Should we be talking to our enemies?

Barack Obama was startled by the vehemence of the liberal community against the selection of the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver his inaugural invocation. How could Obama be so insensitive by selecting a man who stated he's opposed to gay marriage the same way he is opposed to a brother and sister marrying (that would be incest), a man marrying a child (that would be statutory rape) or someone having multiple spouses (that would be polygamy)? When pressed, Warren said he considered those crimes equivalent to gay marriage. Warren's selection is a kick in the gut for gays, still smarting from being made second-class citizens on Nov. 4.

True, Warren isn't a policymaker, and perhaps no one will remember a word Warren says after Aretha Franklin sings, but should Obama even be talking to such a devious enemy of equality? Then I remembered the storm kicked up when Obama suggested we should talk with our enemies in Iran. The Bushites excoriated him as a traitor.

I believe it is always better to talk with our "enemies" rather than launch pre-emptive war. So if we can talk with Iran, perhaps there is hope we can reason with the Rev. Rick. I hope so.

J. Howard Crews

Fallbrook

The effects of commodity trading

Commodity trading concerns the purchase of ownership rights for products that are to be delivered for future use. It was originally employed by businesses to protect themselves, or "hedge," against future price increases.

Through the years, the practice of hedging has evolved primarily into speculation where the purchaser of the commodity has no intention of taking delivery, but instead, makes a profit by purchasing and reselling the commodity as the price increases. The speculation commodity trader adds no value to the commodity the way a distribution company would, and provides our economy no legitimate service other than raising the price of the commodity. Purchases are made with little or no money down, and the profits can be very large, like the $3 billion one of them made in 2007. Where did that money come from? From the individual consumer of the commodity.

Committee meetings in both the Senate and the House indicated that trader speculation is the main cause of oil price changes and far exceeds that of supply and demand. This is verified as the price of oil has dropped about 75 percent but the demand has not. Speculation commodity trading is bad for the consumers and should be outlawed.

Herbert Pairitz

Carlsbad

Those who love Israel hope for peace

Apparently I missed the letters from the "peace and justice" crowd condemning the thousands of Kazam rockets fired into Israel by Hamas (remove tongue from cheek). An issue never discussed by anti-Jewish bigots is the call by Hamas (and the hordes of other terror groups) for the complete destruction of Israel. And when screeching about the post-1967 "occupied territories," they conveniently "forget" that Israel's Arab neighbors amassed 100,000 troops and tanks on her border. When something so provocative occurs, don't be surprised when territory is lost.

No matter –– I will answer the questions of Amanda Bicknell on Dec. 30.

You are welcome to "investigate my bias," but I do not get my wealth from the "military-industrial complex," belong to the Project for the New American Century, nor am I anti-social.

Those of us who love and support Israel hope for peace in the Middle East. That is not likely to happen until (to paraphrase Golda Meir) Arab terrorists love their children as much as they hate Israel.

Anti-Jewish bigots may want to stock up on white sheets at the after-Christmas sales.

Alexandra Cloney

Encinitas

Israel has no alternative but defense

Regarding Daniel Lynch and Amanda Bicknell (Letters, Dec. 30) and I'm sure others who may follow, about Israel's recent attacks in Gaza, consider this: Your next-door neighbor starts tossing hand grenades over the fence into your backyard. What would you do? Talk to them and ask them to stop, or retaliate with bigger grenades? That's exactly what Israel is doing.

They tried talking and came to a six-month truce, which was continuously disregarded by Hamas, which kept lobbing missiles into Israel. They were warned that if they didn't stop, retaliation would follow. Well, that is the result, and most everyone is feeling sorry for the "poor" Palestinians. Why can't their oil-rich Arab neighbors help the Palestinians financially instead of supplying them with weapons to rain down on Israel?

Let's face it –– Israel has no alternative but to defend itself. I'm afraid there may never be peace. Israel is hated by virtually every country in the Middle East, and they all want it eradicated. But the tiny country with a will of iron and a military arm second to none, with the backing of the U.S., will not let that happen. May God bless Israel!

