LettersToTheEditor

6 degrees of separation

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T12:09:14-08:00

Re: your June 19 weather report:
I don't know where The Star gets its weather information, but the locale certainly isn't reflective of all of Simi Valley. In a recent edition, The Star reported that a high temperature for Simi Valley was 95. I have three highly accurate thermometers here at my home, and all registered a high temperature of 101.6.
My home is located near the virtual center of the valley, which I believe to be a good average location for measuring temperature, rainfall, wind speed, phase of the moon, sunrise/sunset, high/low tide, etc.
-- Vince Nowell Sr., Simi Valley

Choosing values

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T12:02:54-08:00

Re: Edie Brown's June 19 letter, "Religious right is wrong":
Shame on Brown for comparing the religious right to the Taliban because of the religious right's view on homosexuality. The Taliban executed single women for having relations with men out of wedlock. They executed homosexuals. There is no comparison between the values of the religious right and the crimes against humanity that were committed by the Taliban.
This is just another example of the inability of liberals to have a rational conversation and debate without using extreme exaggerations and hateful name-calling when anyone disagrees with them.
A true American would support the rights of all Americans to express their values and to live their lives based on their values. The religious right has the right to live their lives according to their values -- values that, by the way, have served them well for thousands of years. Brown has the right to live her life by her values -- values that have not yet had the chance to withstand the test of time.
Only time will tell as to whether her values will serve anyone well, let alone those 70,500 children she refers to in her letter. If she supports abortion like most liberals, it's a miracle that many of those 70,500 children even made it this far. I am pleased that these children are, by and large, in loving homes, but there is no question that many of them will have to overcome stigmatisms associated with who their parents are.
-- Randy Wheeler, Moorpark

Election system ruined

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:55:25-08:00

I'm writing to voice my opinion about the June 3 election. It was a sham, and, as a voter in Thousand Oaks, I feel the election process should be stopped permanently. You can't make right decisions, and you get constantly badgered by political phone calls. Between the city of Thousand Oaks and the hospital, they have ruined our election system. And as a voter, I'm asking that this stop.
-- Mary Harris, Thousand Oaks

Examining 'natural laws'

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:53:30-08:00

Re: Michael S. Vorac's June 18 letter, "Male, female logic":
Let's go straight to examine some of the natural laws Vorac has said are revealed to us by thinking.
He wrote: "A human is either a man or a woman." Somebody ought to tell this to the approximately 5,000 couples every year who are faced with the decision to pick their child's sex after birth because their child was born a hermaphrodite, a human with both male and female sex organs. The new psychology on this is to wait several years to determine the child's male or female propensity before sex orientation surgery is performed.
He wrote: "A male is naturally attracted to a female and vice versa." If this were true, we would not have homosexuals. In actuality, it is now understood that humans as well as other species are, on a sliding scale, sexually somewhere between heterosexual and homosexual. Sex for many higher animals is far more than just for procreation. In fact, there are animal species that are both male and female and basically inseminate themselves.
He wrote: "Only a man and women can create another human." All males have been made irrelevant in the process. Sperm is no longer even required in the petri dish.
He wrote: "The primary purpose of marriage is the creation and education of humans." Marriage is completely irrelevant when it comes to creating humans, but it is relevant to creating a stronger bond between individuals for the purpose of raising children and caring for each other.
He has proved my point once again: It is impossible to think clearly when the mind is full of fundamentalist thoughts that crowd out reason.
-- Tom Ion, Moorpark

Igloo, not ugly

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:35:58-08:00

Re: your June 18 article, "Renovation of Bus Home begins":
As I passed the art monstrosity and saw scaffolding, I thought, "Oh boy, they're going to finally tear it down!" Then I read in the paper that they are going to spend more than $100,000 to paint it.
For $100,000, I could build an igloo 100 feet in diameter with room on the south side for 100 bus passengers to stay out of the rain and the rest a dance hall. Every five years, they could open a hole in the top of the roof and pour $1,000 worth of multicolored paint, which could dribble down the sides with no labor involved. It could be called "The Psychedelic Igloo" or, even better, "The Jim Johnson Psychedelic Igloo." Wow! That would be a monument!
-- James Stanley Johnson Sr., Ventura

Art takes center stage

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:30:21-08:00

Re: your June 18 article, "Renovation of Bus Home begins":
Finally, the Bus Home sculpture at the north end of the Pacific View Mall is getting its much-needed makeover to compensate for improper preparation of its paint from the get-go.
It is my hope that if skeptics don't understand the Bus Home sculpture, they might learn to appreciate it by understanding what it expresses -- or perhaps making up their own sense of interpretation.
As many works of art are not accepted at their inception, but grow to be more accepted over time, the content of Bus Home is even more appropriate today than the day it was constructed. And its message will increase in meaning in the decades to come.
With the escalation of gasoline prices and the push for more use of mass transit, alternate transportation to the automobile is becoming more and more of a necessity.
As a lifelong Venturan and a cutting-edge Baby Boomer, I so appreciate that Ventura finally has a unique identity -- that of "The New Art City."
Anyone who partakes of any of the well-publicized art activities, including regular Art Walks, can see that Ventura has indeed "arrived" as a thriving art community. This identity unites Venturans in enjoyment of its purpose, as well as attracting tourist dollars.
Even if you don't like Bus Home, at least it has the community expressing opinion about art!
-- Marilyn Kellar, Ventura
(The writer is a former art consultant. -- Editor)

