I found an ironic headline on the front page of the New York Times March 24, the same day as the Ventura County growth seminar at California State University, Channel Islands.  The headline reads: “Vibrant Cities Find One Thing Missing: No Children.”

Portland, Ore., the city touted in the Ventura County growth planning seminar as a model to follow, is educating the fewest students in 80 years.  The article states: "The very things that attract people to revitalize a city — dense vertical housing, fashionable restaurants and shops and mass transit that makes a car unnecessary — are driving out children by making the neighborhoods too expensive for young families.”

In Portland’s Pearl District, the fastest-growing and trendiest neighborhood, the kid population grew by three children between 1990 and 2000.

I suggest attendees to the conference read this article. The Portland model has problems. The open space initiatives are driving Ventura County to this model, and this model does not look family- friendly.

— Todd Miller, Camarillo

This is to all who are expressing blame:

As Terri Schiavo nears the inevitable, she is not aware of the media hype, religious outcry, public propaganda and government decisions.

Re: “Campus food not just meals, students say,” published in The Star March 29:

What a bunch of crybabies. Let me count the ways:

I have been reading all the articles about The Gas Company’s inability to provide natural gas for the South Coast Area Transit buses after the natural gas pipeline rupture in the Piru landslide. I was surprised to learn that The Gas Company had just one way to get natural gas to the Oxnard fueling station.

Denise King, from The Gas Company, acknowledged that there were problems that were “unanticipated or out of our control.”

Now what will happen if California becomes dependent on liquefied natural gas from foreign countries, and the supply is suddenly cut off? This could easily happen. Shipments of LNG would certainly be stopped if there were an LNG accident or a terrorist attack on an LNG tanker ship anywhere in the world.

We don’t dare become dependent on ships bringing LNG across the sea.

— Larry Godwin, Oxnard

The school shootings in Red Lake, Minn., leave one feeling a little sick. While everyone is looking for someone or something to blame, I believe there is a hidden culprit.

Most blame has to fall on the shooter, Jeff Weise, but the fact Weise was on psychiatric drugs definitely is a factor. Weise was on Prozac, an antidepressant known to cause suicide and violence. The Food and Drug Administration requires a “black box” warning about the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and adolescents taking antidepressants.

Ventura College horticulture student Janet Wall has donated more than $2,000 to the Ventura County Community College District to defer the cost of running the horticulture program.

Jerry Mortinson, dean of the technology division in charge of the horticulture program, has recieved more than $8,000 in support of this program.

The college intends to return these funds and still stubbornly insists on closing the horticulture program. Why?
Also, why won’t the district respectfully acknowledge those who have generously forwarded their own money to fund this important program? There has been not one word from them in response to any of the letters or checks sent. This is rude behavior beyond belief.
I and many in the community expect more from public employees — at the very least, an explanation for why the program was cut since we have now provided more than three times the amount the district claims to have saved by cutting the program.
This is now not only an outrage, but a rude insult!
— Dr. James Downer,
Farm Advisor and Plant Pathologist,
University of California,
Ventura County

Re: your editorial, “How will the county grow?” published in The Star March 27:

If you believe that land-use policy for your community should be decided by your local government reflecting the will of its constituents, then you would have found The Road Ahead 2005 conference on growth troubling, as I did.

Why on Earth does government — both state and federal — think they have a right to dictate life and death decisions for any individual? I, too, think Terri Schiavo’s slow death by starvation and dehydration is tragic and appalling!

Re: “Tags on 101 bridge frustrating Caltrans,” published in The Star March 29:

Oxnard can’t find an answer to this problem? Try this: Put the two motorcycle police officers who were handing out tickets on Vineyard Avenue the morning of March 29 on the night shift, since most of the tagging is done at night.

Re: “Park was closed for post-Easter cleanup,” published in The Star March 29:

I personally feel Arroyo Verde Park should be closely restricted during the holidays or entrance fees substantially increased on these events. Perhaps with this, these people will return to their own communities and destroy their own parks, not ours.

Re: “Tags on 101 bridge frustrating Caltrans,” published in The Star March 29:

California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Judy Gish states that there doesn’t seem to be a solution. Well, isn’t that encouraging? Put up the white flag and surrender.

Re: Teen gunman took Prozac, friend says,” published in The Star March 26:

Thank you to The Star for printing the fact that the teen shooter at Red Lake High School in Minnesota was on Prozac.

Re: “Campus food not just meals, students say,” published in The Star March 29:

The article addresses the plan to close all three cafeterias in the Ventura County Community College District.

I read the paper often, but I must have missed this headline: “Dire need for sporting goods in Thousand Oaks leads planning commission to drastic action.”

Why else, I am wondering, would the commission approve the Sport Chalet project, a massive project in what has been a neighborhood shopping center at Janss and Moorpark roads? By doing this, they have driven out many small businesses with a long history at a center which is traditional for these types of stores.

Re: Richard Riggs’ letter, “Fresh ideas for college,” published in The Star March 28:

Kudos to Mr. Riggs for making realistic recommendations and turning a negative situation into a positive one. This sounds like a win-win situation for all. And who knows? Maybe some students may find a profession they had never thought of and be successful in life.

— Pat Sweeney, Thousand Oaks

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has proposed a bill she calls the “Count Every Vote Act of 2005.”

Before this proposal goes any further, I want to go on record as opposing this bill. If Sen. Clinton wants to, as she says, “ensure the integrity of our voting process,” it cannot be done through allowing unfettered, indiscriminate access to the election process by people who may or may not be citizens or who, for legal reasons, may be unqualified to vote.

Arbor/Earth Day is celebrated this year in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, April 9. It’s a day to focus on our planet and how we can take care of it.

Re: Page Schindler’s commentary, “Double standard in 2005 not dead,” published in The Star March 29:

I have many problems with Ms. Schindler’s commentary, but I’ll just stick to one here.

She contends that women “are still paid 76 cents to the dollar that men earn.”

I am aghast that people who pay high premiums for their health insurance don’t see a need for an alternative to a community hospital or a county facility.

The public consensus doesn’t like the idea of socialized health care, but that is basically what it has become.

I am writing this letter with hopes of providing a personal viewpoint on why Ventura College should not close its doors on its wonderful ceramic arts program.

As I understand it, the administrators are pursuing, under various economic and even possibly non-economic  reasons, to close its doors. I am very dismayed over this announcement.

Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, seems to think firefighters are a pretty dumb bunch of people. Well, let’s look at the facts.

Washington, D.C., is finally listening.

Almost three years after it was introduced, the House of Representatives is bringing the subject of increased federally approved stem cell lines to debate on the floor and for a vote.

Re: “City Hall repairs could cost $5 million,” published in The Star March 19:

A friend of mine e-mailed me this article on the new $5 million repair at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

What else is new?

“If I perish, I perish.”

Translated, that means, “If I make my constituents mad because I am rescuing Terri’s life, then I will lose the next election but I will gain God’s favor.”

