Kenneth Starr

The vengeful and contemptible Kenneth Starr should be ashamed to even consider subjecting a sitting president to such a degrading humiliation as providing a sample of anything for DNA testing. What is the matter with our so-called “honorable” lawmakers to allow Starr to so denigrate the presidency--and, incredibly, pay him to do it?

Enough! Down with Starr!

VIRGINIA GEORGE

Huntington Beach

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Why not add to Robert Scheer’s comment (Column Left, Aug. 4), “Randiness seems to have been quite common among the men who had the vision and courage to found this great nation,” racism (slavery), sexism, pollution and unfettered laissez faire capitalism? What is the message that I as a history teacher should convey about the stream of the American story? Progress is an illusion?

GARY TOMPKINS

Lake Arrowhead

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If Starr can have nongovernment clients while we (the taxpayers) are paying him as independent counsel, why can’t Bruce Lindsey also have other clients while he’s White House counsel (Aug. 4)? What’s to prevent Lindsey from representing President Clinton in his personal capacity, separate and distinct from, and in addition to, his official capacity? Seems that is a justification for protecting the attorney-client privilege.

If government lawyers can serve in only one role, then Starr’s nongovernment clients have no privilege for conversations they’ve had with him while he’s served as independent counsel.

JESSICA FRAZIER

Santa Monica

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Re the interview of C. Boyden Gray, Opinion, Aug. 2: It was such a relief to finally see articulated the underlying reasons for America’s discomfort with Starr’s investigation of Clinton: serving a subpoena on a person where an indictment is not the goal, the perversion of the normal criminal inquiry from finding the perpetrator of an actual criminal act to looking at an individual and trying to find some crime that that person may have committed--leading ultimately to the criminalization of political and policy differences.

RICHARD BAZNIK

Tustin

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Re “From Whitewater to This,” editorial, July 30: I heartily agree that a law that can be rendered dismally ineffective by lying and stonewalling should be reinforced as necessary to facilitate getting to the truth in a timely manner.

ROBERT GORMAN

Rancho Palos Verdes

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Do you suppose that Monica Lewinsky and her mother, by not having the soiled dress laundered, had always planned to take this president to the cleaners?

JIM HARMON

Carlsbad

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There are times when I’m almost sickened to be a member of the human race and this is one of them. While the news pundits talk about presidential semen, 40 million Americans do not have health care. One out of every four children lives in poverty. Mentally disturbed people wander our streets with no one to help them. We need new schools. There are real people in real pain and no one in power is able to talk about these things.

STEVE CRAKER

Echo Park