Correspondence

Do you know how happy it makes me that the Crystal Cove restoration

money is secure? Not at all (“Crystal Cove restoration money secure,”

July 4). And why you may ask? Here’s why: The schools are going down the

tubes as a result of a $23.6-billion state deficit with the Newport-Mesa

Unified School District having to put away $4.2 million from their

emergency reserve fund in order to function in the upcoming school year.

The cottages are getting $13.1 million for restoration. Have the

powers that be gone nuts?

Now you tell me which is more important -- our children’s education or

repairing some ramshackle shacks on the beach that have no historical

importance other than they are old? What a total waste of the taxpayers’

money. When is education going to take a top priority in our government?

Hopefully before it is too late.

RHODA FRIEDMAN

Newport Beach

Cause, not case, exists for parking lawsuit

It is hard to believe someone would actually go to the trouble and

expense of filing a lawsuit to try and overturn a city policy that

provides a few free parking meters by churches on Sunday (“Resident sues

Newport over church parking,” Jan. 15). I am trying to imagine what

possible motive John Nelson would have for doing so. He couldn’t be

worried about the loss of income to the city, because in filing the

lawsuit he has just cost us a bundle.

He states it is because he feels compelled to defend the Constitution.

I question that because our Constitution does not mention “a separation

of church and state.” That is a term coined by liberals and atheists in

their pursuit to remove God from our lives. The fact is, early documents

and our founding fathers made it quite clear that God was to be an

essential part of our lives, and that the Bible was the source upon which

much of our government and laws were developed.

We were guaranteed the freedom to worship as we wished and that the

government would not have a “state church” like that in England. There

was never any mention that government should exclude itself from

religion, and evidence indicates just the opposite. One only need to take

a look at our coins that read “In God We Trust,” or know that each

session of Congress has always opened with prayer, or read the thousands

upon thousands of quotes from our leaders and Supreme Court decisions

throughout America’s history to verify our government’s strong ties to

God.

Nelson might have a point if specific churches were given special

privileges. However, that is not the case. The fact is he has no case,

but I suspect he has a “cause.”

JEAN OLSON

Newport Beach

Religion should not be forced into schools

OK, here we go again. Another letter written in wide-eyed, innocent

wonder at the lack of “scientific creationism” classes in our public

schools.

For starters, scientific creationism is an oxymoron. You can have

science or you can have creationism. But you cannot combine provable

facts with religious dogma.

Practitioners of every religious stripe -- save those that maim or

kill or use “controlled substances” -- have absolute freedom of

expression in this country. No matter what your beliefs, you can

indoctrinate them into your own children. There are religious day

schools, Sunday schools, religious study groups, as well as old-fashioned

parenting, to shape the minds of one’s own children.

However, some religious groups, particularly fundamentalist

Christians, are going to be satisfied only when their religious dogma is

forced upon all children in public schools. While a majority of Americans

may profess to believe in a Christian God and biblical dogma, the U.S.

Constitution clearly prevents that from becoming official policy.

Yet the religious right keeps on insisting that the children of

taxpaying nonbelievers, atheists, agnostics and non-Christians of all

religions must be taught their creation myths dressed up as scientific

creationism.

If enough Americans decide that we truly need a state religion, then

there is a process to amend the Constitution to reflect that need. In the

meanwhile, if some Americans actually wish to raise their children to

believe that this lovely planet and its precious cargo of life, past,

present and future, was created in six days about 2,000 years before the

present era by a God who looks like us, then they should teach them to

believe it. But, for the rest of us, please let our children pursue an

actual, practical educational goal.

WALLACE WOOD

Costa Mesa