Re: “Soldier’s family has to fight off creditors,” published in The Star March 27:

I read with interest the article about military families struggling to keep their homes out of foreclosure while their loved ones are fighting in Iraq, protective laws not withstanding.

However much I may agree with the courts that Michael Schiavo has the ethical right to represent and carry out his wife’s wishes, I am not comfortable with the ethos of the mechanics of Terry Schiavo’s demise, which is to permit this poor, miserable woman to die of thirst, since she is likely to die of thirst long before she dies of starvation.

Even if her existence is only at brain-stem level, how can anyone, even doctors, know for sure that she is not, at some level, suffering as a result of her gradual dehydration?

I think she did not want her life sustained artificially, but I doubt she wanted to be treated as as if she’d been bound and gagged and left to perish in the trunk of a car.

How can our society deny this woman the same merciful passage that we bestow on children’s pets and condemned prisoners? How can we any longer deny the value of court-ordered euthanasia to people in Ms. Schiavo’s situation?

Imagine if, instead of dying of dehydration, she was given the injections used to execute convicted prisoners. The implication is not that she is a condemned prisoner, it is that she is spared the agony of a possibly painful death.

How can you claim to value life if you cannot value death and know its place in our world and our society?

— Karla Johnson, Simi Valley

Successful urban planning requires honesty, reason, and facts. These items are often missing in meetings about the future of Ventura County.

Consider, for example, The Road Ahead 2005 conference about affordable housing. Here are some facts not sufficiently discussed in the conference:

Re: “Former Jarvis aide now advises governor,” published in The Star March 28: 

The looming referendum vote to save California from stagflation and decline is not wishful thinking or an exaggeration as Tim Hodson, director of the Institute for California Studies, proposed in The Star article. Nor is it a miscalculation; the people of California are smarter than that.

This is an open letter to President Bush.

Dear President Bush:

Your comments, in a press release with Mexican President Vincente Fox calling the Minutemen group currently on the U.S. border with Mexico “vigilantes,” has motivated me to write to you. 
  

Ventura County is known for its world-class potters, Otto and Vivika Heino and Beatrice Wood. Ventura College has supported students who wished to follow in their footsteps with a fine ceramics program. I know that personally from learning and being inspired while taking two terms of beginning ceramics.

I’m writing in regard to the cement guardrail that has finally been put into place on the Santa Susana Pass Road where a fatal accident occurred on Christmas Day.

The 148-member Geneva-based World Trade Organization has once again ruled against the United States.

On March 3, a WTO panel issued a 301-page report upholding its previous condemnation of government-issued subsidies to American cotton growers. Other WTO decisions have forced changes in our tax laws, steel tariffs, oil importation policies, and even the purchase of bananas.

Re: “The Search for Meaning,” published in The Star March 27:

This article was very interesting, considering it was published on Easter Sunday. I can tell you that the people I know who lead “empty” lives either have no purpose in their life or are living to meet their (selfish) needs as the only purpose for living. For those of us who “live for Christ,” however, we have a foundation that’s worth living. We live lives that experience a community with God as well as a community with others.

Re: Nina Bhavnani’s letter, “Big picture on taxes,” published in The Star March 25:

This letter included widespread misconceptions that must be addressed.

Corporations do not pay taxes. Corporations collect taxes from consumers and then hand the funds to the government. An example for those who cannot grasp this fact: When you purchase groceries, the grocery store’s income taxes are included in what you pay at checkout. The same is true for any purchase made by any person, from any company, for anything. So, the fundamental fact is that all taxes are paid by consumers.

Last week, I read that a Fillmore area nursery business was fined $40,000 for altering a streambed on its property.

Remember bilingual education? Why can’t they call a spade a spade? I have never seen any school in Ventura County that had bilingual education for anyone other than Spanish speakers, even with all the Filipinos, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thais and other immigrants. I’ve heard of bilingual education for other ethnic immigrants in Los Angeles County, but not in Ventura County.

English as a Second Language works, but kindergarten and preschool kids pick up language very readily. When we were kids, we didn’t have bililngual education or even ESL, but we survived. We grew up in a community of immigrants from various countries. So English was our third language.
Outside of the home, we spoke a pidgin English, which was a mixture of the various languages in the community, but in the classroom we had to speak English. We went on to college, and we even had to repeat the required non-credit Oral English.

I never became a rocket scientist, but I was a lecturer-consultant to NASA, did nuclear reactor heat transfer research, and was a chemical engineering, Japanese language, English composition and ESL professor.

My colleagues went on to bigger and better things. For example:

A Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Dan Inouye, is the third ranking Democratic U.S. senator.

U.S. Sen. Sparky Matsunaga used his oratorical skills to good use in the Senate.

Dr. Chitoshi Yanaga was a history and political science professor at Yale.

Dr. Paul Miwa was vice chancellor of the University of of Hawaii.

Masato Doi became a judge.

Members of the all Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit of its size, confused the “Jerries” in France by speaking pidgin, much as the Indian code talkers confused the enemy.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the blood brothers of the 442nd, some of whose parents were incarcerated in American concentration camps, used their linguistic skills in translating, interpreting and interrogating the enemy troops, some of whom could have been their own relatives. They not only had to be skilled in the enemy’s language, but skilled in writing and reporting, in English, important and urgent tactical information.

— Ted Wakai, Oxnard

Re: Gerald Christian Nordskog’s March 27 Pulse page commentary, “Who’s next?”

It’s frightening to me that Gerald Nordskog of the Ventura County Christian Leadership Council (and so many like him) thinks “much of the judiciary ought to be sent to Siberia,” apparently because they follow the rule of secular law instead of his ridged personal religious opinion of how he thinks the case of Terri Schiavo should have gone.

Re: your editorial, “How will the county grow,” and Joe Howry’s essay, “Crafting county’s future,” published in The Star March 27:

Last week’s “The Road Ahead 2005” and other similar public meetings on the subject of “smart growth,” are simply presentations designed to persuade the public to accept continued population growth.

Re: your editorial, “How will the county grow? Today’s residents hold the key,” published in The Star March 27:

Unfortunately, the “residents” do not hold the direct key as to the direction our wonderful county will go in the future. That will be decided by just four of the 300 forum participants sometime in the next few months when the county supervisors vote on the general plan update (GPU). I spotted four of our five supervisors in attendance.

To everyone who has been concerned about the 17 exotic cats that are being moved from Moorpark:

I would like to encourage everyone to send in donations to the Ventura County animal shelter to help pay for the care of the 17 exotic cats that have been there since March 16.

I have been a Republican since I could first vote. Why? Because I believe in less government, fiscal responsibility, the right to succeed or fail without the help of the government, but, above all, the protection of our country and the Constitution.

Re: Jeffrey Herman’s letter, “Presidential bias,” published in The Star March 9:

This letter, which defended President Bush’s Social Security plan, suggests that Mr. Herman has learned the propaganda techniques of the Republican Party very well. A combination of half-truths and innuendos in order to mislead and deceive voters is their obvious approach.

