PUBLIC FORUM LOW-LEVEL RADIATION.Re ``The stars come out'' (Sept. 26): Hollywood celebrities need to stop shouting ``the sky is falling'' while ignoring scientific facts. Their letter says landfills are for ``rotting garbage,'' not ``plutonium from reactors.'' That's absolutely true, and we all agree on that. However, anything ``hot'' is, and has always been, sent to the appropriate hazardous waste Hazardous waste Any solid, liquid, or gaseous waste materials that, if improperly managed or disposed of, may pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. Every industrial country in the world has had problems with managing hazardous wastes. facility, not to the local dump. What they wrongly call ``nuclear waste'' and ``radioactive reactor parts'' is really just junk from torn-down office buildings and parking lots at Rocketdyne. It has the same safe, low level of radiation as raisins, mineral water, living in Denver, flying in airplanes and, ironically, ``rotting garbage.'' Low-level radiation is everywhere and is a normal, natural part of our environment. To say ban it from the landfill means to ban everything. Then what? - Jim Cusack Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. Life-threatening Thanks to the wisdom of Mark-Ridley-Thomas, Nate Holden Nathaniel "Nate" R. Holden (1929-) served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1987 to 2002. He previously served a term on the California State Senate and was Assistant Chief Deputy to then Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. and other members of the ``do-nothing-feel-good'' City Council, those pesky .50-caliber ``sniper'' rifles are being banned. I've not heard of this 28- pound, easily concealable $6,000 weapon being used in the commission of one single crime in Los Angeles Crime in Los Angeles has been a major problem in Southern California and concern for Angeleno residents since the early 20th Century. Crime has steadily decreased since the 1990's but since 2006, crime has increased. - or anywhere in California, for that matter. Unlike the City Council, I feel more threatened by those who have cell phones permanently attached to their ears while driving 4,000-pound behemoths, totally oblivious to their surroundings. My life has been threatened numerous times by these comatose co·ma·tose adj. 1. Of, relating to, or affected with coma. 2. Marked by lethargy; torpid. comatose (kō´m drivers. Of course, the council won't address this issue. After all, it is an important one that affects all of us. - Steve Scheer Tarzana Caliber of decisions Thanks to the L.A. city clowns - er, council members - we are once again saved by a solution in search of a problem. No crimes have been committed with these rather cumbersome, expensive firearms, 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. dither dith·er n. A state of indecisive agitation. intr.v. dith·ered, dith·er·ing, dith·ers To be nervously irresolute in acting or doing. up the air with facts. Ban them suckers anyhow. Councilman Nate Holden, the weapons expert, can't tell the difference between the destructive power of a bazooka bazooka, in warfare, portable, lightweight metal tube from which rockets are launched, usually operated by two men. It is used by infantry as an antitank weapon and also for attacking pillboxes and bunkers. rocket and a single .50-caliber rifle round. Dude, you must have been carrying that rocket launcher for someone else. This is the caliber of ``informed'' decision-making I personally have had enough of. See you in November. - Daniel F. Taylor Tujunga In praise of Greuel I was extremely upset at your Sept. 24 editorial criticizing Councilwoman 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. . Wendy has done more for the Sunland-Tujunga area than we have seen in years. Wendy put together an excellent Senior Citizen Caregiver Fair presenting information on the many services available. Whenever I've called her office, my issues were immediately addressed. Potholes are fixed when reported. Our sidewalks were repaired. She has scheduled the paving of the Senior Center parking lot, has represented us at the City Planning city planning, process of planning for the improvement of urban centers in order to provide healthy and safe living conditions, efficient transport and communication, adequate public facilities, and aesthetic surroundings. Department meetings and was instrumental on getting the Scenic Corridor Plan approved - just to mention a few of the many tasks she has already accomplished. I don't understand your criticism after her being in office for only five months. - Rosie Arntzen Tujunga Too polite In your Sept. 30 editorial on the subject of ``Ethical lapse,'' you used the clause ``Once again, the commission seems to have its collective head stuck in the sand,'' and here I have to say that you were being far too polite. - Arthur Carden California City Sexual discrimination Re ``Coach gets jail for sex with