MAILBAG - Aug. 2, 2007

Arco has known about theft for years

A big no to your question (“Do you think Arco has done enough to safeguard its payment machines?”, July 26).

My husband and I moved from Huntington Beach to Virginia one and a half years ago.

I remember news stories about debit card theft at Arco stations at least a year before we moved.

So if this is still going on, shame on them for not permanently resolving the problem they’ve know about for more than two years.

MARIA HATZ

Huntington Beach

Arco employee found asleep at job

The day this article appeared in the Independent, (“Arco needs to act against ID thefts,” July 26) I went to the Arco at Brookhurst and Hamilton.

The attendant was sound asleep with the door open. I could have walked out with anything I wanted or could have manipulated any machine I wanted to.

It took me calling him, out loud, three or four times before he even woke up.

And even then, he was so out of it that he didn’t start the gas flowing for the pump I wanted to use. I had to go back inside to wake him up once again.

I guess with that type of help, the ATMs are at extreme risk no matter what Arco does or says they will do to insure customers from theft of their debit card info.

It comes right down to the people working there.

Their job should be to watch out for people goofing with the ATMs and not sleeping on the job.

GARYARNESAN

Huntington Beach

Bolton agenda is cruel, bigoted

This cartoon (“A naturist? Whew! I thought you were a priest … ,” July 26) is so bad that it prompts me to write and tell you that I am shocked and disappointed that you would even print it.

I read a number of newspapers on a regular basis and see a lot of cartoons but this anti-priest, cruel, bigoted so-called cartoon is too disgusting for words.

It does a real disservice to the majority of the very good, dedicated priests in our country.

One does not even need to be a Christian to see that Bolton has an agenda that is ugly and printing his work indicates that the Times may also.

STEPHANY KALLAL

Huntington Beach