Let's share the cost of pier reboarding

The March 7 article on the "reboarding" of the Oceanside pier was very informative ("Replacing a bridge, 2 boards at a time," March 7). Since we are pier-walkers, we are so glad to see the rough boards being replaced. They are real stumblers.

I think a project like this, with each board costing $100 per board, ought to be shared - a good project for the many clubs in Oceanside and Vista. You say it will be four years before it's finished? I hope not. Sounds like they need help, like money and men.

Rita Savage

Vista

NC Forum doesn't glorify death

The letter by William Ficere (March 5) is just more baloney. Ficere complains that the North County Forum was given a half a page in the newspaper for free. Well, the NCT does that for all kinds of groups.

Ficere talks about an e-mail he got from a 15-month, battle-hardened member of the armed forces who served in Iraq and would like to send this propaganda to me, the Parishes and Crewses. This member of the armed forces wrote glowingly of our troops performance but doesn't talk about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead, the hundreds of billions of dollars in destruction, the deplorable state of the health services compared to what they were under Hussein, the over 4 million Iraqis who are now refugees. All that matters to Ficere is how great our troops performed. We know what that means, don't we?

Ficere says the Iraqis want to live in peace. Well, they were living in peace until March 19, 2003, when they were in their beds and we started dropping bombs on them. As far as I am concerned, we need more people like those at the North County Forum instead of people who try to glorify unnecessary death and destruction.

Chris Pulse

Vista

The wrong way to clean a wooden pier

The city decided the wooden pier deck is worn, warped and unsafe ("Replacing a bridge, 2 boards at a time," March 7). If so, they are to blame. And the reason for needing replacement is different than claimed. The wood damage was caused by the extremely high-water pressure used to clean the deck, not by years of pedestrian walking.

I have witnessed the cleaning process. The wood surface texture looks different after cleaning, but only because the dirt coming off the deck carries pieces of the wood. The extensive wood wear is longitudinally in the direction of the applied water pressure, not along the pier length if it were caused by pedestrians. There are no warped boards, only the appearance of warping due to the wooden knots capability of resisting the force of the water. Consequently, the tripping hazards for walkers are due to the city's improper cleaning methods.

Water pressure cleaning is probably done because of its lower cost; while it is cheap now, it is very expensive when boards are replaced.

Perhaps if low-pressure steam without harmful additives were considered as a cleaning alternative, it would more likely soften and remove the dirt without the wood damage. The city maintenance department needs to improve its skills to save tax money.

Roberto Diaz

Oceanside

Alternative energy or extinction

I would like to express my astonishment at the level of intelligence that would even entertain the thought of running a power line though a state park. Let's move into the new paradigm and leave this self-destructive pattern. Alternative energy or extinction.

Stacey Landfield

Warner Springs

We are heading into a recession - hah!

Almost every paper and news magazine in the land is saying we're heading into a recession. Duh! What was their first clue? Stagflation, inflation, unemployed, gas prices, increase in food costs, depreciation of real estate, $12 billion per month for a war that's going nowhere, high costs of power, or all of the above? When one of the two richest Americans claims we are in a recession, we are probably right next to a depression.

Warren Buffett, who is known to take advantage of these situations, made just such a statement recently. How do we wrestle with these problems when it seems our national representatives have no idea what the lives of their constituents entail? How possibly can a millionaire businessman and a wealthy ex-lobbyist know what a dozen eggs or a loaf of bread costs? They probably don't have any idea of the price for a gallon of gas.

We have started advising school principals and teachers of massive layoffs. More unemployment will only put more of us at risk of bankruptcy and other assorted dilemmas. Whatever happened to the promises of a rich ex-actor to preserve the state budgets and costs to the taxpayers?

Don Frate

Oceanside

Is bottled water also contaminated?

A variety of recent publications, including the North County Times, have had articles on the contamination of drinking water by traces of pharmaceuticals throughout the country, including the San Diego area ("Pharmaceuticals found in drinking water, affecting wildlife and maybe humans," March 10). None of the articles has mentioned whether bottled water may also be contaminated in this way, an oversight that is puzzling, since all water has pretty much the same sources.

Clay Northcote

Carlsbad

Ole? How sad

In our country that bans cruelty to animal, including bullfighting, the Back Page for March 14 delineates a bullfighting image from Spain. The title is "Ole." Your image depicts a tortured bull with four long, decorated, barbed sticks in the bull's back. The purpose of this is to slice slowly the bull's back and neck muscles, weakening and immobilizing the bull's charge. With blood flowing from the bull's neck, the bull is eventually stuck in the heart with a massive sword.

