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March 30, 2005
Plan isn’t kid-friendly
I found an ironic headline on the front page of the New York Times March 24, the same day as the Ventura County growth seminar at California State University, Channel Islands. The headline reads: “Vibrant Cities Find One Thing Missing: No Children.”
Portland, Ore., the city touted in the Ventura County growth planning seminar as a model to follow, is educating the fewest students in 80 years. The article states: "The very things that attract people to revitalize a city — dense vertical housing, fashionable restaurants and shops and mass transit that makes a car unnecessary — are driving out children by making the neighborhoods too expensive for young families.”
In Portland’s Pearl District, the fastest-growing and trendiest neighborhood, the kid population grew by three children between 1990 and 2000.
I suggest attendees to the conference read this article. The Portland model has problems. The open space initiatives are driving Ventura County to this model, and this model does not look family- friendly.
— Todd Miller, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:00 PM
Where is God?
This is to all who are expressing blame:
As Terri Schiavo nears the inevitable, she is not aware of the media hype, religious outcry, public propaganda and government decisions.
Many say her life is in the hands of the courts, while others blame her husband. I say, “If there is a god, doesn’t he ultimately have control?”
At this crucial religious time of the year and the state of our country’s morality, one would think we are in need of a miracle. I do not see signs pleading to God to step in and clear this up, nor do I hear the reverends and pastors asking God to place his healing hand on Terri and cure her.
The courts, doctors and Michael Schiavo are not “playing God.” They are making human decisions. Why isn’t God playing God?
— Thomas Ramirez, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:44 AM
Campus crybabies
Re: “Campus food not just meals, students say,” published in The Star March 29:
What a bunch of crybabies. Let me count the ways:
1. The students say they “won’t get enough nutrients for their brains.” How about bringing a sandwich and a multivitamin from home?
2. What are the students who use wheelchairs going to do when they get in the real world? Make their employers put in a cafeteria under the Americans with Disabilities Act? See above about the sandwich and vitamin, and add a Powerbar for extra strength.
3. Having a cafeteria “teaches punctuality.” I don’t want the instructors wasting time teaching punctuality at college level. If parents and high school have not taught punctuality, it’s a lost cause by now.
— Mike Newman, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:36 AM
Lesson in LNG
I have been reading all the articles about The Gas Company’s inability to provide natural gas for the South Coast Area Transit buses after the natural gas pipeline rupture in the Piru landslide. I was surprised to learn that The Gas Company had just one way to get natural gas to the Oxnard fueling station.
Denise King, from The Gas Company, acknowledged that there were problems that were “unanticipated or out of our control.”
Now what will happen if California becomes dependent on liquefied natural gas from foreign countries, and the supply is suddenly cut off? This could easily happen. Shipments of LNG would certainly be stopped if there were an LNG accident or a terrorist attack on an LNG tanker ship anywhere in the world.
We don’t dare become dependent on ships bringing LNG across the sea.
— Larry Godwin, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:29 AM
Prozac part of tragedy
The school shootings in Red Lake, Minn., leave one feeling a little sick. While everyone is looking for someone or something to blame, I believe there is a hidden culprit.
Most blame has to fall on the shooter, Jeff Weise, but the fact Weise was on psychiatric drugs definitely is a factor. Weise was on Prozac, an antidepressant known to cause suicide and violence. The Food and Drug Administration requires a “black box” warning about the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children and adolescents taking antidepressants.
The Star has noted that Prozac “is the only antidepressant found to be safe and effective for children.” That Prozac somehow escaped the FDA’s black box labeling is irrelevant when one looks at the long list of Prozac killing sprees and suicides. The list starts as early as 1989 with Joseph Wesbecker in Louisville, Ky.
If one looks, one can find many experts speaking out on the dangers of Prozac. The New York Psychiatric Institute’s Prozac testing on 6-year-old children found “some patients have been reported to have an increase in suicidal thoughts and/or violent behavior” and/or “wild manic episodes.” This was published in the New York Post.
Weise had been treated for depression in a psychiatric ward. He had attempted suicide at least once and was taking Prozac. There are mounds of evidence that Prozac increases the risk of suicide and/or violent behavior. The psychiatrist who was treating Weise must be questioned for his part in this recent tragedy.
The psychiatrist should be held accountable. His failure was one of grave and irrepairable magnitude, for this psychiatrist not only failed his patient, Weise, but in his failed treatment, he contributed to the deaths of nine people and ensuing grief and fear of a nation.
— Carol Horton, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:17 AM
No acknowledgement
Ventura College horticulture student Janet Wall has donated more than $2,000 to the Ventura County Community College District to defer the cost of running the horticulture program.
Jerry Mortinson, dean of the technology division in charge of the horticulture program, has recieved more than $8,000 in support of this program.
The college intends to return these funds and still stubbornly insists on closing the horticulture program. Why?
Also, why won’t the district respectfully acknowledge those who have generously forwarded their own money to fund this important program? There has been not one word from them in response to any of the letters or checks sent. This is rude behavior beyond belief.
I and many in the community expect more from public employees — at the very least, an explanation for why the program was cut since we have now provided more than three times the amount the district claims to have saved by cutting the program.
This is now not only an outrage, but a rude insult!
— Dr. James Downer,
Farm Advisor and Plant Pathologist,
University of California,
Ventura County
Also, why won’t the district respectfully acknowledge those who have generously forwarded their own money to fund this important program? There has been not one word from them in response to any of the letters or checks sent. This is rude behavior beyond belief.
