PUBLIC FORUM CARDBOARD CUTOUTS.

Re ``Bush Calls for Reduction in U.S. Nuclear Arms'' (May 25):

Bush hasn't even been nominated by his party yet and he presumes to have enough administrative authority to speak on nuclear arms reduction with his father's ``experts'' on the Cold War. Bush may as well have had cardboard cutouts propped up around him. That photo-op was absolutely ridiculous . . .

What happened to ``new'' thinking? Let the dead past bury the dead. I will say they looked pretty stupid standing around this son of their good friend George Bush, and he seemed pretty impressed as they performed their duty - strange bedfellows, indeed, all from another generation of the distant past. George W. should be dealing with guns, not bombs, and the NRA's Charlton Heston and the mothers in the Million Mom March on Mother's Day, before he meddles with the nuclear bombs situation. Let me see now, his bedfellows served with a one-term president and are now used merely as a part of the presumptive president's TV spins. What a bunch of has-beens.

- James Patrick 

Burbank

Last laugh

Re ``Sewer bills cut $20'' (May 24):

Congratulations to North Hollywood activist Ivan Shinkle. He deserves all the credit for instigating the removal of the sewer service fee.

I remember three or four years ago a certain City Council person was against the removal of the sewer service charge because ``the people who have the pleasure of living in the Valley can afford to pay more for their water and electricity.'' Look who's got the last laugh now.

- H. Bruce

West Hills

CSUN academy

Through the recent proposal for the Los Angeles Unified School District to explore building a special, 800-student academy high school on the Cal State Northridge campus, we have a real opportunity to make a difference and improvement in the education of young people from our community.

Too many high school students today aren't learning what they need to know to succeed in college and their future lives. And high schools around CSUN are too crowded. The new academy high school proposed for the CSUN campus would be a start toward solving both problems and would be an asset to the community.

Building a new high school, or any significant development, can be a daunting task these days. But I hope, through whatever debate ensues on the project, we keep focused on its important potential for improving the education of young people from our community. As the public university of the San Fernando Valley, that is what Cal State Northridge is here to do.

- Philip Handler 

Interim provost & vice president for academic affairs

California State University, Northridge 

Speak up

Your ``Taste the sunshine'' editorial (May 8) has the right idea. Pour recycled water to West Los Angeles, you put it gently, which sounds like asking for their permission to do it. Speaking softly and gently will never penetrate City Hall's arrogance. They will not hear you. We have to force-feed them. Cut off any other water supply. Force them, their families and offices to use reclaimed water, fill up their swimming pools for their kids to swim in it.

Did you mention tree trimming? What a joke. Los Angeles will not do it, even in a life-jeopardizing situation. They have an unchallengeable power to do, or not, anything they like. Try to complain and you will know.

One solution is to get away from Los Angeles at any cost and that never would be soon enough.

- George Horvath

Granada Hills

Safe drinking water 

In response to the knee-jerk reactionaries (``Official defends reuse of water,'' May 19) who are going to pieces over the thought of utilizing recycled wastewater, I would like to shed some light into the dark recesses of their troubled minds.

My dad was a civil engineer for forty-plus years. He designed and built sewage treatment plants for municipalities. When I was about 9 years old, he explained to me the dynamics of such plants, how the water is filtered and purified. He explained to me that after the filtering process, one could safely drink the water. All contaminants were removed, and chlorine was added to purify the water. All the plant was doing was speeding up the natural process of filtration. In fact, he stressed that the treated water is actually cleaner than ``pure mountain spring'' water, which has not been chlorinated.

- Mike Marfiak

Tarzana

Speaking of Spain

Re ``Olmos assails Eurocentrism'' (May 21):

Poor, innocent Edward James Olmos. Maybe Olmos just doesn't really know much about Indian Mexico or Latin America. One thing he needs to know is that, to an Indian in Mexico of, say, Tarahumara or Yaqui language and culture, or to any of the other members of the distinct, impoverished indigenous subcultures of Latin America (for instance, those distinctly non-Mexican acculturated rebels of Chiapas), the Spanish language and dominant culture of Mexico are clearly Eurocentristic.

