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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I get that “Dr. Bob” can
be quite charming on a
superficial level. He comes
from an impressive family of
doctors, all concerned with
maintaining their good
name.
Perhaps that explains
why this article was so sym-
pathetic.
However, it shouldn’t
take that many words to say
the truth, which is that
Sears is very nice to people
who pay him to tell them
what they want to hear but
not so much to anyone else.
Left out of the article was
the time that he compared
parents who want to avoid
getting vaccines for their
kids with Jews trying to
avoid being murdered by
the Nazis. He uses historical
atrocities as cheap props,
plays on his clients’ fears
and endangers public
health for his own profit.
This mom is not im-
pressed.
Katherine Falk
OaklandI find something wrong
with Sears’ continual insist-
ence that he is neutral re-
garding vaccines because
there is no proof they do not
cause autism.
This is peculiar because
Sears himself, as well as his
defenders, go out of their
way to paint him as a consci-
entious, open-minded,
analytical man who only
responds to the science. Yet
even a freshman in an intro-
ductory course on logic can
tell you there is simply noway to prove a negative.
I would expect more
from a physician who says
he only follows the science.
Stephan Teodorovich
Los Angeles::Sears’ opinion about
vaccines is as ill-informed as
Trump’s opinion on climate
change.
Victoria I.
Paterno, M.D.
Los AngelesJustice demands
a death penalty
Re “Even for this, no death
penalty,” editorial, Sept. 3By opposing the death
penalty in all circum-
stances, The Times Editori-
al Board is advocating that
mass murderer Dylan Roof
and others like him are
awarded the privilege to die
of old age. To that end, these
killers will be housed, fed
and cared for medically.
This is the antithesis of
justice.
The majority of Califor-
nians, even as left-leaning as
we are, favor selective appli-
cation of the death penalty,
as evidenced by the 2016
results of Propositions 62
and 66. Still, an ardent mi-
nority thwarts the will of
most California voters.
Similarly, majorities of
Republicans and even Na-
tional Rifle Assn. members
favor universal background
checks for gun purchases,
but an ardent minority
thwarts this common-sense
step. Perhaps compromises
can be made regarding
these issues.
Glenn Toth
Playa del Rey::The editorial combining
the horrific story of a tor-
tured child with arguments
against the morality of the
death penalty missed a
crucial, yet under-reported,
reality: Many of the inmates
sitting on death row were
abused, neglected children
themselves.
The link between early
abuse and poor outcomes
later in life is well estab-
lished, yet our criminal
justice system has scant
compassion for these trau-
matized individuals who
often are “doomed from the
womb.”
The Times stated many
reasons that the death
penalty is morally repug-
nant; let’s add the cruelty of
executing people who were
society’s throwaways from
birth on.
Nina Stern
McCullaugh
Sherman Oaks::Your editorial opposing
the death penalty equates
what a murderer does to his
or her victim with what the
state does when it executes
that killer.
Do you not see the differ-
ence between someone who
kills an innocent person and
the state that executes the
murderer? It is not the
same.
Jerry Freedman
Los AngelesDavid Koch: a
life well lived
Re “He used immense
wealth to push politics to
the right,” obituary, Aug. 24The Los Angeles Times
did not cover itself in glory
in its coverage of the death
of David Koch.
The Times’ obituary said
that Koch “used immense
wealth to push politics to
the right.” In reality, his
passion for politics was
driven by a desire to knock
down the barriers that
prevent others from realiz-
ing their potential. He was a
champion of a fair criminal
justice system as early as
the 1970s. He publicly stood
against discrimination
based on sexual orientation
when few others dared.
Koch partnered with
hundreds of other business
leaders and philanthropists
to support a diverse com-
munity of nonprofit organi-
zations. The achievements
of this inspiring group are
among his greatest legacies,
whether in public policy or
in boosting the efforts of
organizations such as
Chrysalis, which provides
job training to homeless
people in Southern Cali-
fornia.
Koch committed hun-
dreds of millions of dollars
to establishing multiple
state-of-the art cancer
research and patient cen-
ters. He gave away more
than $1 billion during his life
and provided for even more
after his death.
His generosity was not
just a passive thing. When
he learned that an employee
had health issues, he would
help them find the best
doctors and specialists. As
his brother Charles said in
his tribute, David’s generos-
ity is best captured in the
words of Adam Smith: “To
indulge our benevolent
affections, constitutes the
perfection of human na-
ture.”
Anyone who worked with
Koch surely experienced his
giant personality and pas-
sion for life. I certainly did. I
know there are many others
who also see in Koch a life
worth imitating and a lega-
cy worth advancing.
Gavin Herbert
Newport Beach
The writer, a member of
the Koch-backed Stand
Together Foundation, is the
co-founder and retired
president and chief execu-
tive of Allergan.Allen J. SchabenLos Angeles TimesPEDIATRICIANBob Sears is a go-to doctor for parents seeking to exempt kids from required vaccinations.