I and many in the community expect more from public employees — at the very least, an explanation for why the program was cut since we have now provided more than three times the amount the district claims to have saved by cutting the program.
This is now not only an outrage, but a rude insult!
— Dr. James Downer,
Farm Advisor and Plant Pathologist,
University of California,
Ventura County
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:14 AM
Who has the power?
Re: your editorial, “How will the county grow?” published in The Star March 27:
If you believe that land-use policy for your community should be decided by your local government reflecting the will of its constituents, then you would have found The Road Ahead 2005 conference on growth troubling, as I did.
I listened to speaker after speaker advocate transferring more planning authority from city governments to regional organizations, which are less accountable to voters.
Panelists left no doubt about their agenda: to promote high-density housing projects in communities throughout Ventura County. They acknowledged that there is widespread public resistance to higher density and the traffic congestion it creates, and to loss of local control, so much attention was devoted to overcoming that opposition.
One speaker suggested that government officials never use the term “high density” when talking about high-density housing. I guess “smart growth” sounds better.
The Star editorial states that the Ventura County Civic Alliance “wants to create a ‘Compact for a Sustainable Ventura County.’” Who gave this group authority to plan the future of our county? Will their “compact” be submitted to voters, as was the Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources initiative? Or will it be a device to deny citizens a voice in shaping the destiny of their communities?
— Roderick Greene, Ojai
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:04 AM
Government: Stay out
Why on Earth does government — both state and federal — think they have a right to dictate life and death decisions for any individual? I, too, think Terri Schiavo’s slow death by starvation and dehydration is tragic and appalling!
According to her husband, she would rather die than live the way she has for the last 15 years. Since she didn’t write it down, who are we to question her legal guardian’s position? Will all of those protesters and self-entertaining clueless people please, instead of gripping signs and writing letters bashing federal and state officials for upholding our personal right to decide, grip a pen and write and sign a living will and leave no one in the dark as to your wishes when your time comes?
Again, government should have no right to tell anyone how to live or how to die, terrorists and criminals being the only logical exceptions.
— Michael Thames, Ojai
Posted by Andrea Howry at 11:00 AM
Put police on patrol
Re: “Tags on 101 bridge frustrating Caltrans,” published in The Star March 29:
Oxnard can’t find an answer to this problem? Try this: Put the two motorcycle police officers who were handing out tickets on Vineyard Avenue the morning of March 29 on the night shift, since most of the tagging is done at night.
Put one on the northbound lane and one on the southbound lane at the foot of the bridge. I’m sure you have a four-wheeler that can be used to patrol the Santa Clara riverbed at the same time.
Then, when you catch the taggers, have their parents remove the graffiti. I know if I had to remove it because of my kids, there would be a sudden stop to it.
Are tickets being given out to people going along the mini malls more important to you as a city?
— John G. Villegas, El Rio
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:56 AM
Crack down on park
Re: “Park was closed for post-Easter cleanup,” published in The Star March 29:
I personally feel Arroyo Verde Park should be closely restricted during the holidays or entrance fees substantially increased on these events. Perhaps with this, these people will return to their own communities and destroy their own parks, not ours.
Park administration officials could coordinate with the Ventura County Probation Department (Work Release) or the California Youth Authority to help with this cleanup. This is already done in Kern County.
I personally challenge our city council, park commission and park administration to come up with a viable solution. If the same abuse occurred only one time at our City Hall, I’m certain a solution would be found.
The problem will not go away. In fact, it will just get worse until we say, as a community, “Enough is enough!” Our beautiful Arroyo Verde Park should not have to endure and does not deserve the abuse it receives from people who just don’t care.
— Tim Brooks, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:48 AM
Put citizens on patrol
Re: “Tags on 101 bridge frustrating Caltrans,” published in The Star March 29:
California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Judy Gish states that there doesn’t seem to be a solution. Well, isn’t that encouraging? Put up the white flag and surrender.
I would think that Caltrans would have some liability if a tagger were to fall from the tip-top of one of those cranes, right? But there’s no solution?
Perhaps citizens could get involved. I’m sure that there are cars passing when this tagging is going on. Put up a big sign with an easy number that can be called from a cell phone any time of day or night.
Citizens are going to be patrolling our southern border in April because our government can’t do it. Why not ask citizens to patrol the bridge? Police departments have citizen patrols who could coordinate this effort.
If the people of the community don’t get involved, I think the message of blight on the community is accurate.
— DeAnna Brown, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:43 AM
Dangers of Prozac
Re: Teen gunman took Prozac, friend says,” published in The Star March 26:
Thank you to The Star for printing the fact that the teen shooter at Red Lake High School in Minnesota was on Prozac.
I am a volunteer with the Citizens Commission on Human Rights, and it’s part of my job to educate people about the possible harm caused by psychiatric treatment. Most people are beginning to connect the dots, but it takes exposure like this for them to do so.
I understand the media can’t just come out and say Prozac caused this kid to go on a killing rampage. Cause and effect are not “evidence.” However, when eight out of 12 of the last school killers turn out to be on psychiatric drugs, it should raise an eyebrow.
It is my opinion that so long as people continue to take these harmful psychiatric drugs, we are going to continue to see cases where people “go postal” at work, at home and in our schools.
