Clausen's welcome-home parade

I am writing about a column in the Opinion Section of the Nov. 3 North County Times ("An apology to a veteran"). The author, Mr. Dennis Clausen, has written and you have printed what I consider to be a poor column. …

When I read this, I thought back on the daily and often-violent events in our country during the Vietnam War. Those who chose to express themselves with violence and direct action against anyone wearing the uniform of our country suffered their wrath. Then, many years later, like a miracle, these same "protesters" wanted to be forgiven and recognized for becoming good, taxpaying citizens. They finally welcomed us home (until then, these people told us we could not come home). They even had a welcome-home parade.

This column was, in my opinion, Mr. Clausen's welcome-home parade for "Shaky Carlson." And he satisfied a contractual requirement at the same time. I honestly hope he felt no sense of relief or pride when you printed it. He certainly did not impress this reader that he was sincere.

Ed Hollingsworth

U.S. Army (retired)

Oceanside

Just what are judges for?

Proponents of Proposition 8 offered several irrational arguments for their position. They complained that "activist judges" overturned the will of the majority. But that's what judges are supposed to do when the majority seeks to deny the rights of a minority. A good judge must be an activist in protecting minorities and securing equal treatment under the law. Otherwise, the majority always tyrannizes the minority.

The notion that same-sex marriages somehow threaten the sanctity and strength of heterosexual marriages is simply absurd. Those who worry about the health of heterosexual marriages should focus their attention on divorce, which is the real threat to marriage.

No church would be compelled to perform same-sex marriages. We know this from over 50 years of experience after the legalization of mixed-racial marriage. No church has ever been compelled to perform a marriage between a black and a white, and churches in the South are still the most segregated institutions. Go to a rural Southern Baptist Church on a Sunday morning and count the number of blacks in the congregation. Then count the number of racially mixed couples in the congregation. Ain't none. Secular law, however, must not codify such prejudice.

J. Howard Crews

Fallbrook

Take positive action instead of blame game

Re: "Telltale signs of recession," Nov. 1: With auto sales at the weakest level in 20 years, the auto industry is in major danger of collapsing. In addition, U.S. factory activity in October dropped to its lowest level in 26 years. Joblessness is soaring and the economy is shrinking on a daily basis. Is there any doubt we are well into a recession?

What can be done to stop the slide toward a Depression? Steps need to be taken quickly to extend unemployment benefits and food stamp programs. Interest rate cuts are not helping the credit crisis nor helping homeowners. Economies around the world are weakening because of the tightening of credit.

Now is the time to be focusing on improving our infrastructure problems, such as improving our roads, bridges and tunnels, which would create millions of jobs and stimulate the economy in a meaningful manner to a greater extent than more stimulus checks would.

We need Congress to get to work immediately and take some positive actions rather than playing the blame game.

Ira Landis

Oceanside

Restaurants need to conserve water, too

It seems that every day we are reading of the rapidly approaching water emergency, and yet all of the restaurants in San Diego County continue to serve glasses of ice water to anyone who sits down at a counter or table. To me, this is a total waste of our resources.

Last week, we were at a restaurant out in Borrego Springs, which is rapidly depleting its aquifer, and we also had water with ice cubes placed on our table. It seems to me that the county and city water authorities should be taking some type of action, even voluntary, to stop this waste of millions of gallons per week. Why don't the restaurants simply only serve water when requested?

Something to think about!

Charles

Teichert Jr.

Ramona

Aussie train was truly unforgettable

I chuckled when I read the letter touting the wonderful transport system enjoyed by Australians (Nov. 3).

I toured from Melbourne to Cairns in 1991 after buying a bus ticket enabling me to travel for the whole month with as many stops as I wished. The long-distance coaches were so very slow that at Brisbane I had to switch to riding the train, and felt very lucky to find a sleeper for my last 24-hour leg of the trip to Cairns. This turned out to be a very small compartment for three ladies; the husbands were segregated in the other half of the train. When the porter came to arrange our beds for the night, two shelves were pulled out for beds and I got the lower, which was the hard-plastic seat we had all been sitting on. We were each handed a dirty-looking grey blanket and a grubby-looking pillow for the night. Amazingly, I slept.

Yes, my Australian transportation was truly unforgettable.

Joy Trumble

Oceanside

Doodoo economics

In the early 1980s, Ronald Reagan cut taxes across the board. He adopted the same supply-side theory described by John F. Kennedy as "a rising tide that lifts all boats." Both Reagan and Kennedy accepted the premise that the investor class, when allowed to keep more of their earnings, created more products, markets, jobs and paychecks. For obvious reasons it was called "trickle down." Reagan's political opponents called it "voodoo economics."

Today we have two new examples of "trickle down" economics, which I call "doodoo economics." First, there is the federal $700 billion bank industry infusion, using money borrowed on taxpayer I.O.U.s so banks that went broke speculating in bad loans can continue in the loan-making business.

The second "trickle down" example of doodoo economics is that of Barack Obama's promise to increase taxes on the investor class so that government bureaucrats can become the new investor class, speculating in windmills and solar panels. We seem to think it's not socialism if we give it another name, like Government Subsidized Enterprise, or an acronym like GSE.

Yes, our capacity for self-deception, and self-justification, is enormous, isn't it?

Grant Kuhns

Carlsbad

Election's over; now remove those signs

First, I want to thank all the various candidates for participating in the democratic process. It was a long campaign for many of you, and we appreciate your efforts, winners and losers alike.

In addition, I want to remind all individuals and organizations of your responsibility to your community of removing all your campaign signs. Please respect the two-week deadline from Election Day for removal of these signs.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Jedda Lorek

Keep Fallbrook

Clean & Green

Fallbrook