Mailbag:

The ACLU and Benito Acosta’s claim that the exercise of his own civil rights as a defense for violating the civil rights of others in public or private should never prevail. Now we are back there again.

The students of Islam are claiming the same rights as Benito Acosta and the ACLU (“Islamic group defends student protest,” Feb. 17). The exercise of their own civil rights includes restricting the civil rights of others. Hussam Ayloush, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, goes even further, claiming that to observe or honor the civil rights of others is “selective enforcement,” a violation of the rights of Islamic students.

Public education teaches us that Islam is a religion of tolerance. The peoples conquered by Islam can live in peace. They can live in peace if they do not practice or spread their religion, and pay a special tax and do not hold any public office.

Possibly we can add one other condition required by the tolerant religion of Islam. We must allow students of Islam to violate our civil rights and speak nothing of it.

AUGUST LIGHTFOOT

Newport Beach

Protests beyond the comfort zone

There should be some meaningful consequence for the Islamic protesters (“Islamic group defends student protest,” Feb. 17). They are here, taking advantage of our university system to get an education. They had two options: 1) Stay away; 2) Listen, learn and perhaps get an enlightened perspective.

They are guests and visitors to our country, and should save their protests for when they have returned to their own country. They have gone beyond my liberal comfort zone.

AUDREY T. DODSON

Boulder, Colo.

Staggering the noisy leaf blowers

The major problem for homeowners is the loud noise emanating from gasoline-powered leaf blowers, which gardeners use at different times of the day and week on the same block of houses (“Leaf blowers stirring gripes,” Feb 10).

Dozens of commercial gardeners come whenever they please to private homes. It is not unusual to have multiple garden trucks following each other to do the gardens of different houses on the same block five days of the week with no respite for residents.

I propose that the Newport Beach City Council create a grid whereby gardeners attend to one part of the city on the same day between 8 a.m. and noon and another part between noon and 4 p.m. For example, Corona del Mar could be done south of Pacific Coast Highway on Monday mornings and north thereof on Monday afternoon.

Hence, noise would be confined to half a day a week. Noise of blowers could also be reduced by 50% if electrical blowers were adopted.

ED HEPNER

Corona del Mar