Here’s a test: Next time you hear about a killing spree, ask yourself, “What psychiatric treatment was this person getting?” See if you don’t start to see the link.
For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.cchr.org/ or call our local hotline number at 371-1576. The address for our local chapter is P.O. Box 449, Camarillo, CA 93011.
— Tammy Synovec, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:25 AM
Brown-bagging is OK
Re: “Campus food not just meals, students say,” published in The Star March 29:
The article addresses the plan to close all three cafeterias in the Ventura County Community College District.
I note all sorts of complaints about how serious this is and what hardships the students are facing. They say they “need a ready supply of food nearby to nourish their bodies and brains, which will help them learn better and faster.” You see, lacking a cafeteria, they just might fill up on soda and candy from vending machines.
Going out to eat is not the solution because those students at Moorpark College, for example, face travel of “at least two miles” to reach a place to purchase food.
Hogwash!
Nowhere in the article does it mention that the students might consider making some sandwiches before going to school and placing that lunch in a brown paper bag, along with a Thermos of fruit juice or milk.
If they become brown-baggers — and I’m sure they disdain the very thought of this — they will have no need to buy food to “nourish their bodies and brains,” for that nourishment will be right at hand. And further, they will save lots of money in the process. Problem solved.
— O. H. Billmann, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:05 AM
Conejo’s priorities
I read the paper often, but I must have missed this headline: “Dire need for sporting goods in Thousand Oaks leads planning commission to drastic action.”
Why else, I am wondering, would the commission approve the Sport Chalet project, a massive project in what has been a neighborhood shopping center at Janss and Moorpark roads? By doing this, they have driven out many small businesses with a long history at a center which is traditional for these types of stores.
The need for sporting goods is so dire that the commission went even further and broke precedent by approving major changes to the rear of the center, which has been for employee parking and deliveries and which has acted as a buffer zone for local homes surrounding the center. There will now be customer parking and an entrance to the new store in this buffer zone. Taco Bell could not even get a drive-through approved for their operation because of traffic noise concerns in this buffer zone.
But the real upshot, and the big story in all this, is the fact that now an outdoor pool is planned in this buffer zone, with diving lessons planned until 10 p.m. Just a couple of years ago, a day care center for children was denied at this very location because a playground needed to go on the exact same spot where the pool will now go. The city council recognized that although the need for day care for the working families of our community is a very important concern, it was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I just wonder what this says about our community if we deny a playground for our children, then approve a diving pool for our recreation.
As I say, the need for sporting goods in the Conejo must be at a crisis stage for the planning commission to have taken this action. I was caught unawares.
— Larry Marino, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:53 AM
Realistic suggestions
Re: Richard Riggs’ letter, “Fresh ideas for college,” published in The Star March 28:
Kudos to Mr. Riggs for making realistic recommendations and turning a negative situation into a positive one. This sounds like a win-win situation for all. And who knows? Maybe some students may find a profession they had never thought of and be successful in life.
— Pat Sweeney, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:43 AM
Bill is poorly worded
Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has proposed a bill she calls the “Count Every Vote Act of 2005.”
Before this proposal goes any further, I want to go on record as opposing this bill. If Sen. Clinton wants to, as she says, “ensure the integrity of our voting process,” it cannot be done through allowing unfettered, indiscriminate access to the election process by people who may or may not be citizens or who, for legal reasons, may be unqualified to vote.
As it stands now, the bill would essentially only require that an individual affirm that they are a citizen and eligible to vote. How does that add to the integrity of the voting process? This is an open invitation to “stuff the ballot box.”
What is wrong with people taking responsibility of citizenship seriously enough to register to vote? Why open the voting booth to non-citizens or illegal aliens and disenfranchise those who have worked so hard to become citizens through the proper legal processes? As recent elections have shown, results can turn on a few thousand or even a few hundred votes.
As a natural born citizen, I do not want to see the effect of my votes diluted or negated by votes of questionable veracity.
Do not let the clever title of “Count Every Vote Act” delude you into thinking this will ensure accuracy and accountability in the voting process. It will, in fact, make it more difficult and costly to verify elections.
If the bill goes through as it stands and future election results get challenged, the word “disenfranchised” will become further entrenched in the lexicon of American electoral politics.
Unfortunately, the ones who truly will be disenfranchised are those of us who take the responsibility of our citizenship seriously enough to register in the first place.
I am under no illusions that current election processes and procedures are fault free, but the “Count Every Vote Act of 2005” is a recipe for disaster that ultimately will serve only those with the money and power to affect elections at the ballot box through illegal voter recruitment. It “takes a village” idiot to think otherwise.
— Jim O’Brien, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:39 AM
Earth Day thoughts
Arbor/Earth Day is celebrated this year in Thousand Oaks on Saturday, April 9. It’s a day to focus on our planet and how we can take care of it.
In the public discussion of how to best steward our planet, there is a vital aspect that is often not included: the spiritual nature of stewardship. We often forget that it is the expression of spiritual qualities such as love, brotherhood, sharing, appreciation and unselfishness that best care for not only ourselves, but also our earth. And it follows that it is the lack of these qualities that harm it.
We have all witnessed the destructive results of indifference, selfishness and greed, whether in a person mindlessly throwing trash on the ground, a corporation spewing pollution in the air or water, or a government refusing to stop the destruction of old-growth forests for financial gain.
Many people are becoming more aware of the connection between our thinking and the care of the planet. And many people are taking action.
