Hidden ramifications

Re: your Aug. 22 article, "Battle over proposed state gay marriage ban heating up in county":

There is good reason why this battle is heating up. When our state Supreme Court overruled the 2000 marriage initiative, those judges set this society on course for a dangerous experiment. Words like "freedom," "fairness" and "equality," as The Star quotes, sound harmless enough. So does the idea of two consenting adults wanting a marriage contract to ratify their affection for each other.

But, at heart, the opponents of Proposition 8 propose something far worse. If they successfully legalize same-sex marriage, other government activities and policies come into play that had not been planned for. School curricula — starting at the elementary level — would have to be changed to suit a societal shift that has been rejected worldwide for millennia. This will no doubt create a clash between public schools and the very real right of parents to teach their children traditional standards of morality.

Another area concerns adoption. Religious adoption agencies are being challenged on their right to follow their beliefs in placing children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston has stopped offering adoption services because of this.

Forty-four states have passed legislation protecting traditional marriage — 27 by constitutional amendments. We must follow suit. Our proposed amendment would not affect already established rights such as medical care or right of employment. Those who oppose this measure, as described by The Star, have it wrong: It is all about sexual orientation, and they know it. They have all the civil rights to which they are entitled and then some. All we ask is that you respect the integrity of the family. Please vote yes on Proposition 8.

— Joe Hernandez, Thousand Oaks

Irradiation not the answer

Re: your Aug. 22 article, "Irradiation of leafy produce OK'd":

Irradiated food is detrimental to our health, period.

This Associated Press article failed to address significant issues. Consumers aren't clamoring for irradiated food; consumers want safe, clean food. Standard food safety rules are in place. Consumers want food-processing companies and government agencies to do their job.

This article states consumers are leery of irradiated food because of the radiation that might be in it. Leftover radiation is not the issue, it is what irradiation does to the food itself. This authoritative Internet article: "Ten Top Reasons For Opposing Food Irradiation," at http://www.rense.com/general10/topten.htm, is quite informative. Some summarized reasons:

— Irradiation masks and encourages filthy conditions in slaughterhouses and food-processing plants. Irradiation can kill most bacteria in food, but does nothing to remove the feces, urine, pus and vomit that often contaminates beef, pork, chicken and other meat. Irradiation will not kill the pathogen that causes mad cow disease.

— Irradiation destroys vitamins, essential fatty acids and other nutrients in food — sometimes significantly.

— Irradiation disrupts the chemical composition of everything in its path — not just harmful bacteria, which the food industry often asserts. Scores of new chemicals called "radiolytic products" are formed by irradiation — chemicals that do not naturally occur in food and that the FDA has never studied for safety.

Who benefits? Large agri-businesses and grocery manufacturers groups stand to benefit. And don't forget the irradiation industry and those associated with it.

Who suffers? A multitude of family farmers, not in a position to comply with new irradiation rules, might well suffer, and the health and vitality of all who eat irradiated foods will most definitely be compromised.

— Ellyn Sutton, Simi Valley

Don't forget Libertarians

If you're fed up with the two major presidential candidates, you are not alone. An Aug. 15 Zogby poll shows 55 percent of voters want Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate, included in the presidential debates.

Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain are dealing with the issues. Obama just wants to play Santa Claus with your money. McCain wants to keep our troops in Iraq for a hundred years. Both are willing to throw your prosperity under the bus, crushed by the $9 trillion U.S. debt — and $5 trillion more to come with the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac meltdown.

Many people liked Ron Paul's messages of freedom, sound money and anti-Iraq war. Unfortunately, the Republican Party "tent" is big enough to have convention speeches by liberals like Rudy Giuliani and Joe Lieberman and the usual "neocons," but not big enough to let real conservatives like Paul speak.

The Republican tent also became too small for Barr, who was a Republican congressman from Georgia for eight years. Barr is now carrying on Paul's freedom revolution supported by people who are fed up with the size of government, the Iraq war and violations of our civil liberties. In a CNN interview, Paul said he thinks Barr "is running a very important race, and I'm encouraging him. I haven't endorsed him, but he's saying the kind of things I like to hear said, and I hope he does real well."

This year, you have a choice for real change — someone who will get us out of Iraq now, not in 2011 or a hundred years; who will deal with our $9 trillion debt; and who will defend your liberties. I urge you to check out some YouTube videos on Bob Barr and the Libertarian Party.

— Bruce K. Bell, Moorpark

Stage Door's curtain call

Re: your Aug. 19 article, "Agoura Hills' Stage Door Theatre is closing after 28 years":

Thank you for alerting the fans of the beloved Agoura Hills' Stage Door Theatre of its coming demise. This was indeed a public service announcement and a shock to those of us who had no knowledge of the problems this little theater and its caring owners faced.

Losing this little pearl of history on Agoura Road to an impasse in lease negotiations is just so sad. Not only will the historic theater vanish, but even more of a loss will be the loving and active community of thespians and their fans who embraced this tiny 49-seat theater and kept it going for 28 years.

What's the matter with us? Why can't we show some support for the longtime owners and heart of this theater — Gale Trumbeaux and husband Mike Monteleone. They've given us their hearts, brains, years and sweat. They've contributed to inspiring and nurturing a future group of theater lovers to ensure that we are going to continue to enjoy good theater and camaraderie for a very long time. Or would you rather have another office building, extended-stay hotel or fast-food operation in its place?

Does it even bother you?

