A lot of villains in this tale
Re "An extraordinary apology," July 22
It's hard to decide whose conduct in the entire Shirley Sherrod affair is most reprehensible.
There's Andrew Breitbart, who in his lust for another liberal scalp posts an obviously edited video for the purpose of destroying this woman, and when caught has the audacity to claim he had no such intention.
Then there are all the TV talking heads, especially on Fox News, who immediately ran with Breitbart's lie and dialed up the hateful rhetoric.
My vote, however, goes to the Obama administration. Sadly, it is becoming more and more apparent that this administration is unwilling to stand up to the right-wing noise machine, as evidenced by the "shoot first, ask questions later" treatment Sherrod received.
Anyone who has watched the entire unedited video of Sherrod's speech will understand just how awfully she has been treated. She is, without question, the only honorable participant in this tragedy.
James McFaul
Carpinteria
Please allow this 56-year-old black American to comment on Sherrod's dilemma: being ousted from her position as director of rural development for Georgia because someone edited her comments in a video.
This just goes to show that President Obama, our first black president, needs to create a Senate Race Relations Committee, similar to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Race is still the touchiest subject in America.
Pam Hairston
Washington
Defending the VA on housing
Re "Housing homeless vets," Editorial, July 21
Your editorial challenging Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki to do more to provide for homeless veterans at the West Los Angeles VA was wrong on two fronts.
First, after years of unsuccessful appeals to the Bush administration to fund the rehabilitation of three underutilized buildings at the VA, Shinseki used his executive authority to move $20 million to rehab one of the buildings, committed to funding the seismic rehab of the other two and provided a path to fund the balance of the refurbishment next year.
In a meeting with Shinseki last month, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D- Beverly Hills) and I received his commitment to provide for the long-term therapeutic care of nearly 300 chronically homeless veterans in those buildings.
Second, the editorial's implied criticism of federal legislation that prevents the lease of VA property to the private sector is misguided. In 2007, Feinstein and Waxman wrote legislation that would protect the property from being privatized and would preserve it for veterans services forever. Shinseki, Feinstein and Waxman deserve praise, not criticism.
Zev Yaroslavsky
Los Angeles
The writer is a Los Angeles County supervisor.
As your editorial points out, almost 25% of the veterans served in transitional housing will need permanent supportive housing, and others will require a housing subsidy. Ending homelessness for veterans in Los Angeles County requires a strategic plan that would utilize existing resources and form new partnerships with affordable-housing developers.
Several cities are willing to assist in creating housing for veterans. Santa Monica Mayor Bobby Shriver has done an outstanding job of creating the dialogue.
What incentives can we give to the 88 cities in L.A. County to initiate plans to end veteran homelessness?
These VA buildings are a first step to assist the men and women who are returning to California cities each year from Iraq and Afghanistan. We need a comprehensive plan, and a stronger sense of urgency.
Toni Reinis
Dora Leong Gallo
Los Angeles
The writers are executive director of New Directions Inc. and CEO of A Community of Friends, respectively.
Speaking of unemployment
Re "President presses GOP on jobless aid," July 20
Our president accused Republicans of blocking unemployment benefit extensions.
What the Republicans objected to was adding this to the debt.
The president himself made a big production about all expenditures being paid for. A great deal of stimulus money is unspent and could easily fund the unemployment extension.
Why the president chooses to be a demagogue on this issue defies logic. What the people need are the jobs that were promised with the stimulus package. Only when people are working and consuming will the recession end.
Maybe if the administration spent more time stimulating business and less time partying, we might get people back to work.
Keith C. De Filippis
San Jose
Working in the 21st century
Re "Economic forecasts call for more pain," July 21
Nobody is stating the obvious truth about unemployment: that the marketplace has changed and that there will never again be enough jobs for everyone who wants one, no matter who is in the White House or in Congress.
Fifty years ago, economists predicted that technology would displace thousands of workers a year. Now we have robots doing human work.
