MAILBAG:

The Costa Mesa Senior Center is not a care facility. The Costa Mesa Senior Corporation no longer receives the $100,000 yearly matching funds from the city. However, the corporation will be receiving a $235,000 contribution this fiscal year, subject to City Council approval.

There are other major benefits the Costa Mesa Senior Center is receiving from the city.

I believe the recent negative remarks by two board members regarding Wendy Leece’s investigation is wrong. If they read the senior center agreement entered into with the city on the 19th of April 2005, they will find that the agreement has a 90-day cancellation clause and may be terminated with a 90-day termination notice by the city.

An apology to Wendy Leece and the so called “squeaky wheels” would be nice.

Edwina Worsham

Costa Mesa

Jimmy Carter should stick to building houses

Arguably the worst president in U.S. history, Jimmy Carter, is poised for an ill-advised trip to Syria to meet with the leader of the terrorist group Hamas. Carter is determined to ignore a State Department objection and go ahead with another foray into international relations. The hubris of this loose cannon is mind numbing.

Last year, 14 Carter Center advisors, who helped garner support for the Carter Center, resigned in protest over his book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.”

In their letter of resignation the advisors stated, “You have clearly abandoned your historic role as broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side.”

Which side might that be? It certainly is not Israel nor the United States. Carter promoted his book last year at UCI, resulting in protests. He is a lightning rod who needs to be reined in.

It is very worrisome to observe a former president behave this way, pitting himself against the best interests of the United States. Some have suggested Carter is naïve. I do not agree.

I believe not only has he taken it upon himself to establish his own little personal State Department, but he is aware that his antics have not accomplished anything other than to encourage our enemies. Yet he forges on. This is just an aside to his penchant for cozying up to rogue dictators such as Kim Jong-Il, Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat; the only difference here is the subject of Carter’s attention is a vicious terrorist.

Carter is an embarrassment, and his antics have the possibility of getting in the way of diplomatic policies of our duly elected and appointed officials.

Carter will be judged harshly enough by history for his record as president as it is. His inability to get over the rejection of the voters in his bid for a second term will only add ammunition to what is bound to be his poor showing in the history books.

Carter needs to get over himself and get back to doing some of the things he is actually good at, such as building houses for Habitat for Humanity.

Ila Johnson

Costa Mesa