Cautionary Tale Needed More Instruction
Re: “Fire on the Water,” News, Jan. 12
The Argonaut does boaters a huge disservice with its story about three guys escaping with their lives after an engine room fire destroyed their boat on their fun sail to Catalina. Reporter Gary Walker ignores several issues that should be illuminated for general boating safety.
Like #1: When there is a fire in the engine room, turn off the engine. The high pressure fuel pump on a diesel doesn’t pump when the engine is not turning, and it was diesel fuel that was burning — one crew member reported watching the fuel tank gauge going down!
Or #2: If you’ve had a fire, make damn sure it is really extinguished and the cause corrected before heading off on your merry way.
Or #3: Not checking your fire extinguishers periodically to ensure their serviceability is not good seamanship.
Or #4: When the boating emergency has become extreme is an awfully late time to fetch the life preservers.
To ignore these obvious safety concerns is to sanction nautical stupidity. Shame on you!
Tim Tunks,
Santa Monica
Seek Refuge from Sanctuary Cities
Re: “Don’t Blame Me for Your Parents Breaking the Law,” Letters, Jan. 12
Kudos to The Argonaut for printing Paul Dotseth’s letter about our “spineless elected officials” who “have refused to follow the laws” of our country regarding illegal immigration.
He singled out “Gov. Moonbeam and pathetic L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who arbitrarily committed $10 million in taxpayer funds” to provide additional legal help for undocumented people. He correctly notes that much of our immigration problems are caused by politicians who support Sanctuary Cities.
Voters who elected Donald Trump as president are offended by these knee-jerk liberal reactions, but are also relieved that Westside streets will no longer be impacted by frequent Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama fundraising visits, all paid for by millions of hard working citizens.
Roy Reel, Culver City
Criticize the System, Not its Victims
Re: Letters, Jan. 12
Friends, before we condemn the undocumented, let’s consider why someone would risk his life following a coyote across a desert to live in fear of detection if there were any alternative.
Unless the would-be resident is fluent enough to follow complicated instructions in English, is able to afford many thousands
of dollars for an attorney, can navigate the web, and can wait years for a determination, there is little chance of success — even with a spouse who is a U.S. citizen, even with a sponsor to guarantee employment and living expenses. I have personally observed an immigration judge deceiving applicants (in a language not their own) in order to be able to reject their petitions.
Please, let’s turn our focus to repairing and streamlining the system before we attack those who are paying the price.
Phyllis Elliott, Santa Monica
People like Roy Reel complain about “spineless elected officials” who “have refused to follow the laws” of our country regarding illegal immigration.” Every public discussion of illegal immigration includes demands similar to Dotseth’s to enforce the laws against the (dark-skinned, low-income) illegal immigrants, but almost NEVER any demand to enforce the laws against the (white, high-income) people who HIRE illegal immigrants.
When has any politician ever admitted publicly that very few people will come to the US illegally if they can’t find jobs here? This illustrates how much the people who want an ample supply of low-paid, easily-intimidated labor control what’s an allowable topic of political discourse, and how most of the public never questions their motivations or tactics of demonizing the people who are the lesser cause of the problem.
Along those lines: Why are you so insensitive to the homeless and other chronic drug users, along with people who just want to have fun? Dismissing the Cartels crimes and other drug dealers like that… Shame.