lTime to complain was when rule was made

Maybe Mr. Harris is right that if Hillary Clinton had paid for revoting in Florida and Michigan, she would have cinched the nomination ("Hillary's $50 million mistake," June 8). However, the time for her to object to the disenfranchising of those states was when the National Democratic Committee made that dumb decision. She agreed with it at the time, apparently believing she would be the nominee and it wouldn't matter. It wasn't until she was losing that all of a sudden it became important to change the rules and make sure that every vote would count. She agreed to the terms, she should abide by them.

Yvon Dacayana

Escondido

Who's doing the drilling?

Drill in the U.S. (Letters, June 10). Great idea - just one problem: who's going to do the drilling? That's right, the oil companies. Need I say more?

Ronald Ford

Valley Center

Hypocrisy in diversity usage

Joseph Grant, like predecessor Rocky Velgos, misrepresents facts and is self-contradicting. In Mr. Grant's letter (May 18), "Columnist's fear of diversity is unfounded," Mr. Grant completely misses the point of columnist Richard Kirk, or more precisely, misrepresents Mr. Kirk's view. Homeschooling is a "diverse" form of education. Mr. Grant criticizes Mr. Kirk's columns as expressing contempt for diversity, while himself expressing contempt for a "diversified" form of education, homeschooling! …

Children are impressionable and tend to believe what they are taught â€"â€" true or false, moral or immoral, safe or harmful. Teachers teach what the state demands, right or wrong. When only one side of a question is presented, as is the case with homosexuality, evolution, abortion and globalization, critical/diverse thinking is suppressed. What's left is indoctrination, not education.

A foreign ideology is creeping into our schools and government. Latest example, State Senate Bill SB1322. This bill would allow teachers to be members of the Communist Party. It would declassify communism as a threat to the U.S. form of government. It would repeal Code 1027.5 of the State Government Code, which details communist goals/infiltration of public education and state government.

Frank Lancelotti

Oceanside

Crackdown is dollar incentive for city

I'm going to have to go back to my Crayola and write a letter to the editor. They want to fine merchants up to $1,000 for their shopping carts showing up around town ("City considers shopping-cart crackdown," June 9). Holy heck. Like they want to lose shopping carts that cost them, I've heard, about $80 to $100. You watch city code enforcement, police, etc., etc., drive by these scofflaws pushing either their groceries, kids to school, parks or the family recycling business.

As usual, the city will blame the businesses for the problem with lack of any blame for having allowed it to get to absolutely ridiculous levels. You can drive down our Coast Highway from one end to the other and see as many as five in one drive-by. Go to the northeast side of town and see a dozen any afternoon.

I, at one point a few years ago, took matters into my own hands and took five carts from recycle people to the city code enforcement office, and they thought I was nuts because I figured it was one of their responsibilities. What was I thinking? There is never a crackdown until there is a dollar incentive for the city.

Rod Wilson

Oceanside

Obama is the change we need

My aunt, a Republican, called me on Tuesday night after Barack Obama officially became the Democratic nominee. She told me she watched McCain's speech and Obama's speech, and she had decided that she will vote for Obama this November. I was excited to hear that, but not surprised. Who really wants another four years of George Bush's failed policies?

I'm looking forward to volunteering for a campaign that is built by people who believe in it, not corporations who would like to run it. John McCain likes to pretend he is opposed to lobbyists running our government, but it's hard to believe him when lobbyists not only work for his campaign but literally do their lobbying while riding on the so-called Straight Talk Express.

I'm ready for change, and I support Obama for president.

Rachel Rott

Vista

A wise and witty book

I was so happy to see that you featured local author Saundra Pelletier's book, "Saddle Up Your Own White Horse" last week ("Pets, mysteries highlight local titles," June 1). She has written a wise and witty book for women (and smart men) of every age. Full of insight and practical tools for achieving dreams and goals.

Sharon Riley

Encinitas

What has Obama accomplished?

After reading Peggy Hart's letter of Tuesday, June 10, I have to admit that I'm impressed by all of the things the Obamassiah will accomplish when he becomes president. I'm impressed, considering that his past accomplishments could all be listed between the last word of this sentence and the period.

