Letters

Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to letters@ocweekly.com, or send to Letters to the Editor, c/oOC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.

INFERNO-ING TOWER

Gustavo Arellano wrote a very interesting, first-person account of the July 19 Santa Ana City Council meeting ["The Wild One," July 30]. The article had several gripping passages that describe the meeting in dramatic prose: "Harrah looked back—over his shoulder at the crowd—and people just shut the hell up, I'm guessing for the sudden, terrible knowledge of what the guy could do." Except that wasn't the way it happened. Lisa Bist asked people to be quiet, and they were. He also writes: "[a] woman apocalyptically predicted that One Broadway Plaza's construction would set off a boom in the skyscraper-construction business on Broadway that would soon spread to neighboring cities." Of course, the phrase "catalyst for further development" appears repeatedly throughout the reams of paper generated by the city's planning department. Are we wrong to accept their expert analysis of the future? Oh, and thanks for that condescending "apocalyptically," too. Speaking of the people, Mr. Arellano writes, "These Cassandras . . . were beaten by members of their own class." You know, Gustavo, the problem with Cassandra was she was right. Let's hope One Broadway Plaza doesn't prove to be Santa Ana's Trojan Horse.

Paul
via e-mail CHRIST!

I read Gustavo Arellano's screed "The Breakfast Club" [Aug. 6] and concluded that the predominant theme sophomorically littered throughout it is fear. Since Gustavo's apparent distrust and lampooning of Santa Ana school officials, people expressing faith and living their lives as believers in Christ, so sickens him and serve as obvious evidence that their judgments contradict or offer an (egads!) alternative argument to leftist orthodoxy, perhaps he would be so kind as to expose where his fundamental beliefs come from? Gustavo, if the influences and belief system you so completely disdain have such a profound impact on your personal opinions, perhaps you'd be able to persuade readers more effectively by stating what your beliefs, behaviors and standards are coming into an argument before ripping into others like a locker-room juvenile.

Patrick Mallon
via e-mail

Hey, lighten up, bro! So there are many Christians in Santa Ana (Catholics, too!). Hey, it's a diverse group in this area, and all people of different faiths should be embraced. Perhaps instead of continuing to hate, we should embrace those different than us. Do you hate all Mexicans who believe in God or just conservatives? Or just Dr. Al Mijares? Are you a religious bigot or just a racist? Or simply intolerant? Hey, lighten up—the Christians won't hurt you!

Barry McPhee
Newport Beach Gustavo Arellano responds: Pat, my beliefs come from Catholic catechism school, where we learned the importance of Matthew 5:6-9, in which Jesus taught the disciples to "not be as the hypocrites are" and "when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." And Barry, your bit about "Christians won't hurt you" must come as a comfort to the families of the reproductive-services workers murdered by fundamentalist Christians/snipers/bombers. Oh, and let's not forget those loveable Christian lugs the Ku Klux Klan—now those bros know how to lighten up! LARRY CONTRARY

Larry Agran has had stinky deals throughout his tenure [R. Scott Moxley's "Larry Agran's Power Trip," Aug. 6]. He's bullied people and used thinly veiled blackmail tactics. I am outraged over the latest revelations regarding Agran's push for an ENCO-run utility in Irvine. He can't cover up this one—thank goodness! It's like his plan to have the city of Irvine run a bus service. I wonder what friend he has planned to put on that payroll!?

Elizabeth Thomas
Irvine DIARYRAMA

Regarding Steve Lowery's assertion that Orange County had become like Canada, may I learn you a little bit about Canada [Diary of a Mad County, July 16]. The Canadian society is more diverse and multicultural than you Americans are thinking. If I trust my memory, I read somewhere that in 2010, half of the population of Toronto would be born outside the country. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are much more diverse and multicultural than the majority of American cities. I don't know about Orange County, but you might have a wrong picture of Canada.

Eric de Grandpre
Montreal, Quebec Editor's note: This response by reader Jim Roberts is in response to Steve Lowery's response to Roberts' response to Lowery's Aug. 6 Diary of a Mad County item concerning urine, the Civil War and what his son eats for breakfast.

Please tell Steve Lowery that in my opinion, his son's breakfast preference is definitely weirder than his friend Dalton's. Still, the degree of weirdness depends on the type of syrup he uses. Also, does he pour the syrup on the apples and cheese or does he prefer to dip? Pouring is definitely more extreme behavior than dipping.

By the way, a fellow Civil War enthusiast friend who reads Diary of a Mad County and is knowledgeable about firearms tells me that soldiers discovered urine was a perfect solvent for dissolving the burnt-powder residue that built up inside the barrels of their muskets and pistols. Thus urine did play a role in the War Between the States after all. I can't believe we've had this discussion. I'm going to go away now.

Jim Roberts
Long Beach ALL GOOD