PUBLIC FORUM ASSAULT-WEAPONS BAN.

I am infuriated by Chief William Bratton's remarks in his Viewpoint article ``Assault-weapons ban has made America safer.'' His lies, half truths, apocryphal stories, fear tactics and distortions are just too much. Here's just one example - out of many: He says that if the federal assault-weapons ban is not renewed ``... killing machines will soon be rolling off the assembly lines ... and flying off the shelves of your local gun shop.''

He knows perfectly well that the state of California has a ban of its own and it will not be overturned if the federal ban is not renewed. Those fantasy guns of his will not be ``flying off the shelves'' anywhere in this state (unfortunately). I've had it with Bratton. It's time for him to go.

- Christopher Matyas

Granada Hills

Hidden agenda

William Bratton, the chief of the L.A. Police Department, wrote a very confusing column for Viewpoint. He wants to renew the 1994 federal assault-weapons ban. He describes the AK-47 and Uzis as assault weapons. However, the guns he describes are machine guns, which have been banned by federal law since 1934. In the 70 years since this law was enacted, only one legally owned machine gun has ever been used in a crime, and that was a murder committed by a law enforcement officer in Dayton, Ohio. Hmmm.

Could our chief of police have a hidden agenda? Or worse yet, could he not know the difference between a semiautomatic and a machine gun? If your agenda is that you don't want citizens to own guns, have enough courage to just say so.

- Robert Gardner

Sylmar

Busway solution

Stop the Orange Line busway: it's expensive, and persons are upset. We have an obvious solution to our dilemma: The MTA stops the work, pays off the contractor (big savings); the MTA paints more buses red (minimal cost, quality discount from Earl One Day); the MTA rapidly runs expanded routes on Victory, Chandler and Burbank (the so-called NIMBYs are all for more fast buses); property values are immediately restored or may even increase (more tax money); businesses and the attendant employment will flourish again (even more tax money); the right-of way will naturally revert to its former ``pristine'' state (no tax funds necessary).

Best of all, the traffic conditions in the whole area will dramatically improve (MTA studies say so, and COST has the ``facts'' to back that up). We all win?

- Carl Johnson 

Canoga Park

Upgrade to rail

Re ``Busway stopper; Activist works to halt MTA project'' (Aug. 5):

So Tom Rubin used to work for the MTA, and has assisted the Bus Riders Union. Methinks that this is a ploy to plow more Rapid buses to the valley not to ease congestion and serve riders but instead to help the BRU agenda of buying more buses and hiring more bus operators.

If Rubin was truly an impartial advocate, he would have consulted the members of COST to pursue overturning the Robbins bill and allowing the Busway to continue because the busway will have to be upgraded to rail because of Prop. 108, which is a rule that told the MTA if they use certain state funds for the project within a time frame it will have to be upgraded to rail.

- Deric Harris

Los Angeles 

Equal obligations

Re ``State Supreme Court voids San Francisco gay marriages'' (Aug. 11):

So the California Supreme Court has denied California's gay citizens the equal right to marry? Fine, as long as those millions of gay Californians are also exempted from the obligation to pay taxes here.

Let those who would deny to other Californians the same rights they themselves enjoy empty their own wallets to support the state. That will surely meet the approval of the homophobic set. With equal obligations should come equal rights, after all.

- Myrna Hill

Sylmar

Restrictions may apply

Local option may be best for gay marriage. Some areas may need to restrict gay marriage because women there are so ugly men would all marry each other given the choice. The same for areas where men are so badly behaved there would be nothing but lesbian marriages without a law. In most other areas, there is no reason to deny the 10 percent gay minority the right to follow their natural inclinations.

A constitutional amendment to prohibit interracial marriage was almost ratified in the early 1900s. Let's not do something to be even more ashamed of 50 years from now.

- Bob Schultz

Lake View Terrace

Coincidence or not?

Re ``Massive shift of U.S. troops planned'' (Aug. 16):

So, President Bush is able to move 70,000 United States troops home to America. During the administration of his dad, our National Guard troops were put under federal control, and now ``Junior'' has managed to send a good portion of them into Iraq, thus further endangering our ``homeland security.''

Now, having an additional 70,000 regular troops on American soil will be a great excuse to use them in place of our National Guard troops during an emergency. Before this coming presidential election, can anyone say martial law?

- James Hamilton Moore

Burbank

Gun ban

In ``Wrong agenda'' (Your Opinions, Aug. 15), Alan Tong tries to analogize the Million Moms March attempt to ban guns with a hypothetical situation in which Mothers Against Drunk Driving try to ban cars.

The analogy fails when one realizes that cars are designed to transport people and things while guns are designed for one reason only: to kill people. As the old saying goes: ``People don't kill people; guns do.''

- Kraig Lennon Kysar

Sherman Oaks

CTA responds

Re ``Unions keep education below grade'' (Viewpoint, Aug. 8):

Alan Bonsteel proposes eliminating the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, thereby doing away with the only education official directly accountable to the people. While state Board of Education members and the governor's secretary for education can be appointed as political favors, the state superintendent is elected or re-elected on the basis of educational philosophy and job performance. The office provides an important check and balance to possible abuses of power by the governor and Legislature, the type of check and balance held crucial by our Founding Fathers. California voters have repeatedly rejected the crony system Bonsteel favors, making it clear they want an elected, responsive state education superintendent.

Bonsteel is not interested in real reform or true accountability, at least not the kind that would benefit California students. He is more concerned with silencing the voices of teachers and parents and using public money to privatize our schools.

- Bonnie Shatun

Board of directors

California Teachers Association 

Correct self-criticism

Re ``Freedom diminished'' (Their Opinions, Aug. 13):

As long as Arab Muslim men (or anyone else) threaten to infiltrate and bomb our public spaces, we will lose our precious freedoms defending against them. They've made this a fight to the death; the only answer is to completely destroy them and any governments that aid them.

As to our respect for other religions - they're using it against us. Is politically correct self-criticism, like Dahlia Lithwick's, going to lead us to endure another devastating attack, maybe worse than 9-11, like an atomic explosion in Times Square or Vegas, before we face reality?

- Rueben Gordon

North Hollywood

And counting

Thank you for your Page 4 column ``Today in History.'' For one thing, I like to see how many days are left in the year. Just add 20 days and it is a quick count to know how much longer we have to endure the presidency of George W. Bush.

- Mike Kirwan

Venice