Re: your Jan. 4 editorial, "FDA action smells fishy":
The question is whether or not to eat fish. Recent studies show fish consumption protects you from mercury.
Most all fish contain traces of methyl-mercury, which can have negative effects on the nervous system. Because of these concerns, fish advisories have been widespread.
However, ocean fish also provide many nutrients and minerals, including selenium. It turns out that selenium binds tightly to mercury, making it inert and nontoxic. The critical issue is having sufficient levels of selenium in your diet, greater than the level of methyl-mercury. When selenium is deficient in the diet -- generally in the Eastern U.S., Europe, China and Africa -- mercury can cause negative impacts to human health.
While these studies are ongoing, their results help to explain mercury's toxic effects and lead to the conclusion that consumption of ocean fish is not a risk as once thought, but is an important source of many important nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and sufficient selenium to protect you from methyl-mercury.
-- Keith Moore, Oxnard

Re: your Jan. 4 editorial, "FDA action smells fishy":
This editorial about the Food and Drug Administration's plan to change how it communicates with the public about mercury in seafood could not have been more inaccurate or wrong-headed.
In 2007, a landmark study published in the British medical journal The Lancet found that children who perform best on IQ and other development tests came from mothers who ate more fish while pregnant than our government's advisory permits.
This study was, by far, the largest of its kind ever conducted. It was funded by the federal government and led by a National Institutes of Health physician, who concluded that the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency's mercury warnings "cause the very harm they intended to prevent."
The health benefits of eating seafood -- especially for pregnant women -- are well documented. But the risks are still entirely theoretical. The medical literature contains zero documented U.S. cases of mercury poisoning related to eating fish sold in grocery stores or restaurants -- not one.
Science has clearly evolved past the scare campaigns about the meaningless levels of mercury that have always been present in fish, and the FDA is right to adapt its policies accordingly. We should applaud the agency for staying current, instead of clinging to outdated fears about fish. It's a health food, after all.
-- David Martosko, Washington, D.C.
(The writer is the research director for the Center for Consumer Freedom, a nonprofit coalition supported by restaurants, food companies and consumers. -- Editor)

Writing this is my way to honor the Finnish ex-president and peace mediator Martti Ahtisaari, who, in his acceptance of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, had a plea to President-elect Barack Obama to start pressing for Middle East peace as soon as he can. He rejected the notion that the Middle East crisis cannot be solved, and he criticized both the Israelis and Palestinians for the impasse, causing the loss of life, property and, I add, kids growing in an atmosphere of violence and hatred, creating the next generation of so-called terrorists, as they feel dispossessed.
I am so glad that Ahtisaari is bringing this crisis to the forefront. This crisis, which has festered over the past six decades, has been like a carbuncle on the neck, festering deep and constantly erupting.
I have looked forward with optimism to every genuine effort that has been made in the past to solve this crisis that has contributed to the unrest in the Middle East, but most ended up with failure. Why? Why, when you consider that the players in this conflict are all in the family? Yes, all in the family. When I say that, I mean to talk about the everyday Christian, Jew and Muslim. Why are we radicalizing each other, leading to tension and hate? Why not come in harmony to see each other through this chaotic world to elevate our God-given gift of life with its blessings?
When I say "all in the family," I refer to our common patriarch, father Abraham. He was a special person. God loved him and called him his friend, and through him we are all blessed. (Genesis 12:3, the Lord told Abraham, "And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.") He is the father of Ishmael and Isaac, of whom we are all descendants by birth or faith.
We are all related. Let us speak of and treat each other kindly, and we may have a better world to live in.
-- Ghanim M. Elias, Oxnard

