No sympathy for Daniels family
Good for Peggi Lorenz(Letters, Jan. 6)in response to the Daniels article of Jan.2
(“Caught in the crash, Murrieta family nears losing it all”). Iagree with Peggi totally! The Danielses buried themselves becauseof their own self-indulgence and arrogance, and now expect thatpeople are supposed to feel sorry for them and bail them out? Idon’t think so.
Like Peggi, I also don’t understand why the North County Timeschose to write such an article. It’s not like these people fell onhard times through no fault of their own –– they created it all ontheir own. No sympathy here.
I have never written in to the paper before, but this articlejust “stuck in my craw,” as the saying goes. There are people outthere who truly need help and the Danielses are not among them.
Bobbi Simpson
Carlsbad
ACLU thanks other firms who assisted
The ACLU receives lots of media attention for our lawsuits andadvocacy on behalf of civil liberties and fundamental freedoms.Butfrequently, we get more attention than do our allies and thegenerous law firms who cooperate with the ACLU on a pro bono basis.Often, they deserve much more credit than they receive.
Recently, the Student Press Law Center played an early butcritical role in our challenge to Fallbrook High’s censorship ofits student newspaper by investigating the case, issuing an opinionletter and alerting a local law firm. Bostwick & Jassy loggedcountless hours to fight the unfair treatment the students andtheir faculty adviser received. We at the ACLU say, “Freedom can’tstand up for itself.”
Without the help of our allies and law firms, many injustices inthe community would go unchallenged.
The Fallbrook case was settled successfully, and the districtagreed to comply with a new set of rules protecting the free speechrights of student journalists.
We wanted to call the attention of your paper –– anothercommunity institution committed to freedom of the press –– to thefine work of our co-counsel Bostwick & Jassy and the nationallyimportant Student Press Law Center.
Kevin Keenan
Executive Director,
ACLU of San Diego
& Imperial Counties
Is the feminine ascending or descending?
With the definition of marriage in question and about to bedecided by a court unauthorized to judge it, I must ask whathappened to the ascending feminine we are supposed to look to forguidance. The ancient matriarchies were founded upon nurturing andattuning to the Earth Mother, and women lived for marriage andbearing life into the world.
The Earth-attuned matriarchal consciousness turned skyward asmen began to engineer life and seek heavenly deities. Someremembered to include the feminine in their vision, and some, themore warlike, did not.
Today’s patriarchs have junked it completely, but are smartenough to indulge its falsification, so women with a right toabortion have no right to be the exclusive vessel of marriage,humanity’s most natural and sacred institution that most barbarianshonored, except for some that lived communally.
I think women are the North Star of consciousness, placed toguide humanity and warn of its deviations. Men build civilizations,but they should do it with the inner soul guide that Jung termedthe anima, without which the masculine is brutish. What happened,when the ascendant is being used to tie us down?
Edward Karlson
Oceanside
Enough of the elderly already
Let’s not beat the “elderly” issue that’s been published todeath. Save the column space for more ruminative stuff such as Ioffer.
I’ve never been called “elderly,” but the term “old geezer”rings familiar. Geezers, if you didn’t know, is slang for old men.They can easily be identified. They’re the ones who fought and diedin WW II. They hold their hats over their hearts as the NationalAnthem is played. They remember F.D.R., the great Depression,Guadalcanal, Normandy, Hitler. They are courtly to women and holdthe door open for them as well as people following. They walk onthe curbside when strolling with a woman (to protect her from horsebites, of course. Gosh, don’t you know anything?). They getembarrassed if someone curses in the presence of women andchildren, and they don’t like violence or filth in the movies orTV.
If you think about it, this country could use at this time someold geezers with their common sense and decent values. Call meelderly, mister, buddy or what have you, but I take a certain pridein qualifying as an old geezer and I hope that I am subject to suchname-calling for a long time.
Remember, old age is, at best, a temporary condition. NextSeptember, I’ll celebrate my 1,021st since birth … months.
Enough said.
Cal Cohen
Fallbrook
Don’t hold kids in lap while driving
During the holiday, my family traveled to northern Utah for somefun family time. One snowy evening, we pulled up to a stoplight ona busy road. A full-size newer pick-up truck pulled up beside us.My daughter immediately said, “Mom, look!” and pointed out herwindow. I looked over and sure enough, we saw a little girl (nomore than 2) jumping around on her mom’s lap.
My daughter was upset because we all knew what could happen onthat cold snowy evening on that busy road.
I then said, “Wow, I guess people in Utah also do not know howto buckle up their kids.” I was upset because the mother wasbuckled in, but the little girl was not.
As the light changed, the truck moved forward, and we noticedthat the truck in Northern Utah had up-to-date California plates.The only thing I could think was, of course!
We quickly left them because I did not want to see anymore.Please do not hold your child ever in your lap while you aredriving in Utah, or anywhere, for that matter!
Angela Matlaga
Oceanside
Cash cow for electric company
I just got my gas and electric bill from SDG&E. I live in a500-square-foot studio. It was around $38. They charged me $15 todeliver the electricity to my apartment. Well. I did a little math.Fifteen dollars times our 24 apartments in our building is $360 forour building, times 300 units in our complex is $4,500 for ourcomplex. Multiply times 300 apartments equals $4,500.
Think how many apartments are in San Diego. Millions. It comesout to millions of dollars, not to mention houses. What a cash cowfor them. And we users are getting the shaft.