One way I begin is analogous to a gardener’s task of weeding his garden. I start by “weeding my mental garden.” I try to do this daily by first becoming aware of my thinking and then consciously choosing which thoughts are worth keeping. I try to refuse entry to unkindness, hatred, fear and selfishness, and I strive to let my life be more an expression of spiritual qualities.
One of Jesus’ parables about the wheat and tares seems to relate directly to this process of weeding. In the parable, a farmer sows wheat, but while he is sleeping, an enemy sows tares, or weeds. The farmer is told to let them grow ‘til the harvest when the wheat can be gathered for storage in a barn and the tares can be gathered for destruction.
To me, this says, first of all, be alert to know the difference between the wheat (spiritual thoughts) and the tares (material thoughts). Secondly, we must learn how to separate the two, the spiritual or wheat for useful purposes and the tares or selfish material thinking for elimination. This is not just a mental exercise, but also a spiritual discipline that God helps us to practice. This discipline to me is part of a science — Christian Science. This science is the law of God, which holds the universe intact.
Mary Baker Eddy in her foundational book on spiritual healing, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” says of the tares and wheat:
“The inharmonious and self-destructive never touch the harmonious and self-existent. These opposite qualities are the tares and wheat, which never really mingle, though (to mortal sight) they grow side by side until the harvest; then, Science separates the wheat from the tares, through the realization of God as ever present and of man as reflecting the divine likeness.”
I like thinking of all mankind as reflecting the divine likeness, and I like knowing that God is ever present. These ideas, along with the discipline of separating the tares from the wheat in thought, have power. They can transform our mental and physical environments. They can help us be better stewards of our planet.
— Brenda Evers, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:32 AM
Wage statistic flawed
Re: Page Schindler’s commentary, “Double standard in 2005 not dead,” published in The Star March 29:
I have many problems with Ms. Schindler’s commentary, but I’ll just stick to one here.
She contends that women “are still paid 76 cents to the dollar that men earn.”
I am assuming she obtained this information from the U.S. Census Bureau. This is an often quoted but flawed statistic. You see, all the government is doing is comparing the median earnings of all full-time workers of both sexes.
There are many reasons the median earnings of men is higher. One of the greatest factors is simply that the type of jobs men pursue are higher paying. Men also tend to have higher degrees, work longer hours, work more dangerous and higher paying jobs, and they do not take as much time off of work to have children or raise a family.
But you don’t need to analyze statistics to understand the “wage gap” is just a myth. Just ask yourself this question: If women are getting paid only 76 cents on the dollar for the exact same work, then why are employers not immediately firing men and hiring women? Hey, a 24 percent reduction in labor costs would be huge to the bottom line. Corporations are moving overseas just to realize those savings, and they could have them right here, just by hiring equally qualified women!
Why is this not happening? Because statistics can be twisted to mean whatever it is you want them to mean. And this statistic is repeated over and over, flawed as it is.
I am sure Ms. Schindler must know this, being a “women’s rights advocate.” The question is: Why is she deliberately misleading readers? Could it be because she is desperately searching for discrimination, when it simply does not exist anymore? Is she worried there may not be any more need for a “women’s rights advocate” in the 21st century? Is she actually looking out for her interests here?
— Dalius Stropus, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:13 AM
March 29, 2005
Alternatives needed
I am aghast that people who pay high premiums for their health insurance don’t see a need for an alternative to a community hospital or a county facility.
The public consensus doesn’t like the idea of socialized health care, but that is basically what it has become.
I am a registered nurse with more than 20 years of acute care experience (hospital). I recently first-handedly experienced what it is like for a patient who has supplemental Medicare-provided health insurance.
I spent day and night at my father’s bedside, sleeping in a chair in his semiprivate room, which was occupied by a patient with a respiratory infection (pneumonia). I personally cleaned the toilet. I changed the bed linens. I assisted my father to the common shower to clean it, and I provided enough towels and toiletries for a shower.
I cherish the innovation of “boutique hospitals.” God forbid I end up at a county facility without a personal assistant to care for me.
As a registered nurse, I was personally reprimanded for giving care of a patient who was bedridden for months, and I was subsequently terminated.
— Philomena Simonella, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 02:19 PM
Don’t cut ceramics
I am writing this letter with hopes of providing a personal viewpoint on why Ventura College should not close its doors on its wonderful ceramic arts program.
As I understand it, the administrators are pursuing, under various economic and even possibly non-economic reasons, to close its doors. I am very dismayed over this announcement.
The ceramics department has, for many decades, provided wonderful, artistic instruction for its community members. I have been familiar with it since 1975 when Professor James Danisch was at the helm, followed by Professor Yoshiro Ikeda, now at Kansas State University. I find it deplorable to close such a fine institution with such a distinguished historical faculty.
One of the first casualties of cost-cutting is always the fine arts because the arts are considered insignificant and not necessary to higher education. However, let me point out that there are subtle concerns in the learning process that non-art administrators seldom consider.
1. The arts teaches us the ability to make judgments in the absence of rules. We artists (teachers, students, professionals) learn rules through our emotional interiors, not from texts. It is a feeling of rightness in which we work. Our judgment comes from looking inside ourselves.
2. The arts teaches us to consider more than one solution to a problem. This is part of going through and living life’s lessons.
3. The arts teaches us flexibility, in that wherever we start, it is OK to change midstream as better opportunities arise. The serendipitous “surprise element” has always been a joy in learning and doing.