There is an adage that I love: "Life is an echo. What you send out, you get back."
This holiday season, as in the previous six years, I asked the Ventura community to share their generosity and kindness through the efforts of my nonprofit literacy foundation, "Write On!" (www.zest.net/writeon).
This year was the Seventh Annual Write On Holiday Book Drive to benefit local underprivileged children -- and, even in the midst of these difficult financial times, the Ventura community responded with enthusiasm and compassion. The final donation tally for 2008 was 616 books, surpassing our grand total goal of 10,000 books! These beautiful new books were distributed to children through the Boys & Girls Clubs on Johnson and Olive streets and the Ventura Avenue Library.
Countless people volunteered their time, support and generosity. While space prevents me from listing everyone, I would be remiss not to thank the schools that collected hundreds of books: Clyde Hofflund and Ventura High School, Lynne Hofflund and Cabrillo Middle School, and Val Wehan's class, Room 23, at Poinsettia Elementary School. Linda Brug at Ventura High challenged her history classes to donate books, and, once again, they came through in a big way.
For the seventh year in a row, we made a big difference by sending out comfort, compassion and hope to underprivileged children of Ventura County. Each new book donated is a seed of learning that helps brighten a life. Indeed, together we changed many lives this holiday season -- lives that, I have no doubt, will in turn send out beautiful echoes to others.
-- Dallas Woodburn, Ventura
(The writer, 21 years old, is a senior at the University of Southern California and an alumna of Ventura High School. -- Editor)

Re: Jonathan Mirabile's Jan. 2 letter, "Was Obama born in U.S.?":
Mirabile asks if anyone has proven that Barack Obama was born in the United States. Yes. He himself already had to prove it to the U.S. government when he ran for Senate. His Hawaiian birth certificate is consistent with the documents of the time and has been verified by state officials.
There is also a birth announcement contained in the Honolulu Advertiser dated Aug. 13, 1961, reporting his birth on Aug. 4, 1961. Either his parents had already concocted the conspiracy to misrepresent his birth when he was 9 days old -- being so prescient that they knew, even before the civil rights movement, that their mixed-race son would be elected the leader of the free world, and they didn't want to mess it up by showing he was born in Africa or Indonesia -- or they were really happy with their new son and wanted to tell everybody.
Mirabile and the Pravda opinion columnist he cites can decide. The Pravda writer was mad that the federal lawsuit filed against Obama by an individual Philadelphia attorney was dismissed.
Mirabile's allegation of liberal betrayal and cover-up by "dark masters" makes me know he's never going to be satisfied with the choices made by mainstream America, and he wants a "do-over."
The Star has printed Mirabile's wild allegations as testament to the freedoms we continue to enjoy, rather than the constitutional disgrace he portrays.
Incidentally, John McCain definitely wasn't born in the United States. He was born in Panama.
-- Robert E. Robinson, Thousand Oaks

Re: your Jan. 2 article, "Iraq officially takes control of Green Zone":
There it was, in black and white, way back on page A6. How sad and maddening is it when our media outlets bury very important news in the dusty back pages of the paper? However, this type of history dodge is commonplace today.
What is obvious since liberals lost the presidential election of 2000 -- and yes, they lost it, according to the New York Times -- is that they will do and say anything to win an election, even if they have to manipulate public opinion against one of the most important jobs any president has, which is to protect the American public from an attack. Liberals, with heads so thoroughly buried in the sand, continue to poison the American public's well of information.
The Iraqi government taking control of the Green Zone is a huge milestone in the Iraq war and a major victory for President Bush and our troops -- and you would only know about it if you dig around for the report on it.
How disgustingly typical this has become. Liberals prove again that they have no problem at all throwing our country under the bus as long as they can get a better grip on the government's purse strings and keep their faces on TV. Don't stand between Sen. Chuck Schumer and a camera without protection.
We all know what's coming next, don't we? Once Barack Obama takes office, the media will finally put on the front page the good news from the fronts. They will suddenly report that because we have a new (liberal) president, our troops are doing well and will now start coming home.
I remain disgusted. The Star can do better.
-- Tom Worthington, Moorpark

Re: your Jan. 4 article, "Local Navy man does 'OK' in upcoming 'Wheel of Fortune'":
In this article, The Star commits the kind of blunder no spell check will ever catch, but any worthy editor, and any person who has been in or has had family members in the U.S. Navy, would.
In the fourth paragraph, The Star refers to Petty Officer First Class Nick Maisonet as a "soldier." Enlisted Navy personnel are called sailors.
The U.S. Navy's presence in Ventura County is substantial and economically beneficial to this region. The least The Star could do is treat Navy personnel with the respect and regard they deserve.
-- Gregg Jacobsen, Westlake Village

