Mailbag: MSU editorial misguided

Your editorial and editorial cartoon on June 27 were insults to the Jewish community of Orange County, supporters of Israel and freedom of speech and UC Irvine (Forum: “MSU deserves fair hearing,” June 27). Evidently the purpose of the editorial and cartoon was to split the issue down the middle. You gave the cartoon and the title of the editorial to the Muslim Student Union and the anti-Israel community and you gave the body of the editorial, sort of, to everyone else.

If you didn’t want to take sides, you should have said nothing. Your headline suggests that the MSU did not get a fair hearing from the UCI administration while the body of the editorial, more or less, suggests otherwise.

I attended the Feb. 8 talk by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren. The conduct of the disrupters had nothing to do with their freedom of speech. They were simply making noise, albeit in the form of words, to deny Oren the right to speak and the audience the right to hear him.

Incidentally, I didn’t see in any press reports give an account of what Oren said after the protesters were removed. The principal thrust of his speech was an expression of appreciation for the support Israel receives within the Obama administration.

Herbert Roth

Newport Beach

There are bigger issues than glare

OK, so the big solar panel field across from Balboa Island produces some glare, and isn’t as pretty as a hillside of flowering plants (“Residents: Looks matter,” June 17). Are those really the issues island residents should be concerned about?

I’d like to suggest that we look at energy consumption in this country. If not solar panels, how about some drilling off our coast?

Would we rather have a situation like our friends in the Gulf of Mexico? Maybe we should import some more oil, so we don’t have to look at “ugly” panels. According to American financier T. Boone Pickens, we sent $475 billion to foreign countries in 2008 for oil.

If anyone wants to see just how frightening the situation is, I suggest Greg Mortenson’ s book, “Three Cups of Tea,” where he describes how Saudi Arabia spends its oil revenue. Given the alternatives, I’ll take panels any day.

Mike Buettell

Balboa Island

We don’t need another eyesore

Isn’t there enough of an Irvine abomination of residential and retail at the 405 Freeway and Jamboree? (“High-rise residential project under review,” June 17) City Councilwoman Leslie Daigle must not agree and thinks another abomination is needed at MacArthur and Birch.

I totally disagree.

Jo Carol Hunter

Newport Beach