Letter -- Tony Roggero

I take strong exception to your Jan. 31 editorial criticizing Carol

Liu’s legislation governing the use of cell phones by students for

emergencies in public schools.

Currently, the law forbids students from using cell phones on campus.

Liu’s legislation would give local school boards the authority to permit

students to use cell phones for emergencies.

What’s wrong with giving local school boards this authority? After

all, that’s why school boards exist -- to set local policy. Local control

is good. But rather than argue the merits of local control, you argued

that cell phones don’t make a difference in emergencies and cited the

Sept. 11 disaster as an example. Your editorial stated, “It must be noted

that all the cell phones possessed by the victims of Sept. 11 didn’t help

them one bit.”

Wow, are you wrong! Cell phones prevented an even bigger disaster.

Remember the third plane crash on Sept. 11? It was headed for the White

House until the passengers overpowered the crew and crashed it in a rural

area. Thanks to cell-phone conversations, the passengers realized the

true intentions of the hijackers and took action. Without cell phones,

Sept. 11 would have been much worse.

TONY ROGGERO

Glendale