Mailbag

All talk but no action on West Nile virus

Throughout the summer we have been reading about the dangers of West Nile virus. This has been a problem at least the last few summers. The Aug. 18 edition of the Glendale News-Press had a front-page article, “West Nile linked to man’s death,” and went on to reiterate the situation in which West Nile thrives, saying that the mosquito that transmits it “can be found anywhere with stagnant water choked with vegetation. . . .” As usual, we are admonished to take precautions and, especially, to be sure to do our part in preventing stagnant water areas in our yards.

For the last three years I have crossed the Los Angeles River as it threads through Glendale and noticed the slow-flowing water full of vegetation. The first summer I literally spent hours trying to contact the right person or department to ask that something be done to clean up this possible source of West Nile virus with no success and a lot of frustration with the bureaucratic process. Earlier this summer I did get someone with vector control on the phone who made a note of my report. I noticed, however, that nothing was ever done to clean up the river. My question is, why not? Does no one have responsibility for the Los Angeles River?

And what about the River Walk that I have been reading about lately? Will those who use the area be subjected to a higher-than-usual possibility of West Nile?

LINDA SHEFFIELD

Glendale

Letter struck a hazardous balance

I’ve written before that civilized society depends on a balance between individual freedoms and what’s best for the society as a whole.

This concept is totally missing from Movses Sulukyan’s Aug. 20 letter, “People should be able to keep the right to smoke,” in which he says “it’s the people’s right to choose what they want to do and no one should stop them from lighting up a cigarette outside” and equally as thoughtless, “people are being prevented from having a happy life.”

The arguments for and against public smoking have waxed and waned on this page, but let’s go back to the concept of societal balance.

On the side of the freedom to smoke, it accomplishes just two things: It feeds a deadly addiction and it provides employment for producers and retailers of cigarettes, a minor part of our gigantic economy.