PUBLIC FORUM BEHIND CLOSED DOORS.Recently we've read many stories of our county supervisors disregarding the ``open meeting'' laws here in California. They've even gone so far as to not take minutes of those closed meetings, so no one who was not there will ever know what was said by whom. Here's a solution. Next time a closed meeting is scheduled, the California Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. shows up. The moment the secret meeting begins, the officers announce, ``You are in violation of state law. You are all under arrest.'' Haul them off to jail. Next, do it with the L.A. City Council, and the school board. If it's good for other lawbreakers, isn't it just as good for them? - Jerry Schwartz Granada Hills Less mischief Republicans are obstructing Senate business in retaliation RETALIATION. The act by which a nation or individual treats another in the same manner that the latter has treated them. For example, if a nation should lay a very heavy tariff on American goods, the United States would be justified in return in laying heavy duties on the manufactures and for the defeat of Judge Pickering's nomination. To me, this sounds like a win-win situation. Not only are we spared President Bush's dreadful appointments, but the Congress is also prevented from doing its mischief. Hurray. - Morris Schorr Woodland Hills Religious influence By all testimonies, Andrea Yates Andrea Pia Yates (born July 2, 1964) committed the filicide of her five young children on June 20, 2001 by drowning them in the bathtub in her house. Convicted of first degree murder in 2002 and sentenced to life in prison with parole possible after 40 years, Yates' conviction was was a ``good'' mother. So why would she kill her five children? She said it was to save them from the hands of Satan, something not mentioned now. Schizophrenic ``voices'' told her that she was an unfit mother whose children would grow up to be sinners, and would spend eternity suffering the tortures of hell. From this, she had to save them. Her religion promised for those who died sinless, life in heaven with a loving Jesus. Rusty Yates blames psychiatrists for inadequate treatment of Andrea, but they were powerless over religious convictions, that in death the children would not be hurt. She never thought she would be ``hurting the children.'' In her case, it took religion to make a good person do bad things. - Kenneth H. Bonnell Eagle Rock Rethink it Re ``Rainbow of confusion'' (Opinion, March 20): Hurray for Samantha Kimmel. But she did not go far enough. Every hospital has a color-code system for emergency, overhead speakers. So it seems to me that since they were the first, Ashcroft and Ridge need to go back to the drawing board and come up with something more original. - M. White Studio City Loose lips Loose Lips is a politics column published in the Washington City Paper, a United States of America (U.S.) alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. It is billed as "The definitive guide to hometown politics in the nation's capital. sink ships I do not agree with those who feel that the public has the ``right to know'' all that is going on with our government. We, as a civilized nation, must realize that there are many people living in our country - both legally and illegally - who have questionable motives. By broadcasting our every plan and our every move, we simply invite trouble. Since Sept. 11, we need to continue to be ever vigilant against further attacks on our nation and its citizens. We do not need to know exactly what President Bush is planning for his next move, nor do we need to know all the details of the ``shadow'' government. Some secrets must be kept as part of an ongoing strategy to win the war. - Carolyn Whitehead Canyon Country Has no shame Re: ``Greuel, Proposition Q still leading in updated returns'' (Daily News, March 16): Tony Cardenas Tony Cardenas served in the California State Assembly. In the Assembly, he had the powerful position of chair of the Budget Committee. He is now a Los Angeles City Councilman, representing the 6th district, which includes parts of the San Fernando Valley. has no shame. Did he actually say he lost to Wendy Greuel Wendy Greuel is President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District. Greuel was elected in 2002 to fill the remainder of the term of Councilman Joel Wachs. She was elected in her own right in 2003 and reelected in 2007. because he failed to respond to Greuel campaign attacks? Now that's the proverbial pot calling the kettle black The phrase "Pot calling the kettle black" is an idiom, used to accuse another speaker of hypocrisy, in that the speaker disparages the subject in a way that could equally be applied to him or her. . Cardenas needs a new campaign slogan tacked to his wall. Maybe something George W. Bush observed during his 2000 presidential race would be appropriate: ``You can't ride a high horse and take the low road.'' - Dina Kiwan Burbank Unholy alliance  This page is currently protected from editing until disputes have been resolved. Well, it's not just along the Golden State Freeway The Golden State Freeway is a north-south freeway running through Kern County and Los Angeles County, California. Originally built as U.S. Highway 99, it was re-signed as Interstate 5 in 1964. in Burbank where our public servants at Caltrans are allowing