Aristotle said, “Art loves chance. He who errs willingly is the artist.”
Creative thinking competes against rote learning. And the arts serve as a counterbalance to our daily humdrum schedules.
4. The arts provide us a form of language and expression that this computer age world cannot provide. The written word is but only one option. Art provides another form of communication. It is critical, analytical thinking, as well as manual dexterity. It is dynamic.
5. Finally, the arts (ceramics here) can bring us joy and personal enrichment. It creates the capacity to feel, to touch, to create, whether or not it is a lowly ashtray or some loftier endeavors such as pure sculpture.
It is for some of these reasons that I firmly believe that to close the ceramics department would be a sad event that would disenfranchise and spritually dislocate your local community members as well as the art world of Southern California. I and my collegues do not endorse the administration’s decision. It is our hopes that they will reconsider.
— Professor Patrick S. Crabb, Ceramics professor, Santa Ana College, Santa Ana
Posted by Andrea Howry at 02:08 PM
Pain for firefighters
Sen. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, seems to think firefighters are a pretty dumb bunch of people. Well, let’s look at the facts.
When the Simi Fire roared through the county, the firefighters were dumb enough to stand in its way. When a mountain collapsed at La Conchita, these dimwits actually climbed up it to pull people out. When a 90-foot ship capsized in the ocean with 24 people on it, a couple of these numbskulls dove in and pulled them out.
Now Sen. McClintock wants them to embrace a new retirement system which leaves nothing for them or their families when they get burned up, crushed or drowned.
I don’t think even firefighters are that stupid.
— Jason Hodge, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:54 PM
Stem-cell bill needed
Washington, D.C., is finally listening.
Almost three years after it was introduced, the House of Representatives is bringing the subject of increased federally approved stem cell lines to debate on the floor and for a vote.
With one out of two families having a loved one with a condition that could potentially be cured by future therapies discovered through this research, we need to speak up and let our representatives know that we need this legislation passed now.
Everyone who voted in favor of Proposition 71 in the last election needs to write to their congressional representative and ask their support for this key piece of legislation.
We have allowed ourselves to place unimaginable burdens on our children and grandchildren — such as the highest national debt ever, decreased medical care insurance coverage, a broken system of Social Security and a fragile ecology we have made even more fragile.
Isn’t it time we left a good legacy to our children, one of future good health and treatment? Write those letters!
— Sherri Cunial, Agoura Hills
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:43 PM
Repair bill no surprise
Re: “City Hall repairs could cost $5 million,” published in The Star March 19:
A friend of mine e-mailed me this article on the new $5 million repair at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.
What else is new?
When I was the building and safety director for the city in about 1990, I categorically told City Manager Grant Brimhall and Assistant City Manager MaryJane Lazz that the building was a disaster designwise.
As a veteran of the old City Hall at 401 West Hillcrest, I saw years of leaks no matter how much we patched it. Flat roofs are one thing, but when put over conditioned space, they are an accident waiting to happen. Worse than anything, the an expansion joint was included on the outside walking deck over the Planning/Building Department offices!
What can you say about a building that has the front door on the side, the first floor on the second and requires volunteers to guide people through what should have been a “user friendly” building? I suggested a Spanish-style building with the front door at the street and all the most popular departments in one area. I was told that I didn’t have any “architectural appreciation.” I countered that I had plan-checked almost all the new buildings in Thousand Oaks and I knew what worked!
For my comments, they demoted me and downgraded the building department to a division.
There is so much more to Brimhall and Lazz and their insistence to build this money pit and how they ran short of funds even though we had really cheap bids, the short cuts — I could go on and on, and I don’t even know the bulk of what went on.
No matter what is done, the staff at the counter will suffer forever from the angry public that has to weave their way through the maze of where to park, “What level am I on?” “Where is ‘blank’ department” and, lastly, “How do I get out of here?” As if it’s the staff’s fault.
As someone who suffered at the counter at 401 West Hillcrest, I knew what was coming and, unfortunately, could not prevent it. To add to it, the staff now has to wear raincoats indoors!
— Barry Branagan, Marina del Rey
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:40 PM
Where are our Esthers?
“If I perish, I perish.”
Translated, that means, “If I make my constituents mad because I am rescuing Terri’s life, then I will lose the next election but I will gain God’s favor.”
It should have been the call of Gov. Jeb Bush to follow the Florida Constitution to act on behalf of Terri Schiavo’s inalienable right to life. He did not have the courage of his convictions to call the Florida judge, only to bail to secular and politically correct pressures. How sad.
It’s ironic that this all occurred during Holy Week and during the re-enactment of two Biblical events: The Passion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday by Christians and The Feast of Purim by Jews celebrating Queen Esther’s courage to save her people (Jews) from extinction from the royal decree put out under the authority of King Ahasuersus (Xerxes I – 485 B.C.) of the Persian empire. After three days of fasting, she made the decision and said, “If I perish, I perish.”
To approach the king was very dangerous. Without his approval an immediate death (very intimidating) was prescribed. And the king did not know she was a Jew. Only through her intervention via the truth as to who she was and the plot to destroy all the Jews did King Ahasuerus intervene.
Although he couldn’t change the decree, Esther’s uncle, Mordacai (appointed the king’s new minister) was able to write a new law to allow the Jews to defend themselves against those wanting to destroy them. (Has Terri been offered a chance to defend herself?)
