure at 2,000 degrees for two hours, NIST nevertheless used 42 inches of sag in their computer models and concluded failure! These are very basic inconsistencies and suggest some serious data integrity problems."

NIST concluded building failure was due to fire alone. Discrepancies such as this should cause people of reason to demand a new investigation.

Dwain Deets

Encinitas

Ethics training for Marines and Congress

Ethics training: Young Marine, your convoy has just been blown up with an IED set off by an Iraqi; your fellow Marines, whom you have been trained to bond with as tightly as brothers, are dead and dying with the screams of those who see their own bodies torn apart ringing in your ears, even louder than the blast that just destroyed eight young men. You must try to save as many lives as you can; gather as many body parts as you can, yet, while doing this, you must smile and wave to the Iraqi citizens who are strolling by, even though some are laughing at the carnage and screaming at you, "Death to the American infidels" in a language you don't understand, but with a tenor and intonation that clearly allows you to apprehend the true nature of their words. Even so, smile, wave; it's important that the Iraqis like us, as we are guests in their country and we are there to help them!

Is it any wonder so many of our returning troops need mental health care? What we really need is mandatory and intensive ethics training for our elected officials in Congress and the executive branches of our government before they are allowed to take office.

Gil Noble

Vista

The left loves China

This weekend, while watching an entertainment program on TV, I was dismayed to hear the Hollywood crowd had a benefit to raise money for orphans in China. While it was a charitable event, I have to ask, why not the orphans here in this country? What is the fascination of China to the left? Is it because they're a communist country? …

Back in the 1990s, we all witnessed the left's poster boy, Bill Clinton, allow Loral Corp., over objections from his State and Defense departments, to hand the Chinese sophisticated missile guidance technology. China now has the ability to hit our country with ballistic missiles. We watched Charlie Trie deliver cash contributions from the Chinese government to the White House. Last time that happened Spiro Agnew was forced to resign as vice president.

Campaign contributions collected at the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple by Al Gore were clearly violating existing campaign laws. Public pressure stopped Bill Clinton from turning over the port of Long Beach to the Chinese shipping company, COSCO. However, the control of the Panama Canal was given to the Chinese with Clinton's blessing. Perhaps, one of the regular contributors to this page, on the left, could give me some insight as to what is with your allegiance to China?

Jim Stuart

Carlsbad

Not enough help for seniors

In a letter dated May 24, Rick Paul suggests I call District Attorney Paul Greenwood's office in regard to help for elder abuse. I've been helping seniors in Escondido since 1987 and am well aware of my options. Escondido seniors get no help from the city code enforcement or city attorney's office. I have documented this numerous times in the past few years. …

I personally know Paul Greenwood and the "aggressive pursuit" that Mr. Paul speaks of. It often consists of a letter or phone call stating, "We don't have the funds to investigate" or some other lame excuse. Maybe Rick should try and help someone and then speak from his own personal success instead of believing everything he hears from the likes of Paul Greenwood, the city and/or this paper. I can be called at (760) 745-3734.

Gerald Lenhard

Escondido

Hate crime bill deserves support

Love thy neighbor as thyself. Christ was against hatred and persecution of people perceived as different. Please be a good Christian and support the Matthew Shepard Act. This is a step toward equality for all under the law.

Laura Saenz

Oceanside

Web comments

Tri-City gives CEO current and future raises

Readers respond to our June 1 story about Tri-City Medical Center's governing board approving two raises for the hospital's chief executive Art Gonzalez at a regular meeting Thursday, citing a need to keep his salary competitive with executives at other similar-sized facilities.

Keeping my money

Larry: "Please join me in voting no for Tri-City's third bond election attempt that is likely to be on November's ballot. This board shows again with this obscene raise for its CEO that it cannot govern with the best interests of the district's residents in mind. Don't give them $600 million of your tax dollars to do what they please."

Wrong percentile

Get Real: "Thirty-four percent of hospital CEO's at similarly sized hospitals get paid more than Dr. Gonzalez and don't have to put up with Sterling … doesn't seem fair."

Fat salaries

Oink, Oink, Oink: "Now here is a good reason why we don't need a hospital bond. The salary of these public employees needs to stop - what an outrage. School superintendents rack in a couple hundred for producing the worst schools in the state, what is wrong with this picture? Where is the accountability and who controls the puppet boards?"

What a joke

Hilarious!: "Let's give the chief executives massive pay raises that place them in the top one percent of the US while the hospital system struggles to provide medical services. Is this a great country or what?"

Dead in the water

Oceansider: "These folks on the TCMC board just don't get it, and apparently they never will. Don't bother with hiring a consulting firm to assess why your bonds failed. And don't bother to float another one."

Seconds

ADIVINO: "This has to be the stupidest move the board has made yet. Kiss that new bond measure good-bye. As for Kathleen Sterling, give her credit for voting no - her vote proves once again that even a busted clock can be right twice a day. She was right to vote no twice."

State shuts off one of SoCal's water supply taps

Readers respond to our June 1 story about state officials abruptly shutting down the pumps that delivers roughly two-thirds of Southern California's annual water supply to protect a fish, the endangered delta smelt. Officials say the shutdown would not cut anyone's water supply.

Drip, drip

HowDryIAm: "Socal, get the message: Water is precious and we need to get into the conservation mode in a serious way. This is just the tip of the - melting - iceberg."

Let it flow

Upset: "No way I'm cutting back. Governments and the building industry guaranteed that water was available before new housing was approved. Obviously, they did not know what they were talking about or they were lying. We need a moratorium until this is all sorted out and a guarantee means something. Besides, it is the one who cuts back now who gets hurt in the long run."

Drying up

joe: "It's time to get serious about water in Socal. We need to control our own future. Is that desalination plant in Carlsbad going to happen? Or are they still wrapped up in ridiculous red tape regarding the health of seaweed species, when the future of the entire region is at stake?"

Cork growth

San Marcos resident: "We need a moratorium on residential building and requirements for drought tolerant landscaping. Each water user should have a cap and then huge fines if more is used. But most importantly, no more population growth."

PPH reaches deal to buy Grandesco Building

Readers respond to our June 1 story about the Palomar Pomerado Health agreeing to buy the Grandesco Building on Grand Avenue in a move that offers some reassurance to people concerned about public hospital district's commitment to downtown Escondido.

Proud of PPH

Gadfly: "Interesting news; can't wait to see the whole plan fall neatly into place. PPH is on a roll. We knew they wouldn't dare to deceive us. Go PPH - make us proud!"

Don't get it

Perry: "I thought they (PPH) was going to build a new office building downtown and that's why they needed Valley Boulevard - not just renovate the Grandesco Building in preparation for moving its corporate offices there from Carmel Mountain Ranch this fall."

Hot feet

The Cobra: "Councilman Abed, please keep Palomar Pomerado's feet to the fire. Remember the MOU Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3. Abed for Mayor."

More questions

Confused?: "Is PPH going to tear down this building to make room to build the new 50,000 square foot corporate office building? Weren't they supposed to buy the whole block? Is 12,000 square feet enough room for 200 corporate employees? Does this mean that the City of Escondido is now obligated to spend $2.5 million to relocate Valley Boulevard?"

History lesson

Traffic Study: "Remember the traffic study about the impacts of closing Valley Blvd.? Remember the public discussion of those traffic impacts? In case you missed them, those discussions [are on nctimes.com]. There you have it! 'Phillips said that city officials do not see the loss of Valley Boulevard as a potential problem because drivers can use other streets to get around the hospital.' That's it! Drivers can use other streets. Any idea what other streets? Also, will it cost the city $2.5 million to have the drivers use these other streets?"