Real Americans value Fourth Amendment
The June 26 invasion of a private fundraising party for Francine Busby by San Diego sheriff's Deputy Marshall Abbott, without a warrant, is frightening. Abbott, based on one neighbor's call about noise, unlawfully entered Sheri Barman's home and demanded to know not only her name but her age.
When Ms. Barman, an American citizen aware of her rights, dared to ask why he needed to know her date of birth, he became aggressive. Various accounts have him immediately grabbing her wrist and throwing her to the ground, or waiting until she walked away to do so. Whatever the scenario, he had no right to enter her home without a warrant, and he certainly had no right to pepper-spray her or her guests.# But, more frightening than the abuse of power by Abbott is the number of contributors to this page who feel that it was the Busby crowd who were wrong not to defer to this deputy sheriff.
The Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution avers that "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated … " To kowtow to Abbott would have been un-American.
Margaret Liles
Escondido
Teaching occurs through 'letters'
John Terrell (Letters, July 19) still needs to understand the difference between fact and opinion/conjecture. Terrell continually tries to pass off as fact that which is clearly opinion/conjecture.
With respect to Simon LeVay's "matter of fact" statement -- "It's important to stress what I didn't find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn't show that gay men are 'born that way,' the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work." LeVay, a homosexual himself, knew what people like Terrell would imply, so he spelled out clearly (fact) what he did not find.
Terrell, true to what LeVay feared, tries to write off what LeVay states as a matter of fact, as negative evidence -- a meaningless assertion.
Next, Terrell goes: "Lancelotti didn't mention that LeVay went on to say that the part of the brain he studied 'is less likely to be the sole gay nucleus of the brain than part of a chain of nuclei engaged in men and women's sexual behavior.' " The use of the word "hint" (a slight indication; faint or indirect suggestion) presupposes opinion/conjecture with respect to this paragraph.
See the difference, readers?
Frank Lancelotti
Oceanside
'Socialized' medicine's evils mostly lies
People should realize that most of the horror stories we hear about "socialized" medicine in Canada and the U.K. are lies spread by the health insurance industry and their paid agents in Congress to kill the Obama health proposals.
Here is my own experience with socialized medicine in the U.K.: Last year, I visited my daughter, who lives in London. During the long journey, I developed a painful earache that grew steadily worse. By the time I arrived, it was clear that I needed medical attention.
Although it was the Saturday afternoon of a long weekend, it took only a few minutes for my daughter to make an appointment for me to see a doctor within the hour.
When we arrived, formalities were minimal and we were seen promptly. The doctor confirmed that the ear was infected and gave me a prescription for antibiotics.
Because it was then early evening, the doctor was concerned that I might have trouble finding a drugstore that was still open, so she spent several minutes phoning around until she found one that was open. She gave me the address and sent me on my way. And the cost was very reasonable.
David Dick
Escondido
La Jolla seals belong where they are
I really don't understand why it's called the Children's Pool when everyone knows children cannot be left alone. There have to be adults with them, no different from the rest of the beach. So why displace the little seals from where they belong? Is something going on that we don't know or won't be told? …
Seals belong where they are at; it's their territory, not people's. …
Is the state of California so bad? Where is all this money coming from? I call it senseless spending.
Julia Godinez
Escondido
Stop con job about health care costs
Within the past three months, my daughter had the monthly cost of her (health) insurance increased from $204 to $337. I figure that is about a 65 percent increase. Please tell me that someone in this country understands the greed that exists in the health care industry, and is going to do something about it.
In addition, I just received a letter from the CEO of (my) health care provider, (who) I have been with for many years. The letter masthead reads AARP Medicare Complete from (that company). Below in smaller print, it indicates that AARP is not an insurer, and that (the company) pays a fee to AARP for the use of the AARP logo (one of the reasons I do not belong to AARP).
One more layer of profit among the already massive layers of profit that make health care in this country unaffordable. Now tell me again the reason that heath care costs in this country are excessive is because of the great service and exceptional personnel in the health care industry. Stop conning #-- tell it like it is.
Lou Lento
Carlsbad
'Progressives' need to embrace the new
I must take issue with Amy Hoyt Bennett's Community Forum regarding renewable energy ("Renewable energy only option for future," July 24).
She (and others like her) poses the argument that we should be willing to spend more on energy in order to save the planet. But even if you believe that carbon dioxide is causing global warming, and not the other way around, why not support the growing movement to build nuclear power plants that produce electricity cheaply, and without carbon dioxide?
It's time for those who call themselves "progressives" to actually embrace something new and support nuclear power plants that can provide cheap power without the carbon dioxide. We don't need to make the poor and middle class suffer in order to reduce carbon dioxide.
Lowell Dunn
Fallbrook
Rebuttal of argument against Prop. A
The (ballot) rebuttal of the argument against Proposition A might make you think the rebuttal signers belong to independent citizens watchdog organizations, but no, all are powerful Rainbow insiders. Just examine the claimed organization titles of the signers:
1. Gerald Walson: president of Bonsall Area For a Rural Community. Should also say: director of Rainbow Municipal Water District and member of engineering committee by Rainbow directors.
