Jonah Goldberg

Bethlehem memory Re "O little town of tourist dollars," Column One, Dec. 20 The article says that although tourists flock to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, they don't spend much money there. My experience is different. In February I traveled with friends to Israel and added an optional excursion to Bethlehem. At the border, we were transferred from our Israeli tour bus to one owned and operated by Palestinians. Our group of 20 was then taken to a restaurant for an excellent lunch, followed by an extended visit to a Christian woodcarving store where many in the group bought items to take to our next stop, the Church of the Nativity.

Re "Romney's media handicap," Opinion, March 15 Jonah Goldberg wants "the media" to be nicer to Mitt Romney, and yet he calls 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry "a pompous human toothache. " Surely this is the pot calling the kettle black. Romney is properly on the hot seat for his selective memory and his evasive semi-apologies. You might not remember the name of the kid who sat behind you in calculus, or the name of the teacher, but you really ought to remember the kid who you held down while cutting his hair.

Seeing the future Re "Presidential crystal balls," Opinion, Nov. 6 There are formulas and even more formulas for predicting outcomes; Doyle McManus' column lists several for predicting the 2012 presidential election. All this notwithstanding, I recall a formula that never fails: You can't beat somebody with nobody, but you can beat somebody with somebody. As of this writing, the Republicans have got nobody. Ellis Katz Encino Money, and who has it Re "The wealth divide," Opinion, Nov. 7 Joyce Appleby ends her Op-Ed article by wondering "how long political equality can survive amid such economic inequality.

Re "Obama's tainted bundler," Opinion, April 24 Finally, Jonah Goldberg opts to follow the money. It's all well and good that he smears President Obama by association with some shady "top-tier bundler" of campaign contributions. But Goldberg says no more about Mitt Romney than to aver he is "apparently squeaky clean. " Voters have no way of confirming this because Romney, unlike Obama, refuses to identify his campaign's bundlers. Savvy voters should disdain Goldberg's hypocrisy.

The Anglican divide Re "Anglican angst," Opinion, Dec. 15 Harold Meyerson is a bit uptight over "conservative" and "traditional" Episcopalians' failure to condone what the Bible condemns. Shame on them for not carrying the banner of liberal lunacy and for shying away from infecting the church with modernity-driven interpretation! For their taking Scripture seriously, rejecting trendy ecclesiastical political correctness and balking at playing church, Meyerson categorizes them as people who deal in "contingent bigotries masquerading as universal truths."

Suddenly and sadly, the Libyan war may be one of the most consequential adventures in recent American history. Libya's not important because it is vital to our national security. Nor is it a particularly significant country. It's important solely because the Washington establishment, led by President Obama, made it important. If you set out to take Vienna, Napoleon advised, take Vienna. Similarly, if you invest America's and NATO's prestige in an obstreperous North African backwater, you'd better recoup a worthwhile return on that investment.

Unclear on U.S. exceptionalism Re "America, the one and only," Opinion, Nov. 9 Like Jonah Goldberg and President Obama, I think the United States is a great country. It was great before we abolished slavery; it was greater afterward. What did conservatives think of that? It was great before women had the right to vote; it was greater afterward. What did conservatives think of that? It was great before workers had the right to join unions; it was greater afterward.

Christmas present? Re "GOP rejects payroll tax break bills," Dec. 2 Just in time for Christmas, hardworking taxpayers Bob Cratchit and his family (the downtrodden American public) will be wondering what decisions Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner) will be making about their economic futures. It will be interesting to watch how this modern-day "Christmas Carol" plays out. Will lawmakers side with the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim and raise taxes on themselves and banker Henry Potter (Wall Street CEOs)

Beyond the pale Re "The hostility follies," Opinion, March 30 Jonah Goldberg may want to paint the hostility and foolishness of the present violent opposition to President Obama and his policies as the same as the "extremist rhetoric against Republicans for eight years," but c'mon. I was strongly opposed to President George W. Bush's illegal war, torture and roughshod walk over human rights, and his egregious plundering of surpluses. But nowhere did anyone (including me)

Locked up, badly Re "The hidden hunger strike," Editorial, July 20 Thank you for your continued coverage of the hunger strike by California prisoners. California's prisons are perpetuating a system in which violence breeds more violence, thereby making our society less rather than more safe. No one has to condone the crimes that led these men to prison to be appalled at conditions of confinement that are tantamount to torture. As taxpayers and voters, these abuses are being committed in our name, and we should stop them.

