Solar panels in the desert; Jonah Goldberg on Obama’s first year; Toyota’s safety issues

Preserving the desert

Re “Senator backs protecting two areas in the Mojave,” Dec. 21

I just read that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is working to protect roughly 1 million acres of desert in Southern California.

How nice. But why doesn’t she first save California’s once-rich salmon runs in her San Francisco Bay backyard? She should stop aiding and abetting the San Joaquin Valley industrial agriculture operations that are taking too much of the water needed to rebuild the salmon runs in the Sacramento River.

Feinstein seems to forget about her original supporters in San Francisco, including all the salmon fishermen that call Fisherman’s Wharf home. It’s hard to understand how she can advocate for desert protections over protecting the fishery that has provided food and work to so many in places she should know well.

John McManus

Pacifica

I applaud Feinstein’s passion for the desert, but the utility-scale solar companies have been out of the loop for too long. Developers fear uncertainty, and many of the areas Feinstein proposes for preservation are in major transmission corridors.

It’s easy for her to say that suitable transmission lines will be built in new alternate locations, but that is a long and expensive process.

I would also like to see Feinstein work to preserve coastal forests, most of which have been badly mauled by the timber industry. We need to allow them to regenerate naturally, which will be good for salmon and carbon sequestration. The senator has been far too friendly with the timber industry.

Michael Roddy

Yucca Valley

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As an educator at Imperial Valley College, I would like to commend Feinstein on her California Desert Protection Act of 2010. This legislation would not only protect countless acres of plant and animal habitat along the Colorado River, it will also allow for the recreational use of these locations in a responsible and educational way, greatly benefiting future generations.

Protecting the beauty of our local desert areas truly gives our community something to be proud of.

Jane Higginson

El Cajon

Obama’s battle with partisanship

Re “Obama’s failed his words,” Opinion, Dec. 22

Less than one year into President Obama’s administration, writer Jonah Goldberg suggests Obama should have righted the sinking ship of partisan politics. This mind-set qualifies Jonah for a spot on “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” but not much else.

Goldberg blathers on about partisan, cynical bickering among senators and talk show hosts when he should actually look at himself. It is his rhetorical audacity that breeds cynicism, not Obama’s painting of a brighter future.

Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf reportedly used to tell new officers they would meet cynics during their careers. His advice was to ignore them and do the right thing.

This is good advice for us all -- ignore the cynics, do the right thing, and support those endeavoring to do the right things for our country and our world, including President Obama.

Greg Apodaca

Pasadena

Where was Goldberg’s glass-half-empty bluster when the Bush administration ignored warnings before Sept. 11, handed billions in taxpayer dollars over to war profiteers like Halliburton, stymied every attempt to address global warming and ran our budget surplus into the ground?

Perhaps Obama can’t work magic to undo eight years of damage in one year (don’t think he promised that!) but at least he has an agenda and is making progress.

Just another outraged rant from Goldberg, who only grudgingly concedes approval of the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, the only issue he appears to care about. I hope Goldberg gives up his tiresome column soon and announces his candidacy for public office; I’m sure he would be received as the Republicans’ up-and-coming bright star.

Katie Carothers

North Hills

Safety an issue for Toyota owner

Re “Toyota keeps tight lid on safety issues,” Dec. 23

The Times deserves a Pulitzer for its reporting of the Toyota safety scandal. It’s a superb example of the best in print journalism: experienced journalists turned loose on a major story, relying on solid research and facts to inform the community.

In this case, the facts point clearly to runaway hubris at the top of Toyota’s corporate chain. Our family owns two Toyotas, but we’ll never buy another until everyone associated with the company’s record of secrecy and disregard for customer safety has resigned.

Bonnie Sloane

Los Angeles

Equal treatment under the law?

Re “FBI might look into local case,” Dec. 23

Mitrice Richardson, whose behavior at a Malibu restaurant led to her arrest, was released from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station at 1:25 a.m. with no car, purse or cellphone. She has been missing for months, and now Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) has requested an FBI investigation.

Mel Gibson, arrested by deputies from the same station after drunk driving, spewing profanities, threatening the arresting deputy and attempting to escape, was chauffeured to pick up his car from a county tow yard. After he served probation, the actor’s record was expunged. The arresting deputy, who had been threatened by Gibson, was harassed, investigated and reassigned for telling the truth.

According to the Sheriff’s Department, deputies followed procedure to the letter with Richardson. What alphabet were they using when they chauffeured Gibson away from the same station?

Ben Eisner

Westlake Village

Full repentance is another matter

Re “Rabbi sentenced to two years in tax fraud,” Dec. 22

Rabbi Naftali Tzi Weisz and his associates’ tax fraud was not just illegal. It was fundamentally abhorrent to Judaism, which prioritizes righteous behavior above religious belief.

According to Jewish philosophy, the first question the Heavenly Court asks is “Were you ethical in business?” As for Rabbi Weisz’s lawyer’s, family’s and supporters’ leniency requests, Jewish law (as set forth by Maimonides) only permits his victims -- every U.S. taxpayer -- to forgive him, and then only after his complete repentance, including sincere apology and full restitution to all who have been harmed.

Here, as with many unethical actions causing permanent harm and/or harm to unidentifiable victims, full repentance is impossible. Moreover, Jewish law mandates justice, which requires the imposition of punishment even after full restitution and forgiveness.

Art Levine

Fullerton

The writer is a rabbi and an attorney.

No government in the bedroom

Re “Judge rejects petition for condoms in porn,” Dec. 23

Three cheers for the judge in Los Angeles who dismissed the petition to mandate condom use in adult films. While the spread of sexually transmitted diseases is a serious concern, even more serious is the threat of letting the government into our bedrooms -- even if those bedrooms have lights and cameras.

Frankly, I’m surprised this petition came from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which runs the “Out of the Closet” thrift stores and advocates for, among other things, understanding of the gay and lesbian communities.

Such an organization should recognize the danger of allowing the government or anyone to determine how, when or with whom consenting adults may have sex. The motivation for the petition is understandable, but personal liberty should always take precedence.

Michelle Minton

Washington

The writer is director of insurance studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.