Mailbag: Costa Mesa homeless deserve dignity

I was shocked and saddened to learn that two homeless people died alone on a frigid night last week in Costa Mesa (“2 homeless people found dead,” Jan. 16). Every person deserves dignity. Every person deserves help.

It prompted me to research Costa Mesa’s history on the issue of homelessness in the past few years. The Daily Pilot reported that Costa Mesa’s former mayor once discussed putting the Someone Cares

Soup Kitchen out of business. Another City Council member described Costa Mesa as a magnet destination for homeless persons. To further these positions, the city has used other measures to harass homeless people.

The line that connects these actions and statements with the deaths last week appears clear to me. I wonder if any public interest lawyers see that same line?

Thomas J. Peterson

Newport Beach

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Gun control now

Re. “Commentary: Edits to gun commentary confused readers,” Jan. 20:

What is it about “A stitch in time saves nine” or “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” that Chuck Cassity doesn’t get? The best way to keep stark-raving nuts from mowing down our children is to keep them from having guns in the first place. Everything after that is about trying to lessen the damage.

Walt Smith

Corona del Mar

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Gun owner’s view

I am a lifelong gun owner who went shooting just last month, but it’s time for common-sense gun restrictions that regulate assault weapons, “cop killer” bullets, overly large ammunition magazines and loose gun-buying laws, all of which will not infringe upon our 2nd Amendment rights.

Members of both parties in Washington need to show backbone and stand up to the gun lobby, even if they risk losing reelection. The common argument that these gun restrictions would not have prevented past mass killings does not fly with me, as I’m not talking about the past; I’m talking about preventing possible future calamities. It’s time to act; just saving one life will be worth it.

Jules Marine

Newport Beach

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Arab Spring anniversary

The United States and Europe directly and clandestinely encouraged this revolutionary fever with the naive expectation that these countries could be pacified by evolving into European-style welfare states. Unfortunately for the West, these people have a common heritage as a series of Caliphate Empires that from 622 AD to 1258 AD were the most powerful, wealthy and cultured nation on earth.

Arab Spring revolutionaries understand it took 200 years for Islamic forces to defeat the Crusaders. They have demonstrated by invading Mali and attacking Algeria that they are embarking on a protracted war of liberation to reestablish Caliphate of the Moors to control of North Africa, the Middle East and Southern Europe.

Chriss Street

Newport Beach