PUBLIC FORUM DO WE NOT BLEED?

In her March 27 Public Forum letter, Barbara Mark states that ``Vicente Fox takes the trophy for all-time, in-your-face guts for his request for open borders, coddling of illegal border-crossers and suggesting we give them a free college education.''

Vicente Fox should do his political homework when he visits the nation's capital. Go to the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, point out that 25 percent of the names are Latino, of Mexican origin. Focus on the numerous Congressional Medal of Honor winners of Mexican heritage. How many parents of these men who gave their all are illegal?

I asked my Mexican students who volunteered for combat duty in Vietnam, ``Why?'' Their answer shut me up: ``This country has been good to us.'' Sadly, some of their names are on the Wall.

- Ben Gomez

Los Angeles 

They deserve it

Re ``Feeling squeezed'' (March 28):

Here comes the new icon of mega-consumption, the SUV, (with its obligatory passengerless driver), whining that they have to park - God forbid - a couple more yards from the front door.

But despite the fact L.A.'s facing a summer of rolling blackouts and $2- a-gallon gasoline, I say we make special spots to comfort these poor SUV drivers. But one provision: Put 'em in the most remote corner of the lot so they'll end up conserving all that gas they waste prowling around for some peon's miser-at-the-nozzle compact to back out so they wedge themselves into their ``Dammit, I deserve it'' spot.

- Roderic Kavanagh

Sherman Oaks

They got it wrong

In your story on ``Speeder crackdown'' (March 25), the LAPD has set a goal of 25 percent more tickets. As usual, they've got it wrong. The goal should be 25 percent fewer accidents, 25 percent fewer speeders, 25 percent fewer red light runners, at least 25 percent fewer traffic fatalities. Or am I missing something?

- Tom Burton

Van Nuys

Remember these things 

Again the rich get richer and the poor have to pay higher energy costs. When will we the taxpayers of California wake up? End deregulation and do what it takes to stop the private utilities from choking the life out of already depressed economy.

It's our money they want to shore up their stock values; what are we getting in return? Higher bills. I have switched all my light bulbs to compact fluorescent and put all my electric devices on surge protectors in an effort to conserve and my bills still have not been significantly reduced. I will remember these things at the polls, and so should everybody else.

- Hector Quevedo

Panorama City

The money flow

I am totally appalled at this electric rate increase proposal. They give out dividends to their stockholders, they transfer profits/funds to their parent company, then they claim they are in financial ruins.

Well if this rate increase goes into effect, and after the first year of again making record profits due to this and their stocks going up, will they then pass along the after-savings back to us? Or will they scoop up that money, then claim they are bankrupt again. I didn't ask for deregulation. Why doesn't the owner of Southern California Edison bail them out? They have money.

- Mike Schenck

Simi Valley 

Not my vote

As for your endorsement of Laura Chick ``because she is the most qualified,'' I would not vote for Chick if she was overqualified and the only person on the ballot. You have a soft memory - Chick is against Valley secession. I would not vote for anyone who was on the City Council and voted against the Boy Scouts' use of city facilities. The City Council does not go along with my way of thinking on any level.

- Ken Bowen

Tarzana

A fine old custom

Whatever happened to tar and feathering? I believe that the electrical power moguls should be given a good dose of tar and feathering and sent out of town on a rail flatcar.

And what's this jazz about the government being afraid of the hoof and mouth disease entering the country? It's already here - in Washington, D.C.

- Don Black

Sylmar

I did not know

Re ``Iran-Contra'' (Public Forum, March 28):

Alex Kwechansky states that ``Reagan was found responsible (for Iran- Contra) in 1989.'' Gee, I didn't know that. Then why did the government have a special prosecutor investigating the case until well into Clinton's second term, since it had all been settled?

How was Reagan accused and tried? And more important, who found him guilty? I must have missed the news that day.

- Bonnie Blankenship

Glendale

Smell the roses

I am an Australian citizen who has been living in Los Angeles for eight years. I would like to point out that the administration which so blatantly disregards huge scientific data and world opinion is not the people's popular choice.

If it were not for a biased Supreme Court we would have an administration which though not perfect at least can smell the roses. I suspect that Bush and all his Big Oil buddies want beachfront property in Texas.

- Carmel McFayden

Van Nuys

Not the same

Re ``Religious bigotry'' (Public Forum, March 26):

When I read Iris Bauman's letter calling the lack of Jewish holiday cards as opposed to Christian holiday cards religious bigotry, I had to laugh. First, the assumption that the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are a valid part of Christian holidays is false. These are cute marketable beings created by companies to appeal to secular-minded people during the holidays for the purpose of bringing in more money.

I'm sure survivors of communism or people who have lived in Northern Ireland or the Middle East could tell you that more ``Christian'' greeting cards than Jewish greeting cards is far from religious bigotry.

- Kevin Farrell

Northridge

See ya real soon

Re ``Disney to cut 4,000 jobs'' (Business, March 28) ``... to uphold investors' confidence.'':

Must keep the investors happy. What about the 4,000 poor people who are going to lose their jobs? How about saving the jobs and letting the top people take a cut in compensation? Would not this approach be good for more people and be a great public relations move?

- Richard B. Fremed

Winnetka

A good laugh

Re ``Riordan bucks land-use change'' (March 28):

Ha. First, Councilman Hal Bernson gives us a good laugh when he tries to imply the only opponents to his General Plan change in Chatsworth are ``horse people who go crazy ...'' He's trying to distort the truth that thousands of voters outside the equestrian community are also against this change.

For instance, the Chatsworth Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations have advised Bernson of their opposition. Here's the subsequent good laugh: Now Mayor Riordan vetoed Bernson's plan, and Bernson's office has put out the spin that this is a ``personal'' issue for the mayor and the developer. Oh please, Bernson, what next? Little green men from Mars?

- Terri Cunningham

West Hills

It's a farce

The back of my sports section of the Daily News says, in retrospect, ``We are the best in sports news.'' Usually it's full of pictures of 7-foot-tall guys ``placing'' the ball in a 10-foot-high net. It's called a ``dunk'' ... what a farce ... a ``dunk'' is about as skillful as a soccer player scoring a goal, offside and with no goalie.

Nets were 10 feet high when the men who played were only 5 feet 6 inches tall. Now players are 6 feet 6 inches to 7 feet tall and the net is still 10 feet high - hence the ``dunk.'' Nets should now be 12- to 14-feet-high to make it skillful. Incidentally, ``basketball'' was taken from Euro ``netball'' and only women played that. Give me a break.

- James Gray

La Crescenta