Ferret for the Truth
This is to inform you that I have become a fan of your journalist Annette Stark. After being interviewed over the past 30 years by reporters interested in various hot animal welfare issues in L.A., I have come to the conclusion that Ms. Stark is that rare reporter that opts to investigate instead of just reiterate the information she garners.
I am pleased to say that I have never been misquoted or been prompted to say anything I hold as a personal truth. Ms. Stark has always made it a point to tell me that she would be researching my responses, and any source material I possessed to back up my contentions would have to be submitted before it went to print. Even more important, anything I requested remain “off the record” has been honored. How refreshing, after years of being misquoted by the mainstream press.
Her in-depth investigation into the problems that have historically beleaguered this city's department of Animal Services is extraordinary and illuminating. I cannot wait to read the next installment. I would like to thank you both for your continued effort to ferret out the truth, and bravely print it. Bravo!
MICHAEL BELL
CITIZENS FOR A HUMANE LOS ANGELES
LOS ANGELES
There Comes a Time
Whether you are conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, Christian or secular, or a somewhere-in-between moderate like the majority of Americans, there comes a time when the illegal, immoral actions of our leaders – and the threats those actions pose to our Constitution and our democracy – cannot be ignored.
In short, there comes a time when everyone has a duty to set partisanship aside and look with clear eyes at whether our leaders are abusing the power with which we have entrusted them. It can no longer be denied that President Bush and his administration have done just this in flagrant and destructive fashion.
With the release of the newest White House memos to Downing Street, in which the president, among other offenses, blatantly states his desperation to provoke a war with Iraq by baiting Saddam Hussein to fire on a disguised U2 spy plane, we see again that everything the Bush administration has done to “safeguard national security” has been built on a foundation of cynicism, political opportunism, and outright lies.
Add this to the litany of crimes already on the books – domestic spying, Plamegate, torture, the PATRIOT Act, likely ties to Jack Abramoff, the bungled Katrina response, the Big Pharma-enriching Medicare debacle – and only one conclusion is possible: This administration is the greatest threat to the future of this nation.
It is time to talk seriously about congressional investigations to determine if President Bush should be impeached. No matter your political affiliation, the good of the nation must trump party loyalty, or you do not belong in office.
I strongly urge all members of the news media to give this latest story about the White House memos to Tony Blair the wide, deep coverage it deserves and finally call this president to account for his actions.
TIM VANDEHEY
VENTURA
Meat Heads
According to a report by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the national cost of medical care has escalated to $1.9 trillion in 2004. This represents a 7.9 percent increase over the previous year, or nearly three times the 2.7 percent rate of inflation.
In terms of the national economy, the cost of medical care now accounts for a record 16 percent of our gross domestic product and ruins the profitability and international competitiveness of our industries. In personal terms, it amounts to $6,500 for every American, or $15,500 per household. It represents a major financial burden, lost productivity, personal misery, and premature death.
The real tragedy is that most of the diseases associated with the outrageous cost of medical care are self-inflicted through flawed lifestyles. These include inactivity, smoking, substance abuse, and meat consumption.
Yes, meat consumption. According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 1.4 million Americans are disabled, then killed prematurely each year by heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that have been linked conclusively with consumption of animal products. That accounts for 56 percent of all deaths, and presumably, for a similar percentage of medical costs, or more than $1 trillion.
Most of us have no control over the national cost of medical care. But each of us has a great deal of control over our household's $15,500 share every time we visit our local supermarket.
PRESTON DAYMAN
PASADENA
Published: 02/16/2006
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT
