MAILBAG - March 8, 2007

Facts show that TeWinkle is a good school

Just when I was ready to thank the Daily Pilot for Michael Miller’s informative, factual series on No Child Left Behind, I read the Sounding Off article on TeWinkle Middle School’s failings containing little fact (“TeWinkle is hurting its students’ futures,” March 4). In fact, there were no facts, just the opinions of one parent.

She reminds me of Pilot columnist Steve Smith, who hasn’t been at the school for many years and still continues to pontificate about the school based solely on his failing recollections, lack of involvement when he was there, and, as he has made clear by his column, his lack of in-depth understanding of standardized test scores. Are we to continue to relive experiences that are questionable and no longer valid years later?

I am at TeWinkle now — and I am on campus now — along with many other English-speaking and Latino parents who know all the great things happening at TeWinkle.

Do we have problems? Can we do better? Of course. And that can be said about every middle school in this and neighboring districts.

Our “overachievers” are doing well — a fact proven by our subgroup API scores that are comparable to the other middle schools in our district.

Wake up, parents — find out for yourselves. Don’t let our so-called community paper torpedo efforts to give our children a neighborhood school with qualified, hardworking teachers, research-based programs, and a principal who believes in discipline and expecting the most from all students. Or, alternatively, don’t take the time to find out the facts by visiting the school yourself — you can use that time to drive your kids back and forth to another city!

VICKI SNELL

Costa Mesa

EDITOR’S NOTE: Snell is TeWinkle Middle School’s PTA president.

Thanks to Pilot and Share Our Selves

The article “Nonprofit faces hard times,” (Feb. 7) explaining some of the issues facing Friends in Service to Humanity was very well done. As a volunteer and former president of this organization I would like to thank the Pilot and especially Jessie Brunner for writing an accurate account of the group’s situation, particularly regarding the need for volunteers and donations. One fact not mentioned is the credit that should be given to Share Our Selves and all the people who make that organization such a success. They have been very helpful and generous with their time, talent and facilities. Without Share Our Selves it would not have been possible to survive in these hard times.

DENNIS O’HERN

Newport Beach

Build new city hall at Banning Ranch

When I saw how many acres of Banning Ranch were still undeveloped (“A rough diamond,” Feb. 25), that seemed to me like the most logical place to build a new Newport Beach city hall.

PATTY BAUGH

Newport Beach

Opened eyes will reveal immigrant inundation

It’s laughable, absolutely laughable, to think the statistics have really gone down (“Number of Immigration detainers drops,” March 2). Some lazy people should get their butts off the chair and just open their eyes and look around. We are inundated with immigrants, and most of them undocumented.

JO CAROL HUNTER

Newport Beach

Compassion lacking in immigration opinion

I read your In Theory feature almost every Saturday, and I am always impressed with the thoughtful and respectful comments by the various representatives of different faiths.

They don’t always agree, but there is usually a reasoned explanation of views based on the tenets of each contributor’s faith. That is why I was so taken aback by Rabbi Mark Miller’s strident comments on immigration, which seemed to me to be lacking not only in compassion but also in any semblance of religious language or meaning (“Compassion and immigration,” March 3).

Declaring that “sneaking across our borders is a crime that contravenes the very foundation of our republic” is a hyperbole that is almost humorous, and calling for “expanding every resource — human, legal and technological — to protect our country from an invasion that has become an inundation” sounds as if it could have come from the lips of a political ideologue, not from a man of God. By calling immigrants a “tsunami of humanity encroaching our borders” and listing all the negative claims about immigrants that seem always to crop up in this debate, nothing is done to help people of goodwill who are struggling to come to terms with this very troubling issue. Declaring war on illegal immigration, as Miller suggests, raises the specter of raging combatants and diminishes the possibility of a just and peaceful settlement.

The God of the Old Testament may have said, “Justice, justice, shall you pursue,” but he also said through his prophet Micah, “This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this: to act justly, to love tenderly, and walk humbly with your God.” Maybe we all do need a day of fasting and a time of reflection to ask God for help in finding true immigration reform.

JEAN FORBATH

Costa Mesa

Keep reducing number of illegal immigrants

Regarding the article about the immigration detainees in Costa Mesa, I believe the numbers dropped because the word is getting out that the program is working and authorities are finding many illegal immigrants in our city, (“Number of immigration detainers drops,” March 2). I am so happy that we might reduce the number of illegal immigrants in our small city because we are second only to Santa Ana for these illegal immigrants, and it shows in our property values our stores, our streets, our parks, our schools — everywhere.

I pray that enforcement continues. And it is not profiling. The reason there are so many is because they have no regard for the law and break the laws all the time. Their violations are higher.

TERRY BURCHYNSKY

Costa Mesa

Unusually lacking in wit and insight

Ordinarily, I find Tom Johnson’s columns insightful, informative, and clever.

A recent Fair Game column, “Four ‘great’ minds think alike” (March 2), was none of the above and one can only assume that Johnson took a “Duh! Pill” prior to writing it. Sarcasm requires intelligence, truth and humor. His efforts here were far below those requirements.

E.P.J. Corbett, said, “Sarcasm is another mode of humor that requires a master hand.” Johnson, if this is true — and I believe it is — you, sir, need to go back to journalism 101 and relearn some of the basics.

And having met Johnson, I think that “hiking up the hill some six stories of elevation to get there” would do his health a world of good.

As for the park — leave the land alone.

It doesn’t need to be developed to create a passive park. It already is that, and it would be best to leave it alone and let the flora and fauna already there live in peace. We don’t have enough “wild places” where human visitation isn’t needed.

LANCE THOMPSON-HAILSTONE

Costa Mesa

Dire consequences if Iraq war is lost

It is clear to me that the power-hungry politicians who run our country do not have the fortitude to take the necessary steps required to win in Iraq. Their primary goal is to discredit the current administration in order to gain political power, disregarding the consequences of losing the conflict in the Middle East.

They do not provide a detailed alternative plan to prevail in this conflict.

They do not acknowledge the downside of not winning, although they must know.

The Bush administration has made some mistakes in this conflict, but one of the biggest mistakes made is not mounting a strong campaign to educate and inform the American public as to the consequences to us should we lose.

Inasmuch as those who oppose Bush have most of the press on their side, I’m afraid we will be forced to lose in the Middle East — very similar to the outcome in southeast Asia, but with more dire consequences.

When at war, winning the conflict on military grounds should be the goal. We should not be fighting a war with the “politically correct” position of not hurting anyone but those who actively oppose us. When the land of the enemy is militarily defeated, then we can talk about life after war in the conquered land. This is the way wars have been fought throughout history. The defeated are subject to the rule of the conqueror.

If we win and want to establish a certain type of government in the conquered land, that is our prerogative. We must understand that we cannot change anything until we win militarily, and if we don’t win, we will lose much more than the lives we have lost so far.

In regard to international relations, Teddy Roosevelt said that we should speak softly but carry a big stick. We have tried to talk softly, and that clearly does not work.

It is time to get out the big stick and use it to the best of our ability.

R. W. JOHNSON

Costa Mesa