mature screening trees along our freeways to be removed for the benefit of a new shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into (``Chopped down the trees,'' Public Forum, March 5). There is another instance of this - specifically along the 405 adjacent to the revamped Sherman Oaks Galleria Sherman Oaks Galleria is a shopping mall and business center located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California at the corner of Ventura and Sepulveda Boulevards in the San Fernando Valley. Locals colloquially refer to the mall simply as "the Galleria. - where Caltrans last fall permitted the Galleria to remove approximately a half-dozen mature, healthy eucalyptus trees that ``screened off'' their new mammoth obtrusive ob·tru·sive adj. 1. Thrusting out; protruding: an obtrusive rock formation. 2. Tending to push self-assertively forward; brash: a spoiled child's obtrusive behavior. ``G'' logo. This Caltrans/shopping center alliance that allows the public's freeway landscape buffers to be chain-sawed out of existence is regrettable and needs to be thoroughly examined by our legislators. - Eric M. Lesser Studio City Obstructing progress Why are there all these efforts to obstruct progress? We think that there is a real need for housing, and as the Ahmanson Ranch development shows, there is still plenty of room to locate it conveniently. As we have been saying for years, this is one of the best model community plans we have ever encountered. The Ahmanson Ranch is essentially a small town with shops, schools, recreational facilities and housing plans ranging from apartments to estates. As longtime residents of West Hills (and Canoga Park before that), we think it is important that our children's generation have the same type of housing opportunities that we had. Ahmanson Ranch can help provide that. - George and Linda Damarjian West Hills Bad business You probably see this stupidity a lot. I'm enclosing a copy of a check sent to me by the County of 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. as payment for driving two miles (one way) for jury service. The 30-cent payment required 34 cents postage plus the man-hours and accounting costs to process this payment. Surely there is a better way to cover these small amounts. - S.K. Given Van Nuys Only lasting solution Chuck Heinold (Public Forum, Feb. 25) credits the Marshall Plan Marshall Plan or European Recovery Program, project instituted at the Paris Economic Conference (July, 1947) to foster economic recovery in certain European countries after World War II. The Marshall Plan took form when U.S. for the friendship of Germany and Japan, our ``strongest allies.'' Considering the carping carp·ing adj. Naggingly critical or complaining. carp  ing·ly adv.Noun 1. and complaining coming from Europe - which benefited mightily from the Marshall Plan - and the studied inaction of the Japanese, one might wonder at how strong their friendship really is. But leave that aside. Is Heinold suggesting that Israel pay off the Palestinians in return for a cessation of the daily murder of innocents that is their trademark? Does Heinold propose to reward the Amerinds for losing this continent to Europeans? If so, please ask him to make the first donation - and publish the amount. The fact is that there is already a Palestinian homeland This article or section has multiple issues: * Its neutrality is disputed. * Its factual accuracy is disputed. * It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by citing reliable sources. . Its name is Jordan. The only lasting solution to the problem of the Palestinians is a mass relocation to Jordan, their real home. Think of it as a ``reservation.'' - James F. Glass Chatsworth Try reasoning Marilyn Riley sympathizes more with the guy who recently shot and killed a dog with a BB gun than with the deceased dog (Public Forum, March 15). With such ``logic'' (or the lack of the same), should all citizens who don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. for barking dogs
So what, Marilyn Riley, if ``a complaint means a ritual of paperwork and confrontation with the owners?'' Most owners of dogs will listen to reason, including me, and I've met neighbors who are far more obnoxious than barking dogs. - Eddie Cress Sylmar Supporting terrorism Herb Wiener feels that those who drive SUVs support terrorism (Public Forum, March 11) because ``... guess where we're getting the oil from ...?'' Since Wiener's implication is that we only buy oil from terrorists, any purchase of oil or oil-based fuel would be supporting terrorism. Wiener must not stray far from home because he certainly wouldn't use any form of transportation that uses oil-based fuel, which leaves horses, bicycles, goat carts and walking. Traveling is out because boats, airplanes, trains and buses all use oil-based fuel and, of course, Wiener knows where that comes from. If Wiener wants to work toward raising the mile per gallon of vehicles, fine, but let's not Let's Not is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in Boston University Graduate Journal in December 1954. It was written for no payment as a favour to the journal, and later appeared in the collection Buy Jupiter. make asinine claims that using a specific type of vehicle supports terrorism. - John R. Schlank Granada Hills |
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