PUBLIC FORUM.

Explain the martyrs

Re: "Documentary tries to prove the Son of Man really a father" (Feb. 27):

If Jesus was buried like every other person who died on this planet, why did all of his disciples, except John, endure a horrible death and never deny the resurrection? It doesn't make sense.

-- R.J. Johnson

North Hollywood

Too little, too late

Re: "Drive point home about 405 gridlock" (Their Opinions, Feb. 26):

Why is Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa "shocked" about the California Transportation Commission's initial failure to fund projects to unblock freeway jams on the 405, 101, 5 and so on? When he was speaker of the Assembly, he did not lift a finger to require that freeway traffic jams be guaranteed first priority for our highway tax dollars.

Caltrans rates every freeway segment from A to F as to its congestion. How about Mayor Villaraigosa leaning on his legislative friends to pass a law requiring, say, that 25 percent of highway funds go first to eliminate all the D and F segments? Speedy freeways make for happy Angelenos.

-- Carl Olson

Woodland Hills

Trucking disaster

Re "Mexican trucks coming" (Feb. 24):

The federal government has shafted us again. Allowing Mexican trucks above the 25-mile border zone will not only cause more pollution, it will increase the potential for more truck accidents. And with 100 more companies participating, the possibility of making traffic conditions is even worse.

-- Robert Gilbert 

Van Nuys

Oily politics

Re: "Iraqi oil may flow as deal advances" (Feb. 25):

This story does not mention that the new Iraqi law allows large investments in Iraqi oil under terms very favorable to foreign companies for 30 years. The law was described in detail in a British newspaper, the Independent, which says that the law was drafted in consultation with the U.S.

If the law passes, the Bush administration will achieve what may have been its true goal in Iraq: massive profits, lasting decades, for the oil industry.

-- Stephen Krashen 

Malibu

Unchecked mayhem

Every day we hear of at least two or three shootings in Los Angeles. Years ago, there used to be a saying that you couldn't get away with murder. That is no longer true. We could be in our beds and be shot by a stray bullet, and no one would be held accountable. Our taxes are constantly being raised while our protection and services are constantly deteriorating.

-- Irving Leemon

Northridge

A convenient phony

It's about time someone outed Al Gore's personal energy use. The "inconvenient truth" is Gore is pumping out what he believes people want to hear, not what he practices.

Now can we please recall that Academy Award for best documentary and best song?

-- Max Morgan

Valencia

Driven to Richard

After viewing the disgusting literature of candidates running for Los Angeles City Council District 7 and their dirty -- I mean filthy -- campaigning tactics against Richard Alarcon, these candidates have persuaded me to vote ... for Richard Alarcon.

My mailbox has been stuffed with literature from these desperate candidates who tell me nothing of what they have to offer, but only tell me their opinion of Alarcon -- which, again, only persuades me to vote for Alarcon.

-- Doris Jacobs

Sylmar

Get used to it

Re "Supervisors put squeeze on sheriff" (Feb. 28):

Imagine the shock, the fear, the pain, the feelings of betrayal and violation suffered by Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky when he realized the Sheriff's Department may have misdirected funds supplied by the county. It's kind of like being a taxpayer, and watching our ever-increasing fees and taxes wasted.

Get used to it, Zev. There is no honor among thieves.

-- Michael Guetzow

Woodland Hills

Surprise, surprise

Re "Supervisors put squeeze on sheriff" (Feb. 28):

Another taxpayer-funded agency has been found purloining taxpayer money. Aren't we surprised!

And, of course, we are equally surprised that not one of the thieves running those taxpayer-funded agencies has been held accountable. The news proclaims that those running our agencies are thieves, followed by the entire issue being swept under the rug, never again to be discussed, while funding -- or rather, funneling -- for those agencies continues to increase annually.

Our leaders are disgusting.

-- Patrick Weir

Chatsworth

Let LAPD do its work

Re "Homeless say LAPD hostile on Skid Row" (Feb 28):

Webster's dictionary gives the definition of the word "bum": vagabond (now that's romantic); goldbrick (that's offensive and cruel); hobo, drifter, slug (offensive); loafer, tramp (that's not nice) and a few other colorful nouns that I am sure the American Civil Liberties Union finds demeaning.

Yet many of those "homeless" are just that -- bums. There is no way to color up that word. Many are mentally ill and extremely combative. Many are ex-cons who are wanted, and who prey on other homeless to sustain themselves.

The ACLU should stick to the clean court environment and allow the Los Angeles Police Department to do the dirty work and get very little credit for doing it.

-- Chris Biller

Simi Valley

Hollywood green

I'm all in favor of the "green" initiative former Vice President Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio announced during the Oscars. But if the Academy were truly serious about pursuing that line of thinking, it would move the event to the daytime in an effort to save the energy it takes to run the spotlights, camera lights, etc.

Somehow, I don't see that happening.

-- Dale Beck

North Hollywood

Bike path negligence

Re "Worse than pink spandex ..." (Our Opinions, Feb. 20):

I extensively photographed the bikeway exit shortly after David Prokop's bicycle accident, and I can attest to the fact that the Daily News doesn't have its facts straight -- the "WALK" in the "WALK BIKE" designation is so worn away, it can't be seen from a moving bicycle. An example of negligent maintenance by the city if there ever was one.

-- Gene Mozee

Los Angeles

That's not a sport!

Re Good ol' bore of NASCAR (Sports, Feb. 21):

In his column, Steve Dilbeck states that NASCAR is not a sport. Couldn't agree more -- but he does not go far enough.

Take, for instance, bobsledding. Now those "sleds" run around a quarter-mill (give or take) each. Or skiing. Those "athletes" are on super-expensive carbon "unobtainum."

In fact, now that I think about it, let's just cancel the Winter Olympics altogether because all of its events are clearly nonsports.

And let's not forget about anything in a major "sports" stadium. Just look around those places, and what do you see? Ads, ads, everywhere ads. That's not sporting, it's ... oh, well, ... never mind.

-- John LeGrande

Van Nuys