FILLING THE NEWS GAPS

KUDOS for the recent well-written and really interesting articles on the 9/11 issue ("Unquestioned Answers," Cover Story, Sept. 6) and on Amy Goodman ("Not the Fake News," News&Views, Sept. 13). Your reporting goes a long way to fill in the glaring gaps left by the run-of-the-mill media. I hope you take on the issues of electronic voting and how to have fair and secure elections (hint: not with Diebold, Sequoia or Hart Civic machines).

You are doing an important job of doing for Santa Cruz what the Bay Guardian does for San Francisco.

Thank you so much.

Gail Sredanovic, Menlo Park

POSITIVE VIBES AND OPEN SPIRIT

AS A resident of Santa Cruz County for 28 years, I am discouraged in the direction the City and Pacific Avenue seem to be heading. Has anyone else noticed that the "Garden Mall" belongs to the students, the Latinos, the street people and freaks? What happened to the positive vibes/open spirit of Santa Cruz? All I sense is gloom, anger and confrontation. I've had two sets of friends report to me of personal attacks by gangs. My visit last Friday night, to take my young son to see a movie, we're confronted with angry protesters yelling in a megaphone, "Fuck Deportation!" I believe in freedom of speech as well as anybody, but using rage dismissed your point. Obviously the Mall is not a place I run into my friends anymore. I believe there are still a few local creative and conscious people left in Santa Cruz, but from now on I'm going to Capitola, Silicon Valley, or Los Gatos.

P. Morgan, Felton

DOES NOT COMPUTE

DOES anyone remember the 1950s movie Forbidden Planet? One of the characters was Robbie the Robot. Robbie could do nearly anything, but was programmed to disregard any command that was intended to harm humans. Late in the movie, Robbie is commanded to attack a mysterious lion-like creature that has been stalking the human visitors. After repeatedly refusing to comply, Robbie shorts out. We later learn that the creature was formed and guided by a human. Robbie couldn't handle the cognitive dissonance.

Whenever I read the wishful thinking of the local progressives, I feel like Robbie the Robot. My brain shorts out when I simultaneously see endorsement of massive immigration (including illegals) coupled with a need for population control and environmental protection. Does not compute. Bzzzt.

Robert Allgeyer, Aptos

DUBYA'S INDiSCRETION

I THINK I'm going to upchuck if I hear "cut and run" or "stay the course" one more time. One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expect different results.

About two in three Americans think the Iraq incursion--if not misguided from the beginning--has been a disaster since Saddam's capture. (Crazy and cruel, the secularist strongman did keep the factions now tearing each apart at bay.) You can guess what those figures would be outside America, and what is the respect we have.

George W. has said we will keep on with our warring madness no matter what as long as he is President.

The Congressional consent the Administration got came in part because they were given only such intelligence as would seem to justify defensive war. As this becomes more apparent and as our presence there causes an ever increasing mayhem, Congress can surely retract.

Our job then is to get enough representatives elected in November to speak for the two-thirds majority, and if Messrs. Bush and Cheney balk, to impeach both. Clinton was impeached for an indiscretion with a more than willing woman, which he didn't own up to at first because of the pain it would cause. Is there any comparison in the amount of suffering caused by W's lack of discretion and openness?

If a rebalanced Congress could call those two to account after November, the world might not hate us so much and we could work on real security.

If one is impeached, both must be. If Cheney runs the show alone, God help us.

Carol Straus, Santa Cruz

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