Letters to the editor

Another war on the horizon?

Re “Avoiding WWIII” and “Congress vs. Tehran,” editorials, Oct. 20

Let’s face it, the move to label Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as “terrorists” is an attempt by the Israel lobby to move us another step closer to war with Iran. Israel would like nothing better than to have the United States take on Iran in order to eliminate Hezbollah’s chief sponsor and arms supplier.

Beyond escalating hostilities and opening the door for the Bush administration to involve us in another military debacle, use of the terrorist designation against Iran would be looked on by the world as yet another example of American hypocrisy. After all, many would argue that our own CIA -- which armed Afghan guerrillas against the Soviets in the 1980s; has been involved in kidnapping, torture and assassination, and is currently supporting guerrilla groups in Iran that wish to overthrow the Iranian government -- should be at the top of our list of terrorist organizations.

Kenneth Gozlyn

San Francisco

If I were an Iranian official, I can think of no greater spur to developing nuclear weapons as quickly as possible than having the world’s greatest war-mongering power threaten me while having thousands of troops on my eastern and western borders, and to the south in the Persian Gulf -- accompanied by television shots of Rambo-like Blackwater thugs careening through the streets of Baghdad killing innocent citizens.

Give Iran a reason to cease the development.

Anthony Shay

Los Angeles

Your two editorials on Saturday were welcome, and I hope they will receive widespread approbation from your readers.

If there had been more editorials in a similar spirit by our press before the incursion into Iraq, many lives would have been saved and our nation would be on a stronger economic footing.

Because of its large stock of short-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, Iran could inflict serious damage on our forces in Iraq, including on our naval vessels in the Persian Gulf, thereby leading to a death toll exceeding in a few days what our armed forces have suffered during the last four years.

Alternatively, it might rely on antiaircraft rockets to try to shoot down incoming bombers and missiles, and then take the matter to the United Nations, thereby not fueling World War III and keeping the petrodollars pipelines flowing.

Frank R.

Tangherlini

San Diego

Your otherwise excellent editorial regrettably perpetuates an element of war propaganda -- that Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened to wipe Israel off the map. The accurate translation of what he said is that Israel should fall from the page of history.

While it is no pat on the back, neither is it a threat. It would be folly for Iran to threaten the Middle East’s only nuclear power.

The contemplated war would be catastrophic for the world, starting with U.S. troops in Iraq.

Anthony Saidy

Los Angeles

After filtering out all the Bush bashing from The Times’ editorial, I came up with this: Wait until Iran has the bomb. Do nothing.

Steven Lachman

La Quinta

Energy and the environment

Re “Expo puts environment in the driver’s seat,” Oct. 21

I couldn’t attend the Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo this year, so I was relying on The Times’ coverage for details about what advances manufacturers have made and what’s on the horizon. But most of this article covered an SUV-driving family who came to the Expo to scoff at alternatives to their 14-mile-per-gallon Ford Explorer XLT and complain that recharging electric cars is an inconvenience. This trivialization of an important story does a disservice to readers. In addition, The Times disparagingly describes the event’s audience as “plenty of bicycle advocates, vegans and people worried about their carbon footprint.” I expect this kind of snarky bias from Fox News, but I don’t accept this kind of dismissive, juvenile commentary in a Times news story.

Joe Galliani

Redondo Beach

I drove to the Expo in my 4-year-old, all-electric Toyota RAV4 EV, which runs on solar power supplied by photovoltaic panels on the roof of my house. The car charges while I sleep and reliably transports me more than 100 miles between charges, at top freeway speeds. The RAV4 EV is no longer manufactured, so I went to the Expo to see what would be available in the next few years. I don’t consider the electric car an inconvenience or “an environmental fashion statement.” I consider it a viable alternative to war, cancer-causing pollution and worsening climate change. Anyone who drives such a car is helping everyone.

Moira Nelson

Hermosa Beach

The other side of the blue line

Re “The blue you don’t see,” Opinion, Oct. 21

Robert C.J. Parry hit the nail on the head when he castigated The Times for its anti-police stance. L.A. has a lower per-capita ratio of police to citizens than most big cities, and the number of street cops who do the work of protecting the city is getting harder to maintain. This in turn leads to overworked men and women in uniform and a greater chance of tangling with the criminal element on a daily basis -- and a higher risk of getting second-guessed for doing the work the majority of their superiors can only imagine from their safe offices.

Those who suffer from cop bashing by The Times are taxpayers who have to rely on an understaffed police department that is overly cautious of political correctness run amok.

Fred Romero

Simi Valley

The writer is a retired L.A. police officer.

Thank you, Robert C.J. Parry, for writing what many people feel about the L.A. Police Department. Readers may or may not agree but deserve to hear this side of the argument.

David N. Cook

Oxnard

Lacking resources to fight fires

Re “1,155 homes -- and counting,” Oct. 24

Now that we see what can happen -- and not what just might happen -- when we cut governmental services to the bone and our fire departments are unable to cope with an emergency, all I can say is: Thank you, Howard Jarvis and Paul Gann and selfish voters of California for Proposition 13, which gutted our fire and police departments and strapped local communities and thus the state. Penny-wise and pound-foolish.

David G. Porter

Anaheim

It’s ironic that the United States spends billions of dollars building and maintaining warplanes so Americans can kill people all over the world, but we have very limited aircraft for fighting wildfires.

Michael Hahn

Highland, Calif.

Remember Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s $45-million tax break for yacht owners? I wonder how many firefighting airplanes it could have bought?

Joel Pressman

Los Angeles

Why is it that every time a natural disaster occurs, people blame the government instead of looking at themselves? Let’s take these fires, for example. Our local government allows contractors to make millions building homes in areas they shouldn’t be built in. These areas, known to be fire prone, are a dollar sign to developers and to politicians, who did not complain when these homes were built.

Developers are running amok in our hills and in our politicians’ pocketbooks and not providing the proper clearance, taking the homes right up to the edge of destruction. Stop counting on the feds to clean up the mess you made.

Paul Ruiz

Brea

Re “Thousands relive a disaster,” Oct. 23

So San Diego faces another inferno after voters refuse to pay for new fire stations and equipment? I bet those morons are crying big, fire-quenching tears about now.

Laura Kaufman

Pasadena

Re “Ex-San Diego fire chief won’t say, ‘I told you so. . . ‘ “ column, Oct. 24

It seems that the San Diego Republican Party has reaped the results of its political philosophy. Working to get rid of big government shorted the county of firefighters and equipment.

Removing government bureaucracy, and in particular those intrusive government regulations for fire prevention, enabled county residents to live in and build homes susceptible to fire.

To be true to Republican values, federal welfare and assistance must be denied. Only those with sufficient private funds should be rebuilding. Somehow, I don’t think that will happen though. The same people who disparage government aid for the unfortunate are already on the news demanding help.

How many fires will it take before San Diego County faces up to its responsibilities and hires enough firefighters and purchases enough equipment?

Kathryn Pisaro

Valencia