It is this story — the survival of the Jewish people by listening to God and choosing to live — that tells of the Jews being able to return to Israel. Less than 500 years later, our Messiah would be born in the city of David.
Where are all our Esthers today? Our elected officials and many clergy are afraid (of what?) to speak up for life!
In a sense, so too have we now condemned the elderly, the weak, our minorities, the disabled, the imperfect to a similar death sentence by choice! Who will be the next victim? We have already killed millions of perfectly normal unborn children through abortions mainly because they were inconvenient or perhaps not quite perfect or the right sex — maybe even with Down Syndrome, thanks to an additional chromosome!
And what a blessing Down Syndrome children are! I have one — Heather, now 20 years old — and every day I marvel at her innocence, her beauty, her companionship, and yes, her dependency, especially on me. Yes, I signed a document refusing military doctors to do an amniocentesis, and I rejected their suggestion to abort her. It was the best decision of my life.
Will she ever be able to make these decisions for herself concerning life and death? The answer is no. If she becomes inconvenient for me, should I starve her to death? No! And how can we do this to Terri?
It’s hard to believe our society no longer has “time” to take care of their children or their parents or spouses. What is more important than the gift of life? Have we now become a culture of death, placing it higher than life?
God placed us on this earth for a purpose. It is our job to discover what that purpose is. Somehow, Heather has influenced my life. I am truly blessed and wouldn’t have it any other way! Perhaps Terri’s life will awaken in our hearts a new respect for life.
God is merciful, and Jesus died for our sins that we might have life everlasting. We are given many chances to change. It takes courage — like Esther, like Martin Luther King, like Lech Walesa, like Pope John Paul II — to face the truth and practice it. And it’s not just an impossible dream.
— Elaine McKearn, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:38 PM
Saturday peace vigils
Re: “Soldier’s family has to fight off creditors,” published in The Star March 27:
I read with interest the article about military families struggling to keep their homes out of foreclosure while their loved ones are fighting in Iraq, protective laws not withstanding.
This and other practices — such as some in our military being denied the medical and psychiatric treatment they need and the fact that the cost of some of this treatment is being deducted from military pensions — is cause for public protest in the Conejo Valley.
Our troops, many still unequipped with the essentials that would keep them safer, many still victims of a back-door draft, and many thousands gone and wounded irreparably, need to know that we are paying attention and hold them high on our list of priorities.
On March 26, as we stood from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. with our signs and candles, car after car passed, drivers honking with thumbs in the air to let us know that they too, share our feelings of patriotism and frustration at the way the violence and terror continue to unfold in Iraq.
On the evening of April 2, we will be joined by the parents of a young American soldier who lost his life fighting in this war.
Please join with others in our community, people from many walks of life and a variety of organizations and religious affiliations, as we become a regular presence on Saturday evenings witnessing for peace at the corner of Lynn and Hillcrest drives, just across from The Oaks mall.
— Marjorie Loring, Newbury Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:49 PM
An ugly death
However much I may agree with the courts that Michael Schiavo has the ethical right to represent and carry out his wife’s wishes, I am not comfortable with the ethos of the mechanics of Terry Schiavo’s demise, which is to permit this poor, miserable woman to die of thirst, since she is likely to die of thirst long before she dies of starvation.
Even if her existence is only at brain-stem level, how can anyone, even doctors, know for sure that she is not, at some level, suffering as a result of her gradual dehydration?
I think she did not want her life sustained artificially, but I doubt she wanted to be treated as as if she’d been bound and gagged and left to perish in the trunk of a car.
How can our society deny this woman the same merciful passage that we bestow on children’s pets and condemned prisoners? How can we any longer deny the value of court-ordered euthanasia to people in Ms. Schiavo’s situation?
Imagine if, instead of dying of dehydration, she was given the injections used to execute convicted prisoners. The implication is not that she is a condemned prisoner, it is that she is spared the agony of a possibly painful death.
How can you claim to value life if you cannot value death and know its place in our world and our society?
— Karla Johnson, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:38 PM
Overlooked facts
Successful urban planning requires honesty, reason, and facts. These items are often missing in meetings about the future of Ventura County.
Consider, for example, The Road Ahead 2005 conference about affordable housing. Here are some facts not sufficiently discussed in the conference:
1. Not everyone who wants to live in Ventura County will be able to live here, even if every square foot of buildable space is used. Limits must be set and maintained.
2. Businesses and real estate developers are not motivated primarily by community welfare. Their central goal is to grow and increase their income.
3. There is no guarantee that the people who buy affordable housing, their families, and subsequent purchasers will in fact work in Ventura County.
Simi Valley City Councilman Steve Sojka described a model of affordable housing. It was a three-story apartment complex near the Metrolink station in Simi. This is an excellent example of how people can live in Ventura County and travel easily by public transportation into Los Angeles to work. This is also the exact opposite result from that claimed by affordable housing advocates who say we need more affordable housing so people can work here.
— Kirkland Gable, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:34 PM
No wishful thinking
Re: “Former Jarvis aide now advises governor,” published in The Star March 28:
The looming referendum vote to save California from stagflation and decline is not wishful thinking or an exaggeration as Tim Hodson, director of the Institute for California Studies, proposed in The Star article. Nor is it a miscalculation; the people of California are smarter than that.