My wish for the new year is to restore forgotten behavioral words to their former stature. Their concepts helped build our nation, like trust and honor. Without trust, a democracy cannot survive because there are too many ways to take advantage of and weaken it, and without honor among people, there can be no trust. Should we trust businessmen, financiers or government officials these days? If we cannot, our nation will fall asunder.
And whatever happened to shame? Today there is only shame in losing or getting caught. Winning at any cost is the new standard, no matter how low one stoops to achieve it. What even counts for shameful behavior anymore in these times of high rewards for torrid public confessionals and self-exploitation?
There's certainly little modesty visible anymore, and decency has become a red-flag word.
Who even remembers humility, which has gone the way of the dodo bird? Is nothing sacred anymore? Mockery and contempt seem to have replaced it.
Patriotism has lost its luster to parody, grist for the mills of comedians.
How about character? Today character usually refers to a zany personality, not the measure of a man's worth.
Responsibility? Blame has blotted it out. Playing the blame game leaves no one responsible for bad deeds. It's always society's fault or your mother's.
We are being sold on New Age concepts, but in discarding old values, it seems we have thrown our birthright out with the bathwater. All we individuals can do is revive those values in our own lives and teach them in our own families. If enough of us do, our numbers could turn the tide.
-- Miriam Jaffe, Thousand Oaks

Moonbeam's at it again, folks! California Attorney General Jerry Brown wants to stop Proposition 8, in total disregard of the voting public.
The Rose Bird Court antics have been back since Brown somehow won the top cop award in California. California voters either have very short memories, or, worse, really don't have a clue about what is good for California.
Well, clue this in, folks: Brown wants to run again for governor of our great state! He legally can since term limits took effect after he was elected governor the first time around! Let's stop another political disaster in its tracks and send Brown packing before he hangs his shirts up in the governor's mansion. Oh, I forgot, Brown won't live in the mansion, or drive a government SUV because he cares about taxpayer money!
Ho, ho, ho, Jerry Brown! You don't fool me!
-- Michael Thames, Ojai

On Dec. 30, I purchased a General Motors truck from a dealer in Fillmore for our agricultural division. The truck's sticker price was $54,000, and with tax and license fees, the total was $58,000. GMAC wanted 20 percent down and 14.5 percent financing, and Hitachi Capital wanted the same down and 8.5 percent financing. I had no choice but to go with Hitachi.
The next day, our government gave GMAC more than $5 billion of our money. The article said that GMAC was going to reduce financing on some cars and trucks to 3 percent to 5 percent. So I went back to the dealer and inquired about lower financing. I was told it didn't include the truck we'd purchased, only other trucks that GMAC couldn't give away.
In a nutshell, I'm giving a foreign finance company $11,000 in interest over the next 60 months for loaning me money, and a U.S. company, with help from Washington, is getting $5 billion of our taxpayers' money for doing nothing. Ah, the American way!
-- Charles W. McLaughlin, Oxnard
(The writer is with Aspen Helicopters, Inc. -- Editor)

Re: Benedict Lucchese's Jan. 2 letter, "Impeach Jerry Brown":
Lucchese is asking himself the wrong question. What if California voters passed an initiative forbidding myopic bigots from writing letters to the editor? Wouldn't he want fairness and free speech enforced, even if the majority had voted to limit it?
The judicial system stands as a bulwark to protect minorities' rights, and California Attorney General Jerry Brown is correctly standing against prejudice in just such a case.
-- Bob Rust, Camarillo

Re: your Dec. 31 article, "2008, as seen through The Star's editorials"
It was somewhat shocking to read that on Oct. 12, in an editorial about Proposition 8, The Star wrote, "Adherence to the 'will of the people' must be tempered by the realization that the people's will stops when it denies other equal rights under the law."
I've always believed and still believe that government of, by and for the people is the best form of government existing on this planet. The majority may be wrong, but in this form of government, it is the way we decide which laws shall prevail.
The Star goes on to urge voters to reject Proposition 8, which the majority of voters favored on Nov. 4.
I would be interested to learn how The Star arrives at opinions and recommendations it publishes.
-- Richard E. Brown Jr., Ojai

