Steve Lopez’s column on the busboy who comforted Robert F. Kennedy; curfews on beaches; California’s Democratic majority

Dignity amid tragedy

Re “Kneeling again next to RFK,” Column, Nov. 21

Thanks to Steve Lopez for his moving column on Juan Romero. May it stand as a reminder that no matter how many draconian Arizona laws or Proposition 187s pass, you cannot take away the human dignity of those who are here to work and make a living.

It must bring the Kennedy family some solace that in that horrible moment, on the cold floor of that pantry, there was someone of conscience to comfort Robert F. Kennedy in the only way he could. It is at the same time both the worst of humanity and the best.

I thank Romero for exhibiting the best of humanity at a crucial moment of our nation’s history.

David Perez

Pasadena

I was in graduate school at UCLA when Bobby Kennedy was shot. My friends and I followed RFK’s trajectory and friendship with Cesar Chavez with fascination.

RFK’s death, following so closely the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., caused many of us who were in our 20s at the time almost to leave this country in horror at the level of senseless violence.

Though there have been sporadic articles and television programs about Romero over the years, none explored his feelings about the tragedy he witnessed. Romero’s sense of guilt is human and understandable. As usual, in a few hundred words, Lopez went straight to the heart of the matter.

Diana Grilli

Los Angeles

FOR THE RECORD:
Hometown: Los Angeles resident Diana Grilli’s letter on Nov. 24 incorrectly identified her hometown as Pasadena. —

I have, over the years, wondered what could have been had Bobby Kennedy lived. With his death and the murder of King, the liberal movement in America was dealt a near-fatal blow.

Instead of an RFK presidency of “wisdom and compassion,” we got Richard Nixon’s paranoia, Watergate and the politics of hate that still poison the political and social discourse today.

Eugene Sison

San Dimas

On the beach at all hours

Re “Kicking sand at beach curfews,” Nov. 19

I don’t get the city’s logic on closing beaches to keep crime down. You close any area and the crime rate will drop in that area. That doesn’t mean the crime goes away; it just moves somewhere else.

The city could close down all of South L.A. and impose a curfew. Should it? No. Nor should it keep residents from enjoying our land and beaches any time we want.

And while we’re at it, open the beaches for dogs and their owners. I’m tired of driving to Ventura to take my dog to the beach. We should be able to enjoy the beaches close to our homes.

Eric Andrist

Valley Village

I agree with the Coastal Commission, though I understand the concerns of the cities.

Though banning the use of late-night alcohol, litter and maybe even campfires at beaches are good ideas, any step in the direction of prohibiting the mere enjoyment of the beach at night is of grave concern.

Somewhere within all of us resides a rich yearning to experience the earthly beauty and power of the ocean’s shore late at night before a worldly bustle kicks into full gear. No modern comfort or illusion could take the place of this experience.

David Martinez

Ventura

In California, it’s one party

Re “For GOP, state is a deep blue hole,” Nov. 19

What should the California Republican Party do to be more successful? The answer is nothing.

The GOP can do nothing to overcome the entitlement mentality of the electorate. The road to redemption has been paved over by the road to perdition.

Voters repudiated the Republican stance on illegal immigration. Voters also accept same-sex marriage by a 3-to-1 margin. They want to regulate corporations. They also reject arguments that an activist role for government has harmed the fabric of American society.

California is well on its way to becoming the nation’s first Third World state. As California goes, so goes the nation.

Joseph A. Lea

Mission Viejo

When I saw in your poll results that many Republicans favor “true conservatives,” I briefly imagined you meant a fiscal conservative who is socially liberal. After a moment I realized you meant someone who is opportunistic yet unelectable, ineffective, uninformed about basic economics or finance and ideologically rigid — your basic Sarah Palin.

Jerry Brown will do more to straighten out California’s financial problems than Meg Whitman could ever have done. I will consider voting Republican again when I trust a GOP candidate’s ability to lead rather than posture.

Jim Ketcham

Malibu

It seems to me the deep blue hole referenced in your article has California in a deep red hole.

Randy Morris

Hemet

Review rules

Re “Whose concerns will make the cut?” Business, Nov. 16

David Lazarus gives the impression that all reports in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s public-backed database will be vetted. Here are the facts:

The commission’s proposal includes no requirement that reports of harm submitted to the database be verified for accuracy before they are posted.

If a manufacturer claims that a report is inaccurate, there is no requirement or even incentive for the commission to review or make a determination on such claims.

To make the database more reliable for consumers, I have proposed an alternative rule that improves on these areas; I hope my fellow commissioners will consider it.

Without such changes, the commission’s saferproducts.gov database will be useless to the very consumers the commission claims to be helping.

Anne M. Northup

Bethesda, Md.

The writer is a commissioner on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Foreign ‘tea’

Re “ ‘Tea party’ trouble on foreign policy,” Opinion, Nov. 18

Simply amazing. The Republican Party and the “tea party” claim to truly represent the will of the American people. Yet even when poll after poll shows that most Americans oppose the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and want us to quit both countries immediately, the Republicans and tea partyers want to start a third war — this one in Iran.

The United States government and economy are nearly bankrupt, the Muslim world largely already believes the U.S. is out to destroy it, and yet the right wing wants to push our nation’s economy and diplomatic integrity into the abyss.

And for what? To deny President Obama a second term?

Truly astounding.

Rob Jenkins

Huntington Beach

Off target

Re “GOP governors target public employee unions,” Nov. 19

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says that public employees are “over-benefited and overpaid.” Teachers are overpaid? Is he serious?

I understand that people are frustrated by the lack of jobs in this economy, but placing the blame on public employees has to stop.

I’ve been a public safety employee for 24 years. During the good times, some of my co-workers left public employment to make huge salaries. Over the past two years, many people have complained that public safety pensions are outrageous. I wonder if these complainers would still feel that way if being physically attacked or running into burning buildings were part of the job.

S.A. Strong

Fullerton

1,000 words

When my wife and I saw the Nov. 20 front-page photo of two white guys holding umbrellas to protect our black president from the rain, we burst out laughing.

Perhaps our delighted response is related to our experiences in Selma, Ala., in 1964. Unbelievable then; amazing now.

I love my evolving country.

Ron Soderquist

Thousand Oaks