Re: “Some upset at Oxnard Union trustees’ decision,” published in The Star March 25:

Once again, an article has been written about the unification issue which relies on the same cast of characters: those in favor of unification.

Re: Terry Paulson’s essay, “In defense of rich people,” published in The Star March 21:

Wow, I feel a whole lot better after reading that. All this time I’ve been thinking that it was poor people who needed advocates. Silly me, I always figured it was pretty tough for poor folks to hire the same expensive lobbyists that Enron and WorldCom did.

Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 essay, “Has religion lost its way?”:

Where do you get these people who write these essays? Do they check their facts? And where are the essays that represent the other side?

Re: Zoran Bogunovic’s letter, “English only, please,” published in The Star March 24:

Hooray for this letter, written by a Serbian immigrant who, like other European immigrants past and present, learned English once here.

Re: Hal Swanson’s letter, “What God teaches,” published in The Star March 24:

As a Christian, I do not appreciate Hal’s effort to speak for me or the other “80 percent of the American public.”

Predators come in all shapes and sizes. We teach our children not to talk to strangers, not to take candy from strangers, and not to accept a ride from anyone they don’t know.

My thoughts and compassion go out to the 14 dead and more than 70 injured in the explosion at the BP refinery in Texas City.

Iraq, an independent sovereign nation, is illegally being attacked on a daily basis by American airplanes, helicopters, tanks, heavy artillery and ground troops.  Yet President Bush, his administration and the American media and military have the unmitigated impudence and audacity to refer to the Iraqis as “terrorists.” Now if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black!

Re: Zoran Bogunovac’s March 23 letter, “English only”:

I wholeheatedly agree. Mr. Bogunovac’s story shows that English can be learned if you have the determination and desire. It is obvious that the Latin invaders have no such determination. And why should they? They know they can get free medical, housing, welfare and food stamps from a far too generous America.

As a Camarillo resident and Adolfo Camarillo High School graduate, may I say I am getting tired of the Oxnard Union High School board and various district employees accusing Camarillo residents of having a racist agenda in their desire to have local control of the schooling of their own children.

I find it very hypocritical that the neoconservative religious right is trying its best to keep Terri Schaivo imprisoned in a body, using artificial methods, to prevent her from her ultimate destiny of joining God, whom she loves and adores.

Re: Zoran Bogunovac’s March 23 letter, “English only”:

Mr. Bogunovac obviously is passionate about his belief that one can learn English solely by being exposed to that language. It is not always so simple, and one thing is certain: Making racial generalities such as “teach them English before they come over here illegally” is no way to address the problem of students not being proficient in English. Many decent, hard-working people come across our border and do so “legally.” However, for those who do immigrate without documentation and work all day in the fields for far less than minimum wage, rest assured you need not bother, because Mr. Bogunovac is perfectly willing to pick for you if he wants all of you to go back.

— Kim Cordero, Ventura

In response to the recent actions taken by our Congress and president, I urge all citizens of this country to send the following letter to any and all elected officials with any sort of responsibility over their well-being:

Dear Elected Official,

Being of sound mind and body, I take this opportunity to advise you of my intentions should I ever be in a situation such as that involving Terri Schaivo.

Kudos to Moorpark Mayor Patrick Hunter and the members of the City Council for staying focused and patient in continuing to press North Park for real resolutions — resolutions to the many problems that have existed in this project from the beginning and still continue, including fire stations, schools, traffic, property ownership, eminent domain, and the list goes on.

Kudos to Moorpark Mayor Patrick Hunter and the members of the City Council for staying focused and patient in continuing to press North Park for real resolutions — resolutions to the many problems that have existed in this project from the beginning and still continue, including fire stations, schools, traffic, property ownership, eminent domain, and the list goes on.

Social Security is the main topic today for the Republicans. And in all the ranting and raving about future benefits and fixes, I never hear the j-word, as in jobs, probably because this is the “hard fix.”

Re: Steven Farley’s March 24 letter, “Stop protesting”:

I must agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Farley and his take on those pesky protesters. Why must they always bring up the fact that we supposedly went to war to prevent an imminent Iraqi attack? I mean, all that weapons of mass destruction stuff doesn’t matter anymore when we look at all the good that has come from our occupation — excuse me, liberation. 

Re: Steve Farley’s letter, “Stop protesting,” published in The Star on March 24:

Farley manages to condemn “has-been actors and pseudointellectuals” who oppose the war in Iraq without once mentioning his own contribution to the war effort, prompting the logical question: Where was Farley when there was fighting to be done?
 

On March 15, I attended the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting.  Compared to a class in American government or civics, it received a failing grade. Although not illegal, it certainly did not appear to be ethical. 

The preceding Monday night, Pleasant Valley School District President Sandy Berg telephonically advised unification proponents that the resolution to support AB 780 (Item 31) would be moved forward on the agenda, essentially eliminating the presence of opposite viewpoints. Ms. Berg somehow knew that Board of Supervisors Chair Kathy Long would have the item addressed and voted upon prior to the time indicated on the agenda. It is hardly ethical to alert one side of a known controversial issue to this action without providing the opposing side the same notification courtesy.

Phone calls to the Board of Supervisors office had informed non-proponents that Item 31 would probably be addressed at approximately 12:45 p.m. When we arrived at the scheduled time, Ms. Long denied us the right to speak because the issue had already been addressed and voted upon. It was only through the intervention and insistence of Supervisor John Flynn that we were able to present our viewpoints. The board did reconsider the issue and the vote did not change, but how could it, as both sides were not present at the same time to debate it?
  
Supervisor Judy Mikels then chastised us for “waltzing in” after the issue had been decided. She also stressed the importance of local control, which I do not debate, but if this meeting was an example of “their local control,” I want no part of it.

Is this how you expect your public servants to treat their constituents and conduct your business? Given the above facts, what grade would you give this session? 

— Dolores “Val” Rains, Camarillo

I live at Silver Strand Beach and watched the tall ship’s death. I was appalled at the response by the Coast Guard and the Harbor Patrol, which showed a lack of effort to pull this ship out of the area where it first went aground.

Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 essay, “Has religion lost its way?”:

Parts of Larsen’s essay resonated deeply with me.

The religious right complains that seculars are “at war with Christianity.” They claim to speak for the whole of this multidenominational religious tradition rather than a noisy fragment. Yet they seem the poorest exemplars of their founder’s teaching.

Re: “K-Swiss goes for sun power,” published in The Star March 17:

Steven Nichols, president of K-Swiss, has the right idea by turning to alternate energy sources. While he analogizes the installation of solar panels and other energy-saving measures at his corporate offices in Westlake Village to a “little speck of sand,” his conservation efforts should be commended. Indeed, if enough people follow his lead, the “specks of sand” will become a “beach,” or at the very least save several of our local beaches.

Here’s a savings plan for the community college system:

— Administration, 15 percent pay cut.
— Deans (there are 20), 10 percent pay cut.
— Instructors, 5 percent pay increase.

— Cynthia J. Gardner, Camarillo

In 1990, there were an estimated 1,500 foxes on Santa Cruz Island. Today, only about 100 remain.
What caused the drastic decrease?

