Charlotte Allen on mixing politics and religion; a $10-million gift to UCLA; and a New Yorker’s take on Hurricane Irene

God and country

Re “Politics and religion can mix,” Opinion, Aug. 28

Because the flaws in this article are too numerous to list, I’ll comment on just one.

When a religion accepts the generous gift of tax-free status from our secular government, it breaks the contract if it continues to tell the country how it ought to live according to any particular religion.

For example: How to vote, a woman’s right to choose, stem cell research, creationism in place of science, denial of settled science on global warming, evolution, who will be allowed to marry, eye-for-an-eye death penalties or which God to pray to as a plan to solve real problems.

In this country, so far at least, it’s not legal to use public money to advance anyone’s private religion.

Karl Johnson

Studio City

Congratulations are in order, as Sunday’s Times provided its readers with the quintessential teaching moment.

In one Op-Ed article, we have Charlotte Allen theorizing how wonderful our national dynamic would be if we would mix politics and religion.

In a second piece, we have Eugene Linden providing us with a factual chronology of how citizens are placed in harm’s way when some U.S. governors deny climate change and permit an ideology to trump science.

As the old saying goes: “Tis a sad experience when a beautiful theory is trumped by an ugly fact.”

Frank Ferrone

El Cajon

The problem with Allen’s argument is one of false equivalency.

Liberals do sometimes excessively criticize a candidate’s strong right-wing assertions when they come sprinkled with religious doctrine.

Unfortunately, when evangelicals perceive public policies as conflicting with the Bible, their reaction is all too often gut-level threats issued with fearsome language.

There is no comparison.

Ken Feldman

Chino Hills

I am a Roman Catholic, and I agree that fundamental religious values and politics can mix.

An expression of fundamental values found in many religions is: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

This is not just about personal charity but also about economic and social justice. Political decisions shape our economic and social structures.

As the hymn says: “Not to preach our creeds or customs. But to build a bridge of care. We join hands across the nations, finding neighbors everywhere.”

Doris Isolini Nelson

Los Angeles

It is incorrect and insulting for the author to equate tikkun olam with anything close to dominionism.

Our synagogue cooks and serves dinner monthly at a transitional homeless shelter, has sponsored a community symposium to raise awareness of the genocide in Darfur and participates in an annual interfaith Thanksgiving service with churches in our city.

That’s not pushing any religious agenda; it’s truly what we do to make the world a better place.

Phillip Hain

Glendale

Allen offers not one logical fact countering leftist fears.

We just have to take it on faith that Christian literalists won’t push their biblical agenda?

The biggest issue I (an atheist) have with any “the Bible is the word of God” candidate becoming a leader is that they disbelieve science.

Evolution is a scientific fact. Science is mankind’s truth about the world, at this point in time.

A leader who disregards the truth about the world is a leader who can easily make fatal policy decisions.

Don’t believe in climate change? You could finish off the U.S. financially.

Believe you can pray away some new problem (say a new killer virus)? You have the potential to extinguish the human race.

And we shouldn’t be afraid?

Dave Koepke

West Hills

So politics and religion can mix?

I wish Allen could have told us how to do that instead of ranting about the “paranoid intelligentsia” and the “religious-fearing left.”

We hear from her that liberals are warning people that the religious right will be “teaching creationism in the schools.” Does she not know that that is already occurring?

I don’t believe that politics and religion can mix, but I believe that politics and morality can, and should.

Morality is knowing and acting on the differences between right and wrong. You can be moral without being religious. Webster’s definition of “moral” does not mention “religious.” Webster’s “religious” does not mention “moral.”

They are not synonymous. One is about right and wrong, and the other about faithfulness to a deity.

Mary Hochenauer

Long Beach

Grateful for the $10 million

Re “UCLA’s $10-million dilemma,” Editorial, Aug. 30

With state support for public universities in decline, UCLA today relies on generosity more than ever to foster cutting-edge research and provide quality education. At times like this, we turn to great Californians such as Lowell Milken.

Our school of law first approached Milken, a successful alumnus and generous donor whose philanthropy and commitment to education dates back three decades, for help. He gave us his time, as always, and was excited by our vision of enriching our business law and policy program.

For Milken, this was never about him. Nonetheless, we chose to name the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy after him, an honor we bestow on all substantive donors.

Milken offered us

$10 million, with no strings attached. Although our staff goes through a routine process of evaluating every gift, there was never any question of whether to accept this one. Milken’s is a gift back to the university he loves and an investment in the future of California.

Gene Block

Los Angeles

The writer is the chancellor of UCLA.

A storm’s silver lining

Re “Goodnight, Irene,” Opinion, Aug. 30

Thank you so much for publishing this article and John Kenney for writing it!

He described the media circus and caught the mood of New Yorkers perfectly. As he wrote: “Right now, and you’re dying, says Fox. Also, we’ve just listened to your voice mail.”

My morning coffee up my nose — brilliant.

Alexis M. Dragony

Long Beach

I am amazed that The Times would print this piece.

It seems to me that the author was disappointed his city wasn’t hit as hard as was expected and he was making fun of all the precautions that were being televised.

I found the article to be very thoughtless while so many are suffering.

Suzanne K. Wernett

Mission Viejo

Santa Monica’s unfriendly skies

Re “Small plane crashes into home,” Aug. 30

Twenty years ago, an occasional plane was a delight to my toddler; now it is a nightmare to me and my community.

Expansion of Santa Monica Airport brought with it larger planes, jets and numerous flight schools.

Today, pilots practicing touch-and-go landings fly a tight circle over the residential neighborhoods of Venice and Mar Vista.

The noise is constant and unbearable, the lead fuel hazardous. The possibility of a catastrophic crash is proven.

This crash occurred at 2:30 p.m. By 5 p.m., the flight school planes had returned overhead.

Trudi Sturgeon

Venice

The cost of fighting terror

Re “9/11: Ten years after / Has all the spending paid off?” Aug. 28

The cost for our nation’s security and for the wars we have been waging surely is the reason for our economic meltdown.

Al Qaeda has won.

Sally Cook

Granada Hills