Would California legislators, as individuals, tolerate the behavior and lack of integrity shown by their entire group in their personal lives?
They were elected by the citizens of this state to represent them. They asked for the job! It was not forced upon them!
As an entire group, they have failed the people of the state. This entire session has been one of party politics, inflated egos and total lack of responsibility. The people have paid their salaries and expenses, but they have failed to earn the remuneration.
They must start working at the job they were elected to do. They must cut the inflated salaries of the so-called administrators and cut the waste in all of the state departments. If a private company can do the job better, cheaper and faster, they must hire them!
They must get rid of the handouts to non-citizens! They must stop thinking about raising taxes and instead start thinking about the economy -- a dollar earned for a dollar given! They must stop trying to emulate the federal government and work for the people who pay their wages.
-- Don Davidson, Port Hueneme

Re: your Jan. 3 article, "Airline apologizes for removing family":
Precaution is still the wise route in these times of paranoid profiling. Act now, apologize later. Profile now, placate later.
The cost of free return tickets AirTran has offered the whole Irfan family is a small price to pay for the safety and equanimity of its passengers. That, above all, was the impetus that drove AirTran's decision -- a correct one.
The climate we live in mandates extraordinary measures to keep our country safe. Surely no one has any objection to that, including our many peaceful Muslim communities.
Journalist Edward Murrow taught us, "Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices." Indeed, we are prisoners of a painful history. We are captives of our own rational and justified fears. It is an all-too-human quality.
To disregard history for an ounce of tact is a mistake and an egregious judgment call, no matter the injustice or unseemly treatment of profiled subjects.
Unfortunate as this incident was for the decent Irfan family, they must know how important it is for America not to let her guard down -- ever.
-- Maya Teague, Camarillo

Re: Tommy G. Thompson's Jan. 4 commentary, "1 word that can save lives -- 'yes' to organ donation":
About 50 percent of the organs transplanted in America go to people who haven't agreed to donate their own organs when they die. As long as we let non-donors jump to the front of the waiting list if they need a transplant we'll always have an organ shortage.
There is a simple way to put a big dent in the organ shortage: Give organs first to people who have agreed to donate their own organs when they die.
Giving organs first to organ donors will convince more people to register as organ donors. It will also make the organ allocation system fairer. People who aren't willing to share the gift of life should go to the back of the waiting list as long as there is a shortage of organs.
Anyone who wants to donate their organs to others who have agreed to donate theirs can join LifeSharers. LifeSharers is a nonprofit network of organ donors who agree to offer their organs first to other organ donors when they die. Membership is free at www.lifesharers.org or by calling 1-888-ORGAN88. There is no age limit, parents can enroll their minor children, and no one is excluded due to any pre-existing medical condition.
-- David J. Undis, executive director, LifeSharers, Nashville, TN

With the 2008 football season winding down, something must be said about the personal appearance and character of some of these professional athletes.
Remember that many of these pro athletes are the recipients of multimillion-dollar contracts and live lavish lives in mansions replete with extravagant furnishings and luxury automobiles. Despite these wondrous amenities, so many of them become embroiled in activities involving drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, prostitution and actionable criminal behavior. With newfound fortune and fame bringing wealth and acclamation, so many of these so-called "role models" engage in the most insidious forms of excess imaginable, apparently without check from their coaches, agents or fellow players.
The NFL has outlawed excessive on-field celebration but the practice still persists despite penalties.
Everyone is aware of the many body piercings sported by professional players, some of whom wear diamond studs in both ear lobes even while playing. Of course, don't forget the gold neck chains, bracelets and gaudy jewelry and the preponderance of unsightly tattoos inked on arms, shoulders and necks. What about the bald heads, cornrows, mullets and Mohawks? And finally, this season sported a plethora of players wearing excessively long hair streaming below the backs of helmets, at times obliterating the player's name on the back of his jersey. Whatever happened to a dress code?
As a fan of pro sports, I detest these visuals in their excess and in their inappropriateness. Games are aired on national television in prime time, and as such, these players become role models for young athletes who aspire to professional success in sport. We now see elementary, high school and college athletes sporting this same fare and deportment. It must be stopped. The allowance of such behavior is not in keeping with either sport or professionalism. To those whom much is given, much is expected, and fans deserve much more than what these pro athletes are currently giving.
-- Charles Williams,
Oxnard

