PUBLIC FORUM : NO OFFENSE TAKEN.

Re: ``Ventura Offers Apology for Letterman show quip'' (Daily News, Feb. 26):

Straight on down Front Street, Jesse Ventura, you offended no true Irishman with your comments. The thin-skinned Dermot O'Mara of St. Paul should sit back, relax, have a wee touch of the creature and chill.

If he was offended, it is proof that his bloodline has been thinned by marriages to those with whining, bleeding-heart histories.

We real Irishmen know who and what we are and are damned proud of it and will fight or outdrink anyone who thinks he can get under our skin.

And don't be calling us Irish-Americans. We are Americans of Irish descent and a darlin' bra (grand) lot.

- Mike Hannin

Newbury Park

Haunted by killing

Re: ``Victim's mother remembers'' (Daily News, Feb. 25):

I still grieve for the Berrys and the White family for the senseless, cold-blooded murders of their sons at a Northridge sandwich shop near CSUN.

In fact, I am still haunted by the evidence in the 1993 trial. For me, it dredged up some extremely unpleasant personal memories of the Vietnam War that I thought were long ago buried.

Fortunately, I was able to deal with my PTSD with help. I agree with Teri Berry - killers are not human. Especially in this case. Even though several of the prosecution witnesses were less than stellar, the evidence that was presented led to the right verdict. Most of all, the defendant did nothing to help himself with his testimony - he was an incredible liar on the stand. At the end of the trial, it gnawed at me that the whole story of what really happened that night so many years ago was not revealed. It still crosses my mind that, besides the defendant, there may be other living people who know what happened.

Especially in this case, we (as a society) need the death penalty.

- D.L. Folck

Mission Hills

No real death penalty

The article by Eric Moses (``Horrific murders bring out the worst,'' Daily News, Feb. 28), talking about the death penalty, had a few flaws.

He states that ``the death penalty has never been proven to be a deterrent for murder.'' All that is required to determine the incorrectness of this statement is to look at the police records during the 1930s and '40s and see how many armed robberies were deliberately committed with unloaded guns because the robbers did not want to take a chance of accidentally killing someone and be sent to the electric chair to be literally fried.

Moses believes that men suffer in prison. He should take a moment to look at the television interview with Richard Speck (he raped and killed several student nurses), in which he is standing there with his hormone-induced breasts and his arms around his lover, making the statement that ``he never had it so good.''

People like Moses fail to understand that punishment first and foremost has to be a deterrent to others. We do not actually have an effective death penalty, due to the countless years of appeals and years later, when the witnesses are dead, an uncrossed ``t'' is found in the transcript of the trial and the decision is then made not to retry the case.

- Walter Poe

Woodland Hills

Entertainment value

If the movie ``Godzilla'' cost $125 million to make and the investigation of President Clinton cost $40 million, which gave you more bang for the buck?

- Irving Chasnov

Northridge

Treating the symptom

Congratulations to Encino resident Michael Pehlps on receiving the Enrico Fermi Award for his invention of the positron emission tomography scan. Tracy Zaborac's article (Feb. 28) stated the ``PET scanning is now the standard for studying the brain.''

Would someone please bring this to the attention of HMOs? I recently began having seizures for no apparent reason. The tests conducted by my HMO were an EEG (electroencephalogram) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Neither test found a cause for the seizures. I must take medication every day for the rest of my life (I'm 50). My blood levels must be checked every three months to be sure there is enough medication in my system. I can't take the recommended dosage because it makes me drowsy, confused and impairs my short-term memory. I can't spend more than 15 to 30 minutes in the sun unless fully clothed, and I've developed numerous bruises on my extremities. I can't even make follow-up appointments with my neurologist without formal approval from my HMO each time.

They're not interested in practicing medicine. Certainly not up-to-the-minute, cutting-edge medicine. HMOs take the least expensive way out by treating the symptoms instead of working to find the cause. Let's face it, HMOs are in it for the money.

- Sharon M. Woodward

Sylmar

Presidential traffic jam

On Friday, Bill Clinton came to L.A. to help the Democratic Party raise money, even though he probably knew his visit would cost L.A.'s businesses and residents more money than the fund-raiser would earn. Like thousands of others I found myself in an unexpected traffic jam because the 105 and 405 freeways were being cleared from LAX to Santa Monica, so his motorcade could have those freeways all to themselves.

