Long Beach letters

Freedom of speech comes first

To the Editor:
Neal Montero’s letter (“Boodman’s signs should come down,” Dec. 17-23) is an affront to the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which provides for unconditional freedom of speech. It doesn’t say “freedom of speech if ...” or “freedom of speech when ... ”
Richard Boodman has been trying for six years to get a stop sign on his corner. Furthermore, I wonder if Montero has ever heard of the so-called experts being in error?

Would Montero like to know when the last traffic study was done on that corner? It was more than 10 years ago. Would Montero spring into action if a small child was injured or killed on that corner?
The fact that Boodman names or points a finger at the Republicans once again is his absolute right and is guaranteed by the First Amendment. The Founding Fathers placed the first 10 Amendments (i.e. Bill of Rights) in their order of importance to them.
Today, even despicable expressions of hatred and intolerance are protected as long as they are not uttered as a physical assault on another human being. History reminds us that the first thing that dictators do is silence written and verbal freedoms.
Alan Symons
Long Beach


Resolutions challenge the spirit

To the Editor:
Yes, another new year has arrived and, as with each new year, we make resolutions of the things we wish to incorporate into our life, resolutions that ultimately start out with a bang and sometimes end in a fizzle (“Making New Year’s resolutions — and solutions,” Jan. 7-13).
Why does this happen? Perhaps it’s because we are overwhelmed with everyday life, which makes it easy to fall back into familiar patterns and habits.
But all is not lost. Taking time to re-evaluate where we are in life and where we would like to be is the first step in cultivating any new change.
It's about challenging your spirit, your quest for maximizing your potential well-being, while trying to find personal balance in the present. It’s about renewing the spirit.
It's about hope. Its about "trying,” even if we fall short of our expectation. For in trying, we are “doing something,” and that in my humble opinion is part of any solution.
Donna Pisacano Brown
Point Lookout



Motorists hedge their bets

To the Editor: As a Long Beach resident, I have the following suggestions about traffic safety. Many people with homes on street corner have hedges obstructing the street and making it difficult for motorists to see on-coming traffic. I find myself inching up before I proceed. I also stop at every corner, whether there is a stop sign or not, since it is confusing not to have them all-way. These tall hedges and shrubbery should be kept at a length, enabling a clear unobstructed view. I live on East Broadway and many people speed down the street as if it’s a highway. Additionally, my son takes a bus to school and if he doesn’t get on fast enough these speeders honk the horn at the bus and even sometimes pass it illegally. Issuing tickets for speeding and illegally passing school buses would make East Broadway much safer. Joy Barmack
Long Beach