PUBLIC FORUM YES, I DO.

Re ``Can you feel the love?'' by Deroy Murdock, Opinion, Aug. 3:

The large-type, cynical headline above the article and photo of Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, shouted, ``Can you feel the love?''

Yes, I do ``feel the love'' - not the love of each individual for the other; that's called ``respect,'' something we haven't seen in a long time. The love expressed at the Republican convention is for America, for all Americans and for the opportunity to give us back that lost respect for our presidency and for our country.

That is the serious part of Murdock's column. The funniest part is Jesse Jackson's comment on Dick Cheney: ``Jesus warns us to be aware of wolves in sheep's clothing.'' Republicans and Democrats alike know that Dick Cheney is exactly what he says he is. Al Gore, on the other hand, has yet to make up his mind as to which type of sheep's clothing will be his best disguise.

- Elinor Arnold

Sherman Oaks

Thanks just the same

My thanks to James F. Glass for his incisive letter ``Conspicuous compassion,'' (Public Forum, Aug. 4). First for taking the time to read and comment on my oxymoron 2000 letter. And secondly for classifying me with the liberals; those precious people I've spent my lifetime trying to emulate. Unfortunately, I'm far too judgmental, too self-centered and too greedy to deserve such an honor. But thanks just the same.

And incidentally, I really don't ``think'' compassionate is synonymous with the word liberal. I just took that from my Roget's Thesaurus, my American College Dictionary and my Rodale Synonym Finder. But thanks for the credit - and the PR.

- Fred W. Coble 

North Hills

Spell honesty

Re Doug Seagraves' letter to the Aug. 3 Public Forum:

He states George Bush is another candidate who cannot spell the word ``potato.'' My reply to Seagraves is that if I had to choose between a candidate who was a poor speller and one like the present occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., who fails in the truth and honesty category, I would embrace the poor speller.

- Pete Demetralis

Los Angeles 

Hiroshima

Aug. 6 was the anniversary of the nuclear bombing of imperialist Japan. Today there are literally thousands of nuclear weapons in many hands throughout our world. These weapons are individually more powerful than those used on Japan. When we go to elect our governmental leaders we must choose men and women who will once again work at their posts. They must prevent chaos with our defense ready to overwhelm rogue nations but we must ``walk softly'' - not creating a false crusade against the United States.

Our leaders also must build international alliances against terrorists. We must develop and use technology to watch these terrorists throughout the world. International trade and commerce with us must be conditioned upon cooperation in this war on nuclear terror. Hopefully our next president will work ``full time'' without fund-raising and celebrity distractions.

- Dick Jones

Canoga Park

No helmet required

Re ``Keeping baby on back could flatten the head,'' (July 31):

I was disappointed in the article because, although you discuss the problem at length, you provide no suggested solution other than the special helmet, which is a costly and burdensome alternative.

However, there is a much simpler solution - rotate your baby's sleeping position frequently. I have three babies, all born since the American Academy of Pediatrics changed their sleep-position recommendation. I used one of those sleep triangles to prop my babies on their sides and changed the direction they faced weekly. All three have turned out with beautifully shaped heads. No helmet required.

- Barbara Owens 

Simi Valley

Let it ring

Re auto safety and cellular phones:

Driving a car and talking on a phone at the same time is a bad idea.

- Chuck Levin

Los Angeles

Look at MADD 

Enough laws have been written for gun control. We the people need criminal control. The mothers of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers got wonders done by prosecuting the drunk drivers. They did not overlegislate the cars they drove. Let us go after the criminal who uses the gun in an illegal manner. The gun didn't do it. The criminal holding it did.

- Tom Suter

La Crescenta

Not political agenda

Thank you for printing a truthful article concerning gun ownership (``Protecting his life and livelihood,'' Viewpoint, July 23). Eui Lee did protect himself and his store and took two criminals off the streets. The studies you site (Yale University) show that guns prevent crime far more often than they are abused. These are facts, not political agendas.

If the issue isn't about public safety then we must assume that it is about political agenda. It is time for the media to follow your lead and start by giving the American public facts instead of hollow propaganda.

- Mark Costner

Van Nuys

Also stunned

Like Virginia Classick states in her letter (Public Forum, July 25), I too was ``stunned'' that you printed Chris Weinkopf's opinion piece ``Protecting his life and livelihood,'' (July 23). Only I was stunned for a different reason. Rarely do we see or hear the facts about gun control so prominently and succinctly expressed in the media.

Classick's knee-jerk reaction is typical of the gun control fanatics. More gun restrictions will only increase their voracity to terrorize lawful citizens.

- William Hamburg

Woodland Hills

No monopoly

Dick Denne criticizes Tom Van Dyke for his ignorance about religious atrocities (Public Form, July 28), yet demonstrates his own lack of historical knowledge. Denne states ``Hitler and the Nazis were Christians.'' If this is true, why was the 1937 papal encyclical ``Mit Brennender Sorge'' written, which condemned Nazi ideas as anti-Christian? Why were priests who read this document to their congregations arrested?

Denne also denies that the tens of millions killed by communist regimes is evidence that secular movements are guilty of genocides. The simple fact is that these were explicitly atheist states which committed atrocities justified by and done to advance their ideologies. This proves that religion has no monopoly on having been used to justify evildoing.

- Sean Benison 

Valencia

Not my visionary

Republican or Democrat? I remember the Contract with America when Newt Gingrich's clan shut down our government. I remember an endless Ken Starr witch hunt that was paid for with our tax dollars. I know a local Republican who was at the head of this pack.

Who am I voting for? Democrat Adam Schiff who has the vision and intelligence to keep our economy strong and unemployment the lowest it has ever been. Really, the facts speak for themselves. Oh yes, there is also Ralph Nader, who does not own a computer. I respect his right not to own one, however this is not the visionary I want leading our country in this era of technology.

- Anna Nelson

Burbank

Judge for ourselves

Thankfully we are blessed in America with C-SPAN where you can watch and listen to what is going on in the world and decide for yourself what is happening and what people are saying. I watched the Republican convention on C-SPAN, however I occasionally jumped over to the three networks to see their reporting.

It was dreadful - ``talking heads'' trying to tell viewers what was said and flippant remarks that the convention was boring, shallow, scripted, and of no value. I couldn't believe it. Here we are selecting the president of the United States and some anchormen are acting like kindergarten students.

- Ray Holm

Thousand Oaks