PUBLIC FORUM ANTI-SECESSION TACTICS.

Re ``Secessionists claim ejection from meeting (Oct. 6) and ``L.A.'s secession foes save big guns for media ad blitz'' (Oct. 8):

I read and heard that security guards at the Oct. 5 L.A. Congress of Neighborhood Councils meeting removed secession leaders passing out information fliers. This puts us back to the time when security guards removed secession petitioners from the Van Nuys air show.

To witness Soviet-style action combined with billionaire insiders further buying influence makes me very concerned. I myself have not reached a full conclusion on secession but these recent actions don't make things look good for a ``One Los Angeles.'' I would hope that the $5 million worth of anti-secession ads that come out will be informative rather than the fear mongering type we all fear.

- Mickey Jannol

Valley Glen

Legal precedent

The Democrats in Sacramento should author a bill legalizing prostitution in California. After all we have seen the biggest prostitute in our time, Gray Davis, accept mountains of money. He has sold the office of governor and himself time and time again. Enron, Global Crossing, Oracle, etc., the list of johns, oops, contributors just goes on and on.

A budget deficit of $23.5 billion give or take a few million and what do we have to show for it in California? Not a darn thing except a man in the governor's mansion who never met a contribution he could refuse, no matter how sleazy, slimy or smarmy it is. God help us for the next four years.

- Julie Miller

Santa Clarita 

Celebrity opinions

I feel so much better now that all the celebrities (Rob Reiner, Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty, Jack Valenti and I could go on) have given us their opinions on everything from real estate development to Iraqi. They listened to Scott Ritter, so they have all the right information.

Also, I'd like to know where Reiner was when this massive development went up in Porter Ranch and, by the way, is continuing. Maybe that's a little too far from Malibu. Please, quit insulting voters' intelligence.

- Sharon Gordon

Northridge

Cats are predators

Re ``Sacred coyotes'' (Public Forum, Oct. 6):

Cats are nonnative predators that the American Bird Conservancy estimates kill 4 million songbirds, including threatened and endangered species, every single day in America. Cats should be kept indoors for their protection and the protection of our native wildlife.

It has been well documented that there is a significant increase of nesting birds in areas that have coyotes. Second to habitat loss, nonnative species are the largest factor in the decline of songbirds. It's time that our native wildlife is protected and not killed for the sake of killing cats. Please do your cats and our native wildlife a favor and keep your kitties indoors cuddled by your side.

- Teresa Savaikie

Santa Clarita

Smog and diesels

Re ``Smog revisits L.A.'' (Oct. 4):

If you are worried about smog on the increase, try pulling up next to a diesel truck idling sometime. Sit downwind from it for a couple minutes and I guarantee you'll be sick.

- Art Haendiges

Topanga

Diners as Americana

Re ``Old-time diners'' (Public Forum, Oct. 7):

I whole heartedly agree with the reader concerning the closing of Don's Diner. I manufactured diners in New Jersey for 36 years and the success rate of operations was 99.9 percent.

It would be refreshing it potential new diner owners would take a trip to New Jersey and New York area to see how real diners are operated. They are unique and part of Americana, as Don's was.

- Pat Fodero

Burbank

Skewed salaries

One of your Oct. 8 editorials (``Port shutdown'') mentions that stevedores make as much as $135,000 a year. The average scientist makes about $65,000 a year. A high school principal makes $96,000 a year. A baseball player (for just hitting a ball with a stick) averages $2.5 million a year.

The stevedores are helping to drain $2 billion from the economy a day. Are we nuts? Why worry about Saddam Hussein if the biggest threat comes from within our own country.

- Frank Neumeister

Sylmar

A family feud

Regarding George W. Bush's fulminations against Saddam Hussein at the Houston fund-raiser: His strongest denunciation of ``His Evilness'' was his attempt to assassinate Daddy. Daddy, as an old CIA man, whose minions assassinated elected leaders and toppled governments, certainly should not take a botched attempt on his life personally.

It certainly doesn't warrant Dubya to cause the loss of countless lives and further devastation of a country to square a family feud.

- Frank Johnson

Hollywood

It's economics

Ostensibly, our president wants to bomb Iraq in order to destroy their weaponry. However, doesn't he and his countless advisers know Iraq has untold millions if not billions - if they wanted a nuclear bomb all they (Iraq) need do is buy a couple.

President George W. Bush had better weigh the consequences. Threatening them won't work. They are a people with little to lose and that makes them far more dangerous. Furthermore, why send troops and planes when all it would take is one plane, one bomb; much as what was done in Japan? Oops, but if we did that we'd destroy their oil reserves. I see, economics has far greater ramifications than all the rhetoric I've been hearing.

- Leo Bertucelli

Sherman Oaks

Defining child

Joan Ryan in ``Bush world-class hypocrite on prenatal care'' (Opinion, Oct. 4) states ``This is the first time that any federal policy has defined childhood as beginning with conception.'' It's obvious she slept though some classes or is trying to fool people.

The new federal policy covers only the fetus that begins two months after conception. That is a child, that is a person.

- Ken Garrison

Rosamond

Falling through the net

I am a full-time caretaker for a terminally ill cancer patient. She is now at the point that she is totally disabled, without assets or income. She qualifies for Social Security and I took her in for an interview and application for Social Security benefits and after filling out endless paper work, we were informed that it would take at least five months to process her claim.

Chances are she will not be alive to cash her first check. She has paid into Social Security all her life. I asked the clerk why it would take so long, and was told it's the way the system is and there just isn't enough staff to handle the claims. I will say, we were treated with respect by the Social Security agent, who could only offer us a prayer.

- Jack Galbo

Sunland

Record straight

Re Robert Kunz (Public Forum, Sept. 29) and Margo Morrison (Public Forum, Sept. 30):

Here we go again on the 2000 election. Let's try to set the record straight, one more time. As public records clearly show, Al Gore won the popular election by over a half-million votes. Florida instituted an election recount process.

The U.S. Supreme Court intervened in the election process and ruled in favor of George W. Bush. Then another government mechanism, the U.S. Electoral College, placed Bush into the presidency. And if you really check out the facts, you will find that the recounts done by the main media Consortium show that, bottom line, Gore got the most votes in Florida. The People elected Gore - the government selected Bush.

- Rick Kellis

Woodland Hills