PUBLIC FORUM : CLIMATE TREATY IS BASED ON `BOGUS THEORY'.

I am aghast as an American citizen that our government proposes to enter into a United Nations Global Climate Treaty.

The American people do not accept the bogus theory that man-made greenhouse gases are causing ``global warming.'' Man-made greenhouse gases may account for less than 4 percent of any so-called global warming. God, through his creation, the sun, is in control, not mankind.

Is there some hidden agenda on the part of the proponents of this treaty? Are we the people of this great country losing our freedoms under the guise of environmental protection? Are some Third World nations attempting, through the United Nations, to control our great nation through these treaties?

Besides the drastic effects on our economy, by the loss of jobs, loss of energy production, and the reduction of our gross national product, we will then be expected to pay higher prices for our consumer products and energy.

We are a sovereign nation and want to continue to live under the Constitution of the United States. It is time to leave the United Nations.

- Joseph Edward Hitzman

West Hills

Car-pool lanes

I have to take the Hollywood Freeway south to work daily, and I find the car-pool lane on the left, from north of the Ventura Freeway to just south of it, an ill-conceived impediment to traffic and good air quality.

Between 6:45 and 7:30 a.m. weekdays, it's usually bumper-to-bumper traffic going less than 5 mph in the several right lanes, while every five or 10 seconds, some car whizzes by in the car-pool lane going about 60 mph.

The many cars in the slow lanes are needlessly delayed and pumping out large amounts of exhaust into the air of North Hollywood, Studio City and Sherman Oaks daily. Were the left lane open to all, the cars would go through a lot quicker and pollute the air a lot less.

- Dan Adam Goodman

North Hollywood

Evading arrest

How many people have to die because the criminal element not only has no respect for the law and decent people, but no respect for the police and the lives of innocent people as they attempt to flee from their crimes in high-speed chases?

The time is long past when there should be a law on the books, as with using a gun in a crime, imposing an automatic 20-year prison sentence on anyone forcing a police chase by not immediately stopping and cooperating with the police.

- Donald Mellman

Studio City

U.S. vs. Microsoft

In rationalizing the action taken by the Justice Department against Microsoft (``Microsoft accused; U.S.: Browser push broke antitrust pact,'' Business, Oct. 21), Attorney General Janet Reno uttered this absurd statement:

``Today's action shows that we won't tolerate any coercion by dominant companies in any way that distorts competition.'' Correct me if I am wrong, but there is no law that says consumers must use Windows 95, Windows NT or Internet Explorer on their PCs. If that is correct, then if anyone is using coercion to distort competition, it is the Justice Department itself.

And what is the Justice Department's idea of competition? It believes that consumers possess no power of discernment of their own that would allow them to choose which Internet browser or operating system to use. Therefore, since the power of discernment resides only in the minds of judges and legislators, the Justice Department absolutely must intervene for the sake of consumers.

If Microsoft stole copyrighted intellectual property from its competitors to build its products, then I would be appalled if the Justice Department did not take action. But that is not the issue in this lawsuit.

- Craig Gleason

Woodland Hills

Interchange exchanges

In the recent series on the 101-405 freeway interchange, the Daily News quoted comments made by a number of influential people. The poor quality of analysis they displayed is disturbing.

Gerald Silver said adding capacity will increase demand. An increase in freeway capacity is an increase in supply. Silver needs to learn the elementary distinction.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski reacted with enthusiasm for closing the Haskell Avenue off-ramp. I am sure she gets many complaints about the resulting traffic from the high-income residents in the area. I am sure she would be quite pleased to accommodate them. However, the pressing concern for the city is an increase in the capacity of the interchange. Hopefully, that is what most concerns Miscikowski.

Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, asked to comment, spouts the slogan ``freeways create gridlock.'' The analytic primitiveness of such a statement, and the prejudice that it betrays, leaves one breathless. The issues are supply, demand, substitutes, costs, quality of life, etc.

We are not debating policy on the transportation system as a whole. However, in the broad scheme of transportation, we can be sure that the automobile, in some form, will play a crucial role into the foreseeable future. Following a policy of gridlock will do nothing but worsen the quality of life, and that represents not leadership, but the failure of leadership.

- John Daly

Northridge

Embattled principal

Re ``Parents at odds with principal,'' Daily News, Oct. 8:

Van Nuys Middle School has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, which means a minimum of 1,500 parents. The article states that ``Padres Unidos'' consists of 60 to 80 parents.

In actuality the group that supports Tony Delgado by far surpasses that figure. These parents do not want to name themselves because they don't want their kids to get the idea that they are ``ganging up'' against other parents. And that is why Delgado is still at Van Nuys Middle School. Parents, teachers and classified personnel held open forums and strongly requested that he remain in the position.

Working as an educator, I believe that we need to teach our kids to grow and to succeed in what they do and think, and not use race, religion or background as a shield.

- Beatrice Pisterman

Classified representative

Elected school site council

Van Nuys