Jack Strumpf

Escondido

If you won't fight for America, leave

In regard to Kimberly Cojokari's letter of Dec. 26: If her beautiful little daughter was the only one to hold up their hand when asked, "Who would fight for their country?" it is quite plain indeed the other students aren't worth the rest of us fighting for them. These so-called students have had it just too good and easy in this great country. Most of these so-called students and their parents should go back to wherever they came from and the sooner, the better. There aren't any fences keeping them from going back. The U.S.A. does not need them today, nor will we need them tomorrow. They are a complete disgrace.

If this history instructor would invite some of us combat veterans (as some of the other schools in North County have done for years) into the classroom to speak to these so-called students, perhaps some eyes might be opened. If that does not do it, these so-called students are completely hopeless, period. … Pray loud and often for the United States of America. We do indeed need it.

George Carter

Oceanside

Why fire engines respond

In this time of economic crisis, I appreciate Mr. Raymond Deming's questioning of why the fire department sends a fire engine to ambulance calls (Letters, Dec. 29).

The answer is quality of care!

When someone is not breathing and without a pulse, the fire department must place trained crews on the scene in four to six minutes for that patient to have a chance of resuscitation.

Most fire engines have a paramedic and carry the same medical equipment as an ambulance. Fire stations are strategically located in our community, and there are more fire engines than ambulances. Because of this, it is likely that a fire engine will arrive first at a medical emergency.

Additional staffing enables the crew to simultaneously complete different tasks for the patient's care. For example, when a patient has a heart attack, chest compressions, rescue breathing, setting up the defibrillator, starting an IV and administering life-saving drugs all need to be accomplished quickly and simultaneously to give the patient the best chance of survival.

By having a fire engine at the scene with an ambulance, the care of the patient is improved, and the preparation time before transport to the hospital is significantly shortened.

Bill Clark

Poway

Fallbrook has a 'Mrs. Claus'

While dining at a Denny's restaurant shortly before Christmas, our waitress came to our table to say our bill had been paid by a wonderful lady.

This lady didn't wait around to be thanked, so we would like to thank her now for her generosity and to wish her all the best in the coming new year.

Harold and Florence Tomlinson

Fallbrook

Fire trucks are usually necessary

A letter writer recently wondered why a fire truck had to respond to medical emergencies ("Fire trucks are sometimes unnecessary," Letters, Dec. 29). He thought that this was wasteful when the paramedics could handle the incident alone.

There are at least two good reasons why a fire truck is necessary on most medical calls. In most areas, a fire engine is closer to a given address than the nearest paramedic unit. There might be one paramedic unit for every three to six fire stations (depending on the jurisdiction). This means the engine can get to an incident sooner than the medics. Time is of the essence in life-threatening medical situations. Often, the engine can handle the incident without needing the paramedics. They can then cancel the medics, leaving them available for other life-threatening incidents.

Oftentimes, medical emergencies require more people than the two on the paramedic unit. Again, time is of the essence and when CPR needs to be performed or when there is a serious trauma situation, the more hands the better.

Also, some jurisdictions have paramedics on the fire engine and that will be the only unit to respond.

It is not wasteful to send more people to an incident when it is not really known what might be involved until the first unit arrives.

Mike Reardon

retired, captain, L.A. County Fire Department

Fallbrook

Oceanside hasn't made any traffic progress

Poor Marilyn Prado (Letters, Dec. 27). Unhappy that Esther Sanchez wasn't appointed to SANDAG. It's time to protest.

What has SANDAG ever done for Oceanside? Which of the five essentially empty seats have been appointed to SANDAG over the years? The fact of the matter is that Oceanside has no effect and has never had an effect on Caltrans or SANDAG.

Forty-six years ago, late 1962, early 1963, the Blade Tribune announced residents could see the Caltrans plans for the Highway 76 freeway from Oceanside to Interstate 15 (then State Route 395). Beautiful, limited access, no traffic lights, etc. Has anybody seen or found it yet? SANDAG is now the effective agency. Somehow, since the early '60s, over 300 miles of new or expanded freeways have been built in San Diego County. Lucky Oceanside received the only expressway in San Diego County, completed just after a freeway went to Santee, maybe one-third the size of Oceanside. In reality, the expressway is just another city street we didn't have to pay for.