The joys of Clifton's Re "Clifton's Cafeteria peels back the years," Feb. 9 What wonderful memories I have of the old Clifton's Cafeteria when I was a young boy around 1951. I remember my mother patiently waiting for me to return home from my morning kindergarten class. We would take the trolley to downtown L.A.. My mother would shop, and we would end up at Clifton's for lunch. Can you imagine what this 5-year-old thought of the rain-forest motif, the endless display of foods and (of course, my favorite)

A chance on charters Re "Whistle-blowers to open a charter," Jan. 18 Congratulations to the Los Angeles teachers who are opening their own charter school. They will have the professional autonomy to do the very best they can for their students without being micromanaged from above. They can manage the school themselves or select someone to be head teacher. They will be able to make key decisions about the budget as well as curriculum, instruction and staffing.

Bethlehem memory Re "O little town of tourist dollars," Column One, Dec. 20 The article says that although tourists flock to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, they don't spend much money there. My experience is different. In February I traveled with friends to Israel and added an optional excursion to Bethlehem. At the border, we were transferred from our Israeli tour bus to one owned and operated by Palestinians. Our group of 20 was then taken to a restaurant for an excellent lunch, followed by an extended visit to a Christian woodcarving store where many in the group bought items to take to our next stop, the Church of the Nativity.

Christmas present? Re "GOP rejects payroll tax break bills," Dec. 2 Just in time for Christmas, hardworking taxpayers Bob Cratchit and his family (the downtrodden American public) will be wondering what decisions Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge (Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner) will be making about their economic futures. It will be interesting to watch how this modern-day "Christmas Carol" plays out. Will lawmakers side with the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim and raise taxes on themselves and banker Henry Potter (Wall Street CEOs)

Seeing the future Re "Presidential crystal balls," Opinion, Nov. 6 There are formulas and even more formulas for predicting outcomes; Doyle McManus' column lists several for predicting the 2012 presidential election. All this notwithstanding, I recall a formula that never fails: You can't beat somebody with nobody, but you can beat somebody with somebody. As of this writing, the Republicans have got nobody. Ellis Katz Encino Money, and who has it Re "The wealth divide," Opinion, Nov. 7 Joyce Appleby ends her Op-Ed article by wondering "how long political equality can survive amid such economic inequality.

A broken system Re " A failure of the system ," Aug. 31 The San Bruno explosion was the result of a "litany of failures" by Pacific Gas & Electric and lax regulation, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. PG&E and utility lobbyists consistently used typical arguments to head off proposed pipeline safety regulations requiring automatic shut-off valves, effective inspection methods and accurate record-keeping. As happens after many accidents, legislators may now have little choice but to ignore industry rhetoric and pass legislation that will strengthen pipeline rules.

Re "Right invasion, wrong explanation," Opinion, March 23 How many times do we have to explain it to Jonah Goldberg? Of course we didn't know for sure that Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction. But we sure didn't know that he did, did we? A prudent, or even intelligent, president would have waited for more evidence -- and so spared us a catastrophe that can only bring pain to those who truly love America. JOHN MCCUMBER Los Angeles I can't tell you how delighted I am that Goldberg called White House correspondent Helen Thomas a "thespian carbuncle of bile" for daring to pose a discomfiting question during Tuesday's presidential news conference, because he abandons, in his first sentence, any pretense that his is anything other than a hatchet job on Thomas and most of the Washington press corps.

Doubts in Salazar case Re "Finally, transparency in the Ruben Salazar case," Column, Aug. 5 Although I'm grateful that the mysterious circumstances surrounding my father's death remain a matter of public interest, I must protest Hector Tobar's column. Last October, my family met with L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca; we were allowed to view eight boxes of original material, which we worked through for several days. Later, researchers got access. We all felt that important questions were still left unresolved.

Doubts in Salazar case Re "Finally, transparency in the Ruben Salazar case," Column, Aug. 5 Although I'm grateful that the mysterious circumstances surrounding my father's death remain a matter of public interest, I must protest Hector Tobar's column. Last October, my family met with L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca; we were allowed to view eight boxes of original material, which we worked through for several days. Later, researchers got access. We all felt that important questions were still left unresolved.

Locked up, badly Re "The hidden hunger strike," Editorial, July 20 Thank you for your continued coverage of the hunger strike by California prisoners. California's prisons are perpetuating a system in which violence breeds more violence, thereby making our society less rather than more safe. No one has to condone the crimes that led these men to prison to be appalled at conditions of confinement that are tantamount to torture. As taxpayers and voters, these abuses are being committed in our name, and we should stop them.