— Carol Rosenberg, Agoura Hills

Look for more oil now

Re: Thomas D. Elias' Aug. 15 commentary, "Drilling more oil will never lower gas prices":

I liked this commentary very much. It brings out some good points, especially about the U.S. refinery capacity and the conspiring of the major oil companies not to increase it. It's a shame how corporate giants attempt to manipulate the oil market to force up prices and their profits.

I would like to bring up one major point Elias may not be aware of or chose not to bring forward: the long-term U.S. decline of oil production. The Star did a very good article recently about the decline in oil production from existing wells in Ventura County, California and the U.S. If I recall correctly, U.S. oil production rate is declining about 5 to 10 percent per year. If this decline continues, as would be expected, the oil refineries will not have enough oil to refine in a matter of a few years.

As we have heard lately, it will take 10 years before any new oil fields would be on line to produce oil. We've been told this for 30 years. It is well past time the U.S. start exploring for "new" oil within our boundaries. Otherwise, for sure, we will be importing more in the future.

I am all for developing new sources of energy — photovoltaic, solar, wind, hydrogen, etc. — but since the alternative-energy tax credit bill failed, it's going to take a lot longer for alternative energy to become economically feasible and make a dent in the amount of oil imported into the U.S.

— Ray Benny, Oak View

Ventura cyclists face hazards

On a recent bike ride along Leland Street and the auto dealerships, I tested my helmet as a result of hazards placed on the sidewalk. A startling wallop came from my helmet as I hit the sidewalk. Fortunately, I was only scratched and bruised.

I've always been afraid of riding a bike on roads while traffic zooms by. I cringe when I see children using bike lanes on the busy streets. Fortunately, the laws of Ventura allow bikers to use sidewalks, with the exceptions of the downtown business district — Ventura Avenue to Ash Street, Poli Street to Harbor Boulevard — and on shopping center walkways.

I now recognize that public sidewalks are where many man-made hazards are being placed. Surprisingly, most of the hazards I've seen were put there by business owners.

Examples:

— Ventura Auto Center vehicles parked in the middle of public sidewalks.

— Auto Center signs placed on the public sidewalks.

— Auto Center balloons and banners flying at neck and head level. Balloon strings create an instant garrote across your path as the balloons react to sudden wind gusts. Garrote and banner-in-the-face problems can be seen in front of a number of businesses in Ventura.

I've experienced all these hazards and was toppled from my bike because of one of them.

You can help. When you see a sidewalk hazard, ask the proprietors to please remove it. They probably haven't considered the implications of what they've done.

If that fails or a vehicle is the hazard, call Traffic and Parking Enforcement, 650-8010. For other hazards on sidewalks — signs, flags, etc. — call Ventura Code Enforcement, at 658-4711.

— Ron Paulinski, Ventura

True Catholic isn't pro-choice

How is it possible that two politicians, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, can proclaim to be Catholic and be pro-choice and against the most basic right we as humans have — the right to life. Pelosi said on "Meet The Press" on a Sunday, the day of our Lord, that she was a devout practicing Catholic but rejects the church's teaching that abortion is murder. The same is true for Biden being Catholic and pro-choice.

You can't be Catholic and allow the unborn to be killed through abortion!

— Kevin Williams, Oxnard

Scary proposition

Re: Linda Declusin's Aug. 5 commentary, "Camarillo could be paradise lost":

This commentary brings into focus the enormous impact this project will have on our Camarillo community. The proposed hospital with 1,500 beds would be six times the size of St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. This is scary. A little research reveals this number of beds would mean the prison hospital would have more beds than some of the largest U.S. hospitals.

Two of the largest hospitals in New York City, Belleview Hospital (809 beds) and Kings County hospital (627 beds), combined, have fewer beds than the proposed prison hospital. If you'd ever had the opportunity to visit either of these hospitals, you would see the vastness of the conflagration that surrounds them.

Those who have visited the larger hospitals in Southern California have seen similar conditions there. A few examples:

— The Veterans Affairs hospital in West Los Angeles is the largest hospital in the VA healthcare system. It has only 1,056 beds in its medical facility.

— Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has only a total of 952 licensed beds in its facility.

— Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center is the largest hospital in Los Angeles County, and it has 1,395 licensed beds!.

You can check hundreds of hospitals for ordinary people and then imagine what a 1,500-bed mental and medical hospital for hardened criminals will be like. How could they even think Camarillo should be a site for such a facility?

As Declusin wrote, " Environmentally, this is unconscionable!"

I would go further and say the thought of building this facility in our community is insane.

— Mannie Abbate, Camarillo

Honoring Kennedy

Re: Joe Lombardi's Aug. 27 letter, "Convention musings":

Ted Kennedy has done more good for more Americans than any of the oilmen like George W. Bush, Dick Cheney or Condi Rice could ever have hoped for. Maybe the writer needs to be reminded how an intoxicated Cheney shot someone in the face, left the scene and sent a message to the authorities that he wouldn't answer any questions about this incident until the next day — after he'd had a chance to sober up. Maybe Cheney thinks that falls into the "executive privilege" clause.

Yes, Kennedy had an accident in which a woman lost her life. That is in the history books.

Luck? Yes, we will need luck to stop the downward spiral of this country that has happened during Bush's reign. This country does not need four more years of Bush-like ideology.

Yes, John McCain voted with Bush 95 percent of the time last year and 100 percent of the time this year. That is a fact that cannot get rewritten or denied.

Thanks for your service, Mr. Kennedy.

— John DeCorse, Ventura