It is more like a grass roots effort to help Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger defeat the “Goliath” unions, who, in planning his demise, vow to overspend his efforts by a ratio of 10-to-1.
No, consider this November’s “duel in the sun” as a realistic response to the probability of taxing and spending California into oblivion.
The citizens of this great state have spoken and are supported, not only by large commercial concerns, but also by the myriad “Davids” of small business.
Quoting an excerpt from the California Chamber of Commerce can give us some perspective:
“Small businesses are the cornerstone of our economy. State Employment Development Department data shows that approximately 96 percent of all businesses in the state are small businesses, and most of these (79 percent) have fewer than 10 employees. Small businesses generate nearly two-thirds of all new jobs. But California small businesses face a number of new laws and regulations that increase costs and regulatory burdens.”
When the unions complain about the overwhelming forces of business supporting Gov. Schwarzenegger’s plans, we know the heart of their lament. Therefore, let’s be fair and include, as the real soldiers in this battle, the “mom and pop” enterprises who underpin the entire edifice.
— Ronald L. Lyons, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:23 PM
Enforce laws
This is an open letter to President Bush.
Dear President Bush:
Your comments, in a press release with Mexican President Vincente Fox calling the Minutemen group currently on the U.S. border with Mexico “vigilantes,” has motivated me to write to you.
A vigilante is someone who takes the law into their own hands in an illegal manner. The Minutemen group is lawful. They are not enforcing the laws of the United States; they are simply calling attention to the lack of enforcement of those laws by the United States, for which you are responsible.
You have hired 200 new Border Patrol agents when 2,000 per year have been budgeted for five years — 10,000 total.
The Minutemen are calling in reports of illegal border crossings. They are not detaining or confronting people. They are simply highlighting the lack of enforcement.
I have been a resident of California for more than 50 years. I have seen the degradation in the quality of life, to which the escalating tide of generations of illegal immigration has significantly contributed.
The evidence is all around, ranging from a nearly complete breakdown of school districts’ ability to educate children, to overcrowded and dangerous housing, inability to deliver emergency medical care, clogged freeways, increased pollution, and the very security of the citizens of this country.
Homeland security is an area that must be taken seriously. The potential for devastating results should our terrorist enemies cross the Mexican border and attack our unprotected citizens is enormous. This risk is not justified by what you feel are the economic and political gains of continuing to encourage illegal immigration into the United States.
You say that illegals perform jobs Americans won’t do. That is a myth. An endless pool of illegal, poorly educated labor depresses the market wage for nearly every business sector relying on unskilled labor to a level where Americans can’t live. This cheap labor can only sustain itself here through public subsidies in the form of taxpayer-underwritten social services. Take away these illegal labor sources and the market for labor would adjust. Jobs in construction, landscaping, hotel housekeeping, food service and so forth would begin to pay wages that are sustainable and tax-producing.
The Mexican economy could create massive employment for its citizens with only a few reforms. You should be urging Mexico to change its laws regarding foreign ownership of land, and to drive out the endemic governmental corruption that makes doing business in Mexico so uncertain.
Given the labor pool and natural resources Mexico has, there is no reason that that country could not employ and educate its own population.
As should be obvious by now, I am seriously distressed at the tack American leadership has chosen regarding illegal immigration. I believe you are not upholding your oath of office to defend our country and its Constitution. In 2008, I will be looking for a party and a candidate that will enforce our immigration laws.
— Gary Hartjen, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:16 PM
March 28, 2005
Don’t cut programs
Ventura County is known for its world-class potters, Otto and Vivika Heino and Beatrice Wood. Ventura College has supported students who wished to follow in their footsteps with a fine ceramics program. I know that personally from learning and being inspired while taking two terms of beginning ceramics.
Ventura County is also known for its agricultural products — lemons, oranges, avocados, strawberries, other vegetable crops and nursery plants. Again, Ventura College has supported students who want knowledge for this important economic sector with a fine horticulture program. The program has also been a delight for home gardeners, and I know that personally from having taken a class in landscape plant identification, one of my hardest college classes ever!
So, why is the Ventura County Community College District chancellor cutting these two programs that contribute so much to the uniqueness of our county? How about trimming administration costs instead?
Please save these programs!
— Janna Orkney, Oak Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 02:05 PM
Guardrail finally up
I’m writing in regard to the cement guardrail that has finally been put into place on the Santa Susana Pass Road where a fatal accident occurred on Christmas Day.
While I’m happy to see action was finally taken, it saddens me that the death of a beautiful young woman, Candice Lopaty, only 18 years of age, had to precede it. My son lost his young girlfriend on that Christmas Day, but she also left behind a family that grieves daily for an accident that could have been avoided.
I had been told the family asked why the guardrail wasn’t finished in that particular area (there was just enough space left for a car to careen through) and they were told there had not been enough fatalities to justify it.
Another accident occurred in that very spot two days after Candice died. A third accident last month must have sparked enough interest, hence the permanent guardrail.
While I’m not trying to place blame, I just wish the numerous accidents over the past 20 years in that spot would have been enough to take this action sooner. Thank you Candice, for allowing others to live.
— Irene Decker, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 02:00 PM
U.S. must leave WTO
The 148-member Geneva-based World Trade Organization has once again ruled against the United States.
On March 3, a WTO panel issued a 301-page report upholding its previous condemnation of government-issued subsidies to American cotton growers. Other WTO decisions have forced changes in our tax laws, steel tariffs, oil importation policies, and even the purchase of bananas.
