April 6, 2006
Costa Mesa clashes
No good can come when evil and hate are spoken in the name of freedom. When I listen to diatribes uttered week after week at the Costa Mesa City Council meetings, I realize that it is unfortunate that this city disbanded its Human Relations Committee last year.
The Orange County Human Relations Commission, whose mission is "to build mutual understanding among residents and to eliminate prejudice, intolerance and discrimination" should direct some of its bold initiatives that reduce or eliminate hate incidents, build bridges of understanding in schools and promote the opportunities in neighborhoods for people to exist in living in a multicultural society.
Charlene M. Ashendorf
Costa Mesa
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Tuesday, April 11, 2006
How about a little fair play in Costa Mesa?
Letter-writer Charlene M. Ashendorf is wrong about the former Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee and the Orange County Human Relations Commission ["Costa Mesa clashes," April 6]. She said that part of the commission's mission was to "build mutual understanding among residents." What a joke. The Costa Mesa committee had a similar mission statement.
When the government-funded committee was in existence the only beliefs it allowed were extreme-left views. People who even asked simple questions about equal application of hate-crime laws were labeled "homophobic." People who said they believe illegal immigration was wrong were labeled "racist." They would have things like "living-room dialogues" at taxpayers' expense. Why can't they get together now on their own dime? Why does everything have to be done through and sanctioned by the government?
Yes, people come to our council meetings and say some offensive things. They mock our form of government by giving the Hitler salute, display the Mexican flag instead of the U.S. flag, mock Jews, and mock a deceased former council member from Westminster who served honorably in public life and the military - all of this because Costa Mesa has decided to uphold the law. The Human Relations Committee would not have worked to stop this sort of behavior; rather, it would have worked to "help us have a better understanding of why we should be more accepting and 'tolerant' of this lawless and disrespectful behavior."
Former members of the Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee like Ashendorf and Mirna Burciaga sit in silent support of those who do these things. Why don't they publicly condemn these actions? I don't think they need government funds to speak up. Enough of this politically correct baloney. I am glad that I voted to close the Costa Mesa Human Relations Committee.
Allan Mansoor
Mayor of Costa Mesa
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