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June 30, 2005
Fillmore fireworks sale
Re: your June 30 article, “Flllmore continues fundraising tradition”:
Once again, Fillmore opens its city to everyone for its annual fireworks sale.
Interesting how the two people interviewed while buying fireworks in The Star article were not Fillmore residents at all, but lived miles away, in areas where fireworks are illegal. Too bad the city must turn a blind eye to this in favor of all the revenue it gets. I’ll be hearing Fillmore fireworks again this year in Ventura. Wouldn’t it be nice if Fillmore took more responsibility toward this problem?
— Kurt Triffet, Ventura
Posted by Rick Larsen at 02:35 PM
U.S. was conned
Let’s say a relative of yours got hold of your secret password, bankrolled all your family’s assets and left you homeless, your children malnourished.
When you finally caught up with him, he told you that he did it because he needed surgery for an imminent and life-threatening disease. Later you learned, from your shopping cart of rags, that he had used the money to invest in Halliburton and had made a huge profit.
This is what George Bush has done to the American people. In his pre-emptive vendetta in Iraq, he lied to the American people about links to al-Qaida and weapons of mass destruction.
Then he stole the money to be used for social programs and used $240 billion of it on a supposed war on terror. He is telling us now we must stay in Iraq because of terrorism, even though he is the reason terrorists moved into Iraq in the first place.
Meanwhile, his sidekick, Vice President Dick Cheney, has given Halliburton unbridled contracts in Iraq while still collecting his chief executive officer’s loot from them.
Wake up, America. Benedict Arnold has been reincarnated. He lives in the White House. And every lie he has told will lead to another, and every speech he makes will be another act of treason. The costs incurred will be more lives lost to families across America.
In the words of Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq, “This is a war in which we should have never begun. The only way to honor my son and our troops is to bring them home now.”
— Grant Marcus, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:43 PM
Brave new world
Re: Michael Burge’s June 29 letter, “Comet waste of money”:
I am sure that if we visited the Burge home we would find many high-tech toys such as a cell phone, high-definition TV, a personal computer, X-Box, etc.
Where did the technologies for these consumer products come from? They sure as heck were not developed by the efforts of the Ventura City Council or the city’s water department. The technologies that we all enjoy today, and those that we will be enjoying in the years to come, are the result of work by scientists and engineers who push the envelope on human knowledge.
As for the $330 million that it cost to put this space vehicle in a position to intercept that comet, that money wound up in the hands of the individuals who designed the components, manufactured the components, drove trucks delivering the components, assemblers and testers, data analysts, and those who sweep the floors and emptied the trash.
Then these same individuals spent this money that they earned on groceries, consumer products, homes, utilities, vacations, etc., etc., supporting people with other jobs.
That $330 million created and supported jobs for tens of thousands of Americans, and the information that we may learn may create new industries and jobs for decades to come.
This is a lot more than can be said about the additional $1.1 million that the city claims is needed by the water department.
For the movie buffs and science fiction fans, what is being learned about how to intercept a comet and how a comet is constructed may someday be required to actually deal with a comet on a collision course for Mother Earth. Have we forgotten those spectacular photographs of that comet that collided with Jupiter about a decade ago?
When I read a story about what America is doing in space, I believe that it is money that is very well spent.
— Richard Svenson, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:38 PM
Backroom politics
Both the California Senate and Assembly Public Safety Committees have besmirched the title of public safety.
The Senate committee chaired by Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, and the Assembly committee chaired by Assemblyman Mark Leno, also D-San Francisco, have become a limbo for bills that have anything to do with law enforcement and the protection of citizens’ rights. But even more unfortunate is that our legislators have played political games and accommodated the whims of these two “leaders.”
What could more aptly fit under the term of public safety than the protection of children? Such is the case with Senate Bill 33, authored by Sen. Jim Battin, R-La Quinta. Its sole purpose is to plug a loophole that permits child rapists and molesters to receive probation, counseling and to remain in the home of the victim. Were the victim any child in the community, the criminal would receive prison time, but Penal Code Section 1203.066 permits a district attorney to accept a plea of guilty and the “convicted” sex offender goes free on probation.
In the Senate Public Safety Committee, Sen. Migden permitted the bill to be emasculated to a shell that only reiterated the existence of 1203.066 PC. Sen. Battin then had the bill passed in the Senate in its previous entirety with only one dissenting vote, that of Sen. Migden.
In the Assembly Public Safety Committee, the bill failed to pass by one vote. This was a veiled message to Sen. Battin. It is not lost on those in the know that Leno and Migden are friends who have backed each other on various issues in San Francisco, and now California, politics.
Such are the games played by our elected officials. Nowhere, in this case, is the safety and welfare of children really considered. If it were, this gaping loophole would have been eagerly closed.
Are the voters aware of these happenings? Probably not. After all, don’t we elect these people to represent our views?
— Leo Alvarez, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:32 PM
We’re in Big Muddy
Our current situation in Iraq reminds me of an old folk song: “Neck-deep in the Big Muddy and the big fool says to push on.”
Before the war, the Bush administration suggested that the war might end in six days or six weeks but doubted that it would take six months to finish. We were on the shore, looking at the Big Muddy.
Immediately after the American forces arrived in Baghdad, the Bush administration proclaimed, “Mission accomplished.” We were knee-deep in the Big Muddy.
Immediately after the Iraqi government was established, the Bush administration pointed to “positive signs” in Iraq. We were waist-deep in the Big Muddy.
Now, the Bush administration is saying that the insurgency is “in the last throes.” We are now neck-deep in the Big Muddy.
The only question is: Will the American people demand we make our way back for the bank and save ourselves, or will we push on to see if the water is over our head?
To everyone who wants to see if the next step puts us in water over our head: Take a few minutes tomorrow to call your son, daughter, brother or sister to ask them if they would be willing to enlist in the military. The rest of us will start working on planning a new course that gets us back to the shore as soon as reasonably possible.
— Art Halenbeck, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:24 PM
Amateur hour in D.C.
I am so angry!
Why can’t the Bush administration get its plans and estimates right? In the beginning, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the war would last less than six months. It’s been 28 months.
Vice President Dick Cheney said a few days ago that the insurgency is “in its last throes,” but coalition casualties have been steadily climbing over just the past four months.
And now the last straw: They underestimated the number of veterans who would return this year from Iraq and Afghanistan needing medical treatment, and not just by a little bit. They were off by a huge amount. The new estimate is more than four times the old one — from 23,553 to 103,000. Are they all amateurs?
This latest mistake will cost us another $2.6 billion. We need to get that money from somewhere and stop adding to the deficit. It is time to rescind the tax cuts and bring back estate taxes. It’s mainly the poor who are fighting this war, and it’s time for the rich to hurt a bit, too. Maybe then they’ll think carefully before they elect another amateur.
We all need to write to our senators and representative and demand that they rescind these tax cuts to help pay for the war and hold the administration accountable for their incredible ineptitude.
— Lynne Nuibe, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:16 PM
Illegal racing is stupid
I’d like to focus a little attention on a growing problem in the county.
On June 26 at around 3 p.m., I was riding my motorcycle eastbound on Foothill Road between Saticoy Avenue and Wells Road when I noticed two cars coming at me at a high rate of speed. To my amazement and then horror, the white pickup, which was following a red car, pulled into my lane and started to pass, unfazed by the three large headlights on my bike. Of course, the testosterone levels were soaring and the car in front would never let him pass, so they both accelerated to at least 100 mph.
If you know the road there, it has a wider shoulder on the eastbound lane. Instead of pulling over and allowing me to pass, both cars actually kept accelerating towards me, one in the westbound lane and the other in the widened portion of the road. I was still in my lane heading east and braking hard until I realized that the car coming at me on the wrong side of the street, over two double yellow lines, was running out of road shoulder and was heading straight for me. I accelerated and he missed me by inches.
We seem to hear about young people who are dying during or after illegal street racing about once a month — a young woman about two months ago, a young man last month returning from a race. If it wasn’t for the grace of God, you would be reading about me instead of hearing my story.
I’m certainly not against road racing. In fact, I have a racing license and race a BMW on weekends on tracks at sanctioned events.
We all did stupid things when we were young, but to have absolutely no concern for their safety or the safety of others is really appalling.
— David Rosolek, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:09 PM
No mediocrity here
I am writing in response to former high school principal Phyllys Lloyd’s argument that unification will not change the problems at Camarillo High School.
She asks, “Who is responsible for the mediocrity?”
Well, the Pleasant Valley School District, our K-8 grade system, is not mediocre. We have no dirty, run-down campuses, no destruction of school grounds, no poor return of homework or plagiarism problems. We have very high expectations of academic achievement, and we attain them.
After receiving the best education possible in the PVSD, we set our kids adrift into what many feel is a substandard school run by the Oxnard Union High School District. Just from Las Colinas Intermediate, a school where all students should go on to Camarillo High, one-third of the graduating class this year fled to other districts.
Ms. Lloyd is living in the past. Camarillo High hasn’t been a California Distinguished School since 1996, nor a National Blue Ribbon School since 1998. Almost every year, the Pleasant Valley School District is rewarded with one of its schools attaining the California Distinguished School status.
Camarillo High School is an island that needs to be attached to the mainland here. It makes sense that we have one district governing and providing for our students; if we were to unify the K–12 grades, there would be a Camarillo Board of Trustees and a continuity of academic programs.
