FEEDBACK

Your front-page photograph and story on Emma Jane Riley in the Daily

Pilot (“Passings,” Dec. 31) so moved me. Emma Jane was a mother and best

friend to me. My life was greatly enriched by knowing her. How many lives

are touched daily by her presence among us.

Mary Barrett Blake

Newport Beach

Thank you for remembering our friend Sarah Nevins in your “Passings”

column on Dec. 31. While she is no longer with us on Earth, she is still

with us in our thoughts and minds. It was kind of you to memorialize her

in your year-end issue.

DAVID JAMES

Costa Mesa

Bond measure must be passed

The discussion about the schools and their condition in the Newport-Mesa

District is amazing to me (“Passing school bond is a tough prospect,”

Jan. 3). Of course the bond measure must be passed. Whether we have

children attending the schools or not (we don’t; ours are grown) is

immaterial. The issue is, do we want the children to go to adequate

schools, learn properly and become good, functioning adults so they can

pay their taxes? Of course we do! The issue of the bond is extremely

important. Most of us have money to eat out in restaurants, to go on

vacations and to do things that are personally exhilarating to us. It is

time to think about the children. I hope everyone votes positively on the

bond.

MIRIAM GOLDBERG

Newport Beach

Pastor’s letter was wrong

It’s unfortunate that a pastor would write such an uninformed and

misleading letter as Dr. Gary Barmore did (“Acceptance of others is

Christian way,” Dec. 18). He wrote that some are “created naturally

homosexual.” Well, homosexuality is about as natural as trying to eat

through one’s nose. He states twice that Jesus said nothing about

homosexuality. That is false.

Yes, Jesus is loving and compassionate. He said to the woman taken in

adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” You can love

someone and still disapprove of their behavior. If you love a drug addict

or alcoholic, you try to help them stop before it’s too late. So, we need

to love the homosexual by encouraging them to give up that lifestyle

before it’s too late.

JEFF OSTBY

Newport Beach

West Side talks must include 19th Street bridge

I would like to comment upon the column in the paper today regarding the

communication between the West Side and City Hall (“Latino concerns to be

addressed,” Jan. 5). The City Council, by denying the residents of Costa

Mesa and specifically the West Side to even have an option of looking at

the extension of 19th Street to the beach, shows how out of touch the

City Council is with the needs of the West Side. And it just reflects

poorly on their ability to try to understand all of the issues on the

West Side.

ROBERT GRAHAM

Costa Mesa