Columnist’s ‘Curve’ right on or not right enough for readers

I have always enjoyed Joe Bell’s columns; however, the one he wrote

on this year’s election was (in my humble opinion) one of his best.

I know he will get plenty of nasty letters chastising him for his

Democratic leanings and so-called “lack of patriotism.” And that is

why I felt I had to let him know how much I appreciate his

intelligence, insight, honesty, wit and courage. Joe, you are a

beacon of light and reason for many of us who live here in the shadow

of the “Orange Curtain.” Keep up the good work!

KAREN FRANKEL

Newport Beach

Joseph Bell’s convoluted, cliche-ridden article is a melange and

harangue of political issues of the day.

Bell tells his readers that “five days before an election, I have

chosen to look at history rather than the polls.” To validate his

authority as a historian, Bell goes on to tell us that he is 83 years

old and that he gave proudly four years of his life to serving his

country in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

As a self-proclaimed historian, Bell, for some inexplicable

reason, only mentions our role in Iraq by denigrating President

Bush’s efforts to bring freedom and democracy to this area. Bell

writes that we must not “buy into this baloney that we are

undermining our troops by not swallowing the Bush party line on Iraq

.... “ Also, Bell does not tell us whether our troops deserve any

points or credit for capturing Saddam Hussein. Bell would have been

wise to have read Alistair Cooke’s article, “Appeasing Hitler and

Saddam,” written in February 2003. LEFTERIS LAVRAKAS

Costa Mesa

Isn’t it time to retire Joseph Bell? His nostalgic wanderings

through his personal life are not only boring; they are meaningless.

They pander only to his liberal viewpoint. Like the CBS news anchor,

how old do you have to be before you are not analytical anymore?

MARY LAUGHLIN

Newport Beach