PUBLIC FORUM : BOOT THE SCANDAL-OBSESSED GOP IN 2000.

Y2K memo: Impeach the impeachers in the election booth.

- Ray Goldstein

Chatsworth

The Republican trial managers and senators keep on pushing. Pull in the witnesses. Shoot down any Democrat motion. Attack Clinton. Thwart the will of the people. Attack. Attack. Attack.

Anything less, we might forget by the time the 2000 elections arrive that these GOP leaders are really nothing but snakes in political attire. Or acronymically: Ghastly Ophidian Philistines.

- David Ian March

Woodland Hills

What if the Republicans had a party and nobody came?

With the new game in town of Hyde and seek, a revised version played with Prosecutor-for-Life Kenneth Starr, I cannot help but ponder this question.

- Mary Bempechat

Van Nuys

So Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd wants to end the trial quickly, does he?

I would remind him that there never would have been one in the first place if Clinton had simply and honestly fessed up to begin with.

But there is still hope. It's called ``resignation.''

- Earl Gottlieb

Reseda

If the Senate does not have the guts to find William Jefferson Clinton guilty of perjury and obstructing justice then they will be anointing him king or dictator of these United States of America.

This is not a case of sex. This is a case of the president lying to the grand jury and to the citizens of our country, and obstructing justice only to protect himself.

Our Constitution and our laws have been broken. The Senate must find Clinton guilty to set them right. First we had Watergate, then we had Whitewater, then we had the White House scandals, now we will be having a whitewash.

- Louis Rosenberg

Canoga Park

In his State of the Union message, the president asked us to put a human face on . . . what was it?

Oh, yes. He must have been pleading for us to at last put a human face on the country of Iraq, whose people he periodically bombs according to his political convenience.

- Jean Glasser

Van Nuys

In her book, ``High Crimes and Misdemeanors,'' Ann H. Coulter states that high crimes and misdemeanors . . . ``relate chiefly to injuries done immediately to the society itself.''

If society feels that Clinton's actions have caused it injury, then please explain to me why over 70 percent of the people, when polled, consistently say ``no harm, no foul.''

In fact, it is the Republicans who are adding insult to injury.

- David M. Galfond

Palmdale

I am surprised that no one has yet compared William Jefferson Clinton to Alcibiades, the ancient Athenian politician. Like Clinton, Alcibiades was brilliant, handsome and totally unprincipled.

He had amazing good fortune for many years but no one dared trust him completely because of his lack of principle. Eventually he even betrayed Athens and met his death in exile. The similarity of brilliance and lack of principle in these two men is striking.

- C.L. McClure

Woodland Hills

The Republican exit plan now seems clear. Trent Lott has decided that the thing to do is to demand that the president of the United States answer questions. Clinton will say no, that he stands by his grand jury testimony.

This will give Bob Barr and Henry Hyde a new charge of impeachment, voted along party lines. And the Senate can be deadlocked for another four or five months. During which time the right wing can rest assured that they will find some other terrible insult by the president to impeach him for, and the Senate, etc., etc., etc.

And come 2000, when Al Gore becomes president and the Republican Party loses the House and the Senate, then the entire mess will be over. Simple, yes?

And this genius plan has the advantage of allowing the next attorney general to fire Ken Starr without being impeached as well.

- Kimit A. Muston

North Hollywood

Jordan the hero

While I agree with Margot Trasatti (Public Forum, Jan. 17) that we should teach our kids to respect doctors, scientists, astronauts, etc., most children, and many adults, do tend to ``idolize'' film and TV stars, sports heroes . . . and, until recently . . . the president of the United States.

I am not a fan of any sports but have always felt that it is good that we had many ``sports heroes'' to whom kids can ``look up;'' respect, admire and emulate good sportsmanship, which is valuable in any aspect of life.

Thank goodness there are sportsmen such as Michael Jordan who represent far more good qualities and characteristics than some who may be proficient at their skill but get a lot of publicity for really poor sportsmanship, behavior and profanity.

To allow and even encourage our kids to respect men like Jordan is not the same as telling them they need only learn to shoot hoops well or hit home runs, etc., instead of getting an education. It is not an either/or ideal.

As kids get older, parents can help them realize that very few skilled players actually become such great ``stars'' just as not all good actors or musicians become famous.

And I think his contributions to American life are certainly as worthy of front page headline news as the slimy politics, which often runs there.

- Terri Andrews

Castaic

Motorcycle solution

I have a suggestion to help ease traffic congestion on the freeway. A lot of people complain that car-pool lanes don't work, and don't get used, I realize that finding a couple of people to car pool with is a problem.

Here is a simple idea that will make greater use of car pool lanes with out increasing taxes. Ride a motorcycle!

Wear a helmet, gloves, a leather jacket and drive sensibly. Motorcycles are legal in almost all car-pool lanes. My bike gets almost 60 miles to the gallon and saves me about 20 minutes each way on the San Diego Freeway's car-pool lanes.

I only encounter about seven to 10 motorcycles on a warm sunny day, sometimes none at all when it is cold and cloudy.

A motorcycle certainly is not a sensible choice for most drivers, but what would happen to the flow of traffic if just a few drivers got out of their 3,000-pound, 12 mpg sport-utility vehicles and rode a motorcycle in the car-pool lane? The regular lanes would have fewer cars and the somewhat empty car-pool lanes would get used more, everyone benefits.

- Travis Shrock

Santa Clarita