Ask the students if they would like an International Baccalaureate program, or academy programs such as those offered by Newbury Park, Westlake and Moorpark high schools. Ask them if they would prefer to attend a cleaner, safer, and more well-managed school.
Proponents like myself are anxious to bring unification to fruition quickly because additional state funding is available to a unified district, which would mean an increase of more than $5 million yearly for Camarillo students. Supporters of unification (latest poll shows 90 percent) do not expect miracles overnight, but we are positive we can run the school better.
Who is responsible for the mediocrity, indeed!
— Peg Hicks-Moore, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:01 PM
Vandalism on the rise
Re: your June 26 article, “Authorities on lookout for vandals”:
There is an additional form of vandalism that has been occurring in Ventura that also merits attention.
On June 20, at 2:10 a.m., I was awakened suddenly by a bright light outside of my bedroom window. Immediately, I thought it was our sensor light, which lets us know when anyone is too close to the house. I looked outside, but it was not our sensor light. One of our cars, parked on the curb, directly in front of our house, was on fire.
My husband raced outside to try and put the fire out, while I contacted 911. The fire department responded immediately, as did the police. The car was engulfed and could only be determined as a total loss.
Unfortunately, this vehicle was not the only vehicle to be vandalized. While the firefighters were putting out this fire, they received a call of yet another vehicle that had been torched. This was a total of three vehicles damaged, all within a short amount of time of each other. All of the vehicles were damaged beyond repair. Also, all of the vehicles damaged were older vehicles. This seems to be the easier target for these vandals.
I am writing to let others know that while The Star’s article states that tagging, tires being slashed, etc., are taking place, another form of vandalism is also occurring, i.e. setting cars on fire. This act also implies malicious intent and takes the act of vandalism to another level.
And while the vandals, whoever they are, care not a bit for the damage they caused, they should note that this vehicle was owned by my daughter, who is a young single mother. She works full-time, and this was her only form of transportation. It will not be easy for her to acquire another vehicle so easily.
It infuriates me and my family to think that such malice can occur from individuals. We have asked ourselves over and over again why this happened. There are no good reasons for an act like this to happen. I happen to believe that somewhere along the way, while these acts may continue, these vandals will slip up and will ultimately be caught.
As stated in The Star’s article, “For the community, it means reporting kids who may be out past curfew, or making good mental notes when witnessing vandalism in progress.” This is important information to consider.
Please take the time to talk with your neighbors and your Neighborhood Watch Leader, if there is one in effect in your area. If you don’t have a Neighborhood Watch in effect, please take the time to set this up.
Step up your efforts to take notice of who is coming through your neighborhood on a regular basis.
Parents: Take note of where your kids are, especially if it is late at night. Curfew exists for a purpose.
Neighbors: If you notice anyone taking special interest in your neighborhood, let your neighbors and the Neighborhood Watch Leader know immediately so they can decide if it is necessary to contact the police. In our neighborhood, we had noticed many different individuals coming through and thought nothing of this.
This has been an extremely upsetting, frustrating, emotional experience for me and my family. If this letter has made people more aware of what is happening in areas around Ventura, than I feel that writing this has served a purpose.
— Denise Dagley, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:53 PM
Changing the world
I find it tough to pick up the paper. Celebrity acquittals, felon rock star heroes, expanding euthanasia, abortion on demand, constitutionally protected right to pornography, gambling houses everywhere, corrupt corporate executives, child-molesting priests, crystal meth labs, gang shootings, men marrying men, parents murdering children to spite their ex-spouse — and 24-hour news coverage of it all broadcast all over the world.
I can’t imagine why Islamic fundamentalists view us as a morally bankrupt society.
The ACLU and People for the American Way want you to believe the Christian right is imposing its beliefs on society. If that is the case, they sure aren’t doing a very good job. These left-wing kooks are enemies to the institutions, individuals and traditions that made this country great. The policies they promote are dangerous to all!
The ACLU, the left-wing courts, the education establishment and the hippie Baby Boomer politicians have gotten their way for 30 years, and we see the result. These people need to be stopped.
Feel helpless to change things? Well, you are not. You have three very powerful tools at your disposal: a vote, free speech and your wallet.
If you want things to change, you must:
1) Vote in politicians who recognize right from wrong and who will appoint judges who interpret the law, not make it.
2) Speak up. All laws are the imposition of society’s collective moral code on others. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind to your elected leaders, your neighbors or friends. Get involved in redefining the debate in terms of what is best for society. Don’t let legislatures or school boards define what is acceptable speech or thought. Fight any law that tries to stifle or limit political speech. Don’t confuse political speech with trash — for example, promotion of violence, vulgarity or pornography.
3) Vote with your wallet. Don’t give money to corporations that profit from deviancy. Don’t give money to corporations that cower to the politically correct crowd. Exercise some self control and turn off your television or change the channel when garbage spews forth, such as the Michael Jackson trial, reality shows, freeway chases and Jerry Springer.
Do these three things consistently, and maybe in 20 years, we will have more to celebrate on the Fourth of July.
— Tom Casey, Newbury Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:44 PM
Recall school board
Although I happen to live in Moorpark, I would like to express support for Mike Dunn of the Conejo Valley Unified School District board and his fight to make sure the rule of law is upheld with regard to the definition of marriage. The textbooks should not be redefining marriage. The traditional marriage has worked well in societies for thousands of years, and to redefine it for an entire generation of students will have far-reaching negative consequences that the other members of the Conejo Valley school board just don’t realize.
I wholeheartedly support a recall of the entire Conejo Valley school board and replacing them with more individuals like Dunn. The Conejo Valley school board is controlled by that liberal special interest known as the teachers union. Its ideas are far too left-wing and out of touch with the mainstream. It’s time we had school board members who care about the interests of parents and students.
— Jason Spadaro, Moorpark
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:29 PM
Governor is right
Amid all the outrage over the governor’s remarks supporting Cabrillo Port and the Senate restricting the state’s authority to approve onshore liquefied natural gas projects, we must remember this: The planning process for Cabrillo Port remains the same.
The City of Oxnard and its residents will still have the ability to formally comment as part of the U.S. Coast Guard and the State Lands Commission environmental review process.
For my money, I am with the governor. It makes sense to put an LNG terminal where it will have the least impact on people, wildlife, the coast and the environment. And, as the governor points out, that site is where they’re planning to put Cabrillo Port.
— Robert Burnett, Port Hueneme
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:26 PM
Deputies deserve raise
Re: your June 28 article, “County to consider raise for deputies”:
Why is it that we live in one of the wealthiest counties in California and we have one of the lowest paid sheriff’s departments? Our sheriff’s deputies place their lives on the line to protect ours. Ventura County hosts some of the safest cities in the nation.
Wake up, Board of Supervisors, and pay these deputies what they deserve for the job they do!
— Diane Sands, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:20 PM
Text should be factual
I attended Tuesday’s Conejo Valley Unified School District board meeting, where the primary topic was the adoption of the ninth-grade health textbook. Almost 50 members of the public spoke. I was utterly disgusted by the words of many of them.
One woman, furious that her daughter had seen two girls kissing after school, seemed to want the school board to outlaw homosexuality. I’d like to remind her that in this country, gays have just as much right to kiss in public as anyone else, and if her daughter doesn’t like seeing it, she is free to look away.
Others demanded that the school board choose a textbook that promotes “family values.” I’d like to remind them that for many of us, family values exclude bigotry, discrimination and intolerance.
Another suggested that since only 1 percent of our population is gay — a number that flies in the face of numerous other studies putting it much higher — they do not deserve the same consideration as the majority.
Yet one more seemed willing to ignore reality when she spoke of the acceptance of same-sex marriage as something that won’t happen until sometime in the distant future, in the “age of Aquarius!” She needs only to look to Massachusetts to realize that age is now.
But the strangest thing about this entire debate is that it was, in fact, a moot point! What’s most important is that our textbooks be factually accurate. And the bare fact is that, while California legally defines marriage as between a man and a woman, this is not the case in other parts of the world or this nation. Same-sex marriage is legally permitted, and practiced, in Massachusetts, Belgium, the Netherlands and elsewhere.
To have our textbooks state that marriage is between a man and a woman would be analogous to saying that beaches are on the Pacific Ocean. Sure they are here, but not everywhere! So unless that definition of marriage includes the phrase “in California” (or Texas), then it is undeniably factually inaccurate.
Furthermore, gay marriage is currently a hotly debated political issue, with millions of supporters on either side. Proposition 22, which board member Mike Dunn cited as justification for choosing the Texas textbook, was only one skirmish in the ongoing war for gay civil rights; it is not the final word. We cannot have our textbooks teaching or promoting only one side of a raging political debate. Do we want our schools telling our children how to vote?
The California version of the textbook is gender-neutral — it does not promote either side. It doesn’t contain a single word about same-sex marriage, so protestations that it somehow erodes morality or “family values” are absurd. It contains no value judgments whatsoever, thereby allowing the families to make those judgments for themselves.
Mr. Dunn obviously considers imposing his religious viewpoint on our children to be more important than educating them at all, as evidenced by the fact that he moved to keep the current textbooks, which read like the Texas version and thus are no longer accurate. These textbooks have been in use for nine years, and it was pointed out repeatedly that many are either falling apart or missing. He would rather force our teachers to employ unusable materials than allow them to have books that don’t promote his religious beliefs.
I applaud the courageous board members who put our children first by voting in favor of a factually accurate and balanced education.
— LeeAnne Clark, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:18 PM
Support for the war
I am really concerned for the citizens of these United States of America.
