The life of a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto uprising; Iran and the Strait of Hormuz; L.A. Bishop Gabino Zavala, who fathered two children

One man’s legacy

Re “Paying homage to a Holocaust survivor’s firm grip on life,” Column, Jan. 4

I’ve read Kurt Streeter’s column on Warsaw ghetto uprising survivor Leon Weinstein several times; with each read, its impact becomes more profound.

Having married the daughter of Holocaust survivors, I’ve come to learn from a firsthand perspective that Weinstein’s story mirrors that of so many others I’ve heard. As tragic as these memories are, they are nevertheless exceeded by the unimaginable courage of those who survived and went on to build new lives.

In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, their relentless pursuit of freedom will live on through the stories, memories and keepsakes they’ve shared with their children and grandchildren.

May Weinstein rest in peace, and may his family be assured that his legacy will live forever.

Keeping the lid on the strait

Re “Strait talk with Iran,” Opinion, Jan. 4

Haven’t we had enough war? Much of the world’s oil goes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has enough weapons to cause harm to Iraq, and it can do enormous damage to Israel. But it has not attacked anyone. It was the United States that supported Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran in 1980.

Iran is one of the few countries in the area that refuses to bend its ways to the U.S. Iran has Russia and China on its side. Neighboring Shiite countries would support Iran. This could lead to another world war.

This whole things looks like a redux of the Suez Canal fight between Britain and Egypt. This kind of bombast must stop.

Lillian Laskin

Mar Vista

There’s another way to stop Iran from blocking the Strait of Hormuz: Learn to live with the reality that Iran is fast becoming a nuclear power and call off the embargo on its oil. This sure beats going to war.

After all, Pakistan, India and Israel are already members of the nuclear club, and we call them friends.

No one can be unconcerned about nuclear proliferation, but piling on Iran while doing nothing about the others could be seen as unfriendly by the Iranians.

Arthur O. Armstrong

Manhattan Beach

A Catholic bishop’s fall

Re “L.A.-area bishop, father of two, resigns,” Jan. 5

My heart goes out to Bishop Gabino Zavala. He is an exceedingly generous priest and is in so many ways an authentic witness to Christian and Catholic values.

Our Roman Catholic Church is so medieval in its retention of celibacy rules. How can a young seminarian in his 20s make a vow that binds him to an unnatural life? For many priests, what the vow binds them to is a life of painful secrets, coverups and hoping they will not be found out by the faithful or their superiors.

Catholics who favor the celibacy rule for priests should think more about the loneliness in the priest’s life and the terrible isolation of the one who cannot keep that vow.

I am sure Zavala will do many more good things for the church in spite of its regressive attitudes and policies.

Bob Doud

Glendale

Beyond the first paragraphs of the article, there is mention of a letter from Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez. The letter was clear, truthful and sensitive. Deeper into the article, we are reminded of the stands for justice taken by Zavala.

The article is a call for all to reexamine the sacred texts we live by and to find the inspiration we need to live righteously. For Christians, it is an invitation to strip away the allegory from the Gospels to find support for workers’ rights, living wages, healthcare for all, gender equality and inclusiveness and care for the marginalized.

Thank you, Bishop Zavala, for the opportunity to direct our energies toward the common good.

Mary Leah Plante

Los Angeles

Views of Marine base crosses

Re “Crosses and the Constitution,” Editorial, Jan. 4

Thanks for calling on officials at Camp Pendleton to deal with repeated unauthorized plantings of Christian crosses on a remote hill by Marines wanting to honor comrades who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Turning an official blind eye to this ill-considered rogue practice needs to stop. There are respectful and universal ways to commemorate the service of war dead.

Surely Marine Corps brass can devise a memorial that embraces all who have been lost, not only those who once responded to the Christian cross.

Frances O’Neill Zimmerman

La Jolla

With all of the world’s problems these days, it seems unnecessary to fuss over such a trivial issue.

The cross is a world symbol of sacrifice. Many non-Christian individuals died on it, before and after Jesus. If the symbol used by the military had the body of Christ on it, your objections would have meaning. But it is just a generic symbol, unlike an emblem from Islam or Judaism.

There is no problem with any and all religious symbols being used, if that is what people want. Our society flaunts many indecent and less dignified ones on billboards and street signs everywhere with few objections. Let’s put our values in proper perspective for a change.

Rosemary Patterson

Los Angeles

Jail errors

Re “Innocent but in jail,” Editorial, Jan. 4

Our association of deputy sheriffs and district attorney investigators has been working with the sheriff’s command staff and the relevant stakeholders to develop solutions to the real problems we face as public safety professionals.

Those problems include proper staffing levels, adequate resources and securing consistent policies and procedures on the use of force and supervision.

The fact that people are wrongly identified most often starts with one of the more than 40 police agencies that refer inmates to Los Angeles County jails. If there is any question about identity, jail staff make every effort to resolve the issue.

Still, wrongly identified inmate errors occur less than once a day in a system that handles more than 15,000 inmates every day.

Floyd R. Hayhurst

Monterey Park

The writer is president of the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.

On Main Street

Re “Saving the middle,” Column, Jan. 1

I offer to Michael Hiltzik that American middle-class stagnation and income disparity are much more the result of global competition than tax policy.

The rapid rise of our middle class immediately followed World War II, when the U.S. was the major economy left standing. Experimentation with socialism by our former allies and foes further strengthened our position as the world’s foremost capitalist nation.

America’s success motivated nations to adopt our ways, and what we see today is the growth of their middle classes at the expense of ours. The increasing wealth gap is occurring because our nation’s multi-national businesses are successfully tapping into international markets, labor and resources.

Main Street does in fact win when Wall Street wins, but the difference now is that Main Street extends beyond our borders.

Ross Dueber

Camarillo

After the coup

Re “An accountable Honduras,” Editorial, Jan. 2

It is too bad that those who support the 2009 coup in Honduras don’t realize they are supporting plotters who have looked the other way while union members, teachers, activists and others have been assassinated. The coup plotters ignore or promote these acts by their failure to investigate the crimes.

The people of Honduras are waging a heroic, peaceful resistance to the injustices since the coup.

The world is watching, and we will not let the crimes of the coup plotters stand.

Chico Callman

Portland

Charm school?

Re “Resolutions for a better 2012,” Column, Jan. 2

George Skelton’s advice to Jerry Brown is that the governor “get around the state more and sell his agenda and charm to local civic groups.”

Charm? Have I been missing something here?

Robert C. Thompson

Marina del Rey