A sober assessment of ‘Beach Patrol’
For anyone who does not think there should be an alcohol ban on San Diego beaches, viewing of Court TV’s “Beach Patrol” is a must.
The entire show consists of drunken and alcohol-related incidents that the lifeguards and police officers must deal with while also trying to keep the beaches and bay safe.
While the show does have a sensationalism aspect to it, it highlights just how many incidents there are and how much time they are taken away from other tasks.
Penny Campbell, Pacific Beach

The deception chorus
The Bush administration, and its supporters in Congress, continues to invent and chorus reasons to justify events related to the war in Iraq. Consider the administration’s recent defense of the plan to send 20,000 more troops to Iraq in order to stabilize Baghdad. We have all the principals reciting basically the same “surge justification” and, at the same time, attempting to cut off discussion by claiming that it would demoralize our troops and embolden the enemy.
Things sometimes go wrong. Recently, the “surge” campaign was abruptly interrupted by the announcement, by the Brits, that they will be pulling thousands of their troops out of Iraq this year “because the Iraqis in the Basra area are now able to take over security.” Surely Bush could have suggested to his partner Blair that those British troops, no longer needed in Basra, be transferred to Baghdad where the badly needed “surge” is focused. But, apparently, that was not an option, so the “problem,” having our principal partner in the war retreating while we are surging, was handled with a “victory” tune. It is not a coincidence that the words are always about the same.
In the interview, Cheney also said Britain’s plans to withdraw about 1,600 troops from Iraq ” while the United States adds more troops ” was a positive step. “I look at it and see it is actually an affirmation that there are parts of Iraq where things are going pretty well,” the vice president said.
“The British have done what is really the plan for the country as a whole, which is to transfer security responsibility to the Iraqis as the situation permits,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at a news conference in Berlin, where she was in meetings on the Mideast peace process.
National security adviser Stephen Hadley, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said the decision “reflects the progress that has been made on the ground in Basra and in the south,” where British troops were stationed. “So this is basically a good news story, an indication that progress is being made, and that events on the ground permit this kind of adjustment in forces,” Hadley said.
When asked whether the British move was a negative signal, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said, “No, it indicates that there’s been some progress in Basra.”
It doesn’t take much imagination to conclude that what we have here is an obvious and pathetic deception ” probably orchestrated by spin master Karl Rove. Isn’t it clear that the true reason for the withdrawal is simply that the Brits have had enough of this war, and are leaving?
Joseph Annino, La Jolla

Victory plan in Iraq
President Bush has a clear plan for victory in Iraq that begins with training Iraqi forces so they can defend their country and fight the terrorists. We are making tremendous progress towards this objective.
Earlier this year, Iraqi forces led the fight in clearing out terrorists during the crucial battle of Tal Afar, with U.S. troops in a supporting role, and every day, Iraqis are taking more control of the situation on the ground.
Withdrawing from Iraq, as some Democrats in Washington propose, would send a dangerous signal to our enemies that we cut and run when the going gets tough. President Bush is offering a clear strategy to win, not a political quick fix.
Stephen Drake, San Diego