Like Terri Schiavo, U.S. Sens. Tom DeLay, Rick Santorum, Bill Frist and President George W. Bush have lost all function in the cerebral cortex. Where there was once active brain matter, there is now nothing but liquid mush. The fact that they can roll their eyes, respond to bright lights and sounds, and mouth platitudes makes it appear they have active brains. But, sadly, they have no capacity for reason and intellect. They react instinctively only to outside stimuli.

While teachers and parents protested in the pouring rain, the governor was inside raising funds to promote his policies, which call for more cutbacks to education. It has been reported that the governor will raise $50 million in order push his agenda, which continues to erode public education. Imagine what $50 million could do if it were given to teachers and used in the classroom! Shame on the governor for raising money to advertise instead of educate.

— Susan Amerikaner, Camarillo

It seems strange the leadership value of Ventura County Community College District Chancellor James Meznek is higher than that of both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice.

I’ve heard that the new community college chancellor is now cutting the entire part-time faculty at the community colleges in the county to save money. He must think the way to get more students at the colleges is to cut programs and classes.

The energy spent in protest of Ventura College’s budget cuts (which, sadly, I fear fell on deaf ears) might be better channeled toward finding solutions.

The Terri Schiavo case is tragic, regardless of your view. (Personally, as a Christian, I would want a new body in heaven rather than years of lingering in suspended animation here on Earth.)

Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 essay, “Has religion lost its way?”

In his first paragraph, Mr. Larsen misconstrues the objection the “religious right” has to “the tragic plight of … Terri Schiavo.” Mr. Larsen says the religious right wants the public to believe Terri is as functional as you or me. Obviously, she isn’t; I don’t know of anyone who claims she is.

What is a hero? Is it a person who is big and strong and can leap tall buildings in a single bound? Or are they ordinary people who choose to act on behalf of someone in need?

Am I missing an ingredient?

We live in a world of abundance. Rather than having community college students and faculty fighting, let’s get on the same team. Speak openly and be direct.

Specifically, are our cafeteria operations utilizing economy of scale and acting in unison? Are the three community colleges independent buyers?

What is wrong with our society today? They think it is all right to torture Terri Schiavo because they say she is in a vegetative state. Nobody knows if she is suffering! They are not in her brain or in her body.

Re: The Star’s Readers’ Choice section, published March 20:

With the stipulation that one must fill out all or 90 percent of the ballot in order to be entered into a sweepstakes, the voting will invariably be skewed not toward one’s passionate favorites, but, in many of the categories —certainly for us — picking something just to fill in the blank. Some of your “winners” win only by default.

Re: Richard Larsen’s March 8 essay, “New education direction”:

Larsen is worried that the things recommended by the National Governors Association would “give more power over education to politicians and business leaders than to educators.”

Well, the “educators” have abdicated their responsibilities to the teachers unions, leading our public school systems into a state of almost total failure. Instead of worrying that schools will become “a trough at which the business community feeds,” Larsen should be pleased to see that someone is interested in correcting the faults that have led our schools to the point where employers have difficulty finding graduates who can perform basic duties without costly, expensive re-education. Call it a “trough” if you must, but put something “edible” in it, please!

And what better role for schools than to provide the business community with qualified, literate employees while providing students with the skills and knowledge which will allow them to earn a living?

It’s high time we do something to get our school systems back to providing our children with a useful education. Maybe the NGA can push us in that direction. The “educators” sure haven’t.

— Frank Guthrie, Oxnard

Re: Chuck Thomas’ column, “Are we mixed up in causing this mess?” published in The Star March 19:
My goodness, Mr. Thomas was in a dither about such simplistic issues! The $100 billion cost of the Iraq war? Hey, there is plenty more where that came from. Ask any taxpayer.

The story of Ashley Smith, who was held hostage until she talked her captor into surrendering, is an amazing story filled with love, sanity and courage. This story deserves distribution and reading by all Americans. Ashley manifested all the attributes expected of a true Christian: caring, non-judgmental, while respecting the element of punishment for sin.

This is to add my voice to the growing demand for an official evidentiary hearing on our state’s energy needs, whether or not we really need the proposed liquified natural gas facility out in the channel, or indeed anywhere along the California coast.

Does anyone listen to the radio, watch CNN or read the paper?

— The Senate voted 51 to 49 to allow drilling in the wildlife refuge in Alaska.

— Our president pushed a reduction of a funding increase for Amtrak except for $360 million for commuter trains. Spread that over 50 states and see what you get.

Does anyone listen to the radio, watch CNN or read the paper?

— The Senate voted 51 to 49 to allow drilling in the wildlife refuge in Alaska.

— Our president pushed a reduction of a funding increase for Amtrak except for $360 million for commuter trains. Spread that over 50 states and see what you get.

Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 column, “Has religion lost its way?”

Mr. Larsen states that Christians are using their political voice as a weapon against non-believers. He also declares that Christians are trying to use their religious beliefs, along with the power of the Republican-led government, as a way to create society in their image. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Christians are simply exercising their rights as Americans to help create society in God’s image.

Re: your March 10 advertisement promoting the Road Ahead 2005 forum on growth.

Will the Star-sponsored forum on growth be another staged media event in The Star’s long campaign to persuade local governments to rezone more land for more development to crowd ever more people into Ventura County?

Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to realize that where we build is the most important development decision we make. Educated as a planner, I learned that there are places you don’t build. For example, over the last year, decisions were made to put a school next to an airport runway, put homes next to a noxious industrial use and pave over important wildlife habitat and valuable farmland.

I strongly disagree with those who criticize President Bush for intervening on behalf of Terri Schiavo, a woman who has been brain-dead for 15 years. The president is imminently qualified to weigh in on this issue because there is no one in this country who knows more about being brain-dead than George W. Bush.

— Robert M. Ostrove, Oxnard

I think it is interesting that in 1999, George Bush, as governor of Texas, signed a law, the Texas Futile Care Law, which allows hospitals to cut life support over a family’s objections. Simply stated, the law says that if a prognosis finds that further care is futile and if the patient or patient’s family cannot pay the bills, the hospital can elect to pull the life support.

Criminals on death row are given a meal choice, then humanely execution by the laws of the state.
The Florida judicial system has implemented a new capital punishment: death by starvation. If the prisons started to starve to death its prisoners, there would be a human cry around the world against cruel and unusual punishment. Rights activists would be up in arms, and the liberal press would be sounding the bell of a morally bankrupt society.

In August of 1983, my father was admitted to a hospital with what was initially believed to be a bleeding ulcer. He turned out to have cancer of the liver, pancreas and stomach, and he died in five weeks without ever having left the hospital. He starved to death before the cancer killed him, as he was incapable of receiving nutrition either intravenously or by mouth.

In thinking about the killing of the tiger and the Terri Schiavo case, both of which have angered and upset many people, I am reminded of my father, who used to tell me that my worst experiences would be my best lessons.