I cannot understand the thoughts of people, reporters, congressional leaders and politicians when they decry that our war against terrorists is not for us to fight.
Pessimists think negatively and should think reality. Let them go there and live for awhile. Let them see what happens when they say no too often. It may, or will, be the last time they say no! Have they forgotten so soon Pearl Harbor and American lives lost by fanatic warlords?
I was only 9 years old at the start of World War II. I will never forget the carnage we saw and read about. Think of what it would be like had we not gone to war to protect our country. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iran were all targeted by terrorist groups for takeover with no remorse or care. It was theirs. Our government heeded their call for help.
I was in the Navy Reserve and recalled to Vietnam in 1960 as part of the U.S. Expeditionary Forces. I gladly went to fight over there, rather than have to fight here. I could not bear to have my wife and five children see the ravages of war.
I believe in a government that is best for all and not just the few. Of course war is hell. We all have lost friends and relatives. I pay honor to all warriors of our country, from the president on down to the lowest of warriors who died and the ones who still live to protect us from tyranny.
I would like to modify those historic words spoken by John Paul Jones, “We have not yet begun to fight,” to read, “We have not yet begun to fight to keep tyranny from our shores.”
All the people who love and honor our country, let them help, not decry.
— George E. Fay, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:09 PM
Precise language
Re: your June 29 article, “Text with broad marriage definition picked”:
I have a concern about the broad use of the term “marriage” to include same-sex partners. This objection is not based on the observation that it alters a custom as old as civilization, or on any religious belief that the state of marriage must be between a man a woman, and it is not based on the argument that it creates legal rights reserved for those in a traditional marriage. Be informed, however, that I do respect the position of those who do hold those views.
Being an engineer, my concern is based on precision in language.
If someone quotes me a pressure reading, I ask, “Gauge or absolute?” If two persons of the same gender choose to form a union, I say go for it, but how do we differentiate that “marriage” from my type, from the standpoint of keeping track of things?
Henceforth, if one is asked, “Are you married?”, won’t that beg clarification? Would you have to add, “Yes, to a woman.”? Perhaps we might add a subscript “D” to the word “marriage” for those involving different sexes, and a subscript “S” for same-sex couples.
Maybe we will have to modify application forms. After you check the box marked “Married,” won’t you have to specify?
In the same spirit, shouldn’t we pass a ruling that all cookbooks and restaurant menus delete references to beef, pork and veal, and simply state “meat”?
If you really believe that man/woman, man/man, and woman/woman partnerships are the same, then the word “marriage” is just a sound and not a descriptor.
I have been led to understand that the ability to see differences in things similar is a measure of intelligence, and to some extent, sanity.
— William Vietinghoff, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:57 AM
Issue was silly
I attended Tuesday’s Conejo Valley Unified School District board meeting where the main topic of discussion was the textbook recommended for the health class. There were perhaps 150 people assembled to listen and speak, and opinion was relatively evenly divided. The issue was whether the recommended textbook undercuts family values by promoting or at least condoning gay marriage.
The actual chapter in the text that was the nub of the controversy had been photocopied and was available to anyone who wanted a copy. I read it and could not fathom anyone objecting to its contents.
As an experiment, I brought my copy to work and showed it to three very conservative colleagues unfamiliar with the controversy. All said they could see nothing wrong with it. They were stunned when I told them what the objection was.
I have reached two conclusions.
First, I seriously doubt most of the people up in arms over this book have actually read the chapter in question.
Second, it is my considered opinion that this controversy was the concoction of board member Mike Dunn, who obviously aspires to higher office and is pandering to people’s fears in order to make a name for himself.
— Richard Kolber, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:44 AM
June 29, 2005
Incongruity in war
So Vice President Dick Cheney is crying wolf again. We are “on the last throes” of ending the insurgency. We are “just a few months before the end.”
Isn’t this the same man who touted Iraq would be a “cakewalk” and that the war would last but “a few weeks”?
And how does his statement stand alongside Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s speech before a congressional hearing that “we cannot leave Iraq until it is stable,” and that the insurgency could go on for four, eight, 10, 12, 15 years.
Oh Iraq, how much like Vietnam it is.
How much longer will Americans fall like lemmings for the wars and quackery of this true believer?
When will we begin to question the long-term “enduring” bases our government is building in Iraq?
When will we begin to acknowledge that we have gone beyond the numbers of the devil himself, Saddam Hussein, for the amount of citizens we have tortured and forced into Iraqi prisons?
And when will the news media realize the disinformation of this Halliburton chief executive officer who is in cahoots with corporate contractors to lengthen our occupation in Iraq?
Americans must learn to read between the lines when it comes to a war that drains our economy to the tune of $80 billion a year. An excellent example of just how much this war costs is the fact that we are spending twice as much money to recruit students to join the military than we distribute for their education.
This war is not about winning or losing. Saddam is gone. Now, the only credible solution in Iraq is to get the large companies that profiting from the war out, the United Nations in, and begin the process of bringing our troops home and out of harm’s way.
It was difficult for the Vietnamese to restore order without us, but they did it. Let’s return the country back to the Iraqi people. Clearly, we had no business being there in the first place.
— Grant Marcus, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:37 PM
Traffic court unfair
The traffic court system is very discouraging and frustrating.
I was recently cited in San Luis Obispo County for a moving violation. Although I live a couple of hours from the courthouse listed on my ticket, I firmly believed it was worth fighting for. When I inquired about the court procedure, I was informed that I would have to appear two separate times, one for arraignment and the other to give the officer an opportunity to show up in court.
What is the purpose of this policy? While it may be to keep the courts from being bogged down with these small cases, is it fair that the person who gets pulled over in a location far from their home has to travel an excessive distance twice?
I am the mother of four young children and run two businesses from my home. I believe in my innocence and want to prove it. However, is taking a four-hour round trip to San Luis Obispo County twice — not to mention the time spent in the courthouse — possible in my position? Or cost-effective? Absolutely not!
And that is what the court and police officer are counting on.
It is a shame that we are not given the opportunity to stand up for ourselves in a court of law within reasonable limits. This current policy forces most citizens to pay several hundred dollars toward the fine, traffic school, etc., but begrudgingly. I am disappointed that I was not given a reasonable opportunity to present my case and be given the option of a fair trial.
— Tami Velasquez, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:28 PM
Give and take
Regarding the recent Supreme Court decision on eminent domain:
“A government big enough to give you all you want is a government big enough to take away all you have.” — Former President Gerald R. Ford.
— Les Kopel, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:24 PM
Secure our borders
Re: your June 28 article, “Activist vows to continue protests”:
Thanks to The Star for getting the facts straight that SaveOurState.org is protesting illegal immigration, not all immigration. We want secure borders and safe homelands.
— Sharon Madonna, Oak View
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:20 PM
California most at risk
Re: Gary Selvaggio’s June 26 letter, “Ruling has two edges”:
What Mr. Selvaggio fails to realize is that this nation was founded on the rule of law, not majority rule. Each of us is a minority in one or more aspects. However, we are, or we should be, protected from the mob or majority rule by the presence of laws.
All prudent individuals understand the need to allow government the right to seize privately owned property when the health and safety of the entire community is at stake. However, using eminent domain to seize property and then turn it over to someone else for their private use, even if it may bring some financial benefits to the community, is wrong.
Mr. Selvaggio contends that “we” are the government and that “we” can thus control the hungry beast by uniting and stopping the wrongful actions of government. This is all predicated on the assumption that enough voters, a majority, can make their desires felt.
However, what if you are one short of the majority, or just a single voice? Does this give the majority the right to do as they please? Laws protect the individual from mob rule, or at least they should.
Of all places, we in California should be the most concerned about this court ruling. Proposition 13 limited the ability of local governments to overtax your home or business through property taxes. With the current ruling, local governments can demolish older neighborhoods, even with quality homes, that are paying low taxes and allow a developer to build new homes that will provide more in property taxes. Government will start with some old eyesores in the poorest part of town. The majority of the community will think it is good to clean up this area. Then government will go to the next lowest neighborhood and do the same.
Sooner or later, they will come to your neighborhood.
— Richard Svenson, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:17 PM
Ignore this ‘rally cry’
Re: your June 28 article, “Activist vows to continue protests”:
I am embarrassed and saddened by this article.
Joseph Turner, a stay-at-home father, has decided to head a grassroots anti-illegal immigration group via the Internet to promote what he calls “transference of pain.”
As a teacher and fellow parent, I can find nothing redeeming in teaching children fear and hatred.
What a pity that Mr. Turner feels compelled to waste valuable time inflicting “economic pain” on the cities of Baldwin Park, Alhambra and Victorville as they pay extra officers to keep the peace during his “rallies.” These cities either have reflective artwork or Home Depots where “illegal immigrants wait in front of the stores for work.”
I find it ironic that these same individuals attempting to work and perform useful tasks are those who anger Mr. Turner. As these individuals pursue the right to support their families, Mr. Turner berates them and then goes home to take care of his own kids.
I wonder if Mr. Turner is teaching his children the history of this great immigrant country? I wonder if Mr. Turner is explaining the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights to his offspring? The very foundations that he purports to represent are being undermined by his insidious, malaligned group of fearmonger followers.
Education is an incredible gift, and Mr. Turner’s children deserve more from him. The rest of Venturans do not wish to be associated with his “rally cry.”
— Karen Reynosa, Ventura
(The writer is a Ventura High School teacher and parent of three children.)
