MAILBAG - Jan. 3, 2008

Politicians, keep your bashing in Sacramento

It makes me mad when I see our Republican elected state officials use the so-called Community Commentary section of this newspaper as a platform for partisan political posturing. Both Sen. Tom Harman (“Blame Democrats for state deficit,” Dec. 20) and Assemblyman Jim Silva (“Dem’s mistakes harbor more taxes,” Dec. 20) use space ostensibly set aside for community dialogue to fire broadsides against their opponents in Sacramento (not here in Huntington Beach). That the Independent is complicit in this is beside the point.

I’m sure more than one-third of its readership takes great exception to this blatant bashing.

If Republican officeholders want to go after Democrats, they should pay for advertising or send private mailings (not at the taxpayers’ expense). You don’t see locals harp on our elected representatives in letters to the editor about their delaying tactics on the budget (leading to the new meaning of GOP, the Grand Obstructionist Party), their sucking up to the right wing of the party, and their kowtowing to the fat-cat special interests they serve. We’re more interested in legislative progress and real results for constituents here at home. I would hope for better behavior from our elected representatives as we go into the new year.

But I am not holding my breath.

Tim Geddes

Huntington Beach

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Critic needs to expand his culinary knowledge

I had to chuckle and feel a bit sorry for John Reger when I read his review for Ruby Palace (“Ruby Palace a diamond in the rough,” Dec. 13). I have been to Ruby Palace and the food is not that bad, but if it is the best Chinese food Mr. Reger has had in Orange County then he hasn’t looked around very much. He writes, “Only restaurants in the three major Chinatowns — New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco — are better.” Give me a break! My advice to Mr. Reger is to seek out authentic Chinese restaurants that don’t serve a complimentary appetizer of deep-fried chow mein noodles with sweet and sour sauce — there are plenty in Orange County.

Eric Ching

Huntington Beach

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Remind us we can eat healthy, humanely

This has indeed been the year of eating dangerously.

Consumer Reports got things rolling by reporting that 83% of all raw chickens harbor campylobacter or salmonella, leading causes of food borne disease. Spring and summer brought 20 recalls of 30 million pounds of ground beef contaminated with lethal E. coli.

All through the year, two dozen scientific reports, including a mammoth one by the World Cancer Research Fund, linked meat and dairy consumption with elevated risk of colon, stomach, pancreatic, prostate, breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers.

A dozen more reports linked meat and dairy with obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

A survey of 30,000 children by the National Center for Health Statistics indicated an alarming rise in high blood pressure, a precursor to heart attack and stroke.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The 11th Hour” reminded us that, according to the U.N., animal agriculture accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions — more than automobiles.

The national uproar over Michael Vick’s brutal dog-fighting operation made us wonder why we tolerate the brutal treatment and slaughter of billions of cows, pigs and other innocent, sentient animals for our dinner table.

The dawn of the new year is a great time to explore the rich variety of veggie burgers, dogs, deli slices, heat-and-eat dinners, and soy-based milk, cheese, and ice cream in our local supermarket, as well as the traditional vegetables, nuts, grains and fruits.

It’s the one New Year’s resolution that’s easy and fun to keep.

Henry Redfield

Huntington Beach