The word "expressway" is a joke. Yesterday, while coming west on Highway 76 expressway, I entered the southbound turn pocket at Foussat. Six minutes later, I crossed Mission Avenue, one block away. Forty-six years –– progress?

Jim Bassett

Oceanside

Torture does not reflect well on the U.S.

Waterboarding is torture, one act in a slippery slope that has no end and is morally bankrupt. The Bush Administration supported the use of torture in its fear-driven attempt to secure information from "suspects." In doing so, they showed the world that the United States does not have the high ground. Not only do we invade countries using lies that support intelligence policy around the policy, but we then arrest and hold people without habeas corpus and torture them.

These acts have created enemies where there were none. The only way to show the world that the acts of an administration do not reflect the morality of a country is to separate ourselves from them, and then hold them accountable.

Please support HR1531 and take additional steps to bring these corrupt, hypocritical men and women to justice. Justicia victum iniquitas.

Scott Gessner

Encinitas

Pardon of Bush, Cheney would be a slap in the face

Is the United States a law-abiding country? Do the president and vice-president swear on a Bible to protect and defend the Constitution? Does that include the laws of the land? If your answers are "yes," then Bush and Cheney should not be pardoned and denied their rights to a fair and speedy trial in court for breaking the law by authorizing torture.

As a retired teacher of history and government for 31 years, I think that a pardon would be a slap in the face of every citizen of this country and a horrible message for students studying the benefits of our democratic system. We are good people! Support HR1531!

Vivian Peters

Escondido

Racism is being kept alive by race-baiters

Rep. Bobby Rush personifies what is wrong with race relations.

Since Blagojevich is now defendant in a scandal to name Obama's replacement, Senate leaders have warned that they will not approve any pick he makes. Who would have a problem with this? Former Black Panther representative Bobby Rush does, because the appointee happens to be African-American (www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/30/illinois.senate/index.html).

If there is anyone who personifies race-baiting, it is Rush. He is willing to race-bait to the bitter end, even when it means embarrassing himself, the appointee and the people of Illinois' 1st district.

I believe that it is race-baiters like Rush who are keeping racism alive in America. I believe that for racism to be a non-issue, race must also be a non-issue, meaning that we have to become a color-blind nation that does not divide itself into the black community or Hispanic community, represented by exclusive special interest groups and caucuses. If you paid attention to the headlines of Obama's election, you can see how far we have to go as a nation to truly be color-blind; one columnist even stated that "white + black = black" (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/09/btsc.obama.race/index.html).

So Caucasians are basically equal to zero then? Tasteless.

Brian Berg

Rancho Bernardo

Another Israeli slaughter

The Israeli Zionist slaughter of Palestinian people goes on: Beginning even before the Holocaust, and accelerating thereafter, ethnically cleansing as much as possible up to the 1948 declaration of independence. Thereafter, creeping onto the remaining Palestinian territory mostly by contrived wars or land grabs.

From Juan Cole: "Since the Second Intifada broke out in 2000, Israelis have killed nearly 5,000 Palestinians, nearly a thousand of them minors. Since fall of 2007, Israel has kept the 1.5 million Gazans under a blockade, interdicting food, fuel and medical supplies to one degree or another." Present body count in Gaza: 370 Palestinians, five Israelis.

And what was the Palestinians' original sin? They had nothing to do with the Holocaust. But they happened to live on land that, according to some Jewish leaders, was claimed as Jewish in the Old Testament.

Avraham Burg, former speaker of the Israeli Knesset, suggests in "The Holocaust Is Over: We Must Rise From its Ashes" (McMillan, 2008), with regard to the Germans: "We have displaced our anger from one people to another … treating Palestinians as whipping boys to release our aggression, anger, and hysteria." Basically, many Jews are still suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from the Holocaust. We should understand them, but also stop the slaughter in Palestine.

Bob Harvey

Del Mar