Re: The Star’s March 22 photographs:

I wish to compliment Star photographer Dave Getzschman on his photographic expertise.

According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, the number of children treated for exposure to rat poison last year rose to a high of 50,000. Some of these children died.

This is simply outrageous! It  is even more outrageous once you learn that the rodenticide isn’t even killing the pests anymore because they are becoming immune to it.

Something must be done.  To safely keep rats away, clean up around your yards. Remove any food sources outside that may attract pests. Close up all holes into your home. Let’s bring owls back into our environment: One barn owl will eat more than 1,000 rats a year, and they do not eat cats or dogs.
Insist that schools, golf courses, businesses and governments stop using rodenticides that contain brodifacoum, bromadialone, diphacinone, and difethialone.

Finally, please support California Assembly Bill 1548, which gives counties the option of banning these especially dangerous types of rodenticide. Even one child swallowing rodenticide is too many.

— Diane Tan, Oak Park

Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 essay, “Has religion lost its way?”:

Congratulations to Larsen for his well-reasoned essay.

The Terri Schiavo case is a case that points out the necessity of having something in writing. Most younger  people don’t ever think about it. It is my understanding that a properly notarized statement can be added to you medical files stating your wishes. This is inexpensive and can help prevent problems in the future. I can remember doing this before we made a living will.

— Jack Brewer, Simi Valley

It is the lack of enforcement of our immigration policy that opens our borders. The policy is there, but there is simply no desire on the part of our elected officials to enforce it.

It is amazing to me that we Americans have managed to give the words “paying taxes” such a negative connotation. What is wrong with the idea of people — and especially our corporations — paying their fair share of taxes? Taxes take care of our security, our health, our infrastructure, our education.

Re: Timm Herdt’s essay, “Justify the marriage bias,” published in The Star March 16:

Herdt poses the question, “Can anyone put their finger on a rational reason to permit gender-based discrimination?” (opposition to gay marriage). He then goes on to say that the judge in this case couldn’t find one.

Re: your March 10 article, “100 students protest college cuts”:

It’s not surprising the college board and chancellor want to cut classes and lay off or terminate employees.

These last few months of high school are the tunnel with the light at the end. Coming down the home stretch, I’ve really been thinking a lot about what graduation means to me. I’ve chosen a path that ultimately will lead me away from the only town I’ve known as home.

The stubborn march away from reason and morality by Congress continues unabated.

It did not even blink at giving billions of dollars to continue a war that has killed 100,000 innocent Iraqis and more than 1,500 Americans, but it went to extraordinary means, including running roughshod over the Constitution, to forcibly keep alive a woman who wants to die.

— David S. Ettinger, Oak Park

I am a rabbi serving a congregation in Ventura County. In my capacity as a clergyman, I have sat with many families over the years, helping them in the painful discussions regarding end-of-life issues as their loved one lay in a hospital bed either close to death or in a coma-like condition from which they would not recover according to the doctors attending the patient.

These discussions are painful and poignant, but most of all, private. The decisions are made based on a delicate balance of medical opinion, the patient’s desires as communicated to close relatives or friends and on religious values that apply to the decision. The discussions are of the most sensitive in nature that one can possibly imagine. There is a mixture of deep and sometimes conflicting feelings of stewardship of the patient’s life, of love, of caring, of guilt, of hope and more.

Please reinstate the horticulture program at Ventura college. The county of Ventura and state of California need programs like this to provide expertise in the area of plant science and to provide a curriculum that balances the natural with the unnatural and the tangible with the intangible.

— Steve Ramseyer, Moorpark

We are outraged at the decision to eliminate the ceramics program at Ventura College. This premature act has taken place even before the consultant firm who was hired by the Ventura County Community College District to look at cost cutting measures completes the study. The fact that the Ceramics Department brings in $130,000 more than it spends must come into the picture somewhere. It would seem that the financial reason is not legitimate and the district would be losing money, not saving it, by this closure.

John Evander Couey, a registered sex offender with an extensive criminal history, sexually assaulted then murdered 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. What else is new. It has been proved that sex offenders cannot be rehabilitated. Despite this, the judicial system continues to release them from custody. It is and will be open season on all innocent children in this country until the judicial system makes the sane decision that all sex offenders are to imprisoned permanently.

Re: your March 18 article, “Gas prices: Will you pay $3 a gallon?”:

Have President Bush and his oil buddies surreptitiously spoken again?

Oil buddies plus automakers? I reflect on an interesting sequence: The day after the Senate approved drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, The Star runs a story on gasoline prices.

Arctic crude is not the long-term answer because it too is finite. When those reserves run out, what will be plundered next to satisfy our greedy American lifestyle?

— Barbara Fischer, Ventura

Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 essay, “Has religion lost its way?”:

No, Larsen has. The lies and distortions in his piece declare that even he knows he can’t win this debate on its merits. If he could, why lie?

Re: your March 21 article, “School to change way it teaches Spanish speakers”:

As a foreign-born person who immigrated here legally at age 14. I had no “luxury” of having a school teacher who spoke my native language (Serbian). My whole family learned English as its the official language of the United States.

Re: your March 21 article, “School to change way it teaches Spanish speakers”:

I was wondering how it is possible that almost 90 percent of Haycox’s students speak Spanish as their first language. I would think only those students who were born in Mexico would fit in this category.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Gen. 2:24.

I’m guessing this applies equally to the woman, who shall leave her father and mother and cleave unto her husband.

Terri Schiavo’s parents should stay out of this.
 
— Kathi Smith, Ojai

It has been said “Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing.”

If it costs nothing, the price is right for President Bush. He has stated we should be “in favor of life,” when it comes to Terry Schiavo. In Texas however, he feels differently.

The despicable grandstanding of Congress and the president in the Terri Schiavo case clearly, finally illustrates the great difference between moderates and liberals and the arch-conservatives who claim to speak for all Americans.

Re: David McNamara’s March 21 letter, “Gluttony strikes again”:

I would like to agree with him that the Bush administration is gluttonous but the truth of the matter is that, about 40 years ago, this country built a pipeline for exactly the purpose he wrote about. They know the oil is there. There is little need for exploration. The field is 19.6 million acres in size and we are pumping about 4 percent of that. The field has enough petroleum for more than 30 years, not tow and I do agree Hummer owners should be more responsible but when you have the money to buy one of those, who cares what other people think?

Re: Terry Paulson's March 21 essay, “In defense of rich people”:

His essay reads like it was written by Armstrong Williams on administrative steroids doled out by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the corporatists that dominate the GOP. I realize Paulson is entitled to voice his own opinion, but to quote Patrick Moynihan, a senator revered by both Republicans and Democrats: “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; they are just not entitled to their own facts.”

Re: Terry Paulson’s March 21 essay, “In defense of rich people”:

He seems to feel the rich have earned the right to rule over the less fortunate? “The charity of the poor is to wish the rich well.”

Why would we want to be eternally beholden to the rich? Is that the end result of his idea of a democracy?

