PUBLIC FORUM.

Good `Valley at 60'

Re ``The Valley at 60'' (May 7):

Thank you so much for the section in Sunday's paper (May 7) about the history of the San Fernando Valley at its inception and on. You really did ``tell it like it was'' and it was a great trip down memory lane. And even on green newsprint to remind us of ``The Valley News & Green Sheet.'' And the interactives online are terrific.

That was a good time and place to be a kid and teenager. I'll always be grateful that my parents moved out here. Thanks again.

-- Terri Andrews

Castaic

Good ol' boys

Re ``Council supports own in Senate run'' (May 6):

So 10 male council members support Padilla for state Senate. Warning to women who vote in the 20th state Senate District.

Why haven't any of the female council members endorsed Padilla? ``The ol' boys club'' is alive and well in L.A. politics. Gentlemen, sorry to abandon ship but I'm tired of the status quo. I want change. I vote Assemblywomen Cindy Montanez. I hope women are paying attention.

-- Steve Perez

San Fernando

Subsidized apartments

Re ``L.A. uplift can't just be for some'' (Viewpoint, May 7):

In her Sunday Viewpoint column, Mariel Garza complained that our city leaders must do more than adopt a few toothless ordinances in order to find some middle ground where gentrification benefits all residents. She did fairly well at describing the destructive results of existing strict ordinances.

By preventing adequate rent increases to finance properly maintaining and improving older apartments, the ``city leaders'' have caused a combination of condo conversions and extravagant taxpayer subsidized apartments.

- Victor N. Viereck

Valley Village

Cruise control, please

Re ```Mission' possible Cruise also-ran'' (May 8):

Tom Cruise ... blah, blah, blah. Tom Cruise ... blah, blah, blah. I'm so sick of reading about Tom Cruise -- whether it's his private life, movie promotions, or him picking ill-informed arguments with other pampered celebrities. Starting a new family or starting arguments with Brooke Shields doesn't justify front-page material.

Until he builds a playground at an inner-city school or saves someone from a burning building (without cameras rolling), please leave his coverage in the U entertainment section. This mission is very possible.

-- Kyle Laurent

Newhall

9-11 investigation?

Re ``Goss out as CIA director'' (May 6):

When will we get a real investigation into 9-11? Krongard, former CIA head accused of insider trading before the 9-11 attacks, has not even been to trial.

All the whistle-blowers at the CIA concerned about 9-11 were fired, and all those who kept their mouths shut and stepped down during those fateful hours while our people were murdered have been promoted. The Twin Towers and Building Seven were demolished. Demolished. Where is the justice, or at least the media coverage?

-- Mary Altmann

Agoura

Glass houses, stones

Re ``Seized video captures al-Zarqawi's fumbles'' (May 5):

The right-wing fifth column led by Fox News is trying to make hay out of the fact that they have a video of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi having difficulty operating an American automatic weapon and wearing sneakers. What a scream.

What would really make good press is if al-Zarqawi accidently shot one of his friends but no one could be that inept with a weapon. Could they? Oops, I forgot about the famous Texas bird bash. Never mind.

-- Chuck Heinold

West Hills

Losing the farm

Re ``Animals and indelible memories'' (May 6):

The article of her bad luck came as a shock to me. I too had known her, as once she bought a parrot from me. Later she gave me her black Australian swan ``Duchess'' for a while, which I added to my collection of waterfowl I had adorning my swimming pool at my home in Encino. I also did some minor maintenance repairs for her at the farm. She was always someone nice to encounter and it sorrows me to hear of her passing.

I hope the farm lives on and I would volunteer my time to help that happen. I despise any and all city officials and developers who might attempt to close it just because its founder is gone. Let's not let this close.

-- Dave Petterson

Sherman Oaks

Needed: third party

What this country needs is a good third political party. I know there are seven parties in California now but consider that after the Democrats and Republicans there is no strong third party. Could that be the reason that the number of actual voters is declining?

I am suggesting a political party that represents the views of a majority of Americans. We would not be called the ``silent majority'' if there was a party that really did represent our views. That brings us to the question, what are our views? Surveys could provide us with the answers.

Then comes the reality. The people with money who could sponsor this new party don't want to know our views.

-- Don Evans

Canoga Park

Robber barons win

Are we going deeper into another era of robber barons? Robber barons were heads of companies and the primary beneficiaries of the industrial revolution.

They got richer while the workers got next to nothing until the union movement took hold. With the CEOs making more and more, the worker making less and less, and government siding with big business we have to wonder.

-- Irving Leemon

Northridge

Easy to tell

It is easy to detect which category those using the term ``undocumented'' versus ``illegal'' fall into when discussing illegal immigration. Liberals always give themselves away so easily when they circumvent the main issue, which they do so well. We object to these immigrants because they came here illegally. Plain and simple. No one suggests they should be treated inhumanely, just fairly.

I immigrated to the U.S. with my parents after World War II, so I understand and value the concept of immigration. We did it through proper legal channels. We did not break the law of the land we wished to become part of as the ``undocumented immigrants'' have done.

-- Dolly Greene

Northridge

A good deal

Contrary to the nostalgic but misguided sentiments of the recent Mexican flag-draped protesters, California is no longer a part of Mexico any more than the Louisiana Territory is still part of France.

Under the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States purchased California and other western territories from Mexico for $18 million. Economically speaking, Mexico got a much better deal than the $24 in tchotchkes the Indians got from the Dutch for Manhattan.

-- Matt Martelaro

Granada Hills

Stop the FTAA 

President Bush has insisted that because NAFTA was such a grand success it should be expanded to include all Western Hemisphere nations. So, he has embraced creation of the Free Trade Area of the Americas. The FTAA is very dangerous for America.

Furthermore, NAFTA has opened our borders more widely, cost hundreds of thousands of American jobs, and established tribunals whose decisions supersede U.S. laws and judicial decisions. Anyone who values our American system should ask Congress to stop the FTAA, which should be described as ``NAFTA on Steroids.''

-- Ed Ventresca

Canyon Country