The closing of a beloved restaurant; France’s banning of the veil; the overuse of the term ‘hero’

An ‘honest meal’

Re “Restaurant closure hard to swallow,” July 22

As a downtown resident, I have to say that the trendy new restaurants where every item is served a la carte and in tiny portions at inflated prices can’t compare to Edward’s Steak House.

As a boy, my parents took me to Edward’s on Alvarado. I will never forget the gracious servers or the nice old man in the parking lot who always helped customers find a space — not to mention the delicious, juicy steaks.

My uncle said that Edward’s was a place where you could get an “ honest meal.” True.

David Tulanian

Los Angeles

Another classic restaurant with caring owners and staff closes, leaving us with just more fast-food places.

It is such a shame. I had so many wonderful dinners there with my parents that when I became a parent, I took my kids there too. What am I ever to do without their homemade apple butter?

Audrey Fox

North Hollywood

Both sides of the veil

Re “Behind France’s veil ploy,” Opinion, July 19

It is ironic that a nation based on the foundation of liberté, égalité, fraternité is passing a measure that will soon destroy these very values its people hold dear. The ban on the veil not only violates an individual’s liberty and right to dress as one desires, no matter how much it may be an affront to the viewer, but also is a strike against fraternity because it leads to disintegration, intolerance and isolation.

With the ban, the French are giving a clear message to one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe: They are not welcome.

It would do France well to take a lesson from President Obama, who has sought to assimilate one of the fastest-growing minorities in America — Muslims — by acknowledging Islam’s contribution to the country and calling America one of the biggest Islamic countries in the world.

Mehwish Shakeel

La Mirada

It is interesting to me that Gregory Rodriguez thinks it is the “immigrant-receiving country” that must change its own so-called cultural values to accommodate newcomers.

That’s absurd. If a nudist decides to live among the clothed, wouldn’t we expect him to put on trousers and shoes? Groups with extreme rules of conduct should not expect accommodation for their out-of-the-norm customs when they step across another country’s borders.

Furthermore, I think Rodriguez has oddly characterized a gross infringement of women’s personal freedom as a “cultural value.” What about stoning women to death if they are accused of adultery, while their male partner walks free? Is that also a cultural value?

France and the United States have served as models of personal freedom for the rest of the world. To allow outside groups to, in effect, strip away equal rights for their female members — or any other segment — would constitute a travesty of justice.

Bravo to the thoughtful French lawmakers for standing up to the wrong-minded notion that immigrants’ rights trump all others. They are guests and should expect to follow the rules of their host country — or expect to be sent home immediately.

Gloria J. Richards

Simi Valley

Fighting over the Zeytun Gospels

Re “When art and religion collide,” Opinion, July 19

Though I appreciate Heghnar Watenpaugh’s overview of the situation surrounding the Zeytun Gospels, the medieval Armenian manuscript, I couldn’t disagree more with her “middle ground” solution to the question of their ownership.

In my view, if the Republic of Armenia would show some backbone in support of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, and the voice of the international art community would speak up in the same way that it eloquently supported the return to their rightful owners of art objects taken during World War II, the missing pages of the Gospel that were taken and misplaced during the Armenian genocide could be brought back to their rightful home, the Mesrop Mashtots Institute in Armenia, and placed for viewing with the rest of the original manuscript.

Bill Simonian

Whittier

Our American hero worship

Re “The harm in hero worship,” Opinion, July 22

For years, as a private citizen as well as a college professor, I have cautioned that the word “hero” has been used so frequently and flippantly to characterize the military, the police, firefighters and anyone else who might be helpful that it has been detrimental to its own definition.

“Hero” is so loosely used that it has become almost meaningless. Everyone who does something noteworthy, no matter how small, has become a hero.

This has unfortunate consequences. It distorts reality, and the word “hero” becomes nothing more than a pallid placeholder in a sentence attempting to describe something very special that perhaps is quite ordinary or even pernicious.

Thank you, William J. Astore. My former students will thank you as well.

And praise to those who have done heroic acts and have professed in print so often: “I am no hero.”

They usually are.

Patrick O’Brien

San Juan Capistrano

I applaud Astore for writing about a sensitive and delicate subject, especially with respect to today’s military.

I understand his rationale about the public wanting to have heroes to worship, and during these times of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, not to mention a flailing economy, Americans need to look to something positive. I believe that today’s servicemen and women also may cringe when a stranger declares them heroes.

But I don’t agree with Astore that the use of the word “hero” on a daily basis distorts the raw reality of war. Many Vietnam veterans, including my brother and I, are dumbfounded by the media’s glorification of today’s military — and we know, truly we know, the consequences of armed combat.

Veterans get the gist of Astore’s point on hero worship. Sadly, a lot of the American people don’t.

Gregory Marcelo

Rancho Palos Verdes

401(k) plans for public workers

Re “Cities and states seek to pare pension benefits,” July 19

Your excellent article on Los Angeles’ and California’s pension problems says that I have called for ending pensions for new hires.

The full picture is that I favor 401(k) retirement plans versus defined-benefit plans for new employees.

The 401(k) plans will protect new employees against the eminent bankruptcy of the city, and can be structured to protect the new employees.

Richard Riordan

Los Angeles

The writer is former mayor of Los Angeles.

Drink up, or demon rum?

Re “What teetotalers may be missing,” Opinion, July 21

Indeed, as Stanton Peele states, “People who have a couple of drinks daily live the longest.”

I applaud those who keep their alcohol consumption within that healthy range, but the survey of “doctors and nurses” he cites is hardly representative of America.

Indeed, it is in Peele’s interest to promote the benefits of alcohol; if we all became teetotalers, he would be out of a job.

Based on personal observation (and no, I am not referring to Lindsay Lohan), the cumulative harm caused by alcohol outweighs any modest benefits. The social cost of alcohol-related premature deaths, domestic violence, lost jobs, financial distress and more is astronomical.

Are we willing to shoulder this burden so that some fortunate individuals may add an extra year or two to their lives?

Katherine Giles

Sherman Oaks