George W. Bush and Changing GOP

I might have believed George W. Bush Thursday night if the convention had had some real debate on the change in the GOP image and his side won, showing a controlling number of Republican stalwarts agreeing with him. I might have believed Bush if his first real appointment had not been to placate the right wing with an anti-gun control, anti-choice vice president. I might have believed Bush if the diversity found on the stage had also been found on the floor.

I might have believed Bush if the congressional GOP leadership were different and reflected his stated image of the party. I might have believed Bush if I did not think the GOP pool from which he will have to select his Cabinet and other appointees was going to be different from what it has always been. But the disparity between what he said and the reality of the GOP is simply too great for me to believe him.

RICK ZIMMER

Anaheim

* Bill Clinton, the man from Hope, brought change with him to American politics, but candidate Bush, the man of change, brings hope with him to American politics.

SCOTT TUCKER

Monterey Park

* After watching GW’s acceptance speech, it occurs to me that someone should remind GW that Clinton is not running. It’s Al Gore!

WARREN MOLLOY

La Verne

* He had so much time to prepare and yet said so little. This “not ready for prime time” politician proved that indeed anything can be bought in this country, including your party’s nomination. Next time, I hope the Republicans at least opt for a candidate with a strong resume.

BOB TEIGAN

Simi Valley

* Re “Top Donors Enjoy Fruits of Their Labors,” Aug. 3: Your article berates the Republicans for allowing their big donors to view the convention from luxurious private boxes while being fed “herb goat cheese, shrimp and prime rib.” Sounds like small potatoes to me compared to Democrat fat cats from China, Hollywood and Silicon Valley sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House motel. And I’ll bet they got a nice breakfast the next morning.

COLLEEN KIRST

Santa Barbara

* Having watched each night of the GOP convention, I now know my wish for November’s election. May it be close, very close. May the two front-runners find themselves forced to learn--and even steal ideas--from each other, in hope of gaining the edge. And in the end, at the photo finish on that cold Tuesday evening, may Gore barely eke a victory . . . over Ralph Nader.

DOUGLAS GREEN

Los Angeles

* George P. Bush, Bush’s nephew, stated that his uncle reminded him of Cesar Chavez (Aug. 3). Although I am an Anglo, I spent several years in the 1960s working in the fields of the Central Valley swinging both long and short hoes alongside the people represented by Chavez. George P.’s comparison is either indicative of his ignorance of who Chavez was or is a blatant exploitation of his Latino heritage. To compare the “fortunate son,” George W. Bush, with this man who truly fought for the powerless should outrage Latinos everywhere.

JOHN BOYDSTUN

Woodland Hills

* After reading “Records Show Bush’s Focus on Big Picture” (Aug. 2), I was appalled. Here is someone who wants to be president, yet on an issue that had the entire country’s attention all he reads of a 36-page summary of the 261-page report is a highlighted half-page. Is that all he is able to comprehend?

Next, there is the paring down of review time of scheduled executions from 30 to 15 minutes. Is he even too busy to spend 15 more minutes dealing with a human life? And then he says he is convinced all executions in Texas are justified. Why is the press letting Bush off the hook so easily? No big questions. Everything he says seems like fluff, and so do the questions.

HAROLD EINBINDER

Long Beach

* Let me get this straight. According to Clinton, because George W. has a daddy who was president, he was a successful governor of a large state and owned and managed a large corporation (the Texas Rangers) he is unfit to be president (Aug. 2). However, having a daddy who was a drunk, being a marginal governor of a very small state and never having a real job qualified Clinton. I’m confused.

BILL WADDLE

Moorpark

* In her Aug. 1 speech, Condoleezza Rice said that her father became a Republican because the Democrats in Jim Crow Alabama of 1952 would not register him to vote. Those Democrats, known at the time as Dixiecrats, had bolted the national Democratic Party because of that party’s strong civil rights stance.

Most of the Dixiecrats, including Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms, changed their party affiliations because they saw Republican “conservatism” to be closer to their segregationist hearts. Rice is now surrounded by the political heirs of those turncoat Democrats.

KENNETH H. BONNELL

Los Angeles

* Maybe someone should remind all the people who are against the convention protesters (letters, Aug. 3) that if it were not for the protesters in the Boston Tea Party we might never have had a country called the United States of America. The war in Vietnam might have gone on for years if it had not been for the people who protested.

Instead of complaining about the protesters, why not complain about the ridiculous conventions? We already know who the candidates are and what their program is going to be, so why bother with a lot of stupid speeches filled with rhetoric that has no meaning?

DARIA CASE

Sherman Oaks

* The Republican Party seems to have confused “The Big Tent” with “The Big Top.”

BORIS BUZAN

Mission Viejo

East L.A.

* Re “Heart of the Eastside,” July 31: In response to Cesar Chavez Boulevard (Brooklyn) and Soto Street being the heart of the Eastside, this is true for some locals, but not for all East Angelenos. East L.A. has many hearts, dating back as far as you want to go.

I, a product of the ‘30s and ‘40s, found Brooklyn and Ford a major artery of commerce, one where I sometimes shined shoes or sold rabbit pelts for a quarter. With this money I would usually buy a raspada (ice cone) from the vendor in front of the church, and maybe take in a movie at the Bonito Theater.

Another main hub of industry was First Street and Rowan Avenue. Now that was big time! There were various stores and restaurants, plus a theater called the Unique. Also located on First and Rowan was the First St. Store, the Sears of East L.A.! Everyone shopped there. And right out in front of the store you could catch a ride on the “P” car, which would take you anywhere in L.A. for a dime. Yup! East L.A. had more than one heart. It had one for each of us.

ALBERT OBREGON

Sunland

Napster Users

* I don’t think Napster fans are music fans at all. I think they are mostly their own fans, getting a buzz from doing what is illegal with equipment their parents don’t understand, the rest of the community can’t afford and nobody but themselves even has the time for.

CAMINA TRIPODI

Oceano, Calif.

* Now I’ve seen everything--there’s a copyright notice on the home page for Napster!

DOUG DRENKOW

Arcadia