PUBLIC FORUM : SLAYING VICTIM'S MOTHER SHARES COSBYS' GRIEF.So, now it's the Cosby family that has joined the ranks of a fraternity of which they never wanted to be members - grieving grieving Mourning, see there families of victims of gunfire (``Tragedy hits Cosby family; son slain near 405 off-ramp,'' Daily News, Jan. 17). My heart goes out to them. My daughter, Amy Margolis Silberman, was shot and killed by a gunshot from no one knows where by an unknown ``celebrant'' on New Year's Eve 1994 in New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded . The pain and anger are indescribable, and since we'll never know who her assailant was, there is no complete closure. We have all resolved to go on with our own lives and are functioning, but nothing is the same, nor will it ever be. I keep wishing there were some way to teach those nonthinking fools who use guns that when they kill someone, they kill a large portion of the hearts and souls of the hundreds of people whose lives were touched by the victim. Of course, people who resort to guns either for celebration or for crime never read the papers, so, obviously, this letter is not for them. I just wanted the Cosby family to know that there are many out there who feel their pain personally and can honestly say: ``I understand exactly what you're going through.'' Eudice Margolis Bernstein Woodland Hills Dumping the subway Dumping the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. subway (``MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. panel votes to dump Valley subway,'' Daily News, Jan. 17) need not be a problem for North Hollywood residents. Subways are the only way to go in highly developed areas and under mountains. But in flat or residential terrain, a far better and less expensive approach for a fixed guide way system is the modified open cut. Examples of this method are a part of many of the world's transit systems, and are far more compatible with residential neighborhoods than overhead or at-grade systems. With a road bed excavated several feet below grade level, any noise from train cars is effectively muffled muf·fle 1 tr.v. muf·fled, muf·fling, muf·fles 1. To wrap up, as in a blanket or shawl, for warmth, protection, or secrecy. 2. a. . At intersecting in·ter·sect v. in·ter·sect·ed, in·ter·sect·ing, in·ter·sects v.tr. 1. To cut across or through: The path intersects the park. 2. streets, the road bed is deepened for clearance. Repeal of former state Sen. Alan Robbins' 1991 subway requirement for the East Valley is the first step toward a workable, welcome and affordable transit plan for the San Fernando Valley. - James E. Foy North Hollywood Re Robert Loveridge's Jan. 11 attack in Public Forum on Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich's letter (``Voters were right on monorail monorail, railway system that uses cars that run on a single rail. Typically the rail is run overhead and the cars are either suspended from it or run above it. ,'' Public Forum, Jan. 8): We conservatives are not as stupid as implied and did vote for the Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. monorail plan. At that time, it would not have cost as much as the lawsuits and loss of business revenue caused by the subway. I doubt if we senior-citizen taxpayers will see rapid transportation in our lifetimes. - Betty G. Franz Tarzana Downtown arena The Downtown Arena is a proposed Arena in downtown El Paso, Texas. If constructed it is expected to have a capacity of more than 17,000. Making it the biggest arena in West Texas, Ciudad Juarez and Southern New Mexico, and making it the biggest arena in El Paso above the Don Haskins The Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. wants to spend $70.5 million for a
downtown arena.
