A Sensible Peace for Huntington

In time of war, government may find it necessary to temporarily take away from its citizens some of the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

I can categorize the events that typically take place in downtown Huntington Beach on the Fourth of July as a war. To win that war, I can accept some temporary trampling on my rights. One of the ordinances discussed at the May 5 Huntington Beach City Council meeting would place restrictions on drinking on private property in a particular area of downtown Huntington Beach and for a particular short time frame centered around July 4. Such limited restrictions can be accepted temporarily, albeit reluctantly, to win the war.

What I cannot accept would be to extend that ordinance to cover the entire city, 365 days of the year, which was the action sought May 5.

I realize the hour was late when this subject was covered and we cannot always be as mentally sharp as we would like under those conditions. I believe a reconsideration of this issue would result in the realization that adopting an ordinance limited to the downtown area and the Fourth of July is the only acceptable approach to this matter.

CHUCK SCHEID

Huntington Beach

* I am certainly no fan of any restrictions regarding a citizen’s garage.

Special police authority is not a pleasant thought. We should, however, be aware that most violence usually begins slowly and could possibly be avoided. Last’s year zero tolerance experience for the Fourth of July Parade in Huntington Beach had no effect on the wide majority of citizens, and the peace was preserved.

Checks and balances work pretty well, even in Huntington Beach, and I agree with the Councilman [Tom] Harman. The law may be “iffy,” and the Huntington Beach district attorney might have a difficult time convincing a judge to punish a citizen charged with only peacefully drinking a can of beer in his garage or on his porch.

However, it almost guarantees that Surf City will be nice and peaceful again for the Fourth of July Parade. And after that whatever adjustments the ordinance may require can be attended to.

BILL HENRIETTA

Huntington Beach