PUBLIC FORUM.

Really fix it

Re ``Orange Line peeling away'' (Dec. 13):

So the Orange Line needs work already, huh? I think I speak for most taxpayers when I suggest we nail any contractors who did subpar work that led to this problem, if contractor malfeasance is the cause of this early degeneration of our infrastructure.

I also propose that we fix the Orange Line for the long term by making it the light rail that it always should have been, with grade separations and the creation of a system that will attract 40,000-50,000 riders per day and connect directly to the North Hollywood Red Line station.

The first step: Kill the Robbins bill that lets a few narcissistic NIMBYs poke their fingers in the eyes of Valley voters and taxpayers by preventing surface/elevated rail on the Orange Line right of way.

-- Ken Alpern

President

The Transit Coalition

Food stamp scandal

Re ``L.A.'s food stamp scandal'' (Dec. 11):

I see nothing has changed. Many years ago, in the mid-1970s, I made an arrest of a female for forgery. In her wallet were four false identifications along with matching welfare and food-stamp cards. I, in good conscience, notified the Department of Social Services and sent along copies of the false ID cards.

For all of my hard work, I was admonished by the Department of Social Services and by my area captain to not get involved in other agencies' problems. So much for trying to make a difference.

-- Les Lovatt

Agoura Hills

Hotel fires 12

Re ``Hotel fires 12 before `living wage' launch'' (Dec. 13):

Just as the holiday season gets into full swing, it seems like some of our hotels have decided to reprise Scrooge in our city. I simply can't believe how anyone could seek to subvert the law and the living standards of hardworking people in our city through a vindictive campaign of firings of people who have worked years and years for our hotels. Valleyites should say bah, humbug to these tactics and reward hard work by voting to keep the living wage for these hotel workers.

-- Charlie Carnow

Northridge

Needed Pinochet

Re ``Ex-Chilean leader reviled, mourned'' (Dec. 11):

With the passing of Augusto Pinochet, we have lost an unsullied hero of the Americas. Had it not been for him, Chile would have been another Cuba, a breeding ground for subversion and revolution.

Preventing this by any means necessary was the absolutely right thing to do, and the fall of Allende ranks as one of the U.S.'s major foreign policy triumphs of the 1970s. We badly need another Pinochet today -- this time in Venezuela.

-- Kemp Richardson

Santa Clarita

Modern-day Hitler

Re ``Ex-Chilean leader reviled, mourned'' (Dec. 11):

The obituary for Gen. Pinochet in the Daily News glossed over the man's true evil and tried to portray him in one instance as a champion against communism, which is exactly how Adolf Hitler was initially portrayed. It also talked about curtailing the trade unions and improving the economy, just as Adolf Hitler did in the 1930s. Pinochet was just a modern version of Hitler, and although he was not responsible for as many deaths or as much sorrow, he still should be viewed with the same contempt, even in death.

America's involvement in aiding Pinochet to overthrow the democratically elected government of Chile and replace it with Pinochet's military dictatorship is a major blot on this great country's history.

-- Paul Hutchinson

Calabasas

Enunciating the truth

Re ``Desperate times'' (Your Opinions, Dec. 12):

Hal Rothberg lacks appreciation of the fact that millions of Americans regard what he calls ``rantings and ravings'' by the right-wing radio hosts as enunciating the truth by these dedicated people, as well as articulating the political correctness of our times.

-- Kenneth Grissom

La Crescenta

Scripts today

Re ``Ain't it a shame'' (Dec. 11):

What Lesley Clack says is true, but it's no wonder, when the screenwriters who write the scripts for the films that are out there today do nothing but blurt out four-letter words and more. These are supposed to be educated individuals who have a command of the English language, but you can't prove it by me. When used appropriately, a cuss word can be very effective, but by numerous repetitions it loses its purpose and intent.

I for one would wish for our educated screenwriters to offer a better image of a well-learned writer and give our young people some worthwhile stories, not just scripts stuffed with four-letter words.

-- Adelbert Acevedo

Northridge

Old-time techniques

Re ``Not a controlled event'' (Your Opinions, Nov. 14):

When dealing with combative arrestees, eschew heavy flashlights, batons, bar knuckles and pepper spray. Instead, return to whacking with heavy white-page phone books, which are equally brain-rattling and leave few visible marks and no inhalant results.

In the event any visible marks are inadvertently left on the arrestee, the miscreant should be taken to and booked at a station with a flight of uncarpeted stairs. ``He tripped and fell downstairs'' is a statement that has been rarely challenged by prosecutors and judges. These simple, old-time techniques should go a long way in heading off inquiries and even lawsuits by soft-on-crime do-gooders.

-- Frank Johnson

Hollywood

David vs. Goliath

It has come to my attention that a member of the Los Angeles City Council has contacted David Hernandez asking him to withdraw his lawsuit -- capitalizing on an old friendship. This undisclosed member's plea focused on the assertion that the current council is made up of highly qualified progressive members who are ``getting a lot done'' for the city. If you are such a wonderful group of honest progressive city officials, why the sudden need for ``ethics reform''? Wasn't it all a clever ruse to hide the term-limit increase? Won't somebody on the council have the integrity to come forward and admit that Measure R was unethical? If there was ever a time for ``City lobbying and ethics reform'' as more than a misleading label, it is now.

-- Donna Connolly

Sherman Oaks

Stone and Carter

Oliver Stone's film ``World Trade Center'' is now released on DVD. This is the true story of two policemen trapped at ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001. As they fight to survive in the rubble, the events of that unimaginable day unfold -- showing the viewer the celebration of courage, family and our nation's unyielding spirit in response to those radical Muslim perpetrators.

It is ironic that Stone's DVD came out the same week as former President Jimmy Carter's book about the Middle East in which he suggests that Israel's efforts to protect its citizens in the face of near-daily bombings, missile strikes and physical assaults are ``human rights abuses'' against the Palestinian perpetrators.

-- Gary Curtis

Van Nuys

Redistricting

Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Legislature are struggling to come up with a formula to appoint a commission to get a fair redistricting for California. Redistricting should be one of the easiest tasks for the government to perform.

Any handful of citizens who can read and are honest could do the job with a California Road Atlas (as they did for 130 years). In fact, all but 120 of the approximately 25 million Californians of middle-school age or older would be qualified for the commission. The 120 who are not qualified for the commission are our legislators. And they can all read.

-- Bob Larkin

Westlake Village