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:05 PM
Comet waste of money
The Ventura City Council wants to raise our water and sewage charges an extra $30 a year to generate an extra $1.1 million a year. That is OK by me as it is needed, and I will be pleased to do it.
What upsets me is the federal government wasting mine and your money on unnecessary things such as trying to blow a hole in a comet.
First of all, the comet does not belong to the United States, and secondly, it did not ask to be blasted, and thirdly, it is costing the people of this country $333 million.
We are trying to get a measly $1.1 million for our community.
Where is the common sense and decency of our government when we need it? Send the money to us! It will last more than 300 years!
— Michael J.E. Burge, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:57 AM
Apathy is to blame
Re: W. Reid Ripley’s June 28 letter, “Shame on Democrats”:
Mr. Ripley comments about Democrats’ behavior toward the Iraq war with no consideration of how this war started, by whom and where is it going.
A country is being destroyed, and its population, including many children, is being killed. At the same time, our own men and women in uniform are being killed and wounded.
All of this is for what purpose? Experience has indicated that in this type of “war,” there are no winners. The countries’ populations on both sides are the losers.
The present administration is trying its best to justify the actions of the president and his men with little success. The more investigation, the more apparent proof there is that the present administration has committed our armed forces to a no-win situation because of the motives of one man and his men.
Mr. Ripley is mistaken about this political situation. It has been allowed by all four: the Libertarians, Republicans, Democrats and public apathy.
— Bill Harris, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:53 AM
Price of censorship
Re: Bill O’Reilly’s June 25 commentary, “It’s time Americans set limits on dissent over Iraq war”:
I usually read O’Reilly’s column with an odd combination of disdain and amusement. While I disagree with what he has to say most of the time, I find his opinions entertaining and generally harmless.
His June 25 commentary makes me rethink my attitude.
O’Reilly suggests critics of the Iraq war, which he conflates with the “war on terror,” are responsible “for much of the anti-American hatred around the world.” He fondly recalls the limits placed on debate during World War II.
O’Reilly claims there are only two sides: those who support this administration and the military, and those who are “on a jihad to undermine the war on terror in the name of patriotism.”
I find it sadly ironic O’Reilly — who says he always speaks his mind — would suggest those who may not share his views should not express theirs. There is no question that both opponents and supporters of Bush administration policy engage in overheated and inappropriate rhetoric on occasion. But does O’Reilly really believe that statements by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., have more of an impact on the Arab world than, say, the war in Iraq itself?
Mr. O’Reilly also uses the time-honored tactic of creating a false dichotomy to discredit the critics of Bush administration policy. You must either support the administration and the military, or you are siding with those who are undermining our freedoms. The world is just not that simple.
Based on O’Reilly’s previous columns, I am not too surprised he sees the world in black and white.
Free speech has its costs. But censorship has bigger costs.
— Michael Velthoen, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:43 AM
Vietnam redux
Shades of Vietnam are showing up as our politicians, who got us into the Middle East war, try to run it. When will they learn?
Once your nation commits its military, whether you think the cause is right or wrong, you shut your mouth and support them in every way.
Politicians should stick to their own field of “expertise” and negotiate with their political connections. They have already screwed up in their field or we wouldn’t have troops committed to combat.
I came back from the United Nations’ Vietnam “police action” extremely angry. The politicians didn’t even have the guts to call it a war, nor did the press.
Many of my friends died because a lot of people with dope-filled noses, along with political hacks, didn’t support our forces. Their actions gave strength to our enemies, which, in turn, extended the war. Restrictions on our military actions imposed by our own politicians during the “police action” caused the death of a lot of our troops.
This is happening again as disgruntled politicians and know-nothing civilians try using their “expert” backgrounds, as losers, to direct military actions.
— Richard H. Hoffman, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:34 AM
Free speech isn’t free
Every day in The Star, I read how evil George Bush and the Iraq war are and that anyone who questions their dissension is violating their right of free speech.
Consider this:
No more will we send our children to liberate and fight and die to protect your free speech, as you call it, because it gives our enemies resolve that we are not united.
No more will we send our military to foreign shores to liberate 50 million people living under the worst form of slavery one can imagine to satisy your pathetic definition of peace.
No more will we retalitiate for the loss of 3,000 American lives that were wiped out on September 11 because it might lead to the aggressive interrogation of the very people who were tied to those terrorist camps in Afghanistan.
Finally, when these evil people bring their terror to your schools, churches, grocery stores and homes in America because it was all about you and your right to dissent, we will remember you. People like you will eventually lose your freedom because you are not inclined to defend what some brave soul did for you so you can continue to be so self-centered.
— John R. Hanson, Oak View
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:27 AM
Seals need our help
On Father’s Day, my family took my dad to the beach at Silver Strand in Oxnard. While we were there, this seal caught a wave right next to my little brother and rode it in with him to the shore.
At first, we thought it wanted to play. The seal came out of the water and just sat there in the tide. It didn’t look very old, and it didn’t appear to be hurt. It just looked sad. We sat next to it for a bit, then a lifeguard came and told us not to get too close as seals have sharp teeth.
One time when we lived in Central California. a seal came up on the beach and it was really cut up but still alive. We called 911 and they called an animal rescue program that sent people out to help the seal. I think they ended up taking it to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for help.
The lifeguard here told us there was nothing he could do except hope the seal would return to the water. This didn’t sound like a very good plan to me.
I plan on spending some time this summer with my friends to figure out a way to get help for sea animals here in Ventura County that are sick or hurt. I am sure a lot of the reasons are the fault of people, and we should act more responsibly to help our fellow creatures.
— Melissa Moore, age 14, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:14 AM
No debate allowed
There is no debate allowed by the Bush haters. Cheering for the other side by inference, if not directly, in this war against terrorists is their bent, and apparently losing that war is the only thing that will appease them. Pity.
— Jack Weber, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:09 AM
Muddied waters
No sooner had President Bush completed his speech at Fort Bragg, N.C., Tuesday night when Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., conflates Saddam Hussein, al-Qaida and the attacks of September 11. The White House did the same thing when they rushed from the Afghanistan campaign and created the “central front of the war on terror.”
All I’ve got to go on is the mainstream media (radio, television, newspapers, and Internet), my own research and government reports such as the 9/11 Commission’s book which stated contacts did not become a collaborative operational relationship.
Hayes says legislators have access to evidence others do not.
I’d remind Hayes that Ronald Reagan said, “Trust, but verify.” The United States — at a cost of hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of combatant and civilian dead and wounded — verified that Saddam Hussein did not have the weapons of mass destruction that George Bush described in his 2003 State of the Union speech.
Arizona’s Sen. John McCain says, “I haven’t seen compelling evidence” of a Hussein-al-Qaida link.
I’d say warmongers are — well, let’s just say the barrelhead is still empty.
— Darryl Pearce, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:07 AM
Help vets or end war
In late May, a vote was taken on a veterans care bill that provided $52 million for veterans care, of which $8 million was to be provided for combat trauma care and $9 million was to provide prosthetics for veterans returning from the Afghanistan and the Iraqi theaters of war. The bill lost 213 to 214, with U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly voting against it. His vote the other way would have allowed the bill to pass.
A few weeks prior to the vote, Rep. Gallegly sent to his constituents a newsletter which included in big bold letters on the front, “Support Our Troops.” With his vote on the veterans care bill, Rep. Gallegly seems to want to support our troops as long as there is no sacrifice taken by him or his constituents. The only people who are required to make sacrifices, in his eyes, are the troops, which Rep. Gallegly so boldly proclaims in his newsletter he wants to “support.”
Our troops are being put in a horrendous situation with no end in sight, and for a war which Rep. Gallegly voted for. But for our veterans to come back and find out that their congressmen voted against their care is hypocrisy of the highest order.
If Rep. Gallegly and other congressmen and senators who think like him do not want to support our troops to the fullest, bring them back home!
— Reatha F. Katz, Newbury Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:52 AM
War’s false pretenses
Tuesday night, in a performance marked by glazed-over eyes reminiscent of a has-been rock star who has inhaled too much, too often, our “president” — and I use the term lightly — demonstrated once again his total failure to grasp reality.
Once again, in the face of facts to the contrary, he once again repeated the mindless mantra of September 11 to justify his failing and failed policies.
It is time to get something straight, clear and unequivocally before the American public. Iraq and Saddam Hussein had absolutely nothing to do with the events of September 11. Hussein had absolutely no connection to al-Qaida and was hated by it even more than it hated America and the West because he is/was an Arab nonbeliever.
Anyone who continues to believe that Hussein or Iraq had some connection with September 11 needs to have a reality check. Even if it were possible to justify going to war against Hussein, a questionable proposition at best, no one who had any understanding of the Middle East would have embarked on an occupation of that sorry place.
A reasonable course of action then, and one which could be implemented now without “cutting and running,” would have been destruction of Iraq’s armed forces and the infrastructure of the armed forces, followed by a total quarantine of that nation from the outside world. We can and should leave that country and its people to the reactionary religious mullahs and the 12th century lifestyle they clearly seem to prefer at present.
Iraq and the Islamic world will modernize in their own time, in their own way, and we and they are best off if we stay out of the process.
Right now, the Islamic world sees us as just another bunch of Crusaders trying to forcibly convert them by the sword.
Not another American life should be sacrificed for the phony, hollow, afterthought justifications for a war begun on a pack of lies or perhaps hallucinations by a failed president.