Ignore ‘Dr. Bob’
Re “Doctor at center of vaccine debate scorned, praised,” Column One, Sept. 4
I
t is sad that widespread vaccinationis even debatable.
The smallpox vaccine, given to every infant born before 1972, alone contained more anti-
gens, or “immune load” (a term used to frighten parents who haven’t gone to medical
school), than all of the current vaccinations recommended between birth and 2 years of age
combined.
If your parents were born before World War II, ask them how many of their neighbors con-tracted polio. If you have children and their pediatrician is older than Dr. Bob Sears, one of the
anti-vaccination movement’s favorite physicians, ask them what it was like to fear that their wait-
ing rooms might be filled with such contagious, now vaccine-preventable, life-threatening or or-
gan-threatening illnesses.
But don’t ask Sears about how vaccines work. Vaccination is a public health decision. Your
choosing not to vaccinate your child impacts not only them, but also countless others.
Choice is a big topic these days — women should choose what to do with their bodies, espe-
cially when it comes to reproduction. Parents can make personal choices for their kids that affect
only their child, such as whether to wear a bike helmet. But vaccine choice is not personal. It is a
public health issue.
Until people realize this, the banter from the “Dr. Bobs” of the nation will continue to spread.
Giving him a platform in a major newspaper enables his message to become, well, viral.
Nina Shapiro, M.D., Los Angeles
The writer is a professor of head and neck surgery at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.Rick Dunn of San Diego
wants impeachment:
If I tell you something
preposterous expecting you
to believe it without ques-
tion, I insult you. So where is
the post-hurricane outcry
from at least at few Trump
supporters? Are they satis-
fied looking ridiculous by
accepting lie after lie, spout-
ing the excuse that “all
politicians lie”?
When will they realize
that the lies are actually
harmful? For how long will
they continue to welcome
being insulted?
And, just to show that
inactivity isn’t limited toRepublicans, how long
before the House actually
starts impeachment hear-
ings?David L. Burdick of Ridge-
crest wanted to speak to
the meteorologist-in-chief:
I called the White House
and asked to speak with the
chief meteorologist, the guy
with the Sharpie pen who
draws their weather maps,
so I could get that day’s
forecast.
They told me he was on
his golf course.Huntington Beach resident
Richard C. Armendariz
takes “Sharpiegate” seri-
ously:
Trump played golf while
Dorian ravaged the Baha-
mas on its way to the U.S.,
but that’s really no surprise.
After all, Nero supposedly
played his fiddle while
Rome burned.
However, “Sharpiegate”
is another matter. Mistakesand slips of the tongue
happen, but this once again
demonstrates that the
president is incapable of
admitting that he made an
obvious mistake.
This is not an issue of
strategy but one of credibil-
ity. An individual who after a
spate of mass shootings
recently states that uni-
versal background checks
may be an option, and then
after a phone call from the
National Rifle Assn. back-
tracks, and now is unable to
admit that he was wrongabout Alabama, is unreli-
able and untrustworthy.
These are not presi-
dential traits.Jan Rainbird of Irvine
responds to a Trump de-
fender:
Fox News’ Geraldo Rive-
ra is apparently distressed
that what Trump says and
does “is cross-checked and
scrutinized to reveal him to
be stupid, uninformed or a
liar.” Ironically, Rivera’s
succinct and accurate anal-
ysis speaks volumes.MAILBAG
A storm over a Sharpie
P
arts of the Bahamashaven’t even fully assessed the
damage wrought by Hurricane Dorian, and much of
the East Coast of the U.S. still faces danger from whatwas originally predicted to be a catastrophic weather event.
Yet since Thursday, much of our letter writers’ commentary
on the storm has focused on President Trump and his black
marker.
It’s a cycle that’s played out more than a few times in thisadministration: Something of serious national concern hap-
pens, the president says something outlandish and gets
called out for it, the president bristles at the criticism, com-
mentary ensues and ... what were we talking about again?
So it’s going again with Trump’s refusal to admit he actedprematurely in warning Alabama to brace for Dorian’s
wrath, a mistake he amplified by sharing a hilariously doc-
tored hurricane chart during an Oval Office briefing.
—Paul Thornton, letters editorEvan VucciAssociated Press
PRESIDENT TRUMP holds up a doctored weather
map during a briefing on Hurricane Dorian.Numbers
and letters
A quick breakdown of the
mail we received from
readers this week561
Printable letters to the
editor were received
between last Friday and
this Friday.50
Letters were written
about recent mass
shootings, the week’s
most-discussed topic.31
Readers discussed
immigration policy, the
runner-up topic.29
Letters were written
about the housing crisis in
California, the third-most
discussed issue of the
week.HOW TO WRITE TO US
Please send letters to
[email protected]. For
submission guidelines, see
latimes.com/letters or call
1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 74511.latimes.com/opinion
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