The inconvenient question of why there was not peace before 1967 is never examined in The Times' editorial, nor is the question of why the Palestinians did not step forward in 1979 when Anwar Sadat made his heroic visit to Israel. How about the Oslo accords? These missed opportunities allowed a different political voice to emerge in Israel that is hard to put back in the bottle.
The following facts need to be reconciled with The Times' position that peace talks depend on Israel abandoning its construction projects in East Jerusalem: Many Arab leaders who favored rapprochement with Israel have been assassinated; Israel unilaterally left the Gaza Strip with improved infrastructure, only to be treated to attacks by Hamas; and there has always been a large Jewish presence in Jerusalem.
All the current Israel-bashing is just giving Mahmoud Abbas an excuse to do nothing.
Barry F. Chaitin
Newport Beach
The treasure of the San Gabriels
Re “Maddened over mining,” March 18
The San Gabriel Mountains provide recreation such as hiking, skiing, horseback riding, birding, camping and just plain relaxing away from crowded urban neighborhoods.
The range, which reaches a height of over 10,000 feet, provides a beautiful scenic backdrop and acts as a barrier to the hot desert winds that would destroy the Mediterranean climate we enjoy in the L.A. basin.
Residents of foothill communities enjoy the proximity of Angeles National Forest trails, which lead to mountain peaks, canyons, stream beds and waterfalls and can take a hiker into the wilderness home of the magnificent Nelson bighorn sheep.
Unfortunately, many parts of the San Gabriels and the Angeles Forest are not protected from the destructive mining practices described in The Times. The bench mining process being used by Vulcan Materials will scar the hillsides next to foothill communities such as Duarte. Three cheers for the mayor and residents of that city, who are fighting to protect the environment that made their suburban town unique.
Charles W. Jenner
Los Alamitos
Firearms and the damage done
Re “Family men, with guns,” Column One, March 20
So is this shooting incident between "pillars of their community" an example of how we will be safer when more law-abiding citizens carry handguns, as the advocates of this idea would have us believe?
I guess it will be OK if they only shoot each other.
Mark Temple
Huntington Beach
