Mailbag - Dec. 30, 1999

THEY CAN VIEW PORN ON THEIR OWN DIME

Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary defines pornography as

“obscene literature, art or photography having little or no artistic

merit.”

Obscene is defined as “offensive to modesty or decency; indecent; lewd;

causing or intended to cause sexual excitement or lust; abominable;

disgusting; repulsive.”

Assuming that the Huntington Beach libraries use the dictionary as a

primary reference, maybe the City Council members and the library staff

should refer to it before they go much further with their quest to

protect freedom of expression.

A simple alternative might be to have a list of book stores and porno

stores that they could recommend to the patron who is looking for

pornographic or obscene materials. This way, the general public, and

especially minors, would not have to be inadvertently exposed to this

prurient material.

In terms of the Internet, it is a wonderful technological tool, but only

a tool. It has good uses and bad uses, and I expect “common sense” to be

exhibited on the part of the librarians. Using the aforementioned

definitions, any information that meets those standards should be

filtered out. Let those who want to spend their time viewing such

material, get access from a computer that is not paid for by taxpayers.

Think about it.

LOCALS OFFER DIFFERING VIEWS ON CART PICKUP

Do I think the city should pick up abandoned shopping carts? Yes, I do.

However I suggest that the city charge a fee to the market that owns the

cart.

CONCERNED ABOUT TREATMENT OF BRIDGETTE BALLAS

I was dismayed when I read about the woman who was found lying

unconscious on a Huntington Beach street and who subsequently died from a

skull fracture (“Slain woman lived a ‘quality’ life, friend says,” Dec.

9).

What upset me was that the paramedics immediately took her to the Western

Medical Center in Santa Ana. What is wrong with the local Huntington

Beach Hospital or even Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach? Both of these

facilities are definitely closer than driving all the way to Santa Ana,

especially when the victim was in critical condition. Both of these

hospitals have emergency rooms, where I believe she should have been

taken.

I hope there was a good reason for this, since I would hate to have

myself or any of my family or friends treated this way.

I urge someone in the Huntington Beach city government to investigate

this matter.