— Ira Cohen, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:41 AM
Threat to ‘Tuesdays’
I am writing for the sole purpose of telling the community of a treasure we have right here in our backyard. It’s called the Rubicon Theater, where an excellent production of “Tuesdays With Morrie” is playing. It will run through July 18, but it cannot be publicized, which cuts down dramatically on attendance.
The reason for no publicity seems contradictory to me. Our community theater contracted players, got the rights to the play, and did everything by the books. Then, a national company was formed afterwards which will visit the Los Angeles area sometime this summer. They called our production and insisted they stop this play — after all was finished and the play had begun! Unreasonable?
I think so! After many discussions, the compromise of “no advertising” was agreed upon.
Since I am simply a season subscriber to the Rubicon and am not bound by these agreed- upon rules, I want to tell everyone that this is by far the very best production of “Tuesdays With Morrie” that we have seen. I encourage all in our community to support this and all of the productions.
Doesn’t it seem to contradict the idea of promoting public theater when these things happen? Our area needs this and all local theater. Please support it.
— Arlene Broslow, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:34 AM
Fireworks absurd
Sunday night around midnight, some idiots set off fireworks somewhere near my home. I’m talking fireworks, not firecrackers! I called 911 and was told to call my local police department. I hung up, felt enraged, and thought: If my home burns down, or someone in the community is injured from these reckless individuals, I’ll sue!
I’ve called the local police department regarding fights occurring outside a local bar and have been connected to 911 operators! I find it absurd that a fight at a bar is considered an emergency, but jerks setting off fireworks next to and over your home in a residential neighborhood is not?
Beam me up, Scotty!
— Marie Basiago, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:31 AM
Wrong place for tank
Re: your June 22 article, “Water tank plan gets a cold reception”:
I oppose the Triunfo Sanitation District’s decision to place a huge water tank on a main trailhead into the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Oak Park. There are wildlife, hiking and biking, and viewshed negative impacts. There has to be a better place for the Conifer Zone replacement tank!
District Director Norma Callero said the board had not decided on the trailhead site as the final choice. However, why did Triunfo hold a scoping meeting for only that site?
It was very frustrating to go to the board meeting wanting answers, only to be told by Chairman Ron Stark that we could get answers to our questions in September at the next scoping meeting. A scoping meeting for what? The same site?
Director Dennis Gillette suggested forming a committee of Oak Park residents to help in the tank placement. Who would they choose for a committee? If it would be a group chosen to truly represent the community’s wishes, that would be a good first step for this board that likes to operate on its own.
In the meantime, the only site up for consideration is the site overlooking the National Park. For more information, go to http://www.stopthedoubletreetank.com.
— Janna Orkney, Oak Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:20 AM
Truth is important
Re: Joe Howry’s June 26 essay, “Old news by any stretch”:
Mr. Howry argues that the current administration may have lied to the American people to gain support for the Iraq war, but it doesn’t matter because it was what we wanted to hear anyway. As he puts it, “The sales pitch doesn’t have to be great or even factual if the buyer is eager and willing.”
Let’s accept this morally dubious argument — a perennial favorite of petty con men everywhere — for the sake of discussion.
Mr. Howry cites President Bush’s November 2004 re-election with 51 percent of the popular vote as proof positive of the country’s enthusiasm for the war’s “sales pitch.”
He conveniently neglects, however, to mention recent poll numbers showing nearly 6 in 10 Americans don’t believe this war is worth fighting, according to the Washington Post, and less than half view with favor the way this administration is handling the war, according to CBS News. These numbers have been trending down over the last few months — not so coincidentally as more information about the run-up to the war becomes widely available — and the slide shows no sign of abatement. Live by the numbers, die by the numbers.
Thankfully, though, most Americans don’t think right and wrong is determined by popularity polls. Thoughtful people can disagree about the necessity of this war. Reasonable people can differ about how to proceed. And we all can rally around our fighting forces and their families, regardless of our point of view.
This is beyond liberal and conservative, beyond Republican and Democrat. It’s not a partisan issue; it’s one of common decency. Those who show contempt for the basic honesty of American citizens by abusing our trust and patience do so at their own peril. Placing our family, friends, and neighbors in harm’s way for a pack of lies — even if eventual good may come of it — is low-down, dirty and morally repugnant.
Politics can be a grubby business, but Americans have the right to expect life-and-death decisions to be made in a statesman-like way, with utmost regard for the truth.
— William Knutson, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:12 AM
Staying the course
Here are some observations from President Bush’s speech Tuesday night:
1. Terrorists are terrorists, whether they are driving planes into buildings or setting off explosives on their bodies. It’s better to battle them somewhere other than on U.S. soil.
2. There is a strategic plan, there has always been a strategic plan, and it is based on accomplishments, not a measurement of time.
3. The sacrifices our military men and women make on behalf of our nation are vital to our security and our nation’s future. They are thanked and appreciated beyond words.
Our resolve as Americans is being tested not so much by what is actually happening in Iraq, but how our elected leaders in Congress behave and what our media reports or fails to report. So far, I’m not impressed with either group.
The declaration of war against the United States was made in 1998 by al-Qaida, a coalition of radical Islamic groups. They felt comfortable in attacking the United States because history indicated that if we did respond, we were weak in resolve and would break off any response as soon as we took casualties. We can see this today because anytime a politician speaks out in a way that gives the impression we are caving or want to cut and run, the attacks increase. Are they right?
Unity for a successful Iraqi mission insures lower battle casualties, a free and stable Iraq sooner than later, and cooperation in the global community against terrorists intent on destroying democratic nations and those trying to get there.
My suggestion is that before people in high-profile positions open their mouth or write an article, they ask a simple question: “For what good purpose?” Asking that question should cut down the vitriol and take away a tool from the enemy.
— Pam Waschbusch, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:04 AM
Scary, vocal group
Re: your June 29 article, “Text with broad marriage definition picked”:
I attended the Conejo Valley Unified School District board meeting on Tuesday. The issue before the board was pretty routine. They were voting on whether to accept a ninth-grade health book. It should have been easy.
It was anything but easy, due to the concerted efforts of a single school board member, Michael Dunn, and his friends. They purposely misconstrued language in the text to create a tempest in a teapot.
I was horrified that there was such a vocal group of people who advocated the imposition of their own narrow world view on all our school children. I heard language last night that sounded suspiciously like that used to justify slavery, anti-Semitism and the anti-miscegenation laws. Shockingly, while I think it’s a wonderful trait, being “forward looking,” to quote one speaker, has a negative connotation to them. Tolerance is a mere fantasy from the year 2525, to paraphrase another speaker. They don’t have any appreciation for living in a pluralistic and diverse society.
I was equally appalled by Mr. Dunn’s behavior. He continually interrupted the proceedings and, at times, engaged citizen speakers in personal rebuttals out of order. His refusal to vote on the very issue he’d chosen to bring up to such a divisive head makes it clear that this relatively small issue was not the end goal on his agenda.
In this time of divide and conquer, it is clear that there are those in our very own community who are attempting to destroy our public education system.
Hopefully, there is a large community of people in our area that still espouse tolerance, kindness and education in our schools. Now is the time to stand for those values.
There is, apparently, a vocal group of fearful misanthropes out there who want to convert our public schools from places of education to places of religious indoctrination. No kidding. I listened to them speak for three hours on Tuesday.
— Debbie Birenbaum, Newbury Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:57 AM
Here’s what to teach
Re: your June 29 article, “Text with broad marriage definition picked”:
The intensity of the debate over what definition of marriage is taught in the public schools is a bit mystifying.
Isn’t the job of the public schools to educate rather than to proselytize? Why don’t we simply give our students an accurate picture of what has happened and is happening in our society on this issue? That is: Until recently, marriage has largely been defined culturally, legally and religiously as a union between a man and a woman, whereas today, some groups within society, some legal jurisdictions and some religious organizations have embraced the broader view that same-sex couples should enjoy its status and privileges.
The role of public education is to help students understand the world around them and think clearly about it. Moral judgments are better left to family upbringing, religious teaching and personal experience.
— Charles Maxey,
Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:51 AM
Cool heads prevailed
My point in sending this letter is to thank Conejo Valley Unified School District board members Dolores Didio, Dorothy L. Beaubien and Patricia Phelps, Timothy Stephens and Superintendent Robert Fraisse for their willingness to hold to their ideals in the face of blistering opposition.
All speakers at the board meeting were emotionally charged and speaking their own truth. The perserverance of the board members in sticking to their charge of teaching our children with tolerance and wisdom is inspiring. It is a profound blessing to have them overseeing the education in our public schools.
Thanks to each one of them.
— Kathy Matthews, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:33 AM
Wild ride is over
Re: your June 29 article, “Text with broad marriage definition picked”:
“Keep your eyes peeled, because Mr. Dunn isn’t watching where he’s going!”
No, it’s not the recorded voice from the popular Disneyland ride, folks! It’s that wild, wacky “Mr. Dunn and His Wild Political Ride” at the Conejo Valley Unified School District board!
Tuesday night’s meeting was a thrill a minute, with riders in one car screaming and ranting that the district’s “family values” are being eroded by the benign wording in a ninth-grade textbook — which refers to commitment as being between two “partners” — while riders in the other car were settled in for the whole ride, including the budget discussion.
I am so happy that the majority of the school board members are reasonable, intelligent and highly educated citizens who demonstrate respect for all students and their personal family structures.