The CBS News Sunday evening program "60 Minutes" recently chronicled the efforts of a New York City prosecutor who files, prosecutes and obtains convictions for murder in cases involving drunk drivers who, as a result of their choice to drink and drive, have killed innocent victims. In one case, a 24-year-old man driving the wrong way on a highway crashed into another vehicle, causing the death of one adult and one child. The drunk driver suffered minor injuries. The drunk driver was determined to have a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
The Oxnard Police Department recently coordinated and participated in the "Avoid the 14," a 21-day holiday multi-agency law enforcement crackdown designed to remove drunk drivers from Ventura County roads. This year's "Avoid the 14" resulted in 470 DUI arrests but, more importantly, the removal of these drunk drivers from Ventura County roads ushered in a holiday season without a single DUI-related fatality.
So I say to all the Ventura County law enforcement agencies in general and to the Oxnard Police Department in particular, "Thank you very much for all your hard work, dedication and sacrifices. Your diligence and professionalism saves precious lives."
-- Harris D. Berger, Oxnard

Re: Guy Nohrenberg's Jan. 4 commentary, "Greed and God":
Nohrenberg writes, "Our only hope is to flood the churches with our presence and earnest prayers."
I respectfully propose to Nohrenberg that we look more closely at what has been happening to the devoutly religious of the world -- recently and throughout history.
Researchers, looking only at developed countries, compared attitudes in Europe and the United States. "The U.S. was found to be the most religious country in the survey," the BBC reported on Dec. 8, 2008. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7767192.stm
In a broader look at worldwide religiousness, FaithWorld found that religion has its strongest foothold in "Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population. ... Indeed Islam is well represented in the top five countries where religion is valued in life -- with Tanzania, Jordan, Pakistan and Nigeria following Indonesia. .... By one estimate every fourth person on the planet is a Muslim, many living in some of its poorest quarters. ... Indeed the wealthier, more developed nations in the world seem to care less about religion. ... America, wealth not withstanding, lands about in the middle -- with 55 percent saying religion is very important. That compares, for example, to 13 percent in Japan, 18 percent in Britain and 22 percent in Germany. In addition, 33 percent of Americans say they pray at least once a day, and only 11 percent say they never do." See http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/09/18/where-does-religion-have-its-strongest-foothold/
Americans who believe we are being punished by God, as Nohrenberg does, should take heart. Spend a quiet moment comparing U.S. turmoil -- political, social and economic -- along with our natural disasters to what goes on in the areas of Indonesia, Tanzania, Jordan, Pakistan and Nigeria. Though we all suffer at times, it seems evident that if gods favor anyone, it's the humanitarians who invest a great deal of effort in acquiring a scientific education and follow that with hard work so as to prosper and effectively serve mankind. Those flooding churches with their presence and prayers do not fare better.
-- Ron Paulinski, Ventura

Gaza: Stop playing the blame game.
Gaza elected Hamas. Gaza must be held responsible for everything that Hamas does. Seven months ago, when they started firing missiles into Israel, that was an act of war. and Israel should have declared it so and taken the appropriate action against all of Gaza.
Could Japan have claimed that Tojo and his military group were alone responsible for Pearl Harbor and not Japan itself?
If the response from Israel is not to Gaza's liking, it should get rid of Hamas and stop saying, "They did it!"
-- Bernard Lehrer, Ventura

I notice that every time the "world" condemns Israel for invading Gaza, aside from a front page story, The Star includes an obligatory picture of an Arab child, bloody and usually in his mother's arms, to emphasize the story of Israel's wrongdoing.
Let's just say that someone radical in Tijuana lobbed rockets into San Diego and our government time after time told them to stop. Do you think the San Diegans, let alone Americans, would do nothing, even if the world condemned us? I think not!
-- Steve Binder, Oxnard

In World War II, the U.S. clearly had the capability to obliterate Tokyo, but did not. Why? Because we had to ensure that a government entity remained intact with the authority to effect Japan's unconditional surrender.
Similarly, it behooves the Israelis not to totally eliminate Hamas, but to ensure that there remains some core Hamas leadership with the authority to surrender or to negotiate a peace settlement.
-- Bill Gourlay, Westlake Village

