More reader comments about President Obama's bow to Japan's emperor

Many of the initial responses to the blog post about President Obama’s bow to the emperor of Japan last weekend were -- critical would be too tame a word -- downright searing in their comments.

But in the last few days, commenters came out of the woodwork supporting the president’s gesture of respect, however overdone or flawed, or condemning those who were quick to cast the first stone criticizing the gesture as a gaffe. Yet even with this show of patriotism, the disapproving comments have not ceased.

In the spirit of this blog’s traditional purpose -- celebrating and printing our readers' opinions -- we have printed 10 comments below from those more tolerant of the gesture. If you'd like to read the harsher comments,  click here.

Frank Morgan wrote: Respect for others is a great virtue which I rejoice to see in our President.

Jayaprakash wrote: It is a diplomatic win over Japan's hearts by this simple action. Obama is more diplomatic than we think.

Zach wrote: A bow? People are calling for impeachment over a bow?!

Joe Bell wrote: The handshake/bow was a good mixture I think, as it is custmary for Americans to shake hands when greeted, and Japanese to bow when greeted, so a mixture of the two was mutualy respectable. Americans are too proud, and in this day and age, we have no right to be.

konnichiwa wrote: I love how there are a ton of people here throwing around casual racism and then claiming Obama is the one ruining the United States because he bowed to another official. It seems that a sign of respect clearly upsets a lot of folks in the good ol' US of A

scottosan wrote: Obama! Don't shake hands if your going to bow... either shake hands and don't bow or bow and don't shake hands and keep your hands at your sides…I hate your morals and everything else that you stand for but hey, at least you tried.

Frederico Franca wrote: THERE'S NO LONGER ROOM FOR YOUR ATIQUATED POINTS OF VIEW! OPEN YOUR EYES! TAKE A LOOK A YOUR PRESIDENT ICONOCLAST GESTURE AND GET PROUD!

Rick Cain wrote: Uhm, Japan is an ally. We should respect their emperor. There's no need for cold war style posturing. Heck Donald Rumsfeld shook hands with Saddam Hussein, now THAT was embarassing in retrospect.

Dee wrote: Courtesy doesn't cost a thing, and anyone with just a tiny bit of knowledge of Asian courtesy would recognize the bow as being courteous. 

Pedeye wrote: Finally a president whose biggest foreign policy gaffes are showing too much respect for others. Beats getting more soldiers killed for dubious or manufactured WMD reasons.

You can leave your own comments below.

-- Kelsey Ramos

Photo: President Obama greets Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko during his first Asian tour as president. Credit: Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images

Metrolink system's toll: 244 fatalities

Although Metrolink safety lapses drew national attention last year when 25 people were killed in a head-on collision with a freight train, many more have died from commuter trains hitting automobiles and pedestrians.

Over the 15 years leading up to the deadly crash in Chatsworth, accidents involving trains running on Metrolink's system killed 218 other people, according to a detailed examination of accident records by The Times. Through September 2008, the number killed on the Metrolink commuter rail system was 244. Hundreds more people sustained nonfatal injuries.

Times reporter Doug Smith uncovered these details and more. Care to comment?

Photos by Genaro Molina and Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Should American automakers (re)make muscle cars?

A post linking to an Edmunds comparison test of muscle cars in the Up to Speed blog last week brought a flurry of comments with many opinions about a) whether American car companies should be building muscle cars in these eco-friendlier times, b) if the Edmunds.com comparison test that we linked to was a fair, apples-to-apples comparison of trim levels and c) should the L.A. Times even write about such cars, or are we implicitly “selling” these cars by writing about them.

The post that started the controversy was the first comment from Ferris Kawar:

Posted by: Ferris Kawar -- I had hoped we had grown out of this juvenile obsession with muscle cars. Not sure if this is a story handed to you by GM or if the author just bumped her head and forgot what year it was, but articles praising cars for the size of their engines without mentioning mpg is a little reckless. I'm sure many readers think I'm over reacting, but please remember that for decades automotive writers focused on everything but mpg and American's soon forgot about that aspect of their purchasing decision. The connection needs to be enforced for consumers to be aware of what their decisions entail.

Immediately, the opposing Camaro-loving readers piped in…

Posted by: iDiaz -- Did it ever occur to the MPG sticklers that perhaps some people that are looking into these cars aren't going to be driving them daily? What uses more gas in a year, a Prius that is used for commuting 40 miles a day, or a Camaro that is driven 40 miles every weekend for fun? Is it fair to punish the enthusiast who wants a powerful car for occasional use?

Posted by: John G -- Ferris, You have to remember that consumers aren't going to make their car buying decisions based on a short blog post which is referring to a full review on Edmunds. They're going to go read the full review on Edmunds. Once there, people can see all sorts of information and, most assuredly, they will look at the MPG stats. http://bit.ly/qknqi

And the post isn't what I would call an "article." It's a post. And I'm also not sure that quickly mentioning how each model was equipped as tested represents "praise." That said, I'm not going to buy one of these cars because that's my informed choice.

However, those who held Ferris’ same view, felt the entire muscle car genre itself was irresponsible:

Rivals of the road: Honda Insight and Toyota Prius

While the Big Three continue to struggle for survival, Japanese carmakers Toyota and Honda are raising the bar. Both companies have new and improved versions of the two oldest gasoline-electric hybrids on the market, and both vehicles will be available for consumers this spring.

With new models of each revealed this week at the Detroit Auto Show, the 2010 Honda Insight, named after the company's original hybrid for the U.S. (1999-2006), can now be considered a direct competitor to the Toyota Prius, the bestselling hybrid around the world since 1997. 

Although Honda executives deny targeting the Prius with their updated hybrid, the Honda Insight looks suspiciously similar to its competitor.

For those eager to purchase the next hot "green" vehicle, there are some things to take into consideration.

On the one hand, the 2010 Prius, with fuel economy rising to 50 miles per gallon, or 4 mpg better than its predecessor, maintains its status as the most fuel-efficient car in America. The new Insight offers 41 mpg.

The Insight, however, has an additional fun factor that has been lacking in past generations of the Prius, according to critics such as Los Angeles Times writer Dan Neil, who has tested the Insight. He raves that it is "impeccably constructed, well planned and honeyed with high-tech surfaces and materials. Nothing feels cheap or compromised."

Both the Insight and the Prius appeal to eco-conscious and budget-conscious consumers, making this a close competition. Are you a loyal Honda or Toyota fan? Which hybrid do you think will steal the show? 

-- Stephanie Chang

Photo: A 2010 Honda Insight hybrid at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on  Tuesday. The show runs until Jan. 25. Credit: Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg News