Devastating wildfire in Israel; Michael Hiltzik on Obama’s need to fight back; and the dangers of Scouting

More than one miracle

Re “Illuminating the possibilities,” Opinion, Dec. 7

I appreciated reading Israeli Ambassador Michael B. Oren’s thoughts on the horrible fire this week and how a global community, including adversaries of Israel, came together to help.

I too was at the White House Hanukkah party and appreciated hearing President Obama send condolences to the Israeli people and promise aid and support. I hope that this will help American and Israeli Jews understand that the president has provided unprecedented security cooperation with Israel.

Oren spoke of “enlightened cooperation” as a lesson of this fire. If the peacemaking efforts of both Israelis and Palestinians would be handled in the same kind of “emergency effort” as this fire, we could reach an agreement that would be as important as extinguishing the Carmel fire.

We should all be seeing the need for peace as a massive forest fire and act. Doing so would be another Hanukkah miracle.

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater

Pasadena

The writer is senior rabbi of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Cente

Oren was surprised to receive help from neighboring Arab countries to fight disastrous forest fires.

Maybe it happened because Israel asked with an open hand rather than reacted with a closed fist.

Donna Handy

Santa Barbara

Oren just can’t give an unqualified thanks to those who help his countrymen; he just has to throw in the standard propaganda about the attack Israel is under.

One good thing that could come from the fire is that it would burn the trees that the Jewish National Fund planted over razed Palestinian villages whose inhabitants have been expelled by Israel’s ethnic cleansing since 1948. You can be sure that Oren wouldn’t see these remains if they were right in front of his eyes; he’d be too busy whining about poor little Israel.

Lyn McKuen

Los Angeles

Obama the less merciful

Re “Time for Obama to fight back,” Business, Dec. 5

Michael Hiltzik really nailed it. I hope President Obama reads it and gets that message. He needs to get his street game back.

Surely he knows he is being “played” by the Republicans. Contrition does not suit him, nor do I want that as the face of my president.

For years many of us have been lulled into mind-numbing apathy. But just as many are desperate for their voices to be heard. They are no doubt disappointed that this enigma who inspired such hope is being relentlessly beaten back by Wall Street’s interests.

Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a bank “holiday” and went in and fixed them. That may not be possible today, but that resolve to level the field is exactly what people today are starving for. They need a leader.

Lydia Milars

Los Angeles

Hiltzik reveals his bad faith as “business” columnist when he castigates the president’s failure to emulate FDR and thereby magically resolve the current depression-cum-recession by doing as he did and slamming the worlds of finance, which are populated by old-time capitalistic reactionaries.

Reviewing FDR’s public preachings nearly 75 years ago is fine and dandy. But failing to recognize and admit that the Depression lasted until we were forced into World War II is simply dishonest.

Jascha Kessler

Santa Monica

I am a fan of Hiltzik but not of his Sunday column. Complaining that the passage of healthcare reform “looked hopelessly feckless” is a fashion statement. Politics remain the art of the possible, where compromise is expected.

Stop kicking Obama when he is down to justify getting “mean.” What has the GOP achieved with it? Survival?

The American electorate loves the bravado of a wrestling match, even when it is just for show. But it never gets the job done.

Jobs are the key. Keep your eye on the prize.

Rex Styzens

Long Beach

Having lived through the Depression and fought in World War II, I can say that Hiltzik’s column is one of the most accurate assessments of a sitting president ever made.

Although Obama is better than anyone the Republicans offered, he simply is not mean enough to combat the scoundrels in Congress. He should heed Roosevelt’s statement, “I welcome their hatred,” and then fight back like a tiger.

William P. Mouzis

Lake Balboa

Regarding Hiltzik’s statement about the “relentlessly anti-intellectual right-wing assault”: I am a Republican. I am fairly well educated, and I resent his slander. Shame on him.

Jean L. Van Camp

Laguna Niguel

The dangers of the outdoors

Re “Death along the trail,” Dec. 5

The effect of a group of boys together sometimes makes very strict rules necessary to prevent serious injury.

That said, experiencing nature involves risk. To completely control risk would ruin invaluable experiences. A good Scoutmaster knows the balance of risk and experiencing nature through his own thorough experience.

If these tragic incidents were to keep boys and girls from experiencing nature directly, the wrong lesson would be learned.

Stephen Fischer

Los Angeles

As those sounding alarms over Boy Scout safety would have it, I am a danger to children. After all, I am a volunteer Cub Scout leader who is not a professional outdoorsman, is 44 years old and is not in the best of shape.

Obviously, I present a hazard to the Cubs I lead every time we go on a day hike.

Never mind that I first learned outdoor skills in 10 years as a Boy Scout; in 20 years of military service I learned a little about outdoor safety and risk management; and I have completed more than 50 hours of outdoor training in my own time in addition to the time I spend with my Cub den.

Instead, I stand convicted by this inescapable logic.

Bob Adams

San Diego

When is the last time anyone heard of a Girl Scout dying on an outing?

The appalling lack of judgment too often displayed by male leaders (such as a 20-mile hike in 100-degree heat) has resulted in completely avoidable tragedies.

Raise sensibility and precaution to appropriate levels: Put a woman in charge!

Marcia Goodman

Long Beach

Grading the state’s schools

Re “An A in overcoming odds,” Column, Dec. 6

I was not persuaded by George Skelton’s claim that California schools are “pretty good.”

Skelton’s numbers may look good for the Californians who stay in school. But what about the students who fail to complete high school? Our statewide dropout rate is 20%, and we know that Los Angeles suffers much more than that. Both of those statistics are higher than the national average.

These are odds that we still need to overcome.

Elissa Tognozzi

Santa Monica

Skelton has some good points but fails to give credit where credit is due.

As a retired teacher and administrator with the Los Angeles Unified School District, I can tell you who has made our schools what they are despite unreliable, low funding and demands made by the state and federal governments: Hard work by teachers and administrators.

Students are our future, and until we treat them as such we will continue to decline. The recent articles in The Times regarding “value-added” scores for teachers are a start.

Make staff, teachers and administrators accountable for student achievement. Our future is at stake.

Chuck Trudeau

Shadow Hills