Letters to the editor

The unfriendly skies

Re “Suspect may have ties to Yemen militants,” and “Stricter security measures imposed,” Dec. 27

How long will the American people, and especially the flying public, have to suffer from the ineptitude of our laughable “intelligence” as it pertains to the threat of known Islamic radicals? As the story now emerges, would-be airplane bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s father did his best to tell the Keystone Kop officials in our embassy in Nigeria about his wayward son.

Our response is akin to closing the barn door after the horse is gone. We are so inept that instead of proactively listing people like Abdulmutallab on no-fly lists, we must torture the traveling public by denying them the use of the restroom.

Flying has been increasingly worse since deregulation. During recent years, I have given up flying almost entirely, especially since the nonsense with the shoes began. Liquids were next -- and now, woe be unto the poor individual suffering from gastric distress on any descending airplane.

William Josephs

Encino

Travelers will pay with their time and money for the U.S. government’s failure to have Abdulmutallab placed on a travel watch list following his father’s warning.

Imagine how many lives could be saved if the money spent on “security theater” was instead spent to prevent traffic deaths, hospital errors, industrial accidents, firearm incidents, etc.

But we are not presented with these choices. Instead, we dumbly wait in security lines as our personal sovereignty slowly ebbs away.

Thomas Bliss

Sherman Oaks

::

Nothing highlights the Transportation Security Administration’s raging incompetence better than its decision to ban all passenger movement during the last hour of flight, because that’s when Abdulmutallab made his clumsy terrorism attempt.

The irony, of course, is that (as with every in-flight attempt since 9/11) it is

the passengers, up and wandering about the cabin, who have provided the only effective defense against terrorism. The much-vaunted

no-fly list, based on the absurd assumption that we have a comprehensive list of every bad person in the world, was once again no help whatsoever.

It is clear that there is only one requirement for joining the management team at the TSA: You must have first failed an IQ test.

Geoff Kuenning

Claremont

::

I understand the need for stricter security measures before boarding a commercial airliner, but some of the new rules are just ridiculous and a typical knee-jerk reaction.

How is forcing everyone

on the flight to stay seated

in the last hour going to stop

a similar act of terrorism?

The next terrorist can just

set off his bomb two hours before the end of the flight,

or at any other time that’s convenient.

And how does keeping people from holding things in their laps keep a determined terrorist from acting? Is he going to obey those rules?

Frankly, why this maniac and that idiot “shoe bomber” just didn’t go into the bathroom to set off their explosives baffles me. They could have fumbled with their detonators out of view of passengers and crew.

Now that I mentioned that, I suppose the next rule will be that no one will be allowed to use the bathrooms while in flight.

Mark Johnson

Vista

Seeing red

Re “Red-light camera receipts up,” Dec. 24

So the fine and fees for being caught on a red-light camera are now about $500. Why not make it $1,000? How about $1,500? How about three years in prison?

These outrageous fines and fees are examples of how the political class refuses to acknowledge the real-world consequences of the penalties they impose. Perhaps it’s time for a ballot initiative to roll back these (and other) harsh fines.

Mel Frohman

Los Angeles

Prison politics

Re “Prison plan foes fear area would be a target,” Dec. 23

First, opponents of moving Guantanamo detainees to a prison in Illinois feared terrorists would escape from the facility and run riot in the heartland; then they feared that terrorists would convert others in the prison population to radical Islam. Now the protesters worry that the heartland will become a target for future attacks.

Whatever happened to the “home of the brave”? Or is it just that the prisoner transfer will be happening under a Democratic administration? What’s next, protesting the sunrise and the sunset because they occur during President Obama’s term?

Thomas Fuchs

West Hollywood

Ungrounded

Re “Parents to serve time for ‘balloon boy’ hoax,” Dec. 24

The most troubling part of this hoax has been underreported. The true victim is “balloon boy” Falcon Heene.

It was reported that he threw up during two TV interviews, apparently stressed from parental coaching to hide and then to lie.

Falcon must have been very confused and upset from essentially being forced by his parents to participate in a deception. This was nothing less than the emotional abuse of a 6-year-old child for the purpose of self-gain.

William J. Goldman

Palos Verdes Estates

Naughty and nice

Re “We’re making a list,” Editorial, Dec. 25

Your “naughty” list omitted one of the worst offenders: Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose outrageous plan to spend more than $700,000 of taxpayer money remodeling his office surely rates a large lump of coal.

Michael Leviton

Encino

::

You put two on the wrong lists. The Council of Washington, D.C., should be on the “naughty” list for legalizing same-sex marriage. Homosexuality is a sin against God.

The voters of Maine should be on the “nice” list. They stood up for traditional marriage, just like the voters in 30 other states.

Dennis Kinney

Santa Ana

::

It’s unconscionable that The Times would find any reason to include Cardinal Roger Mahony on a “nice” list.

Apparently you believe that a zeal for immigration reform is sufficient reason to overlook the cardinal’s history of shielding child molesters.

There should be no good deed that makes us overlook Mahony’s part in doing irreparable damage to so many children.

Rick McGuern

La Verne

Spread the wealth

Re “Santa makes special delivery,” Dec. 21

I am with the Teamsters. We have been volunteering and obtaining food donations for this event for 20 years.

While I am aware there is limited space, since The Times singled out the Walt Disney Co., I believe it should also give credit to the many other companies who help to make this a successful event through their generosity, including Randall Foods, Sysco and Sygma, Ralphs, Bimbo Bakeries, Hostess Brands, Unified Grocers, U.S. Foodservice, DPI Specialty Foods, Coastal Pacific Food Distributors and Romero’s Food Products, which all donated truckloads of food items.

Sam Praw

Northridge

Christmas lessons

Re “Meaning for all,” Opinion, Dec. 25

In the conclusion of her article, Karen Armstrong suggests that we should look to the Christmas story for the inspiration to make a more compassionate world.

How touching. At a time when every issue of The Times brings a story of a religion-inspired carnage, one would think that what we need is less religion, not more. And to suggest that people should reach understanding on the basis of some ridiculous fairy tales is worse than naive. It is an insult to rationality.

Mark M. Bridle

Newport Beach