While the matadors gesture at the bull as it's wobbling around, the sword slices the bull's internal organs, in its last few moments of life. I believe an apology and retraction is on order for this image of animal cruelty.

Michael Senger

Carlsbad

Raise taxes or cut services

The U.S. national debt started after WWII and crept up to the $1 trillion mark by 1980. From 1980 to now, the U.S. has borrowed $8 trillion, with 70 percent borrowed by Reagan, Bush I and Bush II of the "fiscally conservative" GOP. The GOP is the borrow-and-spend party, and has shifted the tax burden from investors to the working class.

The GOP refuses to raise taxes, preferring the wisdom of passing debt to future Americans. As an added bonus for rich investors, taxpayers pay them $500 billion or so per year in risk-free bond interest. Working people understand how foolish this is. You open your credit card bill and you owe $8 trillion, costing you $500 billion a year in interest. The smart thing to do is to raise revenues (taxes), but instead you rely on a failed economic theory called supply-side economics, called voodoo economics by Bush I.

Either taxes have to go up now, or for your kids and grandkids, or government services will be slashed to pay for tax cuts for the rich and the Iraq occupation (the starve-the-beast strategy). Rich Republicans will gain more in tax breaks and debt interest than they'll lose. Everyone else, and future Americans, get to pay the bill.

Paul Cavanaugh

Ramona

His words are silenced, but his thoughts live on

This week an amazing letter writer to this paper was lost. Rocky Velgos passed away ("Remembering Rocky Velgos: Vistan championed rights for homosexual community," March 13). He was 79, and he was living life the way he loved it! I know there were those of you he could really ruffle. And I thank him for that! He was a man who thought about what he was "taught" and mixed it with what he thought was right for all mankind. He showed us that at any age you can learn. You can have a voice.

I know he learned a lot from your letters as well. His words may be silenced now, but his thoughts and hopes have reached enough people to keep them going. I will miss this talented man. And so will you. God bless you, Rocky!

Rebecca Carper

Carlsbad

One thousand times incorrect!

A letter writer who bemoaned the cost of the Iraq war as $500 trillion is 1,000 times incorrect (Letters, March 13). Do the math: $12 billion per month times 12 months times five years is $720 billion. That's billion, not trillion. A part of that $12 billion per month is being spent in Afghanistan, so rounding the $720 billion to $500 billion may be a reasonable approximation. It is big money, but it is well-spent.

American taxes spent on freedom in the Middle East are insurance on our own security. The writer's woeful, exaggerated assessment of the nation's needs is as misguided as her math. If America does not find money for potholes, education and good health, it is not our national poverty that's to blame; it's a deficiency in personal and local priorities. … It is a pity that there are citizens who don't know the difference between trillion and billion, but let's not blame "the government."

Marilyn Werkema

San Marcos

Octos members could help unravel lies

I suspect that an Octos column, as suggested by Karl Johnson in North County Times, March 12, seems plausible, reasonable and needed in today's hectic scramble to print or chat about what is going on. The Letters page is a helter-skelter mix of hodgepodge.

Those of us defending our nation from local radical Latino activists are routinely ridiculed, tromped on and besieged by the too-regular writers who browbeat those of us demanding enforcement of federal immigration laws. "Who knows?" Suggest the majority of readers really do know our country is doomed if we do not meet the standards of laws upon which our nation was founded.

This paper seems to lean heavily in printing the most demeaning pack of lies about our leaders, our military and even the horrifying event of Sept. 11, as depicted by these activists. We have a national election approaching with even more hodgepodge on all the media. We Octos people need all the help we can get. Thanks for listening.

Bob Limpus

Fallbrook

Pertinent questions to ask ourselves

Since the North County Times has a limit on letter length, this is my second installment of pertinent questions that we, as responsible world, U.S. and California citizens, might be wise to think about: Does gaming in America stand for anything you would like your children to emulate? Who is doing the gambling, and what are the long-term effects from habitual visits to the local casino? … Are estate inheritances becoming smaller due to gambling? …

Do we have enough people in the U.S. already, or should we keep adding to the population through immigration? Are we now experiencing exponential demand to our resources (highways, water, air, open space) due to population? Should the U.S. quotas (numbers) for immigration be adhered to for all types of immigration or only for legal immigration? Are tractor-trailer trucks breaking the law by traveling at 70 mph on our freeways, even though speed limit signs still say 55 mph? How come we don't change the lawful truck speed limit or enforce the law? …

Global warming (due to greenhouse gases): How many of us think it is real or just conjecture? Which is more important: Paris Hilton's latest caper or global warming? (It may seem like a joke, but think about the media coverage that each topic gets.)

