Letters to the editor

Editor,

Once again in her letter in the Nov. 28 edition of the Daily Journal, Ms. Gray continues to believe that our sacred freedom of the press gives her permission to propagate any and all notions which come into her head.

She makes the outrageous claim the "federal government spends more of our federal fund per capita for the citizens of Israel than to the American citizens of San Mateo County.” Where does she come up with this information? Has she calculated all the federal funds spent on local highways, Medicare, social security, Department of Education grants to universities, aid to local hospitals, local public housing, supplementary social security, federal funds for BART, veterans hospitals, federal funds for the San Mateo bridge, etc?

Or is she once again demonstrating her dislike for anything Israeli, and making any outlandish statement she wants to further her cause and demonize that country I would caution any reader to examine her future commentaries with a high degree of skepticism.

Phil Smaller

Palo Alto

Correcting the

misinformed anti-Israel letter

Editor,

Pat Gray is upset at the slew of letters attacking her foray at Tom Lantos. I can only speak for myself.

Apparently the worst alleged misstatement in my letter is that I called Israel the only true democracy in the Middle East. Ms. Gray thinks that it is not because she says Jews and non-Jews don’t have the same rights in Israel. Other than the automatic right of Jews to immigrate, I have no idea what she’s talking about. Nor does she.

Unfortunately her other comments confirm my suspicion of her distaste for Mr. Lantos’ support for Israel as the thing that really irks her.

Ms. Gray, Egypt is also the recipient of billions of dollars in U.S. aid as a result of the Camp David accords. When you single out Israel as the recipient of a "ceaseless flow of funds” and you don’t mention Egypt, you demonstrate your real agenda, i.e. your unqualified support of the Palestinian Arabs over the Palestinian Jews.

You have a right to do that. All I suggest now is that you disclose your agenda. If you expressed a pro-Israel opinion of that nature in an Arab paper, someone would have your hide.

Desmond Tuck

San Mateo

Wake up and

smell the roses

Editor,

Blaming the world’s woes and wars on religion, oil and the omniscient spectres the left wing deems evil and President Bush and Vice President Cheney as catalysts for military intervention is so trendy and politically correct yet, wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Exactly which recent wars are specifically about religion? Which were not about territory, economy, protection of human life or self defense?

The war between the states/the Civil War? WWI? WWII? The Korean War? The Vietnam War, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, finally invading Iraq after Sadaam butchered hundreds of thousands of Kurds? When a democratic country is attacked, they are absolutely allowed to defend themselves and the winner wins, the loser loses and no invented narrative such as the one invented by Arafat in the early 1960s should dictate foreign policy.

Is it not politically correct to stand for life anymore? Is the only statement Americans are willing to make is to don a colorful plastic bracelet that symbolizes compassion yet, results in no action?

The world is a nasty place, people are not all the same and they all do not grow up in the suburbs of California learning to "use their words.”

Sorry to sensitive Mr. Kreitman ("My man on the moon” in the Dec. 1 edition of the Daily Journal) that he is hurt, rejected, yet portrays a perfect victim. He should take to heart the astute words of the successful breast cancer survivor, attorney, talk show host Laura Ingraham and "shut up and sing,” since he is a "retired musician.”

Lisa Cohen

Menlo Park

Vote to overcome evil

Editor,

Shame on San Mateo County voters — an approximate 23 percent vote turnout. Where were you, the 77 percent who did not use your right and privilege to vote? People in some other countries are dying, starving, being slain, all because they don’t have a vote or say.

Here we are the richest country in the world, the most caring to other people, the most giving and contributing country in the world, but we don’t care enough about our own communities, to vote for our own welfare and choices. Why did you bother registering to vote?

Majority rule is the basis of democracy, so we can’t let the minority rule, otherwise there will be no democracy. You aren’t a patriotic, caring U.S. citizen if you don’t use your right and privilege to vote. That means voting in all elections.

Edmond Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Vote.

Walter Haag

Millbrae