Foolish

How could a travesty like this happen to a man of such obvious honesty, compassion and integrity? Assemblyman Jack O'Connell has a proven record of excellent work and superb responsiveness to the community. We must not allow the shortsightedness of a special-interest group to undermine one of the finest legislators anywhere in recent history. Jack O'Connell of all people should not be a victim of this foolish recall attempt. He would be the first one to care about the people in the so called "Freedom Coalition" if they were to become sick, old, homeless or otherwise forgotten.

Washington's tug of war over the federal budget has many wonders, but the biggest one of all must be the lengths to which politicians and pundits will go to deprive Granny and Grandpa of $30 a month. That's the amount by which benefits for the average Social Security retiree would be reduced by 2023 under a provision in President Obama's new budget. It might not sound like much to the president or fans of the proposal in both parties and the Washington commentariat. For the retiree trying to stretch an average monthly check of about $1,200 to cover housing, healthcare and every other necessity under the sun, it looms rather larger.

It's foolish to even think about recalling Mayor Tom Bradley. He wouldn't be in the country for the vote. LARRY BRIGGS Twentynine Palms

Wacky KROQ radio show hosts, Kevin & Bean, are hosting a fun-filled night of comedy called "April Foolishness. " The stellar lineup includes comedians Jay Mohr, Bill Burr, Doug Benson, Rob Delaney, Ari Shaffir and Brad Williams. Gibson Amphitheater at Universal CityWalk, 100 Universal City Plaza, L.A. 8:15 p.m. Sat. Prices vary. (818) 677-8800; http://www.kroq.cbslocal.com.

'The only reason people took advantage of me is because I allowed it. I'm a foolish man. I'm the most foolish person in the history of this sport.' Mike Tyson, who reportedly lost $300 million over his boxing career

To all you people out there who wiped out the bottled-water shelves at the grocery store: Don't you feel foolish? ROBERT PEREZ Rancho Cucamonga

If professor Peter Singer ("The Philosopher as Provocateur," Jan. 8) were to have a conversation with physicist Stephen Hawking regarding "euthanasia of the severely disabled," he would quickly learn just how foolish his theory is. JAY SCHWARTZ Chatsworth

My monogamous lover of three years and I (so much for the myth about all gays being promiscuous and spreading AIDS!), recently bought a barbecue for our newly purchased home: two classic symbols of the American dream. How foolish of us to believe that we could really have been a part of it. Thank you, Supreme Court justices, for awakening us to the fact that the concept of freedom in America, is nothing more than a bunch of words scribbled on a piece of paper. According to your decision, today's law-abiding citizens are the criminals of tomorrow!

We're at the point where any San Diego Chargers victory can be summarized in two words. This goes back to Nov. 19, when between updates I saw a 24-7 San Diego deficit against Denver turn into a 35-27 Chargers victory and I text-messaged a friend to ask what happened. My buddy's reply: "LT happened." Flash-forward to Sunday, when the Chargers had to deal with a strong Oakland Raiders defensive effort, a shaky performance by quarterback Philip Rivers and a 14-7 Raiders lead in the fourth quarter.

WASHINGTON - The ousted head of the Internal Revenue Service apologized Friday for the agency's "foolish mistakes" in singling out conservative groups for intrusive and time-consuming scrutiny, but said that the effort was not driven by partisan motives. Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller, whose tenure will end Wednesday after he resigned under pressure this week, said the agency staff's attempts to identify groups with political aims was not "targeting," as it was termed in an inspector general's audit.

What is it with Oregon and Washington state, those places that supposedly have it so much more environmentally together than car-obsessed California? Both states are entertaining proposals to levy a fee on bicycles. Small, admittedly, but isn't one of the ideas behind taxes supposed to be to encourage actions that help society as a whole? You know, like more non-motorized bicycle use? In Washington, Times reporter Matt Pearce writes, the state might levy a $10-per-bike registration fee similar to the annual car registration fee. And in Oregon, they're talking about a $25 “sales fee” on bicycles costing $500 or more, making it part of a larger transportation bill.