— Elinor Gustafson, Thousand Oaks

It was refreshing to see on the second anniversary of the Iraq invasion that so many Americans were still impassioned and felt compelled to protest the Iraq war. After all, this was a great occasion for the unenlightened, unemployed and unproductive to chant their tired mantras and display their “War is not the answer” posters. As the legions of anti-war protesters seek their 15 seconds of camera time during “spend some time with washed-up actors day,” they got a chance to exalt the timeless chant, “No blood for oil.”

Re: Terry Paulson’s March 21 essay, “In defense of rich people”:

Let's see. Last time out Terry Paulson attacked the United Nations. This time, he defends the rich. Each time, he illustrates that, while statistics don’t lie, their selective use can deceive.

Re: Bekki Woertink’s letter, “Back to the Dark Ages,” published in The Star March 20:

Doctors and hospitals follow the CCT theory: cash, control and turnover.

Re: your editorial, “Unanticipated anniversary,” published in The Star March 19:

I was pleased to read your editorial. The reflections upon how we got into the situation in which we now find ourselves in Iraq were vital to the ongoing policy debate.

I would like to point out, however, the fallacy of the “Pottery Barn” metaphor quoted in the piece and seemingly accepted in its conclusions and in much of the mainstream media.

Re: “Activists mark war’s anniversary in Ventura,” published in The Star March 20:

It’s incredible what some people will say and believe to justify the war in Iraq and to validate the reckless agenda of this administration.

Re: “Activists mark war’s anniversary in Ventura,” published in The Star March 20:

It’s incredible what some people will say and believe to justify the war in Iraq and to validate the reckless agenda of this administration.

Re: your March 20 article, “Research finds L.A. families busy, less unified”:

I have only two words for Kim and Gary Zeiss: child abuse.

— Rose-Marie Robinson, Newbury Park

Re: “Injunction critics say La Colonia is safe, beautiful,” published in The Star March 18:
Missing from the coverage is prosecutor Karen Wold’s hostile interrogation of community members about their political beliefs and her melodramatic efforts to cast citizens opposing the injunction as anti-police.

Gee! The Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks has the drizzles!

I understand the powers that be in Thousand Oaks have decided it will cost many millions of our dollars to repair the plaza so it does not drizzle for a while.

I have the solution for raising these millions of dollars. It’s called Rent-a-Bucket.

I am 56 and have worked as an ironworker for more than 30 years. I was one of the guys who put up the steel structures at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, and I also worked for the company that installed the stage rigging.

Re: “Legislation would move Schiavo case into federal courts,” published in The Star March 20:
This story, regarding Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube being removed, was not researched or facts were purposely omitted about Terri Schiavo’s husband, Michael Schiavo.

Mr. Schiavo abandoned his marriage by living with another woman and having two children with her. Mr. Schiavo received hundreds of thousands of dollars from disability insurance. He has kept this money and refused for Terri to receive any much-needed physical therapy. Michael Schiavo is hardly the loving, long-suffering husband The Star portrayed.

Terri’s parents are willing to care for their daughter at their own expense. I know where their priorities are; I question Mr. Schiavo’s.

Please report the news accurately, which means the facts on both sides of the story.

— Nellie Page, Moorpark

First of all, I want to invite all the people of Ventura County to come to the Ventura College campus. Walk onto campus and take a look at the new library. It is an absolutely stunning building. We, who work on the campus, are all extremely proud of this new structure.

First of all, I want to invite all the people of Ventura County to come to the Ventura College campus. Walk onto campus and take a look at the new library. It is an absolutely stunning building. We, who work on the campus, are all extremely proud of this new structure.

What a mess! The Ventura County Community College District had better take lessons on how to run a business. Didn’t this happen last year? Instead of making harmful cuts like closing cafeterias, eliminating the school papers and other essential services, may I suggest eliminating summer sessions? Surely this might save services and jobs.

To many students, the community college is the first and last resort. The district’s actions are making their dreams impossible!

— Gary Traxler, Camarillo

Every newspaper or magazine I pick up has an article about the nursing shortage. One way to improve that situation is to increase the number of nurses by admitting more students into schools of nursing.
Ventura College is doing just the opposite by eliminating a nursing instructor and support staff.

I realize that these are tight money times in education, but cutting the nursing program just doesn’t make sense.

— Clydie Wright, R.N., M.S.N., Ventura

The Ventura College student newspaper has been around for 79 years, but the college district’s new chancellor, James Meznek, who has been around less than one year, has decided behind closed doors to shut the paper down.

The man who has confessed to killing the 9-year-old girl in Florida will be provided food, shelter and medical attention for any number of years before he is executed, if indeed that will ever occur.

Meanwhile, a defenseless woman — with a family who wishes to take care of her — is being slowly executed by this same legal system.

— Ken Gates, Ventura

Re: The photo of Mayra Leon, published in The Star March 21:

This photo says it all. As a former classroom teacher and reading specialist, I know the cardinal rule of teaching is to engage the learner. The classroom may be lovely, the teacher knowledgeable and articulate, but where is the mind of the little girl? Who knows? She may not have had breakfast, had very little sleep, is feeling ill, or just doesn’t care.

The challenge of the entire school system, family, and community is to make sure these children are ready, eager and able to learn.

— Linda Reynolds, Somis

I am imagining myself in Terri Schiavo’s situation — perhaps too vivid an imagination — but I am certain I would not want to live in a vegetative state. That is not living. However, with my robust appetite, I am sure I would not want to be starved to death for seven days prior to going to my death.

I know it is time to drop the issue of the death of the tiger — such a wonderful animal — but I would like to ask one question:

Why is it OK to tranquilize a 400-pound bear in someone’s yard and not worry about the time it takes for the tranquilizer to work, but you have to shoot and kill an animal that is away from houses and poses less of a danger of hurting someone?

— Rick Downard, Ojai

Re: Elton Gallegly’s commentary, “TB uptick a failure of enforcement,” published in The Star March 20:

Thank God for people like Elton Gallegly, who is trying to do something about the massive horde of illegals invading our country every single day. What he says should not be taken lightly.

I am an American. I am responsible for my actions and my words. Each passing day I become more and more concerned about the welfare and the direction President Bush is leading my country.

This letter is to share a vision of Ventura County that came to me while reading the description of the book, “Creating Regional Wealth in the Innovation Economy: Models, Perspectives, and Best Practices,” by By Jeff Saperstein and Dr. Daniel Rouach.

Re: Lawrence R. Carter’s letter, “Time is right for LNG,” published in The Star March 16:

From the observations Mr. Carter made in his letter, I can only assume that he has not been following the local media coverage about the BHP Billiton liquefied natural gas project which is proposed off of our coast.

Natural gas is a pretty good fuel. Unfortunately, the most optimistic estimate for its availability is less than 66 years. Other, less rosy guessers put it at less than 40 years.

Natural gas is not going to be around for very long.

Now is the time for our government to support commercial production of photovoltaic energy-producing methods. Since the sun shines brightly but too briefly, energy storage methods also need attention.
NASA has developed a 40 percent efficient solar cell. It also has created a successful “flywheel battery.” Both require commercialization — to sell at prices the average homeowner and car owner can afford. The price of one liquefied natural gas regassification platform and one LNG tanker would more than cover these development expenses.