A big thank you to board members Patricia Phelps, Dolores Didio, Timothy Stevens and Dorothy Beaubien for maintaining calm order and extending their reasonable and more-than-patient tone with Mr. “Wild-Ride” Dunn and his wacky supporters! It was truly a Disneyland experience to witness his gum-chomping, face-making, “pen-smoking” immature outbursts.
With the board’s 4-0 vote to approve the state-approved text, Mr. Dunn’s wild-ride attempt to define this community to his own framework is over!
Ahhh, Conejo Valleyland. Truly the happiest place on Earth!
— Kathy Smiley, Westlake Village
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:28 AM
U.S. doing right thing
That was a great speech by President Bush on Tuesday.
He reminded all of us why we have to “stay the course” in Iraq. If we don’t stay and fight the Islamo-fascists there until we thoroughly defeat them, or at least until the Iraqi security forces are strong enough to go after and conquer the terrorists themselves, they will attack us here on U.S. soil again.
Does anybody doubt the terrorists’ goal? Does anyone honestly believe announcing a “date certain” for us to pull our troops out of Iraq, regardless of Iraq’s ability to defend itself, will do anything other than demoralize the Iraqi population and our troops and signal the terrorists that all they have to do is hunker down and wait us out?
President Bush reminded us that he told us right after September 11 that this war against terrorist networks was going to be hard and long. We’re so used to having dramas wrapped up in 60 or 90 minutes that we, as a people, lose our focus and our resolve if a conflict isn’t over in six weeks.
Some Americans say Bush lied by saying al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein were working directly together. Those Americans twisted what the administration did say, which was that Saddam’s regime was supporting terrorists and probably would supply them with some of his weapons of mass destruction, which the whole world believed he had. After September 11, America couldn’t let that happen.
Thank God we have a leader who faces reality and isn’t afraid to do what he knows is right.
— Chris Larson, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:14 AM
June 28, 2005
Authenticity verified
Re: Terry Sautter’s June 27 letter, “Questionable story”:
Not a single person who wrote or received the Downing Street memos have claimed that they are fake. In fact, U.S. and British officials have indicated that they are accurate. The Butler Committee, a United Kingdom commission looking into weapons of mass destruction, has quoted the documents and accepted their authenticity, along with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
As for destroying the originals, they were not destroyed. They were returned to the source. Michael Smith, the London Times reporter who obtained the memos, explained the sequence of events, saying he photocopied the originals and returned them, then retyped the text and destroyed the photocopies because markings on them might have identified his source.
Even more to the point, in a joint media conference with President Bush at the White House, British Prime Minister Tony Blair responded when asked about the memos, “Let me remind you that that memorandum was written before we then went to the United Nations.”
In other words, yep, the memo is authentic.
— Lynne Nuibe, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 02:01 PM
Comet folly
What is the vital necessity and benefit to the financial concerns of the United States to spend $333 million to try to hit a comet 80 million miles away?
Will this impact anyone’s life here on Earth one way or another, except to maybe keep some scientists employed? I can think of tons of more critical causes where $333 million could make a real difference in lives.
— Marjorie Olson, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:53 PM
Leadership training
The governor and members of the state Legislature have a problem: They are not getting along. This problem is costing the state millions and millions of dollars in the form of waste and lost jobs.
When I had a problem with my knee, I went to a chiropractor and got it fixed by following his directions — which, I might add, made sense to me.
There are leadership training programs available today which result in people working together for their mutual benefit. I believe the best investment the State of California could make is to have the legislators and the governor attend such a program annually.
— Scott Friedman, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:50 PM
Freedom threatened
Re: Bill O’Reilly’s June 25 commentary, “It’s time Americans set limits on dissent over Iraq war”:
I was stunned by Bill O'Reilly’s commentary advocating limiting the quelling of anti-war dissent. Such a sentiment reveals the true attitude of today’s American right: “Shut up, believe what we tell you to believe, keep shopping, and God bless America.”
I could launch half a dozen diatribes at Mr. O’Reilly about free speech, but I will limit my argument to this:
If the war in Iraq had been a just war based on a legitimate defense of American interests against a genuine threat, pursued with truthful information and open debate, most Americans would support it. We would know that we were acting with honor and with purpose, and we would back our president.
Because of the Downing Street memos, we have proof of what millions of us have believed: We are not in a just war. We were lied to by the president, the vice president, the secretary of Defense and others. There are no weapons of mass destruction. We don’t have a plan for getting out. Iraq had nothing to do with al-Qaida or September 11. We are engaged in a deepening disaster based on ideology, greed and a deception that should be grounds for impeachment.
With such a war raging, it is the duty of every American of conscience to speak out against what has become a perversion of our democracy. Despite the constant braying by the extreme right that “liberals hate America,” we do not hate America. We hate what America is becoming: a state of partisan lies, fascist tactics and corporate-financed corruption. It is not dissent that is killing our brave military men and women. It’s our government’s hubris, arrogance, ignorance and denial.
Liberals hate America? Maybe, given their terror of free speech and dissent, it should be “conservatives hate freedom.”
— Tim Vandehey, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:40 PM
Immigration as a boon
Re: your June 28 article, “Activist vows to continue protests”:
It’s irresponsible of The Star to print an article about Joseph Turner and Save Our State without including background information. Who exactly is Turner and where does he come from?
A report released earlier this year by Bear Stearns Asset Management addresses the incidence of illegal immigration, and a quote from one of its analysts states that the reason it exists is that it’s America’s way of competing with the low-wage forces of Latin America and Asia.
Consider this fact: A 2002 report by the non-partisan Center for Immigration cited a survey that included almost 400 leaders ranging from Fortune 1000 executives, religious leaders, members of Congress, Bush administration members, union presidents and newspaper editors, and found that 22 percent of these elites believed that reducing illegal immigration was a “very important” foreign policy goal of the United States. In fact, the Bear Stearns report suggests that curtailing illegal immigration could crash the United States’ economy.
This is in contrast to 70 percent of the general public believing that reducing illegal immigration should be a very important policy goal — which shows how a general population can be woefully swayed by emotion and racist rhetoric that is, perhaps, not in their best interest.
And to give publicity to those who wish to censor art that is not even in their own community and is fueled by hate spewed over talk radio and the Internet, well, remember what happened in Rwanda not too long ago.
— Shaunna Kelley, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:31 PM
Lesson wasn’t learned
Re: Tom Elias’ June 22 commentary, “Pernicious LNG assumption”:
Public Utilities Commissioner Michael Peevey has said repeatedly across the state that one of the driving factors behind the need for liquefied natural gas is that most new electric generators in California are being fueled by natural gas.
Tom Elias, on the other hand, would like us to stick our heads in the sand and wait until there is a disastrous shortage of natural gas in order to prove the need for it.
Incidentally, that is exactly what we did with electricity five years ago, and look how badly that affected California.
— Laura O’Connor, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:13 PM
Property ‘rights’?
The Supreme Court has spoken. Or, has it?
Troubling rumblings have been emerging from those quarters for 30 years. The picture is not getting any prettier.
The latest ruling on taking private property should cause the other two branches of government to begin exercising their constitutional obligations of “two-thirds” oversight. The Fourth Amendment so clearly forbids the seizure of property that this ruling is clearly off base! If this is allowed to stand, with no objection by either the executive or legislative branches, the future does not look bright for private property.
Lands have been virtually seized by the government in the past by alleging that they were once “wetlands.” This action virtually forbids the landowner from even using his land, let alone developing it.
Now it gets worse. If I have a scheme to build a Taj Mahal on your property, all I have to do is have the local government (my close buddies) use their power of eminent domain to declare that we have a better use for it.
The unborn have lost their right to life, and now the property owner is losing his. Where do we go from here?
If the Fourth Amendment is gutted, the Second Amendment just might be invigorated with gusto. Is this where we want to go?
— Frank Leupp, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:08 PM
God as a co-pilot
Re: John Sherffius’ June 27 editorial cartoon:
Amen to Sherffius! May God always be our troops’ co-pilot.
May God be with the United States and our troops as President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice force Israel to give up God’s land to the Palestines, starting with Bethlehem this week and continuing with other areas throughout this summer.
— Kathy Hart, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:03 PM
Change is coming
Having been a student of U.S. history all of my adult life, I know well the differences and similarities of the Republican and Democratic parties.
My observations through the years have led me to understand that the American people can be fooled easily but not for very long. There is hope.
The present administration blindsided a slight majority of us, but time is grinding them down. Messy domestic and foreign issues have piled up; eyes are opening up.
Remember Vietnam? That took more than 15 years before we saw the futility of our efforts, and then we cleaned house. It won’t take that long this time.
Have faith in the common sense of this nation. Change may be right around the corner.
One last thought: I thank The Star for not shutting down Deputy Opinion Page Editor Richard Larsen. His comments are very insightful.
— Howard Landon, Ojai
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:59 PM
Pool safety is vital
It’s summer!
Any family with kids knows the wonderful feeling of freedom that comes with the last day of school. But I was recently reminded that summer is also the time of year when many young lives are lost because of accidental drowning.
Even if you have no children in your household, you still need to act safely in and around water.
Everyone in my family loves swimming and water sports, and we’re in the ocean or the pool all year round.
My 14-year-old daughter and her friend were swimming in the newly rebuilt Thousand Oaks High School pool when they spotted a small child lying face down on the bottom near the shallow end. They called to the lifeguard and immediately moved to the boy to bring him to the surface. As he was lifted from the water, more adults moved in to help, and resuscitation was started. The paramedics came, the police came, and the little boy began to breathe on his own and, finally, to cry loudly. What a relief to hear that sound!
