PUBLIC FORUM.Arnold's mistake Re ``Schwarzenegger wants rail bond put on hold'' (Jan. 7): Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to scrap funding for the California High Speed Rail Project in favor of more funding for freeways is a critical mistake. More people are coming here every day, and more freeways only means more cars, the same old traffic snarls and wasted hours of your lives sitting in traffic, breathing toxic air. One way to help fund the rail project would be to first create a spur line between 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. and Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. . When you consider the vast amounts of traffic traveling between Las Vegas and Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, on the I-15, the logic should be self-evident, as many a Southern Californian who could avoid using the I-15 to Vegas would do so. - Robert Barr Burbank Gov. Girlie girl·ie also girl·y adj. Informal Featuring minimally clothed or naked women typically in pornographic contexts: girlie magazines. Man Re ``Arnold steers down middle'' (Jan. 9): Middle? What part of $222 billion is middle? Arnold is pummeled by the enormously powerful unions of California, and instead of responding with leadership as a previous actor-turned-governor would have, he folds like a wilted rose. He caves to the Kennedy mystique by hiring an extreme left-wing female friend of the wife, floats a multibillion-dollar state school bond issue and now hangs out a white-flag spending bond that even the Democrats are finding difficult to swallow. That's real leadership. Make a 180 degree turn and run the other way. Who is the girlie-man now? - Patrick Weir Chatsworth Dictatorial powers Several recent letters and opinion articles have supported President George W. Bush's arrogation Claiming or seizing something without justification; claiming something on behalf of another. In Civil Law, the Adoption of an adult who was legally capable of acting for himself or herself. ARROGATION, civil law. of ``wartime'' power to secretly eavesdrop eaves·drop intr.v. eaves·dropped, eaves·drop·ping, eaves·drops To listen secretly to the private conversation of others. on telephonic and electronic communications with no check by judicial authority. In a similar manner, this administration has claimed the right to ``pre-emptively'' invade other countries, to torture and hide prisoners captured in such invasions and to permanently jail U.S. citizens without access to attorneys or courts. Meanwhile, groups protesting or demonstrating against the Iraq war Iraq War: see under Persian Gulf Wars. Iraq War or Second Persian Gulf War Brief conflict in 2003 between Iraq and a combined force of troops largely from the U.S. and Great Britain; and a subsequent U.S. are reportedly being surveilled and their telephonic data are being ``mined.'' In previous eras, government readily used such tactics against political and personal enemies. We deplore de·plore tr.v. de·plored, de·plor·ing, de·plores 1. To feel or express strong disapproval of; condemn: "Somehow we had to master events, not simply deplore them" other countries that use such dictatorial tactics and policies, and are losing our freedoms the more we do the same. We have massively lost friends in the Middle East and in formerly friendly nations of the world through such methods while not finding solid solutions to the problems in Palestine, poverty, AIDS and so on throughout the world. - Kenneth McClain North Hills Just like old times Sure, the White House can make an argument for illegal domestic wiretapping A form of eavesdropping involving physical connection to the communications channels to breach the confidentiality of communications. For example, many poorly-secured buildings have unprotected telephone wiring closets where intruders may connect unauthorized wires to listen in on phone that sounds justified - tracking down terrorists, evildoers, etc. - but aren't we all avoiding some obvious questions about the White House's illegal tapping? How about tapping Democrats during a domestic national election, just as an example, or any other non-evildoer domestic group the White House would like to keep tabs on? It's starting to sound a little like Watergate without the room service. - Joe Furey Valley Village Permission granted Dear NSA NSA abbr. National Security Agency Noun 1. NSA - the United States cryptologic organization that coordinates and directs highly specialized activities to protect United States information systems and to produce foreign : Please tap my telephone, with or without a warrant, anytime you find it may be used to converse with Muslim terrorists. Thank you. - Ralph