PUBLIC FORUM.`Superjumbo' jet Re ``Airbus rolls out 7-story jet plane'' (Business, Jan. 18): After reading the story about the ambitious plans of Airbus to develop their new super liner, I began to think about the super LAX expansion. All the talk was about safety. But how much of this expansion will be toward the new A380 jet? I read that tunnels will have to be made stronger. The jet will need wider taxiways in some places. You will need wider gates to accommodate more than one jet at a time. Is this the real reason we need to modernize the airport? If the airlines want to fly the new jet to LAX, should they not pay for it? Maybe when they talk about safety, it's not about terrorists but to be able to safely support and operate this mammoth plane. - Mike Hoblinski Burbank Atoning Reasonable people must stand up and block Condoleezza Rice's ascension to secretary of state. The promotion of administration insiders who led the criminal, unethical and simply preposterous treatment of the American people An American people may be:
To go along with this madness is a sin of omission. The media, opposition leadership and reasonable Republicans need to make up for their lying down on the job two years ago. Stand up now. It's never too late to have a spine. - Nick Gilhool 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. Sad day indeed Isn't Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday? Was he not a good enough man to warrant flying the flag? Was he not Christian enough? When I went out of my door this morning to pick up the paper and place the flag in its holder I did not see one other flag out. I decided to cruise the neighborhood, 20th East and Avenue J, about 60 homes and only one other flag. I saw plenty of Christmas lights still up and even more trash cans still visible from the street, but only two flags - mine and one on the next block. I then asked a child why he was not in school today he said, ``It is a holiday.'' I asked which one he said, ``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. ,'' and continued down the block. Sad day indeed; Dr. King deserved better. - Greg Bashem Lancaster The nest egg Nest Egg A special sum of money saved or invested for one specific future purpose. Notes: Examples of the purposes for which nest eggs are usually intended include retirement, education, and even entertainment (vacations and cruises). is gone Patrick O'Connor's Jan. 14 View From The Valley cartoon shows that he just does not understand the Social Security problem. Because of congressional spending (theft) of all the Social Security collections in excess of benefits paid, and expenses, there is no nest egg. For future senior citizens to have any Social Security nest egg, we have to get the fox out of the henhouse by completely taking it away from Congress's control. - Victor N. Viereck Valley Village A life crushed Re ``Rosemary Kennedy Rose Marie Kennedy (September 13, 1918 – January 7, 2005) was the third child and first daughter of Joseph and Rose Kennedy, born a year after the U.S. President John F. Kennedy. , JFK's sister, dead at 86'' (Jan. 8): I was saddened to hear that Rosemary Kennedy had died, not because she had lived a limited life because of an injury that she may have got at birth, but because she was further crushed into a helpless state by a team of psychiatrists using a savage prefrontal lobotomy prefrontal lobotomy n. A lobotomy in which the white fibers that connect the thalamus to the prefrontal and frontal lobes of the brain are severed, performed as a treatment for intense anxiety or violent behavior. . Although it was explained away as a procedure in its infancy, these ``doctors'' knew what it would produce. Many well-heeled families received ``help'' in this form if their insurance would cover it. I hope we can learn from this woman's 86 years of ``life'' that all lives are precious and should be valued - not hidden or destroyed for convenience. - Mary May Sunland And himself In ``Learning often flows from debate'' (Their Opinions, Jan. 14), Thomas Sowell Thomas Sowell (born June 30, 1930), is an American economist, political writer, and commentator. While often described as a "black conservative", he prefers not to be labeled, and considers himself more libertarian than conservative. writes: ``Watch footage of Bush. Watch the adoring and enraptured en·rap·ture tr.v. en·rap·tured, en·rap·tur·ing, en·rap·tures To fill with rapture or delight. en·rap look on the faces in his audience. Then read what he said and see if it makes any sense whatever. Yet he convinced others `and himself' that he had a great message and a great mission.'' How true. Invading a country based on nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non