PUBLIC FORUM SELLING COPIES.Comes now Richard Clarke Richard Clarke may be
- Louis Innerarity 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. The world reacts With a jobless economic recovery and a sagging stock market, it is understandable that President Bush would attempt to direct voters' attention to the only thing he can legitimately lay claim to, his war in Iraq. But he is even losing on that front, as the Europeans, who remain strong in their commitment to fight terrorism, have had enough of the Bush lie connecting Saddam's Iraq to al-Qaida. It is becoming clear to nations around the world that the preemptive pre·emp·tive or pre-emp·tive adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of preemption. 2. Having or granted by the right of preemption. 3. a. U.S. war has only stirred up more terrorism and made the world less safe. The world is saying to Bush, lie to us once, shame on you; lie to us twice, shame on us. No more! - Philip Wilt Van Nuys Alternate universe Re ``Much less safe'' (Public Opinion, March 18): Gordon Hawthorne must have read too many Superman comics in his youth. A recurring theme was a backward alternate universe where the good guys were bad, victims were heroes, etc. Hawthorne says, ``The world is much less safe after attacking Afghanistan and Iraq.'' In the real world, Afghan women no longer fear Taliban thugs and little girls go to school. Bin Laden's training camps are gone. In the real world, Saddam will never again invade Kuwait or use poison gas poison gas, any of various gases sometimes used in warfare or riot control because of their poisonous or corrosive nature. These gases may be roughly grouped according to the portal of entry into the body and their physiological effects. on Kurds. In Hawthorne's much safer universe, the benevolent Saddam rules. The Taliban graciously welcome their al-Qaida guests. Their camps educate poor victims and provide job training for handling explosives and piloting commercial airliners. The supervillain, the Great Satan, the monstrous U.S. bully is stopped from ``making war on innocent people and occupying their countries.'' - Bill Homan Granada Hills Mission accomplished What couldn't be said at the initiation of the war in Iraq has been accomplished: The major justification and reason for the war was to destabilize de·sta·bi·lize tr.v. de·sta·bi·lized, de·sta·bi·liz·ing, de·sta·bi·liz·es 1. To upset the stability or smooth functioning of: the terrorist threat in the Middle East. To accomplish this, we required a major military presence in Iraq. Afghanistan and Iraq are conquered, and Libya has surrendered. Change is being made in Saudi Arabia, while Syria and Iran are served notice that we are on their doorsteps. Was this war necessary? Absolutely! Have we won the war? We are winning it. Was the war the right thing to do? In terms of our national security - as evidenced by 9-11 - there is no question that the war effort was justified. The military's execution of the war and the Bush administration's leadership was and is excellent. - Otis Page Arroyo Grande Soaking housing On Wednesday, the L.A. City Council will be voting on whether to increase Department of Water and Power fees by 18 percent over two years. The city has limited rent increases on about 75 percent of Los Angeles' apartments to 3 percent annually for about nine years. During that time, insurance, workers' compensation workers' compensation, payment by employers for some part of the cost of injuries, or in some cases of occupational diseases, received by employees in the course of their work. premiums, property taxes (due to bond issues and trauma care) have all escalated much faster. Due to very low turnover, most rents are well under the publicized high rents. While senior citizens and other low-income people certainly need protection from the high cost of government waste, allowing the DWP DWP Department of Work and Pensions (UK) DWP Drinking Water Program DWP Dynamic Weapon Pricing (gamin, Counter-Strike: Source) DWP Department of Water & Power DWP Drinking Water Protection request would only accelerate the deterioration and destruction of affordable apartments. If the City Council approves the rate increase, it will prove its members really do not care about affordable housing. - Victor N. Viereck Valley Village Bad business If the Department of Water and Power were to run this city agency like a private business, instead of a personal fiefdom fief·dom n. 1. The estate or domain of a feudal lord. 2. Something over which one dominant person or group exercises control: , we would not have to raise water rates. Why the need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for all the advertising? The DWP is a monopoly. Why the private trips by the leaders and their families? Why the baseball caps for the L.A. Dodgers? Why, why, why? What we need