Mailbag:

It’s rather insulting to have someone tell you that you’re not patriotic enough. This is nowhere more true than here in Costa Mesa, given our rich heritage of patriotism going back to the Santa Ana Army Air Base of World War II, the land that now hosts City Hall, Orange Coast College and the fairgrounds.

Plus, many of the airmen who passed through the air base liked what they saw and settled down in Costa Mesa after the war. As a result, our city is probably more patriotic than most. Yet, a perceived “unpatriotic” citizenry might be the motivation behind Mayor Pro Tem Wendy Leece’s desire to post the words “In God We Trust” on the wall behind the dais in Council Chambers.

Not that she accuses us of being unpatriotic. The way she puts it is that she only wants to encourage us to be more patriotic. Excuse me, but where’s the evidence that we’re not patriotic enough? This motto idea is a solution in search of a problem. We don’t need it here in Costa Mesa. We should keep City Hall walls as they are.

Tom Egan

Costa Mesa

Appreciative of Fire Department’s care

We had a small fire in the dressing area of our bedroom in May. I was able to put it out within minutes. The smoke and heat made things look very bad.

A fire truck pulled up within 10 minutes. All I could think was the firemen may overreact and break all the windows and pour water everywhere. To the contrary, they came in, saw what needed to be done and put the fire out.

They put plastic over the kitchen cabinets in case water did leak down from the second floor. They put a drop cloth on the stairs to protect the carpet. They covered the bedroom furniture with plastic and used the smallest amount of water to put the fire out. They were very aware of our loss and walked us through the damage and informed us of support services we could call.

We wish there was a way to repay them. All we can do is thank them. We are very grateful to live in Costa Mesa and that Costa Mesa has a professional fire department and knows what they are doing.

Robert and Claudine Manney

Costa Mesa

Global warming must be stopped

Global warming or climate change, call it what you will, is a serious issue that needs immediate attention.

Companies like Exxon Mobil spend an outlandish amount of money to twist climate science, denying the reality and seriousness of the matter.

The World Health Organization estimates that 300,000 people have died from global warming effects. Rising sea levels, heat waves, cold snaps, drought and extreme storms like Hurricane Katrina are side effects.

Our Earth is sick due to pollution. We must find an alternative technology. Everyone’s future depends on it, and we can’t keep pushing it for the next generation to deal with it.

The U.S. must take action. With 4% of the world’s population, the U.S. consumes a quarter of the world’s oil. President Obama needs to be a leader and not a politician and take strong and immediate action to avert a climate catastrophe.

Chelsea Menshek