Sandy Banks

Sandy Banks is on vacation.

It's hard to know what to think about the drama unfolding in New York City, where the lead actors — an immigrant hotel maid and a powerful French politician — seem to have suddenly changed places. When the show opened six weeks ago, the maid was a humble single mother, tragically wronged. Raised in a mud hut in a West African village, she had sought sanctuary in America after she was gang-raped and her husband killed, she said. And Dominique Strauss-Kahn — a potential French presidential candidate — was a wealthy bully with a history of sexual faux pas, accused of attacking her while she cleaned his suite in a luxury hotel.

One card opened the door Re "Patt Morrison Asks | Ken Brecher," April 23 At the age of 7, I was already a voracious reader. My mother encouraged me and bought me books. Unfortunately, she could not afford to purchase all the books I pined for. Then, one afternoon, my mother took me to the Mar Vista library. I can vividly recall the librarian handing me my new library card. With enormous gratitude I took it from her and pronounced with a smile that all of the books were mine.

This is not going to be some rambling tome about the glory days of public education. It will be well-written, thorough yet concise, precise in language and even-toned. It had better be, because I'm writing about my high school English teacher, who will probably read this, red pen in hand. The fact that, 40 years after our last class, I still care what Mr. Telecky might think speaks volumes about my teachers' impact on me. I reunited with Stuart Telecky last weekend, thanks to the efforts of Lelia McBath, my high school math teacher, now a Los Angeles resident.

Proposition 19 is the answer Re "Marijuana profiling," Editorial, Oct. 27 California has the chance to fix a broken system of marijuana laws that disproportionally impact Latinos. I am disappointed that The Times acknowledges this discrimination but still concludes that Proposition 19 is not the answer. Latinos are two to three times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession even though studies consistently find that young Latinos use marijuana at lower rates than whites.

Time to grow up Re "Free surgeries are a 'blessing,' " Oct. 3 I've read this article more than once and am feeling both satisfaction and sadness. What a wonder and a delight that there are people in this world of such generosity and compassion. And yet, how very, very sad that in a country awash in money, so many of my fellow citizens are reduced to suffering while they wait for medical charity. What on earth are they thinking, those who decry universal healthcare, those who fume that socialized medicine is a bad thing?

It starts at the top Re "Chief's deal had tax angle," Sept. 23, and " Bell chief's pension deal investigated," Sept. 24 It can all begin with the free cup of coffee at the proverbial doughnut shop. Unfortunately, greed sometimes overshadows basic common sense. Prevention of police (and other governmental entities) corruptive influences must begin at the top. If a chief allows simple greed to interfere with good decision-making, the message becomes loud and clear for all within the ranks.

Faye Ireland knows that she was a good teacher. She doesn't depend on test scores to tell her that. She has stacks of letters from former students, enduring relationships with their parents and a reputation for managing the most challenging kids on campus. It didn't bother her that Los Angeles school officials misspelled her name on her commendation when she retired three years ago. It went up on a living room wall plastered with awards, photos and framed letters from now-grown pupils.

Re "A deeper lesson in gang rape," Column, Nov. 7 Good for Sandy Banks. She has grasped the disturbing significance of the Richmond High School gang rape. It is far more frightening than the shootings at Ft. Hood, Texas. No matter how terrible, the shootings were the act of one deranged individual. As Banks points out, the gang rape was a community event. Everyone shares the responsibility -- students, teachers and parents. It should be a wake-up call about the decay in our social values.

Re "Tough problem, tough tactic," Column, Oct. 17 I want to thank Sandy Banks for her column in support of birth-control education for women who are addicted to drugs and whose children end up being "parceled out like puppies." I'm a registered nurse and know the potential consequences for these children when a mother has been addicted to drugs or alcohol and/or has not received prenatal care. I have great respect for Barbara Harris, the foster mother who stepped in and initiated payments to addicted women if they would agree to use birth control.

Getting big-boxed in Re "Politically correct, he isn't," Sept. 20 Thank you for your article about R. Rex Parris. We shop in Lancaster, and relatives live in Quartz Hill near where the proposed Wal-Mart is supposed to go up. I wrote Parris a letter protesting that decision because there is another such store only a few miles away; I think we have too many big-box stores too close already. From what I've read, Parris also is fond of "legislating morality" at Lancaster city meetings.