Then we’d sever our dependence on OPEC and on offshore energy sources. We’d have plenty of petroleum to make plastics. We’d have plenty of natural gas to produce fertilizers.

The LNG proposals only ensure our grandchildren will likely have neither.

— Roger G. Pariseau, Jr., Oxnard

By definition, propaganda is the systematic spreading of information reflecting the views and interests of those advocating a doctrine or cause. Many would call today’s advertising propaganda. But when we see a news story, we have a right to know it’s news and not propaganda.

Apparently many of today’s politicians believe that they have a right to misrepresent information, to present ads as if they are fact and to use news personnel to present these stories so as to further mislead the public. They’ve forgotten that it has nothing to do with what someone can or cannot get away with. It’s about truth and ethics.

Any paid information being disguised as news is fraud, plain and simple. It needs to stop now, and if it doesn’t, those involved should be prosecuted for fraud.

— Robert Fields, Ventura

If you ever wondered why everything seems to be made overseas these days, maybe what happened in Ventura last week will help explain this trend.

Does your child ride the bus to school? Eat at school? Play on the grass? Visit the library or computer lab? Use the bathroom? Call home? Participate in activities? Get one-on-one assistance? Receive a report card? Cross the street?

For all these services, someone has to pay the bills, order and deliver the food and supplies, and keep a certain amount of pesky paperwork.

Re: Joe Howry’s March 13 essay, “The government is yours”:

In Joe Howry’s discussion of government’s growing pattern of secrecy, he discussed the idea “that the collective wisdom of the majority is far superior to the secret knowledge held by the elite.”

In examining the enviromental impact report for the proposed Cabrillo Port liquefied natural gas facility off the Oxnard coast, I found that the report insists on secrecy. They say the results of the independent risk assessment report contain sensitive security information so it cannot be made available to the general public, but they have been, and will be made available for review by federal, state and local agency, staffs and elected officials.

Folks, I hope you are aware that there is a real-life David versus Goliath story unfolding in Santa Paula. This is the stuff that TV movies are made of.

The response is always the same whenever there is a budget crisis in education: Cut programs and make the students suffer.

The much heralded wars on poverty, drugs and terrorism have caused billions in dollars and millions in lives but netted only more poverty, more drugs and more terrorism.

Will it be likewise with the war on ignorance currently declared by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger? Will the cutting of programs in art, journalism, music, foreign language, etc., not leave behind children with special talents?

As our governor runs around the nation telling one and all about how he is kicking his political opponents, he has made the following clear to me.

Re: James Mesnick’s commentary, “Working to make colleges better,” published in The Star March 17:

As a re-entry student and father of a full-time student at Ventura College, I am outraged at James Mesnick’s commentary. His statement, “March 9, we began a process of discussion and analysis with out faculty, support staff, administrators, trustees, regional employers, and community representatives” is simply not true! The cuts were decided the night before at the March 8 board meeting and were printed in The Star on March 9! The discussion is a) not happening, and b) too late, don’t you think?

First of all, steroids do not belong in baseball or in any sport.

Do steroids give athletes an advantage over other players?

In baseball, steroids give the athlete very little advantage, and they do not affect the outcome of a game. The key for success in baseball is eye-and-hand coordination.

I know that newspapers consider bad news the only news worth reporting, but this is too much.

The Star ran a series of articles about the young boy with the tumor he dubbed “Frank.” Members of the public read these articles and were moved by the boy’s courage. The Star pulled at our heartstrings. Money was raised to help pay for a biopsy; the public cared about the boy and prayed for good news for him. Thank heavens, good news came, and the biopsy showed that “Frank” was harmless. The boy will live.

Re: Colleen Cason’s March 16 column, “Trying to make sense out of senseless death”:

Cason’s column left me trying to make sense of her “Cason point.”

I am appalled at the fiscal irresponsibility of the Ventura County Community College District chancellor, president and board of trustees.

I wonder how many illegal aliens attend community colleges and, if they were not allowed to attend, how much money would be saved, meaning fewer programs would be cut?
 — Rich Simpson,
Camarillo

We must not let the City of Santa Paula hoodwink us into believing they have an open mind regarding the amount of homes being planned for Fagan Canyon.

Re: Colleen Cason’s column, “Trying to make sense of a senseless death,” published in The Star March 16:

I would like to remind everyone that there are two sides to this story, and we should not jump on the side of Daniel Provencio, just because a bleeding heart liberal Star columnist thinks we should.

State Sen. Jim Battin, R-La Quinta, has authored SB33, currently before the Legislature, that will do away with a provision of the law regulating probation. This legislation will do away with a provision in the sentencing law that permits a natural parent, adoptive parent, stepparent, relative, or a member of the household (boyfriend?) who has lived in the victim’s household, who has committed incest or a sex crime with a child under the age of 14, to be given probation.

I was injured at work going up some steps. I got my foot under a step, tripping myself, and just before I landed on my face, I got both my hands in front of me to break my fall. Unfortunately, the impact blew out both of my rotator cuffs. Since they could only repair one at a time and it takes about six months to heal one side, I was off work for just under one year.

Re: your article, “Obesity will cut U.S. life expectancy, researchers say,” published in the March 17 Star:

For those Democrats who are desperately trying to come up with a plan to counter President Bush’s plans to “fix” the Social Security system, your answer was right in this article. If it is correct, then the Democrats can claim that they are correct in asserting that there is no crisis in the Social Security system.

Ventura College announces that due to a projected shortage of funding, major cuts will have to be made, including course closures, dismissal of teaching staff, closing the cafeteria, closing the Women’s Re-Entry Center, etc.

That same week, it is reported that the city-owned Buenaventura Golf Course has been renovated at a cost of $6,500,000 — roughly three times the shortfall of the college.

What’s wrong with this picture?

— Shirley Clement,
Ventura

Re: Colleen Cason’s March 16 column, “Trying to make sense of a senseless death”:

After reading Colleen Cason’s report on one family’s devastating experience with their son’s untimely death in prison, I could not respond fast enough.

Re: your articles “Senate puts oil drilling in Alaska refuge into budget” and “GM predicts first-quarter loss,” published in the March 17 Star:

Despite an eroding market share for their bloated, gas-guzzling trucks and utility vehicles due to record-level fuel costs, General Motors has become partially responsible for the Senate approving oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Re: Lyn McLaughlin’s letter, “History repeats itself,” published in the March 15 Star:

Lyn McLaughlin’s obviously biased and liberal response to a 25-year-old soldier indicates she has never had to zip her buddy into a body bag.

On March 16, the Senate voted 51-49 to allow drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Chalk another one up to gluttony.

Re: your March 15 article, “White House ignores rebuke”:

I’m proud to see that the Bush administration is using taxpayer dollars to fund public relations campaigns for everything from airport safety to the war in Iraq. When ideas cannot stand on their own two feet, it’s critical for the government to convince the public of their importance.