2. Stephen F. Brannon: chairperson, Ratepayer Engineering Services Committee. Should also say: member of engineering committee appointed by Rainbow directors; chairman of engineering committee; member of budget and finance committee appointed by Rainbow directors.
3. D.L. Fagan: chairperson, Ratepayer Budget and Finance Committee. Should say: member of budget and finance committee appointed by Rainbow directors; chairman of budget and finance committee.
4. Tim O'Leary: chairperson, Ratepayers Communication Committee. Should say: member of communications committee appointed by Rainbow directors; chairman of communications committee.
5. Rua M. Petty: ratepayer Committee for Fiscal Responsibility. Should also say: director of Rainbow Municipal Water District; president of the board of directors of Rainbow.
Vote "no way" on Prop. A (and its misrepresented agendas).
Jack Griffiths
Rainbow MWD director
Bonsall
Alaska tour de farce
I hope the GOP doesn't count on my participation if Sarah Palin is on any kind of future national ticket. Even if she had finished out the term she swore to fulfill, I would not vote for Sarah if John the Baptist were her running mate.
Barbara Miller
Carlsbad
Blessed to have health care policy
Recently, I had to undergo surgery to have my diseased gallbladder removed. Fortunately for me, the health care provided by the fantastic staff at Camp Pendleton Naval Hospital afforded me the opportunity to recover quickly enough to return to work just five days after surgery.
I am also blessed to have a comprehensive health care policy. Not having to worry about how I would pay for this unexpected surgery, I was able to focus my full attention on healing, rather than stressing over costly medical bills. How much different my life would be today if I did not have health care coverage.
Sadly, millions of Americans are far less fortunate than I. It pains me to think about the multitudes of middle-class uninsured families. What happens when they need health care? What do they do? We, as a nation, need to stand up for what is right.
Health care is a right, not a privilege. Why do the good citizens of this great nation deserve any less health care than the congressmen and senators they elect? Isn't it time for all of us to have access to the same health care as our politicians?
Ann Gray
Oceanside
Lobbyists blocking health care reform
We desperately need health care reform. Today when I went to a lab for a blood test, I was told Medicare may not pay all of this and I would be responsible for $215. I live on Social Security. Another person in line for a test was told she had to pay a back bill first.
"Well, then, I'm dead … literally," she said as she left the office.
This is wrong. The only thing delaying coverage for all Americans is lobbyists. They have paid, and continue to pay, congresspersons thousands of dollars to keep the health industry and drug companies in charge. Their only concern is the dollar.
Think of it â"â" if we can spend billions on NASA, which has contributed little, if anything, toward our well-being â"â" and billions more to invade other countries and murder innocents â"â" all from our tax dollars â"â" how can Congress delay passing the health care bill? And they will delay, unless we call and write our senators and representatives and express outrage. Now. Today. Truly, it is now or never for health care reform.
Ruth Larkin
San Marcos
U.S. doesn't care about its veterans
On July 20, there was an editorial in the San Diego Union-Tribune titled "Justice for all" on programs that they suggest give veterans special dispensation (http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/20/mz1ed20top21123-justice-all/?&zIndex=134763). Instead, the programs mentioned are designed to reduce the chances of parole violation and increase our responsibility to imprison our own criminals, rather than passing them across the border to be someone else's problem.
However, I do believe that the opinion of the UT editorial staff accurately reflects the opinions of most Americans, and that is that wars are OK as long as someone else's kids do the fighting for us.
We send recruiters south of the border, offering citizenship, and troll our schools for low-scoring kids with the lure of education benefits and a job. When the fighters come home emotionally disabled and self-medicate with alcohol and drugs, we cast them in prison as common criminals and street thugs.
The hard truth is that because we Americans are OK with someone else's kids fighting our wars for us, we also don't give a damn about what happens to them when they come home. What kind of people have we become?
Dave Patterson
Ramona
Mystery solved
I used to wonder why anyone in their right mind would use the jackass as their symbol. It has become quite clear.
Joyce Wilson
San Marcos
Nothing teachable about dead pigs
I was in the United States Army Medical Corps for three years, '57 to '59. My medical training was at Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas. First as a battlefield medical corpsman, then as a medical laboratory technician.
The sight of blood does not bother me; I have seen many sick, injured, wounded GIs, dependents and many dead GIs, civilians, including babies. I was in Japan and Korea â"â" ultimately 406 Medical General Hospital, Japan (the Walter Reed of the Far East). I worked in serology, pathology, bacteriology, morgue, autopsies, and finally virology using living tissue in test tubes, testing measles, herpes, polio, Japanese encephalitis, etc.
In none of my training, which was very extensive, did we use pigs for anything. Shooting and stabbing pigs never entered our training ("Live pigs wounded, euthanized in troop trauma training," July 23). I do not see anything of teachable value here.
Anthony Abbott
Escondido
