Civic Involvement

There are many citizens in the Los Angeles area who would like to rally around such things as the new Getty Center, or even newly elected leaders, in order to enjoy our locale and work together for a fine future.

We hesitate, however, when we read that, after having made the appropriate noises about being there for all of us, the Getty invites only the usual A-list of celebrity-socialites to its opening gala, or that the City Council has decided to disallow automatic weapons to everyone except filmmakers (Dec. 10). Nothing in this behavior is at all better or more noble than civic actions at any time in our recorded past. (Where are Moliere, Swift and Orwell when we need them?)

Perhaps this is the best that we can do--to render things merely as bad as they always have been. Not much to rally around.

PETER YATES

Culver City