GOP Hearing

* We liberals can scarcely contain our glee at the prospect of Trent Lott, Tom DeLay and their fellow Republicans once again shooting themselves in the foot (April 26). Blinded by their reflexive zeal to undermine the Clinton administration, they hop in the rubber room with Elian Gonzalez’s dysfunctional Miami relatives, knowing full well that this position is contrary to the wishes of two-thirds of the American public.

And when the rest of the country refuses to be swayed by their ineffectual hypocrisy, these same self-anointed stewards of our national morality will further marginalize themselves by self-righteously bemoaning the degeneracy of our national character.

WILLIAM D. WOLFF

Los Angeles

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Regarding the furor over the use of armed federal agents to obtain custody of Elian for his father, it is no surprise to see that the Republican Party in general and the political right wing in particular have assumed a position devoid of party principle or ideology--unless opposing any action of the president and Atty. Gen. Janet Reno is their sole ideology.

To be fair, it would not surprise me that many Democratic pragmatists or opportunists also behave in the same way vis-a-vis the GOP. It does depress me that the Senate and House are populated by so many infantile brats with knee-jerk, reactive behavior to each other, who cannot muster the gray matter to try and understand that the problem is difficult and complex.

JEFF SCHOENWALD

Thousand Oaks

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The Elian situation once again demonstrates the fact that public opinion polls are little more than a pop quiz on the content of the network news of the previous night.

JOE GRAETCH

Santa Barbara

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Isn’t it interesting that the very people who are always espousing family values are so opposed to insisting on reuniting a 6-year-old with his father after five months of fruitless negotiations?

JUDITH ODLUM

Irvine

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Whether you approve or disapprove of the repatriation of a little boy with his father, the lesson of the Elian incident is that future administrations need to handle illegal immigration issues quickly and unequivocally within the rule of law. By failing to effectively manage what should have been a simple INS enforcement, the Clinton administration has offended Cuban American and non-Cuban immigrants, while jeopardizing Al Gore’s election in November.

MARTIN G. MUTSCH

Seal Beach

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In Waco, Reno did it for the children. In Miami, she did it for the child. Janet Reno 2; children 0.

CHRISTOPHER T. HICKS

Long Beach

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We should all be happy that Congress will hold hearings on the removal of Elian. Just imagine how much damage Congress could do if representatives addressed, instead, something that affects us.

ERIC KLAPPER

Los Angeles

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In light of recent news events, may I offer a new slant on an old phrase: “When guns are outlawed, only federal agents in your home will have guns.”

MIKE PHILLIPS

North Hollywood