How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Letters
- Details
- Written by: Jason Kishineff
I was surprised and disappointed to see that "halting our endless wars" was not one of the choices. "Fighting terror" was.
What happened to the Democratic Party that it drags its feet on such issues as opposing war, single payer health care or a Green New Deal?
The answer, of course, is corporate donations from weapons manufacturers, drug and insurance companies, and oil companies.
These corporate donations have undermined our political system and blocked positive change for so long. That's why we are having the progressive political revolution that we are having.
Take our congressman, for instance. He's not necessarily on the wrong side of these issues, but he isn't working for them with any deliberate energy. Instead he works on explosive container protocol bills, tax breaks for wineries and post office name changes.
There was a time when Democrats had control of the executive branch and both houses of Congress, but because their collective donors prevented them from prosecuting Wall Street fraudsters, getting us out of Afghanistan or doing anything significant about massive inequality, they rapidly lost traction.
Establishment politicians don't change much, and what they do change, they change incrementally over a period of decades.
We need real change now. We don't have time for political football games. And we have these problems at every level.
Please consider running for office. Any office. City council, supervisor, school board. We, the people, ARE the change we've been waiting for. I'm doing it. Won't you do it with me?
Jason Kishineff is a Democratic candidate for Congress in California’s District 5. He lives in American Canyon, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Ed Calkins
Nothing I discuss is in any way questioning or attempting to minimize the terrible losses experienced by thousands of our Northern California neighbors as a result of these terrible wildfires.
I would like to define the causes of these wildfires in a manner that I believe most would not question. In simple terms these wildfires result from:
1) Forest lands, brush, in other words “fuel” that is dry and ready to ignite. This fuel is ready to burn for many reasons: drought years (an act of God), excessive density due to stopping or preventing the controlled fires and cutting that properly “manage” the forests (an act of government and those of us that want to live in the forest and want no fires or cutting), excessive dead trees due to infestation by beetles and other insects that prey on unmanaged forests and trees. Basically, both from weather extremes and lack of management the west has millions of acres of fuel waiting for wildfire.
2) Wind and low humidity. Most significant wildfires in northern or southern California occur when we have significant offshore winds (drying, blowing from land to sea). Low humidity, dry fuels waiting to burn, and gusty winds usually exceeding 50 mph create a perfect storm waiting for a spark. These winds and low humidity are typically agreed to be an act of God.
3) To be fair, I must acknowledge that many (almost half of our scientific community) believe that manmade climate change (aka global warming) has a significant influence on items 1 and 2 above. Climate change could be either a result of sun/natural activity (another act of God) or could be a result of our use of fossil fuels (aka driving a SUV). If this is a factor it could be God or us, but not PG&E.
4) When we have the conditions described in 1 and 2 we are vulnerable for a wildfire. The dry fuel and dry winds are just waiting for a spark to provide combustion. An elderly lady with improperly installed electrical components created a spark and caused the deadly Tubbs fire devastating parts of Santa Rosa. A failure on a trailer being towed by local citizens created a spark that caused the deadly Carr fire in Redding. An improperly installed spa resulted in a spark that caused the deadly Valley fire in Lake County. PG&E acknowledged that they had incidents with their power lines near Paradise that could have sparked the deadly Camp fire, the final judgement is not yet available. The lawyers are available. The point is that a spark from anywhere will start a wildfire when conditions as described in 1 and 2 exist.
As the facts show, the originator of the “spark” is not totally responsible for the devastation, others causing the volatile conditions share in the blame (e.g. God).
One could argue that someone or something will create a spark, sparks happen all the time, in most situations the spark (e.g. from your lawnmower) results in nothing, when the conditions are perfect (or terrible) the results are devastating.
The media and the lawyers (and our state) do not seem to isolate the lady who sparked the Tubbs fire or the trailer owners who sparked the Carr fire or the spa owner that sparked the Valley fire as being totally and intentionally responsible for death and calling them murderers (as they do PG&E). They do share some blame along with God and climate change, but we can all understand that the wildfires are complex with shared causes.
Why do we treat PG&E differently? Deep pockets? Or is it more complex? I have been a PG&E customer for 77 years, I only wish all companies I deal with have performed as well while providing critical services to all of us. Yes, I have called them on stormy nights to restore my power.
Breaking up, or breaking down PG&E will likely result in less safety, poorer service, and higher rates. Especially if our state government gets involved in managing these services. If we want to change something, let’s look at the PUC that directs utilities such as PG&E, improvement is needed there. PG&E is getting a bum rap.
Ed Calkins lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Lisa and John Alotta
The officers were telling everyone to either go around to Highway 175 Hopland or to get a hotel in Mendocino County.
Our problem was my husband was very ill and strapped to a gurney in the back of the vehicle and he needed to get home to his medicine and his special hospital bed.
During this time the VA was in contact with the CHP and the CHP was in contact with their supervisors to see what they could do to help.
I want to thank the VA, Mendocino CHP and the Lake County CHP for making it possible for us to get back to our home.
The Mendocino CHP escorted us to the Lake County line and the Lake County CHP got us as far as Blue Lakes, which was 4 miles from our home. Then the officer told us of a back road that we could take around Blue Lakes and into Scotts Valley that would get us home.
We do not know what we would have done without the help of these wonderful officers and the VA personnel. Again thank you very much.
Lisa and John Alotta live in Upper Lake, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Bob Bridges
The only thing wrong with the proposed tax is that it should have been brought to us a year earlier. Our lives depend on this measure passing.
Let me explain what is known as the” Rule of Three.”
It is generally accepted by emergency responders that a person can live three minutes without air, three days without water and 30 days without food.
The Lakeport Fire Department is currently staffed by two people who respond to calls as they occur. If you have a heart attack, stroke or an accident halts your breathing, you have about three minutes before your brain starts to die.
If the Lakeport Fire staff are busy with another call, Lakeport currently relies on mutual aid from the Kelseyville Fire Department or the Northshore Fire Department.
While these other fire departments are top-flight emergency responders, they do not have the ability to come to Lakeport in three minutes to save you! If they arrive in four minutes you may be gone.
Every day we are playing Russian roulette whether you know it or not. We need the funding to restore staffing to what we previously had.
How did the situation come to be? Our firefighters are tough, determined people who make do with what they have. They don’t whine! The Board of Directors of the Lakeport Fire Department has grown up in this environment where they don’t waste and they pinch every penny. This mindset can only work so long in a world of rising demands and increased costs.
While you all know I’m the first person to criticize wasteful and unnecessary governmental spending of your hard-earned tax dollars, I’m not worried about the Lakeport Fire Department.
Unlike the city of Lakeport, which spent millions of dollars on projects like street trees that block stop signs, unneeded water meters and extravagant solar projects that could have been acquired without public funds, I feel confident that this won’t happen with the Lakeport Fire Department.
The same mindset that has created our situation will prevent wasteful and unnecessary expenditures. This Board of Directors is frugal to a fault. I’m particularly impressed with one of the new directors who received his fiscal training under past County Administrator Kelly Cox. Mr. Cox always kept the county fiscally sound and I’m sure that his protégé will do his best to do the same with the Lakeport Fire Department.
I urge you to vote for the new fire tax, our lives depend on it.
Bob Bridges lives in Lakeport, Calif.