Leaks

Re " 'Plame platoon' is AWOL on new leaks," Opinion, Dec. 21 Any professional columnist, including Max Boot, who can write something as irrational as "although it's treasonous for pro-Bush partisans to spill secrets that might embarrass an administration critic, it's a public service for anti-Bush partisans to spill secrets that might embarrass the administration" and present it as a serious analogy between the Valerie Plame case "leak" and the...

Five Greeks have been arrested on spying charges partly as the result of information supplied by a Soviet diplomat who defected to the United States, Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou said today. Papandreou, who has moved to forge close ties between his Socialist government and the Kremlin, said the accused men had not leaked significant information. The government announced the arrest of three people--a naval officer and two electronics experts--as possible spies in September.

Although beset by fuel leaks and non-functioning electrical systems, a new B-1B bomber will fly to the Paris Air Show in June as "a superb representative" of U.S. military strength, Air Force Secretary Edward Aldridge said Friday. The $280-million swing-wing plane, 100 of which are being built by Rockwell International Corp., went into service Oct. 1 as part of the nation's long-range nuclear arsenal.

City officials have shut down a well after it was discovered to contain trace amounts of the potentially cancer-causing gasoline additive MTBE. The well, located near the Old Hot Springs Dance Hall on Paseo Adelanto, does not contain harmful levels of the contaminant and was closed as a proactive measure, officials said. Leaks into the city's groundwater supply began years ago after spills at two Chevron gas stations. The level of contaminant found in the dance hall well is 1.3 micrograms per liter.

Gov. David Paterson said he revealed his past marital affairs once he took office in part because he had heard that a rogue group of state police was investigating politicians. Paterson said that he had no proof but that "over 10" lawmakers from both parties statewide told him about traffic stops and leaks by police to news organizations about brushes with the law. Paterson took office March 17, replacing Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned amid a prostitution scandal. Both are Democrats.

The Orange County district attorney's office filed suit Tuesday against Exxon Corp., alleging that the oil company has failed to comply with a major pollution law enacted to prevent fuel leaks. Prosecutors allege in the suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court, that Exxon has violated a state law that requires companies to obtain permits and monitor underground fuel tanks for leaks. Eight Exxon stations in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley and Garden Grove are involved, the suit says.

If our house leaks during a rainstorm, we minimize the damage by placing containers to catch the dripping water. However, at the earliest opportunity we fix the roof so that the source of damage to our home is removed. Your article about freeway congestion (Oct. 14) prompted this analogy. Orange County has--or had--a unique beauty which is fast disappearing. Rather than a pleasant commute to work, we have a frustrating, congested and increasingly dangerous one. Isn't building more freeway lanes, more water canals, more schools, more jails, more power plants or just more government the same as placing containers under the leaks?