Mexicans Steal "Our" Homes Odd how you would feature an article on the lack of affordable housing (for Americans) in the Monterey County and then feature an article encouraging illegal (immigrants) aliens to move here further depriving blacks and established Americans from their homes and affordable housing, and jobs. Look at the huge numbers of Mexicans in Seaside taking our homes and our jobs. Most of them are the illegals you encourage to come here. I have two unemployed teenage boys having a difficult time getting jobs and most places I go around town have only Mexicans working there.

BARBARA BROOKS--SEASIDE

Assumptions And Assumptions

I

write with the purpose of clearing up confusion. So often when pen hits paper a writer''s assumption can seem factual when it is not. After reading "Love in the Time of Cosmopolitans" I remain baffled at Brett Wilber''s representation of Joanne Ziegler. The statement, "Ziegler can find it depressing to see the same regulars night after night," is an assumption and not true. Many of her now disgruntled regulars who read your publication have approached her about it and it is unfair.

I bartend at Lallapalooza with Joanne and have never met a more consistently positive and genuinely friendly person. As I recall it is rife with hilarious gossip and misunderstandings. If it is Brett Wilber''s attempt to recreate the Marquez magic, perhaps he should stick to writing fiction.

ANDREW WASHBURN--MONTEREY

Editor''s Note: Brett Wilber is a woman, and she reported what Joanne Ziegler told her.

What

America ''Stans For

I saw Lord of the Rings last night. Evil is let loose on Middle Earth and here at home, too. How would we respond if Israel chose its own axis of evil, say Lebanon Syria and Jordan, and waged a war to eliminate terrorism?

How would we respond if the election abuse in Florida had occurred in Haiti? Can Enron possibly be a unique case? Can the new campaign finance reform be more than a token band-aid?

Will the new geography lesson be those other ''stans? Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan? And what about Columbine High? Did we address that one? Can''t happen again, right? Fixed it.

Our President says "We will protect our borders and preserve our way of life." Would that be the resource-gobbling, SUV-driving, 60-hour-per-week working, can''t afford health care, school crumbling, let''s go shopping way of life so dear in our hearts? Got to keep the ME in America.

Home "Security," increased surveillance, heightened alert, watch our bridges and nuclear reactors, another $50 billion for the military, budget surpluses already a distant memory, we gave it to the deserving rich. It''s a war, must unite, don''t rock the boat, show your patriotism, put up the stars and stripes, sorry we can''t extend your unemployment. Maybe you should buy Lockheed and McDonald Douglas, they look like a pretty good bet. Eighty percent approval rating. Double speak? Big Brother? Huxley only missed by four election cycles. Who do you like for the axis of evil? The greedy shrill Republicans, with the do-nothing Democrats supported by the complicit media? Or how about the republics of Cheney, Ashcroft and Rumsfeld?

Evil is let loose on Middle Earth. The solutions? Recall we have a $2,000,000,000,000 economy.

Drop food not bombs. Four day work weeks for all, leaving one day to volunteer in the schools, one day for chores, one day to rest.

Healthcare for all. It''s doctor and patient, and a lot of middlemen are looking for real work. Our health should not be, a for-profit industry.

Take the ME out of America and put the US back in U.S. ( note: us includes the ''stans).

Thank our founders for our First Amendment rights; go out and use them.

MICHAEL BAER--MONTEREY