PUBLIC FORUM.

Bush's choices

Re ``Bush's tough choices'' (Feb. 7):

Translation: ``Bush wants to feed more machines, less people.'' The 90,000 homeless in L.A. outnumber the Iraqi ``insurgents'' by 2 to 1. The 120,000-plus ``insurgents'' (or so-called gang members) outnumber the police force in L.A. alone by 3 to 1.

The amount of money our government spends to fight these problems is probably some small fraction of a percent of the $2 trillion it is spending on the ``war'' in Iraq, and now Bush wants to spend more on defense and less on programs to help the truly needy in our own country? Like most of America, I now become physically ill at anything that comes out of George W.'s mouth.

- Mike J. Friscia

Lake View Terrace

Protecting Americans

Re ``Gonzales grilled over eavesdropping'' (Feb 7th):

There is a difference of opinion among law experts about the constitutionality of electronic surveillance of individuals that are suspected of terrorist ties. I believe very strongly that until this is settled in court all available tools should be used to protect Americans from terrorists.

``Democrats pressed Gonzales for details about the program and other similar operations,'' but luckily for us the attorney general did not reveal them. Only helpful fools would reveal their game plan to their opponent and terrorists are very determined opponents.

- Bill Zelenka

Granada Hills

Just ask Alberto

Re ``Gonzales grilled over eavesdropping'' (Feb 7th):

Why waste all of that time, effort and emotion on the nomination of, committee hearings for and confirmation votes on Supreme Court justices, and on the briefing, oral argument, and the publication of written opinions and dissents on cases before the court when all we need is to have Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tell us what is constitutional and what is not?

- Marshall Barth

Encino

Classiness of Bush

Re ``Politics, mourning mingle at Coretta Scott funeral'' (Feb. 8):

I again witnessed the calmness and classiness of our president (Bush 43) as he spoke at the Coretta Scott King funeral, then saw Jimmy Carter and the Rev. Joseph Lowery proceed to turn the funeral into an anti-Bush political rally and whip up the hatred of the mostly black crowd into a near frenzy, a near Paul Wellstone-type political funeral.

The last five years President Bush has held his calm and has not criticized or harangued against his critics and enemies, while Kennedy and Kerry and Clinton and Carter and Durbin and Daschle and Dean and Gore and others of that ilk have lost their minds with hatred and viciousness and anger against Bush. And Bush? Throughout all the vitriolic hatred from the Democrats and the media, he has remained calm and on message with never an unkind word against any of his critics.

- Bob Sharp

Arleta

Postal shootings

Re ``Condo slaying prelude to postal center spree'' (Feb. 1):

Gun control: 6, Second Amendment: 0. Too bad one of the postal crew wasn't armed; some of the victims might still be alive. Or perhaps we need strategically placed AK-47s stored behind glass, with a small hammer attached by a chain: ``Break glass in case of terrorist attack.''

The real tragedy is that the shooter had to stop to reload, and nobody charged her in that vulnerable moment. Even cornered rats will fight to the death. What happened to the survival instinct of those still near her?

- William O. Felsman

Woodland Hills

Connecticut leads

From an Associated Press article: ``Connecticut cops have ticketed more than 2,400 people for driving while talking on handheld cell phones in just the law's first three months. The law, which took effect Oct. 1, allows cell-phone use with headsets or other hand-free devices. Driving while using a handheld phone is also banned in New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.''

I think this is fantastic. How many more people have to be run down and how many more accidents have to happen before the state of California wakes up and does the very same thing. How stupid are they in Sacramento, or do the wireless companies have Sacramento in their hip pockets?

- Jere Stone

Woodland Hills

Gonzales on the stand

Re ``Gonzales grilled over eavesdropping'' (Feb. 7):

What is alarming is the way Gonzales alluded to other secret operations. The Congress or judicial system knows nothing of these illegal programs, and Bush claims he has the right because the Congress gave him the power to go to war with Afghanistan (go figure).

Bush has broken over 200 FISA laws - laws which explicitly govern the way foreign and domestic electronic communications must be monitored. There are questions about how the administration acted during the 9-11 attacks, (i.e., releasing 140 Saudi nationals during our no-fly zone and other glaring evidence); he also ratted on our own CIA agents, and lied about reasons for war with Iraq. Bush needs to be brought to trial and impeached.

- Mary Altmann

Agoura

Tiresome attacks

Re ``State of the Union speech does little to boost Bush'' (Viewpoint, Feb. 5):

Marianne Means hates George Bush. We know that already. I thought his State of the Union speech to the people of the United States of America was filled with hope, love, promise and joy and applaud him.

The tiresome attacks by the leftist legislators and their supporters have been noted by your readers as self-serving and regrettable. We shall overcome.

- Theodora Howell

West Hills

Bubble of anger

Re ``Alito's first ruling'' (Your Opinions, Feb. 5):

Charles K. Sergis first condemns the ``nutty'' Democrats for opposing Samuel Alito's nomination. Then, he calls Alito as ``nutty as the Democratic senators'' after being on the bench for only one day. I am now convinced that the right-wingers would rather sit in their bubble of anger than be happy; you can't win with them.

- Patrick Owens

Woodland Hills

Not a valid method

Re ``Judging better teaching'' (Your Opinions, Feb. 1):

My letter regarding ``Public schools triumph'' was criticized severely, based on the use of ``controlled variables'' as a ``standard in statistical analysis.'' In addition, the criticism implies the study proves that ``public schools are actually doing a better job of teaching than private schools.''

First, altering data after collection is not a valid statistical method. The variables may be used to analyze the study, but not alter it. The data is the data. Second, I do not believe the article said anything about teaching. There are many factors that go into math scores. They may be used to judge the results and to ask questions that need to be studied in the future. The technique of altering the data to change the result is observer bias.

- Stephen A. Borowsky

Northridge

ACLU back to 'basics'

Make no mistake: if there is anything representing ``back to basics'' about the ACLU, it assuredly isn't in an attempt to promote, say, the American principles of the authors of the Declaration of Independence that focus on God - saying that all men ``are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.''

Rather, the ACLU is far more likely to continue to align with the views of its founder, Roger Baldwin. In 1935, 15 years after he founded the group and with Stalinism in full bloom, Baldwin wrote: ``I am for Socialism , disarmament and ultimately, for the abolishing of the State itself ... I seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class and sole control of those who produce wealth, Communism is the goal.''

- Robert W. Van de Walle

Granada Hills

Overwhelming evidence

Re ``Atheism as conclusion'' (Your Opinions, Feb. 6):

Atheists have an irrational fanatic disbelief in the overwhelming evidence that surrounds them every time they step outside their home on a crisp spring day.

- Roger E. Lindsey

Castaic