Meanwhile: Rain soaks L.A., city school buildings leak. L.A. lacks funds to fix up schools. L.A. lacks funds for after-school and weekend programs. L.A. city schools' students finish below national average on educational tests. Gangs take over streets of L.A. L.A. lacks funds to add more police. L.A. can't afford maintenance on city parks. L.A. does have funds for City Council special projects and trips. The majority of Angelenos can't afford the price of a ticket to professional sports The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. events. Who pays for downtown arena improvements in 10 to 15 years, when team owners demand improvements to the arena or else? Maybe the City Council should stop watching the movie ``Field of Dreams.'' - Jeff Trovatten Reseda Affirmative action affirmative action, in the United States, programs to overcome the effects of past societal discrimination by allocating jobs and resources to members of specific groups, such as minorities and women. Joe Kenner's letter (``Affirmative action needed,'' Public Forum, Jan. 16) makes the point why affirmative action is not needed. His statement, ``I would love to see the day when all people are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin,'' says it all. Affirmative action judges people by the color of their skin and not by the content of their character. Thank you, Joe, for pointing out that affirmative action is unfair and discriminatory and should be eliminated. - Jeff Willis West Hills When ``word meisters'' take a bad thing and give it a good name, it does not make it good. Example: the word affirmative. The opposite is negative. One connotes yes, the other no. Affirmative action equates to quotas, set-asides, gender preferences, minority preference and, in practice, is racism against the white male. And yet because affirmative is a ``good'' word, we have women's groups, African-American groups, Latino groups and the president embracing it and saying it is good. President Clinton said it needed fixing but he wasn't in favor of doing away with it. No wonder race relations race relations Noun, pl the relations between members of two or more races within a single community race relations npl → relaciones fpl raciales are getting worse when you can make affirmative action the law. - Howard Knudsen Van Nuys Doctors' quandary I want to thank the Daily News for its report on the quandary doctors now find themselves in: Permitted by the passage of Proposition 215 to prescribe marijuana for patients, they now are threatened by (U.S. drug policy czar) Barry McCaffrey Barry Richard McCaffrey (b. November 17 1942, Taunton, Massachusetts) is a retired United States Army General. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at the United States Military Academy, where he had been the Bradley Professor of International Security Studies from 2001 to and the federal government with loss of their right to prescribe any medicine if they do. - Paul M. Solomon Tujunga Tribute to police This letter was written on Jan. 11, the day Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy James Lehmann Jr. was laid to rest. Even though it was written in memory of Deputy Lehmann, it was also written as a tribute to all of the men and women who have lost their lives trying to protect ours. ``Today, yet another police officer will be laid to rest. His family will mourn mourn v. mourned, mourn·ing, mourns v.intr. 1. To feel or express grief or sorrow. See Synonyms at grieve. 2. his loss. The law enforcement community will mourn his loss. But what about society? Will society mourn the loss of one of its greatest protectors? ``I believe the answer is no. Men and women will go on with their lives, not once giving thought to the lifeless life·less adj. 1. Having no life; inanimate. 2. Having lost life; dead. See Synonyms at dead. 3. Not inhabited by living beings; not capable of sustaining life. 4. body of a man who gave the `ultimate sacrifice' trying to protect society from itself. ``This could be for many reasons. Maybe we just don't want to think about it. Maybe we just don't have the time, or just maybe we don't want to be reminded of what we, as a society, are truly capable of. Because if we are reminded, then we must take responsibility - responsibility for not doing our part to support and protect our protectors. ``Oh, sure there are bad cops - just as there are bad teachers, politicians, bank presidents, lawyers, judges, insurance agents, spiritual advisers, etc. But I can say that for every one bad cop, there are at least a hundred good, caring officers who literally put their lives on the line each time they put on their uniform. And despite this, they are generally at the bottom of our list of priorities, both financial and otherwise. ``And despite all the positive contributions they make, we still curse them when they reprimand REPRIMAND, punishment. The censure which in some cases a public office pronounces against an offender. 2. This species of punishment is used by legislative bodies to punish their members or others who have been guilty of some impropriety of conduct towards them. us for carelessly breaking the law, we still blame them for the crime in our neighborhoods, and mostly, we just generally hate them for making us take a good look at ourselves and our failures.'' I urge those who are the most critical of police to take time to become more involved. Go down to your local police station. Ask to take a ride-along, get to know your neighbors, start a Neighborhood Watch program, take time to really talk to your children and warn them about the dangers of gangs and drugs. Don't sit by and blame others for the awful mess you helped put yourself in. - Kristine L. Doyle Canyon Country CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Bill Cosby William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr., Ed.D. (born July 12 1937) is an American actor, comedian, television producer, and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a vanguard role in the 1960s action show I Spy. Initiated into tragic fraternity |
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