I am so very proud of these two teens for their quick response that began the rescue process. We all need to remember that it only takes a few minutes underwater to become another drowning victim, another statistic — and how important it is to be alert in a place where people are swimming.
Thank God this accident did not become a statistic, and this little boy will live to grow up and enjoy more summers.
— Nancy Murphy, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:53 PM
Set the right example
Re: your June 26 article, “War of the words”:
I don’t understand why there is such an uproar over the wording in the textbooks regarding sex education.
People say that they want the books to stress only one man and one woman so that the students will know that any other option is not acceptable.
Here is my opinion: What are you all thinking? Let us take a look at the world as it stands today. We tell our children that it is wrong to do drugs, yet we do them in front of our children. We tell them not to drink while we are sipping our beers. We tell them about the fidelity of marriage as we are getting ready for our third wedding. We tell them not to smoke while our governor wants to remodel his offices in Sacramento to allow cigar smoking.
Come on! We lead by example, not by the words we speak. Am I saying that this is all the parents’ fault? No! What I am saying is that our children need to know the true definition of diversity and hope that the values that we have taught them will sustain them in the decisions that await them in the world.
I have been to high school graduations that talk about embracing diversity, and then the valedictorian gets up and starts quoting from the Bible and all those who are not Christian are forced to sit there and listen to it. This is not diversity. It has nothing to do with the words in a textbook.
How many of us really remember what we were taught in school word for word from our textbooks? I am more concerned about making sure that all of our children have textbooks that are not out of date.
I think that this whole issue is about our personal opinions about homosexuality and not about the wording in the law.
Be honest with yourself and your children. If you think that they don’t know what is going on, ask them! If you think they don’t know all about homosexuality, ask them! They hear all about it on the news, in churches, on street corners and everywhere else imaginable. They hear all sorts of rumors and incorrect statements.
I want our children to at least hear all sides of all issues. I want our children to know that what is right for one is not always right for all. I want my children to know that the world is a wide and diverse one and that no one in our country feels more superior than another and that we are all equal. Above all, I want my children to know that I love them. This is not taught in textbooks; this is taught by example. Is this not more important?
Just print what is factual and let it be an open door to talk to your children openly and to listen to what they say. This is bigger than just a textbook, this is about trust and communication with your children. Truth teaches you that there is nothing to fear. Trust your children to handle any situation and they will, based on your example.
— Kathleen Myers, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:48 PM
Park needs money
Recently, the Ventura Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously approved a proposed Phase 2 Plan for the new Ventura Community Park.
“Phase 2?” you might ask. You haven’t even been to the park opening yet! How could there be a Phase 2?
I’m on a committee that could use your help. We have raised almost $1 million to fund future park buildout. (A special thanks to the local businesses and residents who have supported the new park!) While this is only a fraction of what we need for the total park buildout, it is a great start.
If you drive by Kimball and Telephone roads, you will see the tremendous progress of our new park.
Phase 1 includes four pools, two waterslides, three all-purpose grass fields, plenty of parking, and a walking path circling the entire 100 acres. The city had the foresight to build as much of the park as funding would allow for Phase 1, which is opening in September. The Phase 2 proposal includes softball, soccer and multi-purpose fields that are so needed in this community, as well as more parking!
If you know of a company or a person that would be interested in supporting this project, we have unlimited opportunities to help, with donations starting from $100 to $5 million for the park naming rights. I encourage everyone to visit www.venturacommunitypark.org for current construction photos and to learn how you can get involved.
“Give today, play forever” is our Park Committee slogan. It says it all. The Ventura Community Park will be a jewel for all Venturans to enjoy.
See you on opening day!
— Steve Doll, Vice President, NAI Capital Commercial, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:43 PM
Skateboarders are OK
How much did the City of Ventura pay for the so-called “art” at the mall — the leaky bus stop that resembles a sand worm in “Dune” or “Tremors” — or the tube at the end of the pier that is now an artificial reef?
It seems to me the City of Ventura likes to waste money on “art,” but programs or places to keep kids out of the hair of the Ventura Police Department or local merchants are too much.
Gee, maybe a skateboard park would free up the police from stupid calls like a scuffed- up bench or curb so they can deal with the teenagers who don’t have a legitimate hobby. Those teenagers are in gangs, doing drugs, living in the river bottom.
Hey, Ventura City Council: Do you want to be Santa Barbara South, like you so strive to be, or the next Oxnard? Do you want to be throwing a gang injunction on the Ventura Avenue gangsters because your police department is too taxed, wasting its time dealing with the skateboarders?
Citizens of Ventura: Do you want to be Santa Barbara South with the beautiful “art” and street urchins begging for money from tourists, business owners and you? Or do you want the unique, beautiful, quiet beach town it still is, between the California Riviera and some of the safest cities in the nation — Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, by statistics only. (Reference the recent gang raids in Simi — who knew?)
Sink or swim, Ventura! Your future depends on it. Let the Ventura City Council know how you feel. Don’t let the pseudo-intellectuals on the City Council drag your community down with “art,” design, and apathy!
By the way, I am a 35-year-old father with a 3-year-old girl and one on the way. I don’t have any teenagers on skateboards — only a future for my children in mind.
— Andy Valdivia, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:39 PM
Salary vs. park bench
Re: your June 27 article, “Camarillo hires new assistant manager”:
I read with interest the article on the hiring of a new assistant city manager for the city of Camarillo. Of note was the fact that he will be paid $157,000 per year.
It so happens that I frequently use the Heritage Park in Camarillo. The benches and tables have been in need of painting for some time. I pointed this out to an individual in the Parks Department and was told that they had insufficient funds for this project.
Now, I realize that there may be separate funding for all of the myriad departments in the city’s structure. But there does seem to be a disconnect between the money being spent on public employees and funds available for maintenance of the public facilities in Camarillo.
— Thomas Jebb, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:18 PM
June 27, 2005
Text should follow law
Re: your June 26 article, “War of the words”:
The people of California voted via Proposition 22 that the definition of marriage was “a union between a man and a woman.” It is the business of the school board and other public entities to uphold the laws of this state. This applies to all areas, including race, creed and gender.
One textbook makes a statement contrary to our state law, and the other doesn’t. What are they arguing about? Make sure neither textbook has any statements that can be construed as derogatory or misleading and get on with it.
The California version is biased against our state law, the Texas version is not.
— Ben Griffes, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:32 AM
We can handle truth
Re: Joe Howry’s June 26 essay, “Old news by any stretch”:
Amazed am I.
Amazed that the editor of The Star, Joe Howry, claims that the American public still thinks that the Iraq war was justified, even though recent polls say that more than 60 percent of the public now believes the war was not justified and has not made us safer.
Amazed that an alleged journalist such as Mr. Howry has not the foggiest idea of public sentiment.
Amazed that he says the Downing Street memos are, in fact, irrelevant, even though they clearly show evidence of impeachable offenses.
Amazed that the public still believes the tired old lie of liberal media bias.
Mr. Howry stated that the American public was ready to go to war, even though, at the time, millions were saying the war was a hoax. Perhaps if he and other editors had been doing their job and giving the public the facts rather than kowtowing to the corporate, conservative, chickenhawk line, public opinion may have been better served and the truth would have been available for all to see.
Perhaps Mr. Howry should do a better job of keeping us informed instead of deciding what information is acceptable for us.
The real problem is that millions of Americans still believe the lies told by the Bush administration — that Saddam was involved with September 11, that he was a threat and had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, even though the Duelfer report clearly states otherwise. Why is this? Because the press has censored itself so as to not offend those in power.
Speak the truth, Mr. Howry, no matter what the cost. Do your job and we will do ours.
— John Strubbe, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:27 AM
Keep religion out of it
Re: your June 26 article, “War of the words”:
It is very troubling to me to see religious fascism looming in the Conejo Valley Unified School District’s choice of textbooks.
What has happened to the separation of church and state? Conejo Valley public schools are not religious-sponsored institutions and need to reflect the rights and views of all Conejo Valley residents regardless of race, color, creed, belief or sexual orientation. We would be better served to focus on the unity of all life than on the political agendas of some school board members.
— Thomas Betournay, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:20 AM
Don’t muzzle media
Re: Bill O’Reilly’s June 25 commentary, “It’s time Americans set limits on dissent over Iraq war”:
I would like to quote from “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” by William L. Shirer:
“Section 14 of the Press Law (Reich Press Law of 1933) ordered editors to ‘keep out of the newspapers anything which in any manner ... tends to weaken the will of the German people, the defense of Germany, its culture and economy, ... or offends the honor and dignity of Germany.”
It seems that these are the types of measures suggested for America by O’Reilly. While he is correct that there was press censorship during World War II, this censorship never extended to criticism of the Roosevelt administration.
O’Reilly wants to compare the occupation of Iraq to World War II. During World War II, the Allies respected the Geneva Convention and treated our prisoners well. It was the Nazis and Japanese who considered the Geneva Convention “outmoded,” as modern neoconservatives do.
O’Reilly wants to have us ignore the cases of prisoner abuse documented by the FBI, Amnesty International and the International Red Cross and pay attention only to an overly emotional statement by Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill. I believe that Dick Durbin said what he did because he loves our country and what it stands for, not because he “hates America,” as so many neoconservatives would have you believe.