National debt the big issue

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:27:06-08:00

Out-of-control spending leading to economic servitude, in my view, is the primary question of this presidential campaign -- to be or not to be free of governmental abuse impacting our hard-earned income.
The land of the free shall become history should unlimited taxation increasingly reduce our fellow Americans to the status of economic servitude.
Tax reform that is simple, fair and revenue-sufficient -- sans grotesque governmental waste -- is far past due. A balanced budget amendment failed by a single vote in the Senate during the so-called Republican Revolution.
How do Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama propose to achieve the discipline of a balanced budget amendment and the elimination of the national debt -- $9 trillion and climbing -- in less than a generation? Would they consider a 4 to 5 percent reduction per year of this grossly irresponsible debt? Our children and grandchildren are the victims of federal mismanagement and, unfortunately, a lack of citizen oversight, as well.
Americans have not spilled their blood to be ruled by the tyranny of excessive taxation and the invasion of privacy -- confiscation of property, garnishing of wages, etc. -- by federal, local or any level of governmental malfeasance. Politicians must stop making promises that exceed constitutional authority and/or impose taxes we cannot afford.
The electorate is eager to know McCain's and Obama's true specific plans regarding tax reform and a balanced budget amendment?
-- Sal Terrusa, Oxnard

Thoughts on Ventura

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:21:33-08:00

The last good Ventura city manager was 30 years ago. The last good chief of police is no longer with us. The things I like about Ventura are the hills, the ocean and the weather. The city has no control over them. The old police motto was to protect and serve. The new police motto is we no longer do that and it will cost you extra.
The best way to travel in and through Ventura is freeway or highway. It's quicker, you get better gas mileage, there are no bikes or people walking and the city doesn't control it.
Another perk is that you can get to the next city quickly and shop Costco, Wal-Mart, electronic stores and a lot of eating places that aren't here.
We should not vote for council people who want to use consulting firms that tell them whom to hire, what to do and what funds they can get by passing new fees.
Last, haven't we dumped enough money in downtown?
-- Marvin Houghton, Ventura

Glitch in new ATMs

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:17:34-08:00

I recently used the envelope-free ATM recently installed in my neighborhood by Bank of America. I had cash and checks to deposit.
From past experience, I knew that any checks must be inserted in the direction indicated by the graphic, otherwise the machine does not recognize it and spits it back out. So I faced the checks in the proper direction. I had also faced the cash in the same direction. Then the cash slot opened and the "cash graphic" showed that the cash must face the opposite direction!
I encourage Bank of America to contemplate that since it now takes longer to make a deposit -- and, in my opinion, is an increased security risk since I am displaying any cash to be deposited -- that the bills and the checks face the same direction. This will eliminate a few precious seconds that it will take to reinsert wrongly faced cash or checks.
-- Michael Grieco, Oxnard

In death, firefighter saves 9

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:13:25-08:00

I attended the funeral for Kevin Patrick Pryor, who died after returning from an extended stay fighting fires in Northern California.
In his eulogy, Kevin's brother, Eric, informed the large audience of Kevin's continued service to mankind. Eric informed the audience that the Pryor family had given permission for the medical people to use his brother's organs. We were told there is a 37-year-old male who is now living with Kevin's beating heart. We were told Kevin's liver is being used in two other people's bodies. His retinas are used in eyes, and his two kidneys, lungs, etc., are being used. In all, there are nine individuals alive today, all because of Kevin and his family.
As Kevin was a firefighter sworn to uphold laws of this country and live according to God's will, the citizens of Ventura County should feel blessed to have had one of their own contribute to continued life.
Hopefully there will be others who will think as the Pryor family did in their service to mankind.
-- John Adams, Camarillo

Iraq war isn't easy

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T11:07:41-08:00

Re: Armando Cardenas' June 23 letter, "Why is Iraq winning?":
I found this letter to be quite ironic. The writer asks, "Why have we not won the war in Iraq yet?" Well, if he'd read the paper, he might have a better understanding and an answer to his question.
It is very difficult for the U.S. military to fight Iraqi insurgents because insurgents use guerilla fighting tactics and because ideologies and philosophies can't be destroyed with the bodies that hold them.
The Revolutionary War was won with the help of guerilla warfare. The Vietnam War was sustained, not won or lost, because communist ideologies were able to spread amongst the people, never ceasing with the number of Vietcong killed. Ideas last long after bodies have stopped living.
The war in Iraq is not a conventional war such as the ones we are used to reading about in history, with the exception of Vietnam.
I found Cardenas' letter to be rather disturbing. His objectification of human life is troubling, especially when justifying the deaths of innocent Iraqis by saying they should know better than to be hanging around the insurgents at times of battle. Justification of murder by proximity doesn't seem to make much sense. It seems that an understanding of life's complexities and situational variance is being overlooked in this case. Assumptions are the cause of global ignorance.
Aside from the overall irrational and arrogant tone of Cardenas' letter, my advice -- with the hope of not appearing arrogant myself -- would be to read the paper more critically. The war in Iraq is not a just war. The attitude he maintains commonly perpetuates injustice. Peace should not be achieved by going to war. It is analogous to fighting fire with fire, or attempting to light up a room by imbuing it with shadows.
-- Erik Bernstein, Ventura