are new leaders of this city agency and a tough DWP controller, free from management interference, who approves all the expenditures. We would not only have enough money to run this agency, but some left over for the general city fund. It is time the City Council stopped running this city like its little backwater personal fiefdom, and started running it like it is, a large metropolis. - Gilbert Smith Encino Dictionary games Re ``Redefining words'' (Your Opinions, March 22): Where do people get these crazy ideas? There is no ``gay agenda,'' aside from trying to be treated fairly by this nation's government, to which we contribute as much as anyone else. I would also advise Marti Marshall to read his dictionary if he wants to throw definitions of words in other people's faces, as the dictionary has several definitions of marriage, some being nongender specific. A few more words I think he should look up are: intolerant, ignorant and prejudiced. - Jason Melby Van Nuys An insult Re ``Money for nothing'' (Our Opinion, March 16) The Daily News has deeply insulted those who serve and protect the public. County employees are sheriffs, firefighters, doctors, social workers, probation officers and more. To say that by the time they are paid ``there's barely anything left for the public'' is absurd. County employees are serving the public and under tough conditions: Emergency rooms overloaded as private hospitals close, sheriffs struggling to keep up with violent gangs, firefighters challenged by denser neighborhoods, social workers and probation officers saddled with such high caseloads that they can hardly keep track of kids on their watch. These are people to honor, not insult! - Paul Roller Chair, Coalition of County Unions, Los Angeles Los Angeles Kudos for Kimit ``In politics, insult now a lost art'' (Viewpoint, March 21): Kimit Muston's column about the lost art of political insult wasnot only eye-opening, but genuinely hilarious. I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. about the rest of Daily News readers, but for me it was one of the funniest pieces of writing I have come across in years. Plus it pointed out triumphantly exquisite political insults of the past. - Peter Kirby Granada Hills Sticks & stones Kimit Muston is an adlepated amateur who is an arrogant automaton automaton: see robot; robotics , a blithering blith·er intr.v. blith·ered, blith·er·ing, blith·ers To blather. [Probably blend of blather and dither. blatherskite blath·er·skite n. 1. A babbling, foolish person. 2. Blather. [blather + dialectal skite, a contemptible person (from Middle English skite, . He is nothing but a dehumanized lie-dispenser and a deplorable dummy, an ill-informed ignoramus IGNORAMUS, practice. We are ignorant. This word, which in law means we are uninformed, is written on a bill by a grand jury, when they find that there is not sufficient evidence to authorize their finding it a true bill. , a jabbering jab·ber v. jab·bered, jab·ber·ing, jab·bers v.intr. To talk rapidly, unintelligibly, or idly. v.tr. To utter rapidly or unintelligibly. n. Rapid or babbling talk. Jeremiah. A know-nothing numskull, just a meandering mental midget. Not to mention that he is a pedagogical ped·a·gog·ic also ped·a·gog·i·cal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of pedagogy. 2. Characterized by pedantic formality: a haughty, pedagogic manner. pipsqueak pipsqueak Noun Informal an insignificant or contemptible person , a roly-poly rowdy. But most annoying of all, he is an irksome tyrannous thesaurus, full of pathetic pomposity and jabbering jackanape. Hee hee, all in fun. - Michael N. Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. Reseda Dismayed Re ``Cutback cut·back n. 1. A decrease; a curtailment: "The political effects of food cutbacks could be devastating" New York Times. 2. for city culture?'' (March 18): As past president of 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. Arts Council, and a supporter of cultural organizations such as the Valley Cultural Center and San Fernando Valley Symphony, I was dismayed by Mayor James Hahn's budget cut for culture. Culture in life continues to provide vitality for education and religious institutions at all levels, regardless of demographic factors. Hahn's action is particularly unfortunate because Cultural Affairs Department assistance to inner-city and downtown groups appears to have a significantly higher budget priority than the Valley. The bottom line is, the Valley continues to be underserved. It's time for a change. - J.B. Jerry Domine Winnetka Exporting patients We mustn't be too proud to learn how to provide medical care for millions of poor patients from our neighbor to the south. Send them to el norte. Question is, will Canada be dumb enough to take them? - Barbara Vickroy Escondido |
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