Capistrano Unified School District strike; religion and Supreme Court nominees; Jonah Goldberg on the tea partyers

When teachers strike

Re “Hundreds of Capistrano district teachers strike,” April 23

I am a student at one of the Capistrano Unified School District high schools. I have been asked to wear various colors this week to support either the school district or the teachers. But after thinking about it, I have decided that I support neither.

This is the third strike I have been affected by in the last seven years: the grocery strike, the SAG strike and now the CUSD teacher strike. I do not like strikes at all, nor do I see them as effective. The students’ educations are being jeopardized. It’s not their fault that the school district has poor money-handling skills or that the country is in a recession.

The teachers told the kids to turn around and go home, and they enforced it by blocking the entrance to the student lot. It is hard for me to believe the teachers when they say they are “for the students” when they act like this.

Ashley Sutherland
Rancho Santa Margarita

The Capistrano Unified school board is demonstrating a lack of leadership at a time when leadership is urgently needed. While teachers are willing to make temporary sacrifices, the board has escalated the fight so that it now affects students.

The board members’ obligation is to the education of the students. The permanent pay cuts imposed showed a lack of foresight and a lack of respect for teachers. The board indicated it has a one-year window to resolve the budget crisis. In the meantime, make the pay cuts temporary and get the teachers and the kids back in the classroom where they belong.

Michael Rubino
San Pedro

Red lightsmean stop

Re “Stopping red-light cameras,” April 23

The mayor of Anaheim has it all wrong regarding red-light cameras. While revenue is a byproduct of such devices, the main reason for installing them is to reduce the number of people running red lights, thereby decreasing accidents and deaths.

Having been a victim of two accidents caused by someone running a red light, and losing a friend because someone ran a red light and killed him, I am all for red-light cameras. The city I live in installed such cameras and, within three months, the decrease in people running red lights at the intersection in question was obvious. Sadly, they took down the camera for construction.

Only those who violate the law are against such devices. If only one life is saved because someone thought twice about running a red light, then it’s worth it.

Cecil Beare
Indian Wells, Calif.

Regarding rear-end collisions when “motorists brake suddenly to avoid being caught on camera running a red light”:

Whatever happened to braking to avoid running a red light? Is our entire motivation not getting caught? Pretty disgusting, if you ask me.

Pat Mauer
Pasadena

Religion and the high court

Re “Faith’s role in picking a new justice,” April 22

I disagree with statements made by Pepperdine law professor Mark Scarberry that “having Protestant representation was key” to avoid the “undermining of confidence in the court.” Religion has no place in our justice system. To think that the next Supreme Court justice might be selected based on religious affiliation concerns me greatly.

Where, exactly, do you draw the line? What about atheists, agnostics, Buddhists and every other type of belief practiced in the U.S.?

Is nobody outside the Protestant, Catholic or Jewish faith qualified to fairly interpret the law of our country and deliver an unbiased opinion?

Better would be to have a bench of justices professing no affiliation to any faith to ensure unbiased decisions made strictly upon law and not religious doctrine.

Karen Bloom
Chino Hills

Silly me, I thought justices were selected for knowledge of the law, not belief in religion.

Pam Wright
Pasadena

Not so safe

Re “Oil rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico; 11 still missing,” April 23

So much for the oil industry’s assurances that modern technology makes oil spills next to impossible.

“Drill, baby drill!” Right, Sarah.

Jon Rowe
Costa Mesa

A true test for ‘tea partyers’

Re “It’s also a Bush backlash,” Opinion, April 20

Jonah Goldberg tries to make a sophisticated argument to obscure a simple truth.

The fact is that whenever a Democrat occupies the White House, the country must expect violent, anti-government rhetoric from the far right. In the mid-’90s, when Bill Clinton was president, we had the militia movement claiming that the federal government was going to attack them and take away their guns, along with their individual liberties.

Today, we have “tea partyers” and 2nd Amendment enthusiasts making similar claims.

If, as Goldberg says, partisanship isn’t the answer, why were they silent on the subject of individual liberties during the abuses of the Bush years, such as warrantless wiretaps of American citizens?

Randy Steinberg
Beverly Hills

I’m concerned that Goldberg may have pulled a muscle twisting as he did to get to his defense of tea partyers’ logic. “We won’t get fooled again”? Seriously?

Russ Woody
Studio City

Toyota defends SMART

Re “Toyota response to complaints takes on a confrontational tone,” Business, April 9

Toyota strongly objects to The Times’ portrayal of our SMART initiative as an effort to discredit customers. Our SMART team process is part of our pledge to Toyota owners and Congress to respond more quickly to reports of unintended acceleration and customer concerns.

Each investigation cited involved the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration or local law enforcement. Our SMART process helps provide reliable, scientific evidence for such investigations while allowing us to identify potential defect trends in the field.

The story claims that a recent investigation “backfired” for Toyota because there was no driver error, but identifying an improperly installed pedal remedy as the issue was, in fact, a SMART team success.

Toyota’s SMART approach, supported by sophisticated vehicle diagnostics, is a service to customers and should not be confused with our legitimate efforts to counter the speculative and unscientific allegations of some critics.

Mike Michels
Torrance
The writer is vice president, communications, for Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.

Left out of the new Pauley

Re “Putting Pauley back together,” Opinion, April 19

My father, a UCLA alumnus, has had the same season tickets to basketball games for almost 50 years. As a result of the remodeling being done to Pauley Pavilion, my father will no longer be able to renew his tickets, as his seats are being taken away by UCLA in favor of others who have made donations for the remodeling.

Chancellor Gene Block is missing the big picture when he states that there are those who would have taken UCLA to task for not improving and preserving Pauley. My father would have been happier with the status quo. This change is eliminating one of his great joys in life. Shame on UCLA for having no compassion, loyalty or integrity in dealing with loyal alumni supporters.

Bernard Hoffman
Los Angeles