No excuse for affairs

Re “Mayor not unlike other men in power,” column, July 16

I don’t care if L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is acting like a normal politician. I think that having an affair is disgusting behavior, and it’s too often explained that “we” have to go along with it. The things that separate us from animals are the ability to discern the difference between right and wrong and to make decisions not according to our desires and “feelings.”

We are to rise above all that smut. We are tired of Hollywood and the media portraying extramarital affairs as something we must accept.

Articles like Al Martinez’s denigrate our society and make us think that we who do not accept this behavior are the ones with the problem.

Stand up for what is right. Would you teach your children that Villaraigosa’s behavior is OK?

LAURA MCCANTS

Newport Beach

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How can Martinez compare our mayor to FDR, John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton? That is like comparing a minor league baseball player to Babe Ruth.

CHUCK TRUDEAU

Shadow Hills

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Re “Where’s the rose between his teeth?” Opinion, July 16

Gregory Rodriguez is right on when he says that the mainstream media, when push comes to shove, still rely on old, condescending patterns when discussing Latinos. I am an American of Mexican descent, and throughout my life I have experienced this myself. The white power structure, when feeling threatened, will always fall back on stereotypes and generalizations to put people “in their place.”

I commend The Times for having an insightful voice like Rodriguez as an Op-Ed columnist.

ALEJANDRO DIAZ

Los Angeles