G. Lance Johannsen

Carlsbad

Stop all the unnecessary and bloody wars

Buzz Brandeis (Letters, March 11) worries that a President John McCain would seek to be remembered as a "war president." Yes, it is sickening to watch a swaggering George W. Bush calling himself the war president.

Chris Hedges, a former New York Times war correspondent, with a master's of divinity from Harvard, wrote a widely acclaimed book published in 2002 titled, "War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning." Hedges dedicated the book to his father, "the Rev. Thomas Hodges, who taught me that compassion was the highest virtue."

The unnecessary and bloody Vietnam and Iraq wars would not have been perpetrated on the Vietnamese and Iraqi people if we, the American people, felt compassion beyond the oceans. Each war was phonied up by deceit: Vietnam, the so-called Gulf of Tonkin incident; Iraq, imaginary weapons of mass destruction. The Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving President Johnson the authority to ratchet up the war in Vietnam, passed the Congress in 1964 by a total vote of 533-2. If Sen. Clinton had voted against the Iraq war, she would not have become a major presidential candidate. Sen. Obama likes to say that he opposed the war, but he did not become a senator until the war was almost two years old.

Harold Weber

Oceanside

More lies posted on more blogs

Like Roy Holmgren from Murrieta, who recently filed a court order against Google to release the name(s) of those calling him a criminal online, my detractors lie on these Web sites like it's a hobby for them, hidden in a shroud of anonymity. The latest topping the Google search engine is: "Kowell is a stock owner in GCI or he stands to … " from http://pipl.com/directory/people/Bob/Kowell.

This is one of the three so-called major facts about me. No, I don't own stock in GCI (a newspaper company), nor do I own stock in what I think they meant by the article, GVA (Granite Construction), who owns the Liberty Quarry, nor do I gain anything by supporting the Liberty Quarry. These people didn't even get the stock symbol right, let alone the facts about the quarry. I support the quarry because it is the right thing. All the reports show it is the right thing and that it won't cause the environmental disaster its detractors say it will. In fact, it will lesson the environmental impact by keeping trucks off the road from other regions.

Two city councilmen have told the Republican Women Federated club that they would support the quarry if the reports showed that the quarry is a positive step for Temecula. All the reports are in, and they say it is a positive step for Temecula. The city has done its own report, but for some reason, they have trouble publishing it. I bet it shows that the quarry is good for us.

Bob Kowell

Murrieta

Don't rush to conclusions on fatal shooting

In the March 12 letter "Where is officer's accountability?", the writer asks a lot of questions and assumes a lot of facts not yet proven. He apparently has found the officer guilty of a crime from reading a newspaper article. I, for one, am not amused by his colorful language describing the "Cowboy from Costa Mesa" having the right to "come into my town, six-guns blazing." Furthermore, I doubt that he has great respect for the police as he says, or he would not have written this letter.

Officer-involved shootings are time-consuming and must be thorough. Let's wait for the final results, then we'll know what happened.

Wayne Harber

Temecula

The truth will come out, eventually

I'm writing in response to the March 12 letter written by Charles Coe. If you are going to assume that this officer came into town with "six-guns blazing" then what about the fact that the shooting victim has a history of violence. Are you going to assume that he went down there looking for a fight? Should this officer be carrying a gun? The law says he can. Did he come into town looking to use it? Highly unlikely.

As witnesses come forward, it is sounding more and more like there were some bullies down there that night. It also sounds like this officer was attacked, and even after he identified himself, these people kept up their attack. And all of this with a child present. I am sorry for this family's loss; it is very tragic. But the family's version of what happened and the witnesses that have been interviewed seem to be very different. The authorities will find out the facts, and I think that many people's idea of what happened and the actual truth will be two different things. So I don't think it is fair to anyone involved for Mr. Coe to act as judge and jury. What is truly sad is that an innocent child's life will be affected forever, because adults cannot behave like adults.

Karen Wende

Temecula

Fresh from the Web:

Off-duty SDPD officer involved in O'side shooting of mother, child

Readers respond to our March 17 story about an incident in which an off-duty San Diego Police officer shot and wounded a mother and child Saturday in what officials have said may be a road-rage incident, according to the San Diego chief of police.

Worried

Geeze: Do we now need to be leary of our police officers? Of course I will withold judgment until all of the facts are in, but geeze!

