PUBLIC FORUM.

Spirit of the world

Re ``Mass confusion: Church to tackle translation issue'' (June 15):

During the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church called the Council of Trent to codify its most precious treasure, the Mass, to ensure that protesters would not tamper with its essence. Four hundred years later, the Second Vatican Council was called to ``open up the windows'' to let some fresh air in. Pope John XXIII saw a need to update the church.

Unfortunately, the church in America took it upon itself to do its own thing in conflict with Rome. Anyone who has read the documents of Vatican II realizes that our precious treasure has been negatively impacted by inside tinkering. Hopefully, Pope Benedict is saying, ``Go back and read the documents, American bishops; you misread them 40 years ago. You brought in the spirit of the world.''

-- Maureen C. Wiggins

Lake View Terrace

Light rail would work

Re ``Orange Line heads toward overcapacity'' (June 13):

If the Orange Line grows any further, it would require 23 buses per hour, 140 employees to operate and maintain them, and cross-traffic stopping almost every minute just to move 2,000 people during peak periods.

Those involved with creating the Orange Line did not foresee $3-a-gallon gasoline and the increase of transit ridership that would follow. Light rail should have been implemented instead, since it only needs 16 high- capacity cars, crosses traffic every three to eight minutes through guaranteed grade crossing protection, and requires fewer employees. You would have smaller operating costs and move many more people.

-- Bart Reed

Executive director

The Transit Coalition

Ironic reading

Re ``Orange Line heads toward overcapacity'' (June 13):

How ironic to read about folks who get to use buses while I am currently undergoing the annihilation of my MTA Park and Ride making way for construction of a huge freeway interchange so that overpopulation can be accommodated, which will then discourage and disaccommodate said population from using public transportation. Thanks so much for this story.

-- Kathryn Durfee

Agoura

Everyday English

Re ``Bilingual ballot vote debated'' (June 15):

I wonder if Congress has given any thought to writing propositions to be placed on the ballot in plain, everyday English of ``500 words or less,'' instead of their so-called legalistic language, which at times they seem to interpret differently when enacted.

-- Don Segien

Canoga Park

How many Gitas

Re ``Death of a giant'' (Our Opinions, June 3):

The Daily News is right. Do not place blame on one person -- an entire system failed Gita. From City Hall to those who would keep elephants in zoos for mere entertainment and the convenience of visiting them for three minutes once or twice a year, no matter how much the elephants suffer for it.

Whatever the result of Gita's necropsy, it cannot erase her decades of suffering from painful arthritis and chronic infections of the foot and bone caused by inadequate conditions at L.A. Zoo. The new exhibit may be larger, but it still does not provide the space elephants truly need to thrive. Therefore we will continue to see elephants suffer and die prematurely at L.A. Zoo. Just how many more Gitas will it take before things change?

-- Catherine Doyle

Los Angeles

Mudslinging 

Re ``Angelides ad ties Arnold to Bush'' (June 15):

I just read an article in the paper today where Phil Angelides is stating that he is spending $1 million on an ad slinging mud against Schwarzenegger because Arnold made a simple ad commenting on Angelides' $10 billion tax increase proposal.

Isn't he the same one who complained when Steve Westly aired commercials that slung mud at him? I guess it is OK as long as it is Angelides doing the mudslinging.

-- Rebecca Butler

Sunland

Is it worth it?

Re ``Bush springs visit on Iraqis'' (June 14):

Bush thinks that the war in Iraq was worth it. He says, ``It is worth it to help Iraq succeed. It is worth it to have a democracy in the Middle East. It is worth it to show other reformers and people who want to live in a free society what is possible.''

Is it worth losing all those lives? Is it worth losing a son, a daughter, a father, a mother, an uncle? Is it worth losing all those innocent people? Is it worth losing your home? Bush thinks he can repair this with a couple of billion dollars. Sure, it will repair Iraq a little, but won't bring back all the lives lost. It won't take away the psychological trauma the soldiers have.

-- Stephanie Acevedo

Van Nuys

Charter school debate

Re ``Charter does not belong in LAUSD'' (Their Opinions, June 13):

Doug McIntire states that Academia Semillas del Pueblo in El Sereno ``is one of the worst-performing schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District'' and ``it fails in its mandate to educate children.'' McIntire, having read the original charter, concludes that it was clear from the start that this school should never have been granted a charter by the LAUSD.

So why was this charter granted? Was it a deliberate act to discredit the charter school movement, was it a political payoff, or was it just another example of LAUSD incompetence?

-- Ernst F. Ghermann

Winnetka

Lowering standards

Re ``Lowered standards'' (Our Opinions, June 15):

As a former/retired police officer, and a former background investigator, I can understand the quick, but careful approach your paper has taken to approve of lowering the standards, overlooking minor, experimental use of a young man's foolhardy decision to indulge in narcotics.

I can remember in some cases this was overlooked, and the police administration hired some of these people, overriding our objection. Their names were Rafael Perez, Dino Durden, David Mack and a couple of others.

Police work is a dirty business. You get covered with the dirt of society every day, and if, as a police officer, you forget to take a moral shower, you get dirty. It takes character and mental discipline to take these showers. That is the question, and I admit, I don't have the answers.

-- Det./Sgt Chris Biller (Retired)

Moorpark

Questions of suicide

Re ``Meaning of suicides'' (Your Opinions, June 14):

The writer poses the questions as to what motivated the internees to commit suicide. Was it martyrdom with the far left's reaction undermining the war effort? Was it in response to the death of al-Qaida's field general?

It would not occur to the radical right that the suicides may have been a protest of the hopeless situation, incarcerated for a never-ending term, without legal counsel and held incommunicado without being charged. These detainees may be terrorists, but who proved it? I admonish the writer to believe in the American way: innocent until proved guilty. Let's ask President Bush to place these men on trial and have their fate determined by the outcome.

-- David Pine

Northridge

Just say it

Re ``Gay partnerships'' (Your Opinions, June 15):

Sylvia Alloway says she doesn't want the word to describe her faithful, 30-year relationship ``hijacked.'' By her own definition, it's being hijacked every time a heterosexual couple cheats, or they get divorced, or if they go into their first marriage considered a so-called starter marriage.

If you're going to come out against gays getting married, don't try to dress it up with bogus reasons. If it's against your religious beliefs, then say that. But then we all know we can't pass laws based on people's religious beliefs, can we?

-- Ray Perkins

Los Angeles