Smathers Newhall Inconvenient truth Re ``Fat-wallet effects?'' (Their Opinions, Jan. 9): Bill Pratt claims that Republicans fought civil-rights legislation ``tooth and nail.'' Consider the 1964 Civil Rights Act: In the House of Representatives, 80 percent of Republicans supported the legislation, as opposed to 61 percent of Democrats. When it came down to the final Senate vote, six Republicans and 21 Democrats voted against passage. The truth is so inconvenient for Bush bashers. - Louis J. Feldman Van Nuys Foot in mouth Re ``Fat-wallet effects?'' (Their Opinions, Jan. 9): It is apparent that Mr. Pratt needs a history lesson. It was the Democrats, not the Republicans, who fought civil-rights legislation ``tooth and nail,'' Al Gore's father among them. I would suggest a little research before inserting your foot in your mouth. - Brinton Marsden Woodland Hills Obscene comparison Re Telnaes cartoon (Viewpoint, Dec. 25): I am disappointed at your publishing of that obscene comparison of the sexually degrading presidency by Bill Clinton with the George Bush presidency. Nothing in the Bush presidency can compare with the degrading treatment of women, and the use of the White House/Oval Office as a house of ill repute n. 1. Bad reputation; notoriety. house of ill repute A brothel; bordello. . - Thomas E. Nolan Lancaster And you prefer ... Re `` Controlling the oil'' (Your Opinions, Jan. 9): Jean Stauber quotes Donald Rumsfeld as saying we can ``control the oil fields'' in Iraq, as if that were the wrong strategy. Whom would she rather have in control, the terrorists? - Greg Tarizzo Valencia Bozocrat financing Re ``Campus expansion costs soar'' (Jan. 9): The article about Mission College expansion shows that nothing changes in this city. Originally scheduled to be completed by 2003; now it's 2006, and officials are getting close to starting. Originally estimated to cost $7 million; now $15 million. Actually seeing the costs (only) double can probably be considered quite an achievement, since most of the time they at least triple. Maybe we need a ballot to vote on that would force any bozocrat to use the word ``guesstimate'' for the costs and ``whenever'' for the completion date. - George Timko West Hills Big difference Re ``O'Reilly's off base'' (Your Opinions, Jan. 10): Jack Allen
Jack Allen is a major character in the Christian-themed radio drama/comedy Adventures in Odyssey is wrong and Bill O'Reilly Bill O'Reilly may refer to:
We are fighting a war; these things "These Things" is an EP by She Wants Revenge, released in 2005 by Perfect Kiss, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. Music Video The music video stars Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. Track Listing 1. "These Things [Radio Edit]" - 3:17 2. happen. Allen should try and see the positive things our brave men and women are doing over there, and try rooting for our country for a change. - Alan N. Toffel Palmdale End, don't mend, it Re ``Fixing the LAUSD'' (Our Opinions, Jan. 8): The charter schools have it all over the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. regarding education competence. I do not believe in breaking up the LAUSD LAUSD Los Angeles Unified School District (Los Angeles, CA) into small units. Better to just close the whole bureaucratic mess altogether, and save me (and you) hundreds of dollars of tax money, while providing a better education for our children. - Charles Dusheck Chatsworth USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. also guilty Re ``Shame on Texas'' (Your Opinions, Jan. 6): 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. what game William H. Link was watching, but I saw the Trojans do the exact same thing he is accusing the Texas players of doing. Reggie Bush Reginald "Reggie" Bush, birth name: Reginald Alfred Bush II (born March 2, 1985 in San Diego, California), nicknamed 'The Human Highlight Reel' and 'The President', alluding to President Bush, is an American football player who plays for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. actually swung at the Texas players after he was run out of bounds. I saw blatant holding and a couple of face masks that should have been called against USC and weren't. Just because you don't like the other team, don't accuse it of doing something that your own team was doing as well. It's called football. - Becky Butler Sunland Shocking photo Re ``Making merry mulch'' (Jan. 8): I was shocked to see the photos of city workers shredding Christmas trees in Sunday's paper! Where was Mayor Villaraigosa? How could he miss this photo op? Was he out of town? - Matthew Schaaf - Granada Hills |
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