Get Tough With Hollywood

* Re the entertainment industry marketing violence to children: Hit Hollywood where it counts, its pocketbook. Grant the FTC, the FCC and Congress the right to levy fines of a minimum of $1 million every time a record label, film studio or retailer premeditatedly or in any other way knowingly sells or promotes its adults-only product to underage children.

STEVE SMITH

San Gabriel

* Why not get really serious with the business community about actually enforcing the motion picture/music ratings? After a few $10,000 fines, you should have the full attention of the theater and music store industry. And if current law doesn’t provide for such penalties, notify your representative in Sacramento to make it so. Cops regularly do stings on liquor store owners selling to minors--is this any less important?

JOHN MARINELLI

Downey

* I have a message for all the politicians whining about violence in the media. This is for John McCain, Lynne Cheney, Joe Lieberman, Al Gore, George W. Bush and all the others who put their carts and horses together backward on the subjects of media and violence.

Have any of you heard of the 1st Amendment? The government does not get to decide what kinds of movies, music or reading material we are allowed to read, watch or listen to. Period. Even in an election year.

ERIC PARISH

Vista

* Why is it that when Gore speaks out about Hollywood marketing and violence, his credibility is questioned because of entertainment industry donations; but to those same critics, financial roots deep in the oil industry don’t seem to disqualify Bush and Dick Cheney on energy matters?

In the 1980s Tipper Gore became an early and vocal activist for informing parents about rock and rap song lyrics, so I think the case can be made for the Democratic candidate’s long involvement in the marketing and responsibility debate. What was Bush doing back then?

ALAN SILVERMAN

Culver City

* Wake up, Hollywood! Gore and Lieberman are not your friends. It makes no sense to embrace a ticket that defends your sacred cows if it’s going to treat you as a sacrificial lamb.

WADE MAJOR

Malibu