If he were elected, I wonder what Hart's excuse will be when his performance measures up to his past record? Who will she blame then - George Bush? If so, perhaps she should start now, just like those currently playing the race card to get him elected.

Dan Shapiro

Oceanside

Look elsewhere for answers to Mideast woes

It seems like … the Arab nations have new representatives in America, namely, William Dreu, Chris Pulse, Sorab Ghandhi, etc. Did they ever ask the question, why don't the oil-rich Arab nations help their own brother Arabs? Why have they driven them out to Israel instead of developing the vast deserts into productive areas like the Israelis did? Instead they import labor from Third World countries to build wealthy empires for themselves.

Arab countries have vast unemployment and problems with their youth, since none are being trained for accomplishments other than terrorism. Despotism stands in the way of necessary advances for Arab youth. The problems are woeful education systems, political autocracy and the absence of the rule of law. Blame the right side for Middle East woes and get on with your so-called lives.

Max Isaac

Oceanside

Strengthen heterosexual marriage

I am afraid Clay Northcote's letter (June 5) misunderstood my letter of May 28. I was not making a case for same-sex marriage, but pleading with heterosexuals to clean up their own act.

Rather than focus on the political agenda of gays, they should be seeking methods and policies that will strengthen traditional marriages. Churches and private schools should be teaching the sacramental aspects of the sexual and spiritual union of male and female. The public schools should have mandatory classes on how to face life when the romance fades and the psychological and economic realities shine a light on their idyllic illusions. How, if you make it through the rough times, a man and a woman really do become one and the joy of companionship far exceeds the emotions of the initial romance.

Straights should be agitating for stronger divorce laws and letting their politicians know that children have rights. … Like the right to be raised by both a father and a mother, so that their environment gives them the best opportunity to develop a healthy personality, perform well in school, avoid drugs and have the ability to form long-lasting relationships. True compassion recognizes the needs of our young.

Charles Smith

Pauma Valley

Who would have thought?

California is going downhill fast (as is this nation). Deadly MRSA may be in our food supply. (It was found in U.S. pigs and farmworkers.) Some tomatoes across the U.S. are tainted with salmonella. Our state legislature wants to educate illegal immigrants for free using our hard-earned tax dollars. The Del Mar Fair (still can't bring myself to call it that "other name") opens the same weekend that the U.S. Open is going on just down the road! Who planned that one? Traffic should be at an all-time standstill on the 5.

And, to top it off, yes, some gasoline has reached over $5 in Oceanside! I look forward to new leadership in Oceanside, Sacramento and in Washington, if we can all survive until November.

Terri Carroll

Oceanside

We must come to our senses

Illegal immigration is breaking and entering. Aiding and abetting is also criminal activity. What am I missing here? Sanctuary cities … amnesty, rights, education, public health, college benefits, employment. Where does it end? The engine that drives this nonsense is an old malady: greed, with a healthy sprinkling of corruption.

There's no doubt that we are invaded for the most part by needy, God-fearing folks, and that's the sad part of it. Politicians beholden to big business must be replaced, and the breaking and entering must stop. How many more will have to die this summer in the desert before we come to our senses? The legal process begins at our consulates and borders. But everyone involved knows that. How tragic.

Louis Haynes

Oceanside

The taxpayers' literacy lab

I went to Encinitas library today and noticed that it now has the Pam Slater-Price Literacy Lab. This is etched in one of the glass panels that walls off the space. I believe it is wrong to dedicate this lab in her name. The "gift" of over $250,000 to reimburse the city for associated costs was not out of her pocket. This money was part of the $2 million that each supervisor awards themselves each year from the tax coffers. This tax money can be spent at their discretion on any project that they deem worthy.

I do not object to the lab. I do object to attaching Slater-Price's name to it when her most arduous effort was to write a check. Certainly, there are more worthy people to honor, such as Marion Rowe or Ida Lou Coley. These two ladies, along with others, were very instrumental in seeing that the library exists today at this site.

John Moore

Encinitas