PUBLIC FORUM HITTING THE JACKPOT.By the capture of Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (born April 28, 1937, Tikrit, Iraq—died Dec. 30, 2006, Baghdad) President of Iraq (1979–2003). He joined the Ba'th Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. , President Bush has hit the jackpot. Security conditions are bound to improve. The Iraqi people will now be more at ease to talk and to cooperate with the Americans. By the way, the correct spelling of Saddam's home town is Tikreet ... not Tikrit; I am from Iraq, and I know. - Aprim K. Abraham North Hills Saddam and justice Saddam brutally kills thousands of his own people, and there is sentiment that he shouldn't face the death penalty. So what should we do with a person that only kills 30-40 people? One would have to argue that the penalty must be less. What should we do if a person only brutally kills one person? And why should we have any outrage for child molesters and rapists? After all, nobody died. If you want to find reasons not to punish people, there will eventually be no justice. And if you can't find the death penalty as appropriate in this case, then there will never be a case that it can be used. - Barry Levy Redondo Beach Redondo Beach (rĭdŏn`dō), city (1990 pop. 60,167), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1892. Once a commercial port for Los Angeles, it is a residential and resort city with a protected harbor and an excellent marina. Little blip While President Bush is enjoying a little blip in popularity over the capture of a bedraggled and disoriented dis·o·ri·ent tr.v. dis·o·ri·ent·ed, dis·o·ri·ent·ing, dis·o·ri·ents To cause (a person, for example) to experience disorientation. Adj. 1. Saddam Hussein, in the bigger picture, this event will hurt the Bush regime. No longer can they blame Saddam for the resistance movement to U.S. imperialist intentions of the neocons. It is highly doubtful that any significant weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or will be discovered because of the now obvious fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. of facts the Bush regime has used as a pretext for the war. The glaring lies and evil of the war will become even more stark than before. The most surprising thing is that the neocons didn't outright assassinate as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. Saddam to keep him quiet with regards to their historic relationship. - Charles Wilken Northridge Catching Saddam I'm sorry, but there simply is no other response to Ronald O. Richard's letter, ``Changes nothing,'' (Your Opinions, Dec. 16), in which the writer claims that Saddam's capture is irrelevant. You may as well attempt to argue that the sky isn't blue, water isn't made of hydrogen and oxygen, or that the Pope isn't Catholic. - Steve McCombs Chatsworth Earned raise Your editorial (``Looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. heroes,'' Dec. 16), firefighters deferring their pay hike would be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic. If I were a firefighter, I'd be glad to forgo my hard earned raise, just as soon as the City Council gave back that last giant raise they took, and the mayor quits renting those $100,000 monkeys. You can raise my taxes anytime for the hero cops and firemen of this city; they deserve it. - Phil Wixon Acton Repealing Prop. 98 Thomas D Thomas D. (born Thomas Dürr, December 30 1968 in Ditzingen close to Stuttgart, Germany) is a rapper in the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. He frequently works on solo projects. Life After finishing Realschule he took on an apprenticeship as a barber. . Elias' excellent column, ``Prop. 98 ties lawmakers hands'' (Their Opinions, Dec. 14), states that public elementary and high schools are guaranteed ``at least as much state money each year as they did the previous one.'' It was a terrible error on the part of voters when this proposition passed in 1988. After reading this column, there is only one rational conclusion that can be reached. Proposition 98 must be repealed. - Robert S. Kennedy Jr. Camarillo Sky is not falling I just loved Sheriff Lee Baca Leroy David Baca (b. May 27 1942, East Los Angeles, California) is the Sheriff of Los Angeles County, California. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School (Los Angeles) in 1960, Baca worked his way through East Los Angeles College before starting with the L.A. , the highest paid official in the whole of the USA, crying about how we were going to have an unimaginable crime wave because he is not getting his slice of the exorbitant car tax increase. As with any tax cut, the pandering politicians always say the sky is falling and we will have no police, no firemen, the children will suffer, never that anything else can be cut. I have one overriding question: What did all these politicians do last year when there was no car tax increase to blow? - Roger T. Stephens Sr. Winnetka Cow gone dry Mayor James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California still doesn't get it. Taxpayers have revolted because they realize their hard-earned money is being spent unwisely by the city. The mayor should quit whining, freeze spending and stop spending ``all'' the money every year. The cash cow Cash Cow 1. One of the four categories (quadrants) in the BCG growth-share matrix that represents the division within a company that has a large market share within a mature industry. 2. has gone dry, Mr. Mayor. You wasted too much, and you spend too much. - Ray Holm Woodland Hills I see now I don't live in the city of Los Angeles
Los Angeles does not have a heart or compassion. Bah bah interj. Used to express impatient rejection or contempt. bah interj an expression of contempt or disgust humbug on it. - Eden Rosen Burbank Making small efforts In this time of kindness and giving, I see trash cans loaded with recyclable goods galore. How about being kind to the Earth and putting all of those boxes, paper, cans and bottles into the recycling bin? And take those old toys and clothing to a local charity, where it gets put to use and it's a write-off, too. Food gifts that you don't want can go to the food pantry. In this land of plenty, plenty of people have little, and your small effort can mean the world to someone in need. - Sherry Greene Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, Sun Valley issues Re ``Valley Renaissance'' (Editorial, Dec. 14): I have been involved since 1964 with public affairs Those public information, command information, and community relations activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in the Department of Defense. Also called PA. See also command information; community relations; public information. in Sun Valley. I can say from my own experience as a member and past president of the Sun Valley Area Chamber of Commerce that the steps that our new City Councilman 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 taken to set up an environmental justice area within the Sun Valley area has been supported by the Chamber of Commerce and its principal members. We feel that the steps being taken by the various groups in Sun Valley, business and residents are addressing all the issues that have been brought up by the East Valley Coalition. Do not be led astray. Pay attention to the various other groups that are in the area that want to see the area improved and not jobs and industries lost because of misinformation mis·in·form tr.v. mis·in·formed, mis·in·form·ing, mis·in·forms To provide with incorrect information. mis . - Arthur Sweet Sherman Oaks Nelson responds Re ``Going nowhere'' (Viewpoint, Dec. 14): It's clear that Gerald Silver doesn't like the idea that neighborhood councils Neighborhood councils are governmental or non-governmental bodies composed of local people who handle neighborhood problems. They can be found in many cities throughout the world. are designed to represent all the people who make a community strong, such as those involved in local businesses, churches and schools. This is a big improvement from the old system in which someone at City Hall picked the leaders of the advisory groups, or, worse yet, in which one person declared himself or herself the spokesperson for an entire community. Neighborhood councils can affect and have been affecting governmental decision-making. And to say that they are another layer of bureaucracy is just silly. They are actively holding their elected officials accountable and advocating for city services. They are doing it by picking their own leaders, their own boundaries, their own ways of making decisions, and their own issues. What Silver failed to mention is that he remains an active member of his neighborhood council's executive board, so he can't be all that disappointed with the neighborhood council system. - Greg Nelson General Manager Department of Neighborhood Empowerment Holiday dreaming Here's a special holiday gift from our government: For the rest of December, postal employees will trade jobs with parking-meter patrol officers. Now, when you arrive at your car with an armload of packages to an expired meter at the same time a postal worker does, he or she will just turn away and go on a 30-minute break. Then, as you rush to beat the long line at the post office, a parking-meter officer will run to you and mail your packages before you even have time to explain. Sorry, folks, but this fantasy dream is over, and it's time to return to one of life's harshest realities: The incompetence and inequities that we the people endure from government's ``service.'' - Robert L. Rosebrock Brentwood |
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