To make believe Spanish is not of Europe and that European views of reality are not European is absurd, no matter who conforms to that language and those cultures of Europe.

- Stan Bass

Montrose

One is enough

Re ``Alcohol sales anger activists'' (May 20):

As a parent who has lost a child to gang violence and as an executive director of a nonprofit agency that offers programs to high-risk youths, I applaud the Daily News for exposing Arco's reneged promise to sell alcohol at only one location.

The new Arco station is located on the old General Motors site, across from the infamous Blythe Street. This neighborhood has suffered from decades of neglect and gang violence. During the past few years, the Blythe Street area has undergone a renaissance, largely due to the efforts of its residents and the development of the Plant retail complex.

As your editorial correctly pointed out, there is another Arco station within two blocks of the new station. Both stations sell alcohol. It's time for Arco to show its community spirit by not selling spirits.

- Jim Leahy

Sylmar

Like the Romans

Much will be written about the Dodgers penalties for players going into the ballpark grandstands to confront fans who angered them. I am afraid most people will miss the significance of these actions, which are in the same category as road rage and hate. What is really troubling is that history tells us this has happened before. The Roman Empire destroyed itself by the same excesses that today are eating away at American society. The parallels between the gladiators fighting in the Roman Coliseum and what happened at Wrigley Field are not coincidence. The Romans of that era and Americans share a thirst for blood. We still hold to the adage that an eye for an eye is fair.

Today our society's principal orientation is pleasure and beauty. From this flows most of the bad things. The perception people have the right to do and say as they please is at the core of the problem. Every deviant and rabble rouser has a voice that is heard and unduly influences our society. Government is failing.

- Sion Colvin

Woodland Hills

Due to the number of letters received, additional letters commenting on Saturday's Public Forum topic, Senior Flight, are published today.

Leaving L.A.

Permit a certified geezer (old coot, fogy, fossil) of 65 to voice his opinions. If my fellow blue-hairs want to get out of Los Angeles, they have my benediction. From where I sit, it is a good mile and a half to the nearest bus stop, assuming I want to relegate my Jeep to the garage and ride the bus (which I do not). I would not go to any of the sporting venues if you paid me, but getting there isn't half the fun even if you're half my age. Shopping - I would rather be skinned, scalped, shot and salted down than go to a mall. Prices are high, service is poor and everywhere you go, the stores play rock at ear-splitting volume. The weather is lousy, too. (I told you I was a geezer.)

I can't speak for the rest of the old coots out there, but they might find life a little more pleasant if they'd quit listening to whiners with a six-week certificate from a psychology course and go back to work on something useful. If not useful, interesting.

Finally - don't call me a ``senior citizen'' where I can hear you, unless you want to find out more about a self-cocking pick handle than you ever wanted to know.

- Alexander Hicks

Sylmar

Second thoughts

I am a 66-year-old retiree born and raised in Los Angeles. I would never consider leaving Los Angeles even with its problems of overpopulation, traffic jams, crime and smog. I for one would never want to be fixed to an out-of-state retirement community.

Many of my retired friends have sold their homes here for top dollar and moved to Las Vegas not only to escape L.A.'s obvious problems, but also to take advantage of Nevada's no state income tax, affordable new homes, and appealing retirement communities there. They have all made new friends, but they lament missing their old and dear friends and family members, as well as the Southern California lifestyle. Several have developed serious medical problems and are forced to sojourn frequently to L.A.'s medical centers, because of the lack of a sufficient number of medical specialists and facilities in Las Vegas.

So my fellow seniors, check into all of your many options and interests in Los Angeles before you are lured into what might prove to be a very regrettable retirement move.

- Larry Stone

Valley Village

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Photo: Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush answers questions while joined on stage by, from left, former security adviser Brent Scowcroft, former Secretaries of State George Schultz and Henry Kissinger and retired Gen. Colin Powell during a press conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Eric Draper/Associated Press