The Opinion page is Bates-heavy, which is nice. Usually the back to school Opinions page has that ancient, early December feel to it, but here it's entirely relevant. Most of the letters are anti-Bates, and one of the two supporting him is amusingly ill-informed.

While I do not condone the actions of Mayor Tom Bates, calling for his resignation and protesting and disrupting the first City Council meeting of Bates' term cannot and should not be viewed as effecting positive change in the Berkeley community ("Protesters Clash With Mayor at First City Council Meeting," Dec. 11).

If backtracking and wasting tax payer time and money by having to stage a recall election and not allow the elected mayor to do his job means positive change, perhaps I have given too much credit to the voters, students and citizens of Berkeley.

While Bates made a mistake (and it was a silly, reckless one), this does not mean our precious freedom of speech will be obliterated by Bates' term of office. Perhaps I'm just an old senior jaded to the Berkeley political process, but let's not protest just because it sounds cool and you thought that just was what mature Berkeley students were supposed to do. The real Berkeley protesters did it over international wars, not missing student newspapers.

Correction, the real Berkeley protesters did it over missing student newspapers, not international wars. Maybe I'm just an old senior jaded to historical accuracy, but Berkeley activism really got its start from disputes over freedom of expression issues, not Vietnam (that came later.) One of the great moments in Berkeley Protesting was the staff of the Daily Cal resigning en masse and starting an independent paper, leading to mass rallies in support. So student newspapers were missing.

The main other argument against destroying Bates is that we should not take him on until all the other, greater evils in the world are extinguished. Only once Bush is toppled, Cheney destroyed, and war ended can we take a look at him.

Since you are calling people's judgement into question: Did you ever call on President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney to resign for their serial drunken driving convictions? Bush for his admitted drug use? U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for his sexual harassment? John Poindexter for his illegal defiance of Congress and his defacement of the Constitution? Trent Lott for his openly expressed bigotry?

I mean, aren't there larger fish to fry to target a man of Bates' overwhelmingly good character and service to California?

I'd like to see a moment when Bates service to California conflicts with his service to himself.
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