PUBLIC FORUM A LYING COMMERCIAL?

Re ``California's happy-cow ads call bull-oney'' (April 30):

I was shocked to read of the deceptive advertising complaint by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals against the producers of the ``Happy Cow'' commercials for the California Dairy Commission. You mean those cows aren't actually joyous and blissful? I suppose PETA is also going to tell us that the cows don't really talk either. Can we trust no one?

While I generally support PETA's goals to improve the level of treatment of animals, this is just plain silly. It's a commercial, folks.

- Steve Marshall 

Castaic

Is trust deserved?

Mayor James Hahn asks that we trust him and, because time is short, he woos Valley residents to retain tax dollars within city coffers. Why should voters trust his word? Promises of others never came true. If secession fails in November, will the Valley again sit abandoned?

Mayor, provide action before November. Identify major problems. Try solving them. Give before you take. Heavily fine major industrial polluters. Start building desalinization plants. Repair major potholes. Burn trash to supply more energy. Limit building permits to the city's capacity to supply nonrationed utilities. Be honest with the citizens! Keep them informed. Listen. Respond.

- Ron Hall

Sun Valley

The good guys

As a former student of Norm Malin and Alan Mendez (``Shop teachers readied kids for jobs,'' Dennis McCarthy, April 28), I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment they expressed about the importance of nonscholastic, skills-based shop classes. In my case, it was an utter lack of shop competence that led me to conclude that college was for me. (Sorry, Mr. Malin, but I never was able to keep my Lucite terrarium from leaking.)

The end of shop classes is a troubling omen of an America filled with 100 million professionals working for minimum wage due to the devaluation of college degrees. Who will build our cars, produce our food, heat our homes and take care of us when we grow old? Happy retirement, guys. You certainly earned it.

- Martin Korn

Valley Glen

Dichotomy

``Poor'' Chief Bernard Parks. Eighty percent of county health workers earn $6.75 an hour, no benefits. After 40 years they may get a Social Security check for a few hundred dollars. Maybe. Military enlisted personnel, who make not much more an hour, may after 30 years - if not killed defending us - get somewhat more.

Work in a tax-paid job, make $243,000 a year and retire on a pension of $233,000 a year; then move on to another high-paid tax job in which, once again, not much will be required of you. Only in California. You liberals voted for it.

- Joseph R. Johnson

Acton

Return of the tax

Re Majorie Eisenberg's ``Fueling inflation'' (Public Forum, April 28):

The first part of her letter mentions The Gas Co. and the increase from 6 percent to 10 percent for the city users tax. In the Aug. 23, 2001, Daily News, there was an article in which the mayor pro-tem signed a ``temporary'' tax relief bill. It stated that on Dec. 1, 2001, the utility users tax on natural gas to residential customers would be reduced from 10 to 6 percent, and this would last four billing cycles.

Therefore, there really is not an increase in the users tax. It's the previous rate reinstated, since the four billing cycles are up. Everything else in the article is correct. Gasoline, medical, food, housing, etc., prices have indeed been on the rise.

- Diana ``Lee'' Bridge

Reseda

Armenian march

As an avid reader of your newspaper and proud Armenian-American, I was disappointed at the Daily News for reporting the wrong information. In your April 25 edition, you wrote that there were 3,500 people present at the march April 24 in Little Armenia to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. In fact, as many other sources have reported, there were more than 20,000 people present, showing that we, as Armenians living here in the United States, still haven't forgotten and never will forget the tragic massacres that took place 87 years ago.

- Ani Arakelyan

Van Nuys

A dog's life 

Re ``Dog at sea unleashes rescue-cost debate'' (April 26):

If some are mystified about what a dog's life is really worth, maybe they should ask the dog.

- Ron Presson

North Hollywood

State budget crisis

The article by Dan Walters (``State's budget crisis comparable to state's recession of early '90s,'' Opinion, April 30) is chilling in its conclusion. Perhaps we should encourage all the politicians in Sacramento to read ``Atlas Shrugged'' by Ayn Rand. She wrote about exactly what is going on now and the consequences thereof. ``When the weight of the world becomes too heavy, what should Atlas do? he should shrug and let it fall.''

- John Pierson 

Thousand Oaks

Threat to children

Re ``It's easy to protect expression that's popular'' by Leonard Pitts Jr. (Opinion, April 26):

Am I the only one who remembers that Danielle Van Dam's alleged murderer was a viewer of child pornography? So, does it matter if it was ``virtual'' or ``real''?

I understand that pornography enjoyers often move to harder-core material and sometimes act out their fantasies. If this is true, then any kind of child pornography, real or imagined, is a threat to all children.

- Danelle Mills

Santa Clarita

Big fat lie

Frequently heard at United Nations meetings and summits is the big lie - that rich nations, especially the United States, must take responsibility for all of the ills of the underdeveloped countries. Taxing power is proposed for the United Nations. This would be a disaster of almost unimaginable proportions.

- John K. Carter

Camarillo

Pretty awful stuff

I have read some pretty awful stuff - emanating from Egypt and other Arab countries - from those who say it is hard for Westerners to imagine the pure joy of becoming a martyr and blowing up the enemy. They regard all Israelis as enemies. The word ``plunderer'' was often used.

Can anyone imagine an intellectual in Jordan or Syria speaking out against the use of terrorism? He'd be lynched; some already have been. Some of the other terrible statements border on lunacy, but were uttered by university professors and intellectuals. In countries with very high illiteracy, such comments sink deeply into the popular psyche, and eventually we have to deal with the consequences - like 9-11. Those hijackers were not morons - just well-trained fanatics. How do we counterattack? And when?

- Sol Taylor

Sherman Oaks

It's their Vietnam

It must be obvious to all except the most narrow-minded Israeli apologist that Israel is not only hiding what its army did to Palestinians in Jenin, but is actively doing its best to stand above international law.

Notwithstanding Israel's grievances against Palestine terrorism, the nation's refusal to cooperate with a hand-picked United Nations committee, and our apparent support of this position, is nothing short of criminal subterfuge. Israelis' continuing claim that they are fighting terrorism on a par with our response to the attacks of 9-11 is self-serving and cynical. Palestine is not Israel's 9-11. It is Israel's Vietnam.

- Bob Loza

Burbank

Renewable energy

The debacle of a national energy plan currently being debated by our legislators in Washington, D.C., fails to provide for our energy and environmental needs. With national policy so clearly heading down the wrong tracks, the most important planning to secure safe and independent sources of energy now falls to state and local decision-makers, who should support an increase in renewable energy.

California decision-makers should be committing to doubling our use of clean, renewable power to 20 percent of power generation by 2010. Such a move would boost the state's economy by adding tens of thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in new state revenues. It's time for an energy policy that grows our economy and cleans up our air.

- Eli Richlin

California Public Interest Research Group