Carol Graham
Escondido
Get your facts straight
Regarding letters from Josef and Vivian Horowitz(Dec. 22): Recently we viewed a 2002 C-SPAN tape where aDemocratic senator is asking for an additional 30 seconds. Acertain Sen. McCain says, “I object!” Get your facts straight!Lieberman was for a public option previously and recently was forexpanding Medicare to those between 55 and 65.
Apparently the offer from insurance companies was too good torefuse. Where were the Tea Partiers when Bush was spending billionson invading and occupying Iraq? During the past 10 years, theS&P is down 3 percent, which is the worst ever 10-year period!Ah yes, tax cuts for the wealthy was a great idea!
Patricia and Daniel Lynch
Vista
New Year’s suggestions
Happy New Year to Junious Montgomery and Murel Fisk. I just havea few comments and suggestions for the new year.
First off, up the Metamucil. You will feel so much better andyou will not be so grumpy. When I read your letters, I picturespittle flying all over the place. Calm down. I really love SarahPalin and hate those girl dogs like Katie Couric who ask suchdifficult questions. I even sent Palin a suggestion for those othertwo daughters coming of age. Don’t let them have sleepovers likeBristol did because that usually makes babies.
I think Christians like she and Carrie Prejean are totallymisunderstood. Like, who hasn’t sent naked pictures of themselves?Big deal. Palin wore a visor on vacation with McCain’s name blackedout. She had her reasons.
Sound bites like Janet Napolitano’s saying the CIA didn’t blowthe latest terrorists’ threat really grate on the nerves. Buteveryone makes mistakes. Remember these sound bites: “Missionaccomplished” and “Heck of a job, Brownie.” A fake war, a collapsedeconomy, a blown surplus, etc., did not happen in Obama’s measlyone year. Take a chill pill, but please don’t take us forfools.
Peggy Sloan
Escondido
Put the blame where it belongs
Our government doesn’t want to insult the Muslim community,ergo, they inconvenience everyone –– age, sex, skin color doesn’teven enter the picture. Why? It’s called political correctness. Whydo we need political correctness when we, our government, and theMuslim community know that it’s Muslims who are trying to killus?
Yes, we know it’s the fanatics, but they are still Muslims. TheMuslim community knows who the enemy is, and that’s where theiranger should be. Why are they not speaking out against thejihadists? Why is our government using its citizens to stroke”feelings”? The danger is way past “feelings,” and PC only adds tothat danger.
Just goes to prove they don’t teach common sense and logic inIvy League colleges. PC cannot change the face of the enemy, andthis nonsense must stop. If this makes it difficult for Muslims,then they should speak out in anger to those committing theseatrocities. Doing the right thing takes courage and character. Allyou have to do is look at our troops to see that.
Joan O’Connor
Vista
Minds are off kilter
To Dan Ryan(Letters, Jan. 1)and all the creationists: Your heart may bein the right place, but your mind is definitely off kilter. Youshould stop watching Fox News and start reading intelligentpublications, and I don’t mean Intelligent Design.
Your ruminations make a good argument for public-supported birthcontrol.
Bob Kerber
Oceanside
Stop scratching and join the Tea Party
William Musser(Letters, Dec. 21)would do more than scratch his head if:
1. He knew that the defense bill included $4 billion in pork(2,000 nonmilitary pet projects inserted by dishonest legislators,pay raises and airplanes that military doesn’t want).
2. He or anyone in Washington understood what’s in this2,000-plus-page health care bill that doesn’t reform or addressreal problems.
3. He knew the Medicaid burden would be shifted to states,except states that accepted bribes for their votes.
4. He understood the level of corruption in Washington. BernieMadoff was a small-time player compared to Al Gore, lobbyists,Congress and President Obama.
William would do well to stop scratching, study and understandserious national threats and problems, then get involved with a TeaParty group.
Nice, deceitful health care terminology, “single-payer” and”public option.” In Cuba, this is called dictatorship, which iswhere we are headed.
Murel Fisk
Escondido
Miramar military cemetery update
On Feb. 2, 2000, I wrote a letter to Sen. Feinstein requestingSan Diego County be considered as a site for a national cemetery.This county has more veterans than any other county in the UnitedStates, and a military population of some 70,000. The senatorresponded quickly, agreeing completely. She caused the VeteransAdministration to swamp my mailbox with information regardingcemeteries.
In March 2000, myself and a Mr. Jerry Hinsch, director of theFirst District of the VFW, met with former Congressman Cunninghamoutlining our proposal. Mr. Cunningham was truly elated, too, andsaid, “I want to be the tip of the spear on this.” In March 2003,acres were secured as our new cemetery. In 2006, Mr. Cunningham hadplaced in the 2006 budget $19.5 million for design andconstruction.
With Mr. Cunningham absent, our forward momentum slowedconsiderably. However, as of this date, Mr. Kirk Leopard, directorof the Miramar Cemetery (annex), has assured me that the project isback on track and the groundbreaking is set for Jan. 30, 2010.Thank you very much, “Duke,” for taking the lead on this.
Theodore Roosvall
retired, U.S. Marine Corps
San Marcos
Not a new decade
A decade has ten years. This year –– 2010 –– is not thebeginning of a new decade. It is the last –– the 10th –– year ofthe first decade of this century and of this millennium. The seconddecade of this century begins on Jan. 1, 2011.
It is amazing how many people –– important people –– ontelevision celebrated a mistake on New Year’s Eve!
Clay Northcote
Carlsbad