WMD WMD white muscle disease. ; saving Social Security by reducing its funding; improving local education by imposing federal controls; holding town-hall meetings with prescreened supporters lobbing pre-approved questions. Clearly, he's insane. Oh, wait - Sowell was referring to Hitler, not Bush. Sorry, my mistake. - Kelli McAllister Van Nuys Until it's you Re ``At your own risk'' Your Opinions, Jan. 17): Letters to the editor imply that a topic has hit a nerve. Several contributors have taken the effort to lash out to strike out wildly or furiously; also used figuratively. See also: Lash at donations to tsunami victims. Now the needs of the La Conchita victims are being characterized as ``whining.'' I would wager the donation dissenters dissenters: see nonconformists. are devotees of Mr. ``Compassionate Conservative'' out of Crawford. My next wager is that not one of them has complained about the billions wasted in Iraq. I also suppose none of them looked for any assistance 11 years ago to the day. It's always the other guy. Until it's you. - Bill Pratt Northridge CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. , Bush and Vietnam All that's been established in the Texas Air National Guard matter is that Bill Burkett Bill Burkett was the CBS source in the Killian documents affair of 2004. He claimed that in 1997, while outside the governor's office in Austin, he overheard a conversation about "wanting to bury George W. Bush's Vietnam service record." This has been disputed. lied to CBS about his source, and CBS failed to verify the authenticity of the documents. Yet it has somehow become part of our folklore that the documents were proven forgeries. Charges by former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes that he helped jump Bush to the head of a long waiting list remain intact, and no one has satisfactorily explained bestowing a coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. Air National Guard position while the war in Vietnam raged on someone with absolutely no prior military flight experience who then failed to even honor his service commitment. - Alan Benson Newbury Park Whose interest? Re ``Arnold proposes record spending'' (Jan. 18): When do we say enough? The California Legislature was and is elected by the California citizens (us) to look out for our interests. (Education, quality of life, health, protecting the disabled, et al.) They are doing their job in opposing these proposals that are against our interests. Arnold, why are you fighting against the California citizens' interests? Just whose interests are you fighting for? How can we, the California citizens, continue to permit this runaway borrowing which has now reached $26 billion - a 40 percent increase since Arnold came into office? That's a tax increase of $700-plus for each California citizen before it will be paid off. - Meredith Gene Pearcy Canoga Park Arnold's special Re ``It turns out everybody's special'' (Their Opinions, Jan. 10): It's about time It's About Time may refer to:
It is Arnold who is tied to the real special interests. He shakes their hands, and then lines his pockets with the money he is handed. Just one look at the insurance companies and you know who he is sleeping with. Unfortunately the working people of this state are getting the short end of this governor. - Susan E. Fields Northridge Blowout in the rain Recently, I was driving home from work (about 7 a.m.) on the 118 Freeway when suddenly I had a blowout to my right front tire. I had hit a pothole pothole, in geology, cylindrical pit formed in the rocky channel of a turbulent stream. It is formed and enlarged by the abrading action of pebbles and cobbles that are carried by eddies, or circular water currents that move against the main current of a stream. in the road about 10 minutes earlier than the blowout. A rainstorm was outside. I safely parked my car on the edge of the 118 and then I walked to the freeway telephone. While I was talking on the telephone, a cop pulled up next to me and said that he would take care of it - which is what he did! He telephoned AAA AAA: see American Automobile Association. (Triple A) A common single-cell battery used in a myriad of electronic devices of all variety. Like its double A (AA) cousin, it provides 1.5 volts of DC power. When used in series, the voltage is multiplied. for me from his squad car and then told me to wait for the tow truck in my car with the seat belt and shoulder harness on me - which is what I did. In about 10 minutes, the AAA tow truck arrived. I was really fortunate to have such a nice cop and will never forget his kindness. - Robert W. Burton Santa Clarita |
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