Schwarzenegger and the Media

Re “No Vetoes for the Foreign Media,” Oct. 12: You reported Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hadn’t been cooperating with local media and published a quote suggesting he treats the foreign media differently because he’s concerned about foreign movie residuals.

Medical students are taught to think horses when they hear hoofbeats. The more simple and direct explanation might be he doesn’t feel he owes the local press anything given the way the recall election was covered.

The L.A. Times assigned a team of reporters to investigate 30-year-old allegations prior to the election and endorsed incumbent Gov. Gray Davis. Isn’t it a bit naive to think there wouldn’t be any consequences after adopting such a posture?

Edward J. McDonnell

Los Angeles

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After reading about the governor’s relationship with the press and how he is more open with the foreign media, I have to wonder if he even believes his own nonsense. Now that he has a new and “respectable” job, he has a new demeanor with people. He states, “It is a totally different ballgame” now that he is representing California instead of just himself.

So he was a no-class, woman-groping, mechanical robot before he was governor and now he has decided to become a gentleman. This is not a trait someone can change; a person’s character is usually formed by a young age. You either are a gentleman or you are not. The governor is simply an actor playing yet another role, and not too convincingly at that!

Frances Terrell Lippman

Los Angeles

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How about a quid pro quo re the Arnold amendment (editorial, Oct. 12): in return for allowing foreign-born citizens to run for president of the United States, let’s eliminate the electoral college. Seems only fair, really. One citizen, one vote, perhaps the one vote going to the one guy who can’t pronounce the letter “r.”

Viva libahty!

Frank Armstrong

Los Angeles

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A comment on your editorial: No matter how worthy the cause is deemed to be, such an amendment would trivialize the Constitution. If we take the Constitution this lightly on one issue, in time we will be taking it lightly and trivializing it on another issue and still another issue.

Nancy Hoites

Whittier