Angus T. Jones, the fraction in the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men," made news recently when he called the series "filth," bemoaned his own participation in it, and advised people not to watch it. The call came in the course of what he at least would call a religious testimony, delivered on video and posted on YouTube. On ABC's "Nightline," Dr. Damon Raskin, a former child actor himself, described Jones' behavior as "very self-destructive"; on his blog, TV comedy writer Ken Levine called him "an incredibly ungrateful confused young man who has just committed career suicide and left himself open for major lawsuits.

The busiest subway stop in downtown Washington was until recently festooned with green banners and billboards warning of a terrible danger. One of America's great national symbols is under attack: the one-dollar bill. A few unpatriotic senators want to phase out the dollar bill and replace it with a dollar coin. Several previous attempts to do this have foundered on people's fondness for paper money. In the subway ad campaign, riders are importuned to sign an online petition and go to a website for more information, which of course I did, since I always follow orders from billboards.

COMEDY Corporate alt-rock titans KROQ make their annual leap into comedy with Kevin & Bean's April Foolishness. Hosted by the station's morning show merry pranksters, the show features a U.K.-leaning bent with comics Tim Minchin and Eddie Izzard as well as appearances by Bob Saget, Jay Mohr and, somewhat inexplicably, Larry King. Ticket proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Gibson Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. 8:15 p.m. Sat. $29.75-$103.75. http://www.livenation.com .

Did you hear it? Cheers of elation that turned to "aw, man!" when people realized that there was no "Meh" button coming to Facebook, new"Star Trek" movie starring George Takei or GPS-enabled sippy cup for your kid. April Fool's gags, sure. But not bad ideas, really. Takei's post got 80,544 likes, hundreds of reposts and blog entries with old-school Trekkies practically drooling with excitement. He wrote: "The studio has acknowledged the fan enthusiasm for this concept ever since I appeared in command of the vessel in 'The Undiscovered Country.' J.J. Abrams will d irect, with Robert Orci again writing the screenplay.

Just because the state says the public can't enter a park doesn't make it so, and that's the chief reason officials should reexamine their plan to close up to 70 parks starting in July. It's not that open space is sacrosanct; as much as we love them, parks are fair game for budget cuts along with almost everything else. But the question that Gov. Jerry Brown must answer is whether California will really save any money, even in the short run, by closing so many parks. The closures were originally supposed to save about $11 million a year, a small item in the budget.

If in the past you tried to buy health insurance for a child with a preexisting health condition and were turned down, it's time to give it another shot. A provision of the federal health reform law and a new California law punish insurers that refuse to sell policies to children. As a result, those younger than 19 will have access to insurance and cannot be denied coverage, regardless of health condition. Jan. 1 marked the start of California's initial open enrollment period, which runs through March 1. During this time, parents can purchase health benefits for their children on the individual insurance market without fear of being denied or of significant increases to monthly premiums for kids with preexisting conditions.

It was just another tragedy in family court. A young crack mother, desperate to conceal her pregnancy, had locked herself in a tenement bathroom and given birth to a three-pound boy. As she pushed, he fell to the floor and broke his skull. The mother abandoned him, like she had two previous babies. All were born addicted to crack. "Can we do anything about this woman?" asks Judge Judith Sheindlin, her voice taut with anger.

UCLA football has become an embarrassment, but must the Bruins add to the humiliation? As it is, it is a terrible joke or a mistake to have the Bruins playing in the Pac-12 championship game. Everyone expected UCLA to get trampled by USC; I stopped counting at 50-0. But come on, who thought the Bruins would change uniforms before they changed head coaches? Here's my concern with UCLA dressed in white from helmet to cleats. If the look catches on and Bruins fans start dressing all in white, return to the Rose Bowl and do the wave, it will appear as if UCLA is waving the white towel.

Stanford had Heisman. USC had Oh, Man. Stanford had a quarterback who would not crack. USC had its most inspirational effort of the season crack so deeply it crumbled. Stanford had Andrew Luck. USC had no luck controlling a silly taunt, a botched clock, a banged head, a late hit and, finally, a running back who fumbled the final incredible seconds into history. For Stanford, it was victory for the ages. For USC, the only enduring part will be the pain. Photos: USC vs. Stanford The history books will record that on a raging Saturday night at the Coliseum, fourth-ranked and undefeated Stanford kept their national championship hopes alive by wearing down the storming Trojans for a 56-48 victory in three overtimes.