Quick to judge

Esteban: Geeze, sounds like your mind is already made up.

Disengage

Lonnie: This points up something that I tell my teenager. Do not engage in rage behavior behind the wheel. You don't know who you are dealing with and/or what they are capable of. It might be the last straw for someone who is the equivalent of an unstable stick of dynamite. Let it go, you are the noble one.

Not all facts are in

Steven C.: Funny how there are no facts and people are already jumping to conclusions. I would certainly fear having any of you on my jury panel. I do agree with Lonnie about engaging in rage behavior. Not worth it.

Carlsbad man builds zero energy house

Readers respond to our March 17 story about how Carlsbad resident Peder Norby is going green with his home by using solar paneling and native low water plants.

Downsize

Johnboy: I applaud the effort, however, giving an award to someone who built a huge house seems contradictory. An award like that should go to someone who built and lives in a small house, using a fraction of the resources to build. I retrofitted my 1,500 square-foot house (5 adults) for a fraction of the resources, and use almost half as many solar panels to acheive energy independence, thereby freeing up panels for someone else to use. Yes, producing solar panels uses energy and produces carbon. My hero is a guy who lives off two solar panels, off-grid at that. Where is his award? He will never get one because we reward grandiose ventures, we need to get over it.

Not as green as it seems

Good for him: But I wonder if he is aware how much pollution is caused in the manufacturing process of solar panels, not to mention over their lifetime they don't produce more energy than it takes to make one.

No relying on SDG&E

Robert24: … The PV system does way more for the environment than not having one and relying on SDG&E (or whoever your energy supplier is) for your power. Silly comments like the one "Good for Him" wrote only prove how far we still need to go to educate people on alternative energy sources. I doubt that "Good for Him" has any facts to back up his statement, and having renewable energy (like solar) is a much better avenue than getting out power from fossil fuels or other means that create issues in the production of power. Great article!

Downtown Escondido vacancies worrying merchants, city

Readers respond to our March 16 story about how a rash of business vacancies on Escondido's Grand Avenue has generated debate about the future of the city's old-fashioned downtown district and the best ways to bolster the area.

Too expensive

Entreprenuer: In a nutshell, rents are out of control and need to be adjusted so businesses can be viable. Rents in the $2,000 and $3000 range are not feasible for long term growth. As a business owner looking for a new location, Grand Avenue would be nice but not at the current rates. The problems of downtown Escondido are deeper than anyone wants to admit. Instead of dreaming what tomorrow will bring let's deal with the reality of today's current situation and how can it be remedied.

Promote history

Escondodo: Marketing can always be improved but historically the downtowm has seen businesses come and go and move from location to location within the downtown. I agree that we should play up the historic aspect of our downtown. I think that it is a diamond in the rough and well worth supporting. When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

Bad atmosphere

Winston: Waldron is a perfect example of how Escondido is currently perceived, which is basically a racist and xenophobic town. Surely there are many people that would rather take their business else where. Without a doubt, Escondido's documented unconstitutional attack on immigrants has truly encouraged an economic boycott on their city. Oh by the way, the hookers and druggies don't help either.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/03/15/news/californian/temecula/22_34_263_14_08.txt

Fire station complete, inaccessible

An article Saturday on how a fire station sits vacant on land targeted for the unbuilt Roripaugh subdivision sparked some comments:

Disconnected

Melissa J.: It is good that Temecula requires infrastructure to be built before the houses. Just look at Murrieta where we have houses and two-lane roads leading in and out of the tracts. It's terrible. We don't have any roads that connect with Temecula like Ynez, Diaz, etc. …

Emptiness

another fine: job by the building department of Temecula. Build, build, build, build. Now, we have empty firehouses, empty schools, and empty brains at City Hall.

Open it

Go GOP Leaders Spend: Solution - buy brush trucks for that station and get it on line - a lot cheaper than any fix mentioned. Have city (public) works blade the road when needed. …

Essence of simplicity

Frankendennis: Way to go, Temecula. No infrastructure, no homes get to be built. That simple.

Ready to go

Mark F.: The city is right to make developers build the roads and fire stations before the houses go in. When Roripaugh gets its act together and builds the homes that were approved by the county in the 1980s (before Temecula was a city), the fire station is up and ready to go. …

Land denuded

Drew: The developer has cleared the land and graded, but no houses. Basically, every shrub, bush, tree is gone. The wildlife that was there is now gone. … These guys managed to tear off the top soil and leave it a bare field for acres and acres. …