Police priority: Make money

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T10:59:29-08:00

On June 23 at approximately 10 a.m., I was cited for proceeding through an intersection where the traffic signal was inoperative.
The officer who cited me was positioned in a parking lot approximately 25 yards from the intersection. In addition to the citation, I was informed of the hazardous situation that existed.
I proceeded to my doctor's office, which was in the same parking lot as the officer, and informed my doctor of what had just transpired. My doctor informed me that the power had been off since 9 a.m. and that he and his nurse had observed approximately 12 other citations being issued.
The informational officer was working with a partner whom he would inform of violators proceeding his way.
This indicates to me that sufficient manpower was available to direct traffic at the scene of the hazardous situation.
It is a sad commentary that a traffic officer feels it is more important to generate revenue than provide for the public's safety.
I inquired as to the lack of temporary stop signs, to which he replied, "I've informed Cal-trans, I expected they would have been here by now."
In all my years of driving, I have never seen a situation such as I experienced. But then again, in these days of tight budgets, maybe revenue generation is the top priority.
-- Edward Strosser, Moorpark

Condemning gays is wrong

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T10:49:38-08:00

Re: Ruth Weikel's June 22 commentary, "Binding teachings":
Weikel implies that the Bible verses I quoted ("What the Bible says ... about lobster," June 8) were taken out of context, and I wholeheartedly refute that claim. I specifically listed book and verse for each quote so that readers could look them up for themselves and see that I quoted each passage verbatim and did not take them out of context. I didn't interject my opinions or my interpretations of each quote the way that Weikel did, either.
She is more than entitled to her opinions. She owns them. But because she interprets the Bible differently from the way it is written does not necessarily make her interpretations correct. The fact that everyone has their own interpretations of what the Bible says makes the First Amendment to the Constitution that much more important and protects everyone from everyone else's religious beliefs.
Regardless, for those whot believe in God, I wrote up a simple nine-point list explaining why it is wrong for us to condemn homosexuals:
1. Some people are born homosexual. It is a condition over which they have no control, like skin color or height.
2. According to scripture, God creates us. Therefore, God creates homosexuals.
3. If we regard homosexuals as flawed, then we must assume God created them flawed deliberately.
4. This would make God evil.
5. God cannot be evil.
6. Therefore, homosexuals must not be flawed.
7. If God did not create them flawed, he created them correctly.
8. God would not condemn what he created correctly.
9. Since God created homosexuals correctly and does not, therefore, condemn them, it is wrong for us to then condemn them.
Keep in mind that the Bible was written by man, and man is well renowned for making mistakes.
-- Chris Bower, Ventura

Council doesn't see the light

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T10:45:53-08:00

Re: your June 25 article, "Council considers turning off the lights":
So, the city of Ventura is talking about shutting off streetlights because they feel the voters will not approve an increased lighting assessment fee. Unbelievable.
Councilman Carl Morehouse's comments in The Star say it all: "I'm frustrated and angry. If residents don't feel it's important to keep the lights on, then, by golly, let's turn off the lights. I am all in favor of that because I don't like light pollution anyway."
The sheer arrogance of his comments is stunning. Mayor Christy Weir and Councilman Neal Andrews had some equally inane remarks. Apparently, "The City with a Fee" is certainly trying hard to maintain its new image.
It is interesting to me that the City Council is forever complaining about rising crime rates and the need to provide more funding for the Police Department, yet, at the same time, they are talking about shutting off streetlights -- a major crime deterrent -- and closing police storefronts. I guess we only have ourselves to blame. We're the ones who re-elected these clowns back in November.
I think its time to shut off the lights on this City Council. We need a fresh start at City Hall. Let's elect real leaders next time around by voting against all the incumbents.
-- David M. Grover, Ventura

Lights down, crime up

Andrea Howry — 2008-06-26T10:39:04-08:00

Re: your June 25 article, "Council considers turning off the lights":
It's interesting that the Ventura City Council is so irritated at their citizenry for turning down the streetlight assessment of $10 proposed in 2003 that they would actually turn off the streetlights. If my memory serves me well, I think that assessment was turned down because they tried to sneak through an automatic increase in the tax without future voter approval.
I wonder when they will stop trying to pull the fast ones on us?
Turn off the lights, City Council, and start paying a lot of police overtime, because I guarantee the incidence of crime will increase.
-- Richard A. Pillow, Ventura