I love America because we have the freedom of speech, the freedom of assembly and the freedom of religion. I have to wonder if those who call for us to take away these freedoms do not hate America.
— Edward K. White, Newbury Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:05 AM
Bullying as a value
Re: your June 26 article, “War of the words”:
Conejo Valley Unified School District board member Mike Dunn’s lesson for the schoolchildren: how to be a big bully!
How can someone think that having a “partner” to love is immoral, but bullying is a moral, electable value?
— Jeanine Smith, Moorpark
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:58 AM
History repeats itself
Re: “GOP group hears talk on immigration”:
I couldn’t help but note with irony the comments attributed to former U.S. Border Patrol agent William King Jr. that “illegal immigration along the porous border with Mexico is a threat.”
I am sympathetic with King; I am reminded of the threat of the porous borders along the Ohio Valley and the Mississippi Valley when hordes of illegal white aliens invaded the borders of the Indian nations and the sovereign border of Mexico.
King is quoted as saying, “We will be losing our American way of life if this continues.” Again, I am sympathetic with King’s feelings. With the continued invasion of illegal white aliens into the West, the true American way of life was destroyed.
The utter hypocrisy of King, the Arizona Minutemen and their ilk is nothing short of being in keeping with the history of illegal white aliens illegally occupying the lands of this country for the last 250-plus years.
In case King and his kind haven’t noticed, Mexicans living and working in the American Southwest is the American way of life.
— Henry Bouma, Moorpark
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:56 AM
June 24, 2005
Church vs. Wal-Mart
Wow! What a blow to the American dream!
“We the people” can no longer feel secure in our homes that we own, from any city government. Imagine paying state and city taxes yearly for the joy of homeownership, but yet give the city the opportunity to ‘repossess’ it via eminent domain.
Why doesn’t Washington, D.C., replace the White House with a car dealership? I’m sure that the dealership would generate much more tax revenue than the expense of running the White House. Imagine that, the ability to buy a lemon at the former location of the White House.
I can hardly wait to see a city decide to take over a church property and replace it with a Wal-Mart. Wonder where the lines will be drawn on religion versus government?
— Mark Bucell, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:19 PM
Have they gone mad?
So now I’m looking at the ranches and beautiful countryside homes with a different look. I see the hungry eyes and watering mouths of the giant land developers flying over these privately owned lands, laughing an evil laugh at their newfound pot of gold.
The Supreme Court, or should I said the stupid old biddy judges, have given your land to these corporations. My mouth dropped wide open, and the jaw is still dangling from what they have decided.
Is it not the American dream to own your own home? Is it not the American dream to pass this land on to your offspring? You work hard, scrape up the funds, dream and dream more until you own that little piece of soil. We are crushed when Mother Nature destroys this land that has become part of what makes us us.
Well, let me tell you, I will never let a corporation take my home without a fight. I’ll turn into one of them there hillbillies with shotgun in hand and die a great fight.
— Mary E. Aquino, Moorpark
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:16 PM
Look out, flag-burners
I was so glad to see that Congress is trying to pass a constitutional amendment outlawing the burning of the American flag.
In college, I recall witnessing a minority rights group burning the U.S. flag on campus. This shocking, visual display of opinion made me realize that flag-burners are completely ignorant and have no idea how lucky they are to live in the United States.
Thank goodness Congress is trying to punish such ignoramuses by taking away their freedom of speech and forcing them to resort to other, and perhaps more physically violent, forms of protest.
— Erin S. Robertson, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:14 PM
It wasn’t all Brimhall
Judy Lazar’s letter deifying Grant Brimhall is insulting to those of us, including other council members, who worked hard for the City of Thousand Oaks and contributed to its development.
The facts speak for themselves.
The Oaks Mall was a done deal by 1978 when Brimhall appeared. Lazar should have known that, since she was actively opposed to the project from the get-go. The Oaks Mall expanded because it was dying.
The senior and teen centers were the council’s ideas, especially Alex Fiore’s.
Amgen did what it did because it had and has tons of money.
The city’s libraries are so successful that people come from all over Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley to use them, albeit at the city’s expense. Seventy-five percent of the cost comes from the general fund.
The Civic Arts Plaza is all Brimhall. It’s still under repair, 11 years after completion (?)
The council, the staff, the committees and the citizens all provided input to make the city. To grant Brimhall the sole and lone credit is insulting to all the rest of us who deferred and argued and rethought ideas that were proposed by others, not Brimhall.
— Barry Branagan,
City of Thousand Oaks employee, 1972-2004, Playa del Rey
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:08 PM
What would Gore do?
Two more brave soldiers dead, limitless throngs of maniacs willing to strap bombs to their bodies to qualify for 72 virgins, even brave jihadists in Lodi planning to bomb hospitals. When will it end?
We needed Al Gore in 2000, and we came so close! He would have handled the World Trade Center leveling differently, like his predecessor, President Clinton, when they tried to level the center during his watch
.
President Gore would have launched some mighty cruise missiles, caught those responsible and set up “Project Understanding” to find out why they hate us.
Osama bin Laden’s reason for flying the planes into our buildings was because we dared to have U.S. citizens actually living near the holy city of Mecca.
President Gore would have had the intelligence agencies of the British, Russians, Germans, Israelis, Egyptians, the defecting head of Iraq’s nuclear program and even John Kerry saying Saddam Hussein would have a nuclear bomb in six months. President Bush had this intelligence, but he lied to get us into war, didn’t he?
President Gore would have sent back the inspectors on their chaperoned visits and negotiated a treaty like his predecessor did in North Korea, with the same results. Saddam would certainly have a nuclear bomb, Moammar Quadifi would have at least one, as well, and that’s not to mention Iran and possibly Syria. Isn’t that better than what we have now?
Saddam is in jail, Libya is voluntarily giving up its nuclear ambitions, there are free elections in Palestine and Lebanon, Iran’s nuclear ambitions are under the world’s microscope, and now 80 members of the United Nations are pledging an active role in the rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Come to think of it, maybe we are safer now. Thank you, brave soldiers; and thank you, President Bush.
— David Rosolek, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:56 PM
Support isn’t shocking
People are shocked at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s support for a liquefied natural gas plant off the Oxnard coast. Why is anyone shocked at what Gov. Schwarzenegger does?
I hate to say it, but our forefathers understood the need to have people who were born and raised in a democratic society be part of our political arena. Schwarzenegger obviously understands economics and has made plans with a company that is not American to do business in building the plant.
What happened to “buy American” and provide Americans the jobs?
If he represents America and wants to do a good job for America, then he should start proving it. Let’s keep the economical advantages at home!
America voted for a man who was born in another country to represent our interests. Great! This land opened its doors to him and others, as we have always done. But did we want him and others in government to go outside the country to fill huge contracts and provide jobs to others besides Americans?
This practice has gone on long enough. Bring the jobs here, and make the contracts with American businesses that promise to have their home base here.
The American people keep losing ground!
Our government is so interested in protecting the American public, but then they choose to bring in foreign businessmen and workers to do the jobs for us! Protect us how? Where is Gov. Schwarzenegger’s real loyalty: to business or to the American people who voted for him?
Again, why are our government officials from Malibu and Oxnard shocked at him cutting the proverbial red tape and doing what he feels like without some procedures or processes to follow? He decided that the plant site should be off the coast of Oxnard, so that’s OK. Our environmental activists shouldn'’t worry about the plant being built over a well-known earthquake fault.
Who lives in Malibu and Oxnard? Not Schwarzenegger! Just a few hundred thousand people who won’t be bothered if an earthquake hits our coast and disturbs a highly toxic, explosive plant built off our coast by an outside source. Why worry? After all, we haven’t had any quakes lately to worry about. Or have we lately had a few running down our coastline?
Shocked? Not me!
— Pamela M. Briscoe, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:48 PM
Give retreat a trial run
As a lifelong resident of Ventura County and the grandmother of a developmentally challenged child with autism, I feel I must respond to the residents of Santa Rosa Valley who have chosen to oppose the Kids’ Korral.
The rationale they have used is that they wish to preserve the rural “character” of Santa Rosa and that the retreat will compromise that character.
Unfortunately, they are about 50 years too late.
The valley changed when large parts of it were sold off and the huge McMansions began sprouting up everywhere. It is not the same now as it was and will never be again.
In reality, the objections may quite possibly have nothing to do with that issue but more to do with the “not in my back yard” syndrome. One writer expressed her suggestion that the facility be located in Hidden Valley. As she and everyone else knows by now, the land for the retreat has been leased by the owner for $1 a year out of the goodness of his heart to help the kids. If the owner chooses to sell the parcel, something more intrusive than a place for children with autism to get in touch with animals and nature may arise. Will there be objections then?
It seems to me that now is the time to step back, take a breath and open some dialogue. How about a compromise, such as a yearlong trial period? Perhaps the residents will feel differently if their fears prove to be unfounded.
There is a great need for places such as this proposed retreat. Autism and other learning disabilties are a growing phenomenon in our country and around the world. Believe it or not, each of us can learn a lot from people who are different. Rather than oppose the retreat, why not try to understand the purpose and rally around and embrace the effort? If it proves unworthy, then there will be a basis for the objections.
My grandson has taught all of us valuable lessons we might not have been clued into otherwise about understanding, tolerance and sharing in the joys, triumphs and, yes, sometimes heartbreak of raising a child who is severely challenged.
In this life, there is always room for us to learn a little more about each other. It’s just a common sense way to make a better world.
— Sharon Rasey, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at