I thank John Donel for bringing attention to animal cruelty in meat production (Letters, July 31, "All animals deserve to be well treated").

People need to understand that it isn't necessary to be a vegetarian to reduce animal cruelty. You can buy meat and dairy products from local farms. Although meat consumption is natural for people, meat is only a supplement, not a staple. Don't eat meat or dairy every day; it's wasteful, unhealthy and unnatural.

We are lucky in this country that there are so many vegetable foods available. In the past, I have lived below the poverty level for a year on a vegan diet without any risk to my health or taste buds!

Industrial meat production is freakish, horrible and an animal holocaust. Most meat at the store is from animals which have been holed up in tight spaces in vast warehouses, fed unhealthy diets and loaded with pharmaceuticals. Support the local economy, and buy as much local food as possible. If you have a little bit of land, you earn your right to eat meat by raising and slaughtering it yourself.

Don Boucher

Corvallis

Drive carefully in commercial complex

The new and planned additions to the K-Mart/Safeway shopping complex - Home Depot, Safeway gas station and Applebee's Restaurant - are all welcome additions to make living and working in Corvallis more convenient. However, with the increased shopping and dining options come increased shopping center traffic. As this complex expands, it is evident that there is a need for increased traffic control.

Right now, drivers find it difficult to see traffic emerging from some of the parking lots or, in the absence of stop or yield signs, to know who should have the right-of-way. As the new businesses are completed, there will also be an increase in delivery and service vehicle traffic. Perhaps now is a good time for the shopping center businesses and the city to look at the entire complex and to plan and install workable traffic controls before an accident occurs.

Martha Jenkins

Corvallis

Avoid doctors who refuse to treat some

One of the themes of the movie "Sicko" is a concern about the way in which insurance companies determine whether an individual can receive a certain type of medical intervention. That, of course, has been a long-standing gripe by many regarding the role of insurance companies within the medical system.

It is bad enough that we have insurance companies determining whether we shall receive treatment, but now we have some doctors also determining whom they will see. The message machine on one of the doctors I see said that she was accepting new patients but not those with Medicare or Medicare replacement HMO.

I consider this discrimination against a class of citizens - the elderly. Many of these folks cannot afford another insurance, and so this type of discrimination further exacerbates the broken medical system by adding to the numbers of those who have difficulty getting adequate care.

Bud Fredericks

Corvallis

Leaving Iraq would invite terrorism here

Thanks to Jim Sackinger for answering my question regarding what the Democrat plan is for leaving Iraq before it is secure (Letters, July 24, "Don't let war, Web seal nation's doom").

His answer was exactly what I feared: Leave Iraq now, and hope they will not follow us home.

Unfortunately, a miscommunication left $10 trillion out of the known reserves. Jim Sackinger admits that $8.5 trillion is a lot of money to fight many more wars. The correct oil reserves are $18.5 trillion. That is $1 million for each Iraqis citizen and well worth them to fight for soon enough.

Jim Sackinger believes it is fine to give Iraq and its $18.5 trillion to our enemies and then fight a lone "extremist" here.

I guess that would be just great. We could take a rocket launcher missile to a commercial aircraft every once in awhile, or a suicide bomber at our malls a few times a year, or whatever little hit that will come every once in awhile, much like we did under Bill Clinton's presidential tenure, except on a grander scale.

His position is simple, but short-sighted: The $18.5 trillion will most likely be used by the terrorists to first gain control of other weaker countries, including Pakistan and India who have nuclear weapons, as evident by the multiple attacks by Muslims currently being carried out across the world today. Then we will battle them here on completely different terms than an occasional suicide bomber at a Beaver game.

Larry Henderson

Corvallis

Congress must act to impeach Bush

As Al Gore said, when speaking about abuses of power by President Bush and Vice-President Cheney: "It is imperative that respect for the rule of law be restored in this country."

How can that happen without the removal from office of those who have abused the power of their office?

Every member of Congress must be held accountable to act on the issue of impeachment, according to their conscience, not according to the estimated number of votes in favor, and not according to how their vote might or might not jeopardize their re-election.

Starting the process of impeachment is not about if we can "win" or not. Who knows what can come from initiating the process and building on the momentum?

If John Conyers isn't willing to step forward, someone else in Congress needs to, and they will only do that when enough angry Americans call, write and e-mail to demand the impeachment of Mr. Bush and Mr.

Cheney.

Valori George

Corvallis