On Dec. 28, Israeli air force missiles destroyed the Islamic University of Gaza. I have visited the university, built with the support of grants from the Ford Foundation and other sources. It was a beautiful place, that day full of young women carrying books, talking in small groups, rushing to class like anywhere else.
Israel bombed it because it said it was a font of radicalism and support for Hamas. Yes, some student groups fervently supported Hamas. There were many student groups, and students spent much time on the Internet, their link to the wider world. At the university, students could major in a wide range of subjects and for a few years have access to the pleasures of higher learning before confronting life in the nearly closed prison that Gaza is today.
In Gaza, malnutrition is widespread and unemployment is nearly universal. Israel does not let Gazans export their produce or manufactured goods. It does not let them out to work, and it does not let them import adequate food and medicine. The strip of land is fenced in, the airport and seaport are closed, and all gates are closed and have been for years. Even students who win fellowships for advanced study more often then not find themselves thwarted by Israel's refusal to let them cross out of Gaza.
Now there is no more university.
I remember some firebrands suggesting in anger that the government bomb UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, and UCLA during the 1960s and early 1970s to end student militancy. Even though violent acts were indeed planned in various corners of these universities, today they are all flourishing institutions. Cooler heads prevailed not only because we value our institutions of higher learning and the futures of our young people, but because we know that bombing and destroying does not lead to social progress.
A better course of action for Israel would be to let Gazans and others travel in and out of the strip; to study and work in the West Bank, Israel and abroad; and to have the same access to the world enjoyed by the Israelis themselves. That would bring an immediate halt to the violence.
-- Nancy Gallagher, Newbury Park
(The writer chairs the Middle East studies program at UCSB. -- Editor)

I am 34 years old and never remember a time when Arab and Muslim extremists were doing anything other than hijacking planes, lobbing missiles at residential areas, kidnapping, torturing, beheading and attacking anything and everything they could get their grubby little hands on -- the entire time claiming to be victims.
I for one am sick and tired of them! If the Israeli army obliterates the entire Gaza Strip, it will be a start that we should applaud and support! Every single global conflict today involves Arab and Muslim extremists who seem ill-equipped or unwilling to act like anything other than savage animals. Perhaps the sting of watching their own neighborhoods and families suffering from the scourge of warfare and complete desolation will make them change their ways. Oh wait, that hasn't worked in 50 years. What is wrong with these people?
Talk of truces and negotiated peace seems like nothing more than a joke. Israel has given up land, accepted near daily missile attacks and remained at the peace table, and the Arabs have only demanded more! The only thing the Arabs will accept is the demise of Israel.
The only way the Middle East and the world will ever see peace is the complete and utter destruction of the Arab world that is so heinous that even the thought of having a weapon will invoke hostility from their own people.
Japan had to feel the sting of two atomic bombs before they disarmed and joined the ranks of civilized nations. This is a lesson the world should remember and one that ought to make the people of Tehran, Damascus, Beirut and Amman sit up and take notice lest they suffer a similar fate.
-- Jason Oliver, Simi Valley

Our son is a firefighter for the state of California who works on a fire engine that is designed for a driver, an engineer and two firefighters. This year the state cut the team to three, and last week, after another series of budget cuts, the team has shrunk down to two. One drives and one manages the systems that operate the truck, and that leaves no one to operate the hose.
With all of the horrific fires that we have recently experienced, this puts lives and property at risk. We do not allow our heroes to be put at risk -- period.
We elect people to serve and protect who are more concerned with party posturing than remedies. A logical decision would be to enact a law that on the day the budget is due and not signed into law, their pay and their benefits would be stopped. Perhaps an IOU to the ones hired to manage this chaos might light a fire under the backsides of these incompetent bureaucrats. Since you need a law authored by the very people who fail to resolve problems, you can't expect them to legislate productive and responsible change.
They are putting my son at risk. They are putting all of you at risk. Shame on them. Shame on all of us for allowing this to happen.
-- Rick Farquar, Simi Valley

Re: your Dec. 28 article, "Remodeled courtroom is a squeeze":
Isn't it amazing that these metal benches had to come from England? Am I to believe there are no companies in the United States that make a metal bench? I believe that all federal, state, county and city governments must buy only products that are made in the United States. Our tax dollars should not be used to purchase products made outside the country.
-- Jean Reiley, Westlake Village