There was no doubt some businesses would lose money as soon as they started shutting down the freeway. I thought one LAX shuttle bus driver I saw was going to go postal right on the on-ramp; I know he probably lost money, since his policy is ``on time or you don't pay.'' How many other business trips were delayed, extra gasoline burned, extra wages paid, and deliveries late, so he could raise money for his favorite cause?

Perhaps next time Clinton wants to earn money for his favorite cause, he should give the hosting city the opportunity to pay him to stay home.

- Scott Yollis

Granada Hills

Play at home

What right does Bill Clinton have to make the taxpayers finance his nearly weekly political fund-raising raids in California (or anywhere else)?

Could not Clinton have his superliberal Hollywood cronies mail in their donations, thereby saving the huge expenses of the traveling fund-raising raiding parties of government employees as well as wear and tear on the government's aircraft?

A side benefit to having the donations mailed is that it would enable the president to spend more of his time in his Washington office doing his real job. After all, he was not elected to spend time traveling to raise money for his political party.

- Fred W. Roberts

Northridge

Give it back

Re ``GOP tax cut hysteria based on faulty numbers'' (Feb. 26):

Tom Teepen's argument that we should forgo a 10 percent tax cut because someone else might get more, is a liberal class warfare tactic. I used to believe people like Teepen when they told us they would only raise taxes of the rich, until I discovered that every time they got their way, my taxes went up too! I'll take this 10 percent tax cut and not worry about some mythical person getting 60 percent.

Taxes have not been essentially constant. Just a few years ago, President Clinton championed the largest tax increase in history. This increase is partly responsible for the excess tax collection called a surplus. When a business overcharges you, you demand a refund. Why should the government be different? By focusing solely on the income tax, Teepen conveniently omits the countless other taxes that have been created or increased over the years. We must include these other taxes, such as those on our phone, utility and property tax bills, gasoline taxes, as well as the many user fees and surcharges, which are thinly veiled taxes. When these taxes are factored in, the burden has increased significantly and this is proven by the surplus.

We were overcharged, why can't I have it back.?

- R. Thomas

Burbank

Say it ain't so, Joe

Re: Public Forum, Feb. 15, ``Reagan's legacy tarnished.''

Joe Goodchild states that Ron Reagan's intelligence was only mediocre. Goodchild must have been asleep or unborn during Ronnie's two terms.

He should note that Reagan was responsible for ending the Cold War and the demise of the Berlin Wall, lower tax rates, rebuilding our military after President Carter decimated it as President Clinton is now doing. Reagan had reverence for the office of president and during his two terms, America once again walked tall.

The truth is that he triggered the economic boom that Clinton is getting credit for - not too bad for mediocre smarts. Let's see what Clinton's legacy looks like in 10 years. The liberal Democrats have tried to besmirch a lot of really great presidents in order to make Clinton look not so bad, but it doesn't work: Trailer trash is Clinton's true legacy.

- R.C. Vaughn

Northridge

Quit whining

I'm sick of crybabies complaining about Dennis Rodman coming to L.A. and ruining the great Laker reputation. The only reputation they have right now is as chokers. You talk about Dennis disrupting the team, what about Shaq blaming referees because they can't win and telling other players to watch their backs. Is he a basketball player or a thug?

Dennis is a seven-time rebounding champion and has five NBA championship rings. How many do all of the other Lakers have? Zero. Dennis is a force to be reckoned with.

If Dennis ``The Worm'' gets them an NBA title, all you whiners will be saying, ``We knew it was a good idea to bring him here.'' Good luck Dennis.

- Jeff LaVoy

Sylmar

No one cares anyway

What's the big deal if Bad Boy Rodman (a k a The Worm) plays for the L.A. Lakers or some other team? It's just a stupid game anyway. The sports fan doesn't care about his private life or what he says. Just look at what has happened in the past. Cassius Clay had a lot to say about what he believed in. People paid big bucks to watch Mike Tyson, a convicted rapist, make $50 million a few months after his release from prison. No one cares anymore.

Just take a good look at our current president. Hey, it's his life. So what's the difference? Only dinosaurs like me will complain. From now on I will never watch another sports event. That is, unless I have money bet on it.

- Paul I. Alfaro

Palmdale