teen'' (Sept. 29): Getting a minor drunk and having sex should result in imprisonment Imprisonment See also Isolation. Alcatraz Island former federal maximum security penitentiary, near San Francisco; “escapeproof.” [Am. Hist.: Flexner, 218] Altmark, the German prison ship in World War II. [Br. Hist. . But where this male coach gets 52 months for one evening, a female school teacher takes a student to Las Vegas, where she spends four days drinking and having sex with this minor, and she receives probation instead of an equally severe jail sentence. Outrageous abuse of sexual discrimination. Women's rights The effort to secure equal rights for women and to remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions, and behavioral patterns. The women's rights movement began in the nineteenth century with the demand by some women reformers for the right to vote, known as suffrage, and groups around the country must be celebrating their ``victory.'' - Patrick Weir Chatsworth Subway makes sense Re ``More subway madness'' (Editorial, Sept. 29): A Wilshire subway extension would eventually connect Santa Monica, Westwood, Century City, Beverly Hills and Miracle Mile to the rail network. This densest job corridor, with the densest traffic and no room to build rail on the surface, is the only place that requires the expense of subway. Nevertheless, the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. already has two subway stations, plus eight surface-rail stations, all of which connect to the existing Wilshire subway. Surely even the densest Daily News editorial writer can see that the more jobs the rail network reaches from the Valley's 10 existing stations, the better for everyone. - Roger Rudick Los Angeles Petty regionalism re·gion·al·ism n. 1. a. Political division of an area into partially autonomous regions. b. Advocacy of such a political system. 2. Loyalty to the interests of a particular region. 3. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is taking the right steps for the region by revisiting the Wilshire subway. I believe your Sept. 29 editorial encourages a petty regionalism between the Valley and the rest of Los Angeles. The Valley is served by the Red Line and Metrolink. The Westside has no rail service. Westsiders, represented by Friends 4 Expo, forced the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. board to accept that the overwhelming sentiment on the Westside was for Metro Rail expansion. Valley NIMBYs have long fought rail. The Red Line is mass transit that is highly successful. At 140,000 boardings per weekday, it is the busiest subway line in the United States outside of New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . - Dennis Lytton Hollywood Subway extension Re ``MTA revives subway - for Westside'' (Sept. 27): The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's 7-4 vote to support subway construction has opened Pandora's box to the vested interests. This reckless about-face on the MTA's no-more-subways policy ignores the vote of the people and the catastrophic problems with the gold-plated $5 billion, 17-mile subway. Washington needs to know that Los Angeles County supports cost- effective, above-ground rail projects to meet the transit needs of our 88 cities and 134 unincorporated communities. It is time that the MTA learn from history and not repeat the costly failures of the past. - Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San Los Angeles County Supervisor Stop Saddam now It disturbs me to read about the Germans being displeased dis·please v. dis·pleased, dis·pleas·ing, dis·pleas·es v.tr. To cause annoyance or vexation to. v.intr. To cause annoyance or displeasure. with our president and his attitude on Saddam Hussein and Iraq. I was in London when one of the Germans' V-2 rockets landed near where I was. As an infantry man, I helped drive the Germans back in the Battle of the Bulge Battle of the Bulge, popular name in World War II for the German counterattack in the Ardennes, Dec., 1944–Jan., 1945. It is also known as the Battle of the Ardennes. On Dec. to almost the end before I was wounded. I saw the horror inflicted by Hitler, and I still have a resentment against those Germans who allowed him to grow to the evil man he was. Sixty million died because he wasn't stopped. Tony Blair also knows we need to stop Saddam before he starts another disaster. - Cam Galieti Northridge No satisfaction During this time of Middle East chaos, it's truly a shame that our politicians - both Republicans and Democrats, at both federal and state levels - are more interested in personal gain than in working together to help bring an end to the dangers to our country. Not long ago the people of Minnesota became dissatisfied with their major parties. The Independent who was elected governor provided a needed wake-up call. Could this happen in California? I hope so. - Richard Promen Tarzana |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion