PUBLIC FORUM.

Iraqi WMD fabricators

Re ``Saddam to hang'' (Nov. 6):

It's probably too much to expect a follow-up trial of the sources affiliated with the Iraqi National Congress that the Senate Intelligence Committee's September report concluded were used to attempt to influence U.S. policy on Iraq through prewar fabrications of weapons of mass destruction, etc. ``Curveball,'' the most pivotal Iraqi WMD liar, could not be firmly connected to the INC, but same difference. Simply Google in Iraqi National Congress and then peruse pages 113 and 121 of the report to verify such conclusions.

However, as this seems to be the season for politic apologies, I'd say we, the American people collectively, deserve at least such an apology from Iraq's recently remonstrative, ``not America's man in Iraq'' premier, Nouri al-Maliki, for the Iraqi WMD fabricators, collectively.

-- Harvey Pearson

Los Feliz

Fair play

Re ``Saddam to hang'' (Nov. 6):

Let me get this straight, just to make sure that I understand the rules. Since we actually have weapons of mass destruction and our leaders are actually guilty of crimes against humanity, then it will be quite acceptable for another nation to invade us, use its newly installed puppets to put our leaders on trial and then hang those leaders? Cool.

-- James Hamilton Moore

Burbank

Bush's bidding?

Re ``Saddam's day of reckoning'' (Nov. 5):

Was there ever any doubt that the verdict would be death by hanging for Saddam? Was not the Shiite government of Iraq doing President George W. Bush's bidding: getting rid of his old enemy who may have tried to do his dad in?

Evidently W's spiritual adviser, the fallen-from-grace Rev. Ted Haggard who met with W every Monday morning at the White House, never read from Luke 6:37: ``Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.''

-- Philip Wilt

Van Nuys

Recent revelations

From the recent revelations about Ted Haggard, Mark Foley and James McGreevey all the way back to the ``uncloseting'' of Michael Huffington and, before him, J. Edgar Hoover, we see some of the loudest anti-gay bullies are themselves homosexual. Next time one hears homophobic hate-mongering, one should ask: Where is this person coming from?

-- Bruce Joffe

Piedmont

Just doing his job

Your coverage of L.A. city news in the Nov. 3 issue must have driven a few regular letter-writers absolutely bonkers. Two articles -- one about Mayor Villaraigosa's plans for Skid Row housing, the other a front-page piece announcing his effort to provide tourism promotion funds to the Valley -- appeared, but neither one carried a picture of the mayor.

Instead of an opportunity to complain about Antonio appearing at yet another photo op, those folks were forced just to read the news about his work on behalf of the city. Maybe it's time they recognized two simple facts: Jimmy lost the campaign, so get over it, and when you see Antonio in the news, he's just doing his job.

-- Marcy Rothenberg

Porter Ranch

Hidden costs

It's a shame that the only way (other than walking) to get to the new observatory at Griffith Park is to take a shuttle and to pay for the ride -- an amount per person, including the children, that I believe will not allow a large majority of the population to see this wonderful place.

I know that Griffith J. Griffith left money for the place as a free-to-enter observatory, but getting there now -- no parking at the ``top'' -- is something else. It's a shame so many people will now miss out on this because they cannot afford to even get to the top -- especially a shame for the kids.

-- Ray P. Keesler

La Crescenta

Campaign calls

Enough! I don't care if you are a Hollywood celebrity or a past leech on the taxpayers of this state or if you are a union goon. Stop calling me with your recorded pitches!

-- Robert Hryniuk

Winnetka