Kudos to Ventura City Councilman Bill Fulton for his attention in bringing back and addressing the issue of the Grant Park gun range to the City Council on March 14 by adding it to capital improvement project budget as an unfunded project. We can’t let this slip through the cracks.

It is so late in the game, but we are finally hearing and reading about some of the havoc wreaked by this administration’s reckless and ill-thought decision to wage war in Iraq.

Re: Colleen Cason’s March 11 column, “Posters bring on war of words”:

I am a former Marine who is attending Moorpark College, and I am appalled by the possible infringement of the liberties of an American citizen whose rights Army Spc. Vince Bancroft III is still charged to defend, despite his disagreement with the viewpoint.

Re: George Sjostrom’s March 5 commentary, “Another U.S. first: Ownership society”:

Sjostrom claims the Republicans’ attempt to move away from the social welfare programs of the New Deal and toward an ownership society would be the ultimate elevator out of poverty. Once again, Sjostrom’s rhetoric does not match the facts.

In his book, “Wealth and Democracy,” Kevin Phillip notes: “The middle class has often been pulled into the ‘money class,’ but frequently to be relieved of some of its savings.”

Re: Colleen Cason’s March 11 column, “Posters bring on war of words”:

I am a past student at Moorpark College. I am outraged and very angry that the First Amendment rights of a professor are under attack by a soldier who has been charged to defend the very rights he is opposing.

Re: Marty Lachow’s March 17 letter, “Offensive use of office”:

Kudos and huzzahs to Marty Lachow for his courageous letter condemning Professor John Gray’s abuse of his taxpayer-funded office at Moorpark College.

Afro-Americans are carrying the burden of centuries old bad image based on early conception of the color black as negative, enhanced by the humiliation of their lower class status as slaves. Don't forget the fact they were possessions, owned by white rich men.

Re: Colleen Cason's March 11 column, "Posters bring on war of words" and Lyn McLaughlin's March 15 letter, "History repeats itself":

Focus your attention on Ms. Cason's closing paragraph, "The faculty has the classrooms. And in the case of Professor Gray, he has a big window to exercise his First Amendment rights."

Ventura City Councilwoman Christy Weir said a shooting range doesn't fit in Grant Park's long-range plan and that she would like to see the range site set aside for recreational use.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's action to impose a three-year delay on implementing one nurse per five hospital patients was a well-reasoned response to a burdensome, costly and impractical rule issued by the then-Gray Davis administration. The law that Davis implemented did not specify a ratio of 1 to 5. The law specified only that ratios be adopted by the rule-making process. In fact, Gov. Schwarzenegger left in place the Davis rule that requires one nurse per six hospital patients. In seeking a delay in moving to the more stringent one nurse to five patients, our governor acknowledged two harsh realities. We have a severe nursing shortage in California, and too many hospitals are closing their emergency departments or their entire hospitals due to financial stress.

A strong financial position is fundamental for any organization to fulfill its mission. Recognizing this, the Ventura County Community College District made tough decisions and a big commitment to students and the community that the colleges ultimately will emerge from this crisis as better institutions. As the community colleges are a critical provider of workforce education and add to the upward mobility of workers, the EDC-VC stands as a ready collaborator to work with the district to help ensure its ability to prepare our students for the jobs that are here today and projected for tomorrow.

Michele Pettes, President Economic Development Collaborative - Ventura County, Camarillo

Pursuing solid financial footing is the necessary first step to ensuring the long-term health and viability of the Ventura County Community College District. The commitment to fiscal responsibility by the board of trustees and the chancellor is indeed a service to our community, especially students, though they may not yet realize this. A strong financial position is the only way our colleges will be able to build, grow and sustain programs that, until now, have been dependent upon the politics. The district has shown that they are in sync with our community's workforce needs and the dreams of our students.

Re: your March 6 commentary, "Need for LNG not yet proved":

I get distressed when opponents of liquefied natural gas bring up the 2004 explosion at an LNG facility in Algeria as evidence that the technology is "risky." The allegation is flat-out dishonest and is meant to mislead us from the truth.

Monday's decision by California Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer regarding the state's prohibition on gay marriage as unconstitutional drew on the historic precedents of reversing oppressive and bigoted miscegenation laws that prohibited interracial marriages up until the 1948. Bigoted opponents of equal rights, like those of the Campaign for California Families, seek to make lesbian and gay people second-class citizens -- in essence, forcing us to "sit in the back of the bus." Why, after the history of more than 50 years against discrimination, do these bigots continue to insist on oppressing minorities?

Imagine an infant lying in a crib. It can’t talk, walk or feed itself. In fact, should this baby be neglected and not fed, it would die. This would obviously be a tragedy, not to mention unlawful and unethical.

Terri Schiavo, the woman in a Florida hospital being considered by a judge to be killed, is not on life support. A feeding tube is the only machine supporting her. The Star's coverage of the story implies that she is not living out of her own effort, but by that of several machines. All major media, including The Star, label her as "vegetative" and suggest that she is incapable of reaction, movement of any kind and thought. This information is false.

I am writing to express my disagreement with President Bush's ambition to permit drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). This action would do absolutely nothing to lessen America's long-term dependence on foreign oil. It would cause great harm to wildlife and set dangerous precedent.

It appears that the highest courts of our country can search through "deep European traditions" concerning bans on executions of under-18-year-old convicted murderers, but California law, which has been formulated from the longstanding American institution -- dare I say the very deep tradition -- of a marriage between a man and a woman, can be overturned without a pang of conscience.

It is hard to understand why a college cafeteria, a horticulture program and a nursing program would be cut from a community college budget. Just when you thought people couldn't get any more stupid. Yes, it is pathetic.

Re: your March 15 article, "Public to get say on unification issue":

Once again, the Oxnard Union High School District kicks Camarillo residents. While the district is at least holding a public hearing, they are doing so in the nearly-new performing arts center in the nearly-new Pacifica High School -- in Oxnard! They even gave one day's public notice, too; that really ought to make planning easier for interested parties. To top that off, anyone who wants to send comments about the issue can send board president Bob Valles a letter through the U.S. mail, proving if nothing else that the district really is on the cutting edge of technology, scheduling and time management.
 

Terri Schiavo, who is in a vegetative state, cannot say for herself if she wants to live or to end her life. Only a feeding tube is keeping her alive.

I believe it is wrong how Michael Schiavo would want his wife, Terri Schiavo, to die by starvation. He brought the order that his wife be put off the feeding tube to the Supreme Court. She is a living human being, and she can feel like anyone else.

Re: Curtis Carson's March 15 letter, "Money won't fix it":

In his letter regarding school funding and teacher merit pay, Curtis Carson demands answers. Let me offer some.

How can one judge in one ruling strike down the will of the people of California made into law after a huge response to an initiative drive? I thought this was America, "of the people, for the people, by the people"?

In regard to your March 15 edition, shame on you twice. Your paper's covert endorsement of religion is really starting to offend me.