The latest WikiLeaks release; DREAM Act students; how to fund California’s parks

Safeguarding secrets

Re “Hidden diplomacy exposed,” Nov. 29

The man behind WikiLeaks should be imprisoned for life for leaking classified material and putting lives at risk.

That said, the information regarding kings and other leaders of Arab countries begging the United States to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities before it’s too late is revealing. Israel has been saying the same thing for years.

A severe action against Iran that is called for by polar opposites such as Israel and Saudi Arabia is an action probably worth taking.

Joseph Gold

Redondo Beach

When I was much younger, I served in U.S. Air Force intelligence and was granted a “top secret crypto” security clearance, above “top secret” and the highest level awarded by the federal government. At that time, we would never have considered discussing anything even classified “confidential” (the lowest classification) outside our secure operations area.

We were all well aware that such behavior would have been disloyal in the extreme. That’s why the individuals responsible for such a breach of security should be behind bars. If we sentence people to lengthy terms for financial scams, don’t those scumbags deserve life for

betraying their fellow Americans?

Allen E. Kahn

Playa del Rey

The students we want

Re “Standing up for a Dream,” Nov. 28

Sunday’s front page illustrates the pressing need for immigration reform.

On the one hand you have the story of exemplary college students who hold great promise for California. However, through no fault of their own, they are not legal and are desperately counting on passage of the DREAM Act. Right above the fold is the story of another college student who is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia. He was arrested for trying to set off a bomb in a crowded outdoor plaza in Portland.

Being a legal citizen does not guarantee you are a positive member of society, just as being illegal does not indicate the opposite.

Peggy Jo Abraham

Santa Monica

There’s a Korean folktale: A good Samaritan rescued a drowning man, risking his own life, only to face the man’s angry demand of the knapsack he lost in the process.

Being of Korean descent, UCLA student David Cho probably can relate to it. Contrary to how he feels, he clearly owes something to what he calls a “broken system,” which allowed him to attend a world-class school despite his status, denying thousands of otherwise qualified children of legal California residents.

If Cho wants to find blame, it belongs to his parents, not the system.

Kee Kim

La Habra

If the DREAM Act does not pass, it will show a remarkable degree of unenlightened self-interest. The undocumented students in this article demonstrate all the qualities we want in our students. They are perfect examples of the qualities early emigrants exhibited in coming to America to make the most of themselves.

They have reversed the saying that with rights come responsibilities. They have been responsible, and they have earned the rights.

Gretchen Hays

Pacific Palisades

Too late for the parks

Re “No on 21 — yes on parks,” Editorial, Nov. 26

How nice that The Times is suggesting ways to raise funds for our state parks.

Admittedly, ballot-box budgeting has not been an ideal method for funding anything, but it was a relatively painless way to fund state parks. Not only would Proposition 21 have raised nearly $500 million for current operations, it would have given the parks enough to start working on the backlog of needed work.

Not if, but when parks close, we can have The Times partly to thank because of its philosophical opposition to ballot-box budgeting.

Now what?

Anne Earhart

Corona del Mar

An additional $18 car tax is one of several reasons voters rejected Proposition 21. Perhaps the major reason for the initiative’s failure was the belief that the revenue would be transferred to other programs.

Why not just require a user fee?

Clyde Feldman

Sherman Oaks

They really are wild

Re “GOP has a field of wild cards,” Nov. 28

It is disappointing that The Times, a pretty reasonable newspaper, would run this article on the front page only a few weeks after the election. To speculate at this very early date whom the Republican Party might support in a presidential election two years from now only fuels a disconnect between the public and the elected officials who are in office right now.

The media should allow those elected officials the time and focus to do their jobs instead of forcing them to think about the next election.

Maybe you could simply report on how well, or poorly, our leaders are doing their jobs.

Dennis Bailey

North Hollywood

The GOP has constructed a House of wild cards, with the stated intent to bring down the lawfully elected president; by using a stacked deck of jokers, it would also bring down our nation.

Californians fought off the moneyed candidates who wished to privatize our state and continue their bad governance to benefit the richest 2% of Americans.

Hopefully we won’t allow the House of GOP wild cards to continue the collapse of our country.

Jerold Drucker

Camarillo

Dollars and oil in Alaska

Re “Don’t drill, baby!” Editorial, Nov. 24

The primary reason for wanting to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not to lower the price of oil, as your editorial suggests, but to help reduce the massive transfer of wealth from the U.S. to major oil exporting countries. With oil produced here, we create jobs and keep the money in the U.S.

I have to believe, especially after the BP spill, that there would be sufficient government oversight to ensure that any drilling is done in a way that minimizes the environmental impact.

It’s time to use some common sense in carefully exploiting our resources for our own economic benefit without being bamboozled by alarmist environmentalist arguments.

Glynn Morris

Playa del Rey

To consider drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge while Americans by the millions are driving grossly inefficient vehicles is shortsighted in the extreme.

We are mere weeks away from the introduction of moderately priced electric cars that burn no oil. Carmakers worldwide are developing a wide variety of electrically-powered cars, trucks and SUVs that will replace internal combustion vehicles.

The easiest and fastest way to reduce the price of gas is by reducing the demand. Electric vehicles will do just that.

Leave the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s oil in the ground. Leave the polar bears alone.

Robert Siebert

Orange

Peacemakers?

Re “Confirm Liu, quickly,” Editorial, Nov. 27

“Republicans … should declare a truce”? Unilaterally?

Here’s a thought: Let the Democrats make the first move and nominate Miguel Estrada to the federal bench, and then we can talk.

Geoffrey Cushing-Murray

Studio City