As predicted by a courageous few in Congress when the United States joined the WTO in 1994, our nation has now arrived at a point where foreign mandates repeatedly dictate what U.S. law should be. This situation violates the very basis of our constitutional system.
Congress can withdraw our nation from the WTO during 2005.
Continued independence for our nation is at stake. Members of Congress must not fail to extricate our nation from this sovereignty-compromising organization.
— Chris Letizia, Newbury Park
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:55 PM
Living for Christ
Re: “The Search for Meaning,” published in The Star March 27:
This article was very interesting, considering it was published on Easter Sunday. I can tell you that the people I know who lead “empty” lives either have no purpose in their life or are living to meet their (selfish) needs as the only purpose for living. For those of us who “live for Christ,” however, we have a foundation that’s worth living. We live lives that experience a community with God as well as a community with others.
Followers of Christ believe that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” This means that there is a higher purpose in our life and a reason for hope.
This doesn’t mean that believing in God and Christ will magically erase all your troubles, however. It means that you have help from that community of God and man when dealing with the stresses of everyday life.
As I see it, no matter how busy or troubled my life might be at any given moment, I choose to make time for God. It is that sweet confidence — knowing my life has purpose and that God loves me — that allows me to greet each day with optimism and peace, even in the midst of occasional turmoil.
— Ben Griffes, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:43 PM
Truth about taxes
Re: Nina Bhavnani’s letter, “Big picture on taxes,” published in The Star March 25:
This letter included widespread misconceptions that must be addressed.
Corporations do not pay taxes. Corporations collect taxes from consumers and then hand the funds to the government. An example for those who cannot grasp this fact: When you purchase groceries, the grocery store’s income taxes are included in what you pay at checkout. The same is true for any purchase made by any person, from any company, for anything. So, the fundamental fact is that all taxes are paid by consumers.
Those who fail to understand this fact support candidates who call for increased taxes on corporations. Those voters are merely supporting an increase in one more hidden tax on themselves.
Regarding education spending: Spending per pupil is at least $5,000 per student per year. Average class size is about 25 students per room. So, schools get at least $125,000 per classroom each and every year. The average teacher earns less than $60,000 per year. Where is the remaining $65,000 per classroom, per year, going?
Well, teachers purchase classroom supplies out of pocket, so it can’t be going there. We fund school maintenance and buy books with bonds, so it can’t be going there. As to the litany of federal and state programs in our schools, the question for many of them must become, “Should this program exist at all?”
Think about John F. Kennedy’s statement, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” How does that square with government doing more and more while the people become responsible for less and less?
What we must do for our country, and our children, is to stand on our own. Cut the size and scope of government. Cut the bureaucracy in the school system above the level of principal and put the funds into the classroom. Let us return freedom, and responsibility, to the people.
— William Burke, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:38 PM
Farmers have it rough
Last week, I read that a Fillmore area nursery business was fined $40,000 for altering a streambed on its property.
Earlier, I read that with the blessing of our Ventura County supervisors, the County Watershed Management District, Fish and Game and other agencies, the City of Fillmore is being allowed to build a levee 300 feet into the Santa Clara River. The study for the changing of the waterway admits that there may be flooding and erosion on the south bank because of the levee, but the project was approved without any protection for the south bank properties.
The implication seems to be that cities and builders can get their way, but if you are a farmer in the county, too bad.
— Robert Morris, Fillmore
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:32 PM
Self-taught language
Remember bilingual education? Why can’t they call a spade a spade? I have never seen any school in Ventura County that had bilingual education for anyone other than Spanish speakers, even with all the Filipinos, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thais and other immigrants. I’ve heard of bilingual education for other ethnic immigrants in Los Angeles County, but not in Ventura County.
English as a Second Language works, but kindergarten and preschool kids pick up language very readily. When we were kids, we didn’t have bililngual education or even ESL, but we survived. We grew up in a community of immigrants from various countries. So English was our third language.
Outside of the home, we spoke a pidgin English, which was a mixture of the various languages in the community, but in the classroom we had to speak English. We went on to college, and we even had to repeat the required non-credit Oral English.
I never became a rocket scientist, but I was a lecturer-consultant to NASA, did nuclear reactor heat transfer research, and was a chemical engineering, Japanese language, English composition and ESL professor.
My colleagues went on to bigger and better things. For example:
A Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, Dan Inouye, is the third ranking Democratic U.S. senator.
U.S. Sen. Sparky Matsunaga used his oratorical skills to good use in the Senate.
Dr. Chitoshi Yanaga was a history and political science professor at Yale.
Dr. Paul Miwa was vice chancellor of the University of of Hawaii.
Masato Doi became a judge.
Members of the all Nisei 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit of its size, confused the “Jerries” in France by speaking pidgin, much as the Indian code talkers confused the enemy.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific, the blood brothers of the 442nd, some of whose parents were incarcerated in American concentration camps, used their linguistic skills in translating, interpreting and interrogating the enemy troops, some of whom could have been their own relatives. They not only had to be skilled in the enemy’s language, but skilled in writing and reporting, in English, important and urgent tactical information.
— Ted Wakai, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:28 PM
Help more people
Re: Gerald Christian Nordskog’s March 27 Pulse page commentary, “Who’s next?”
It’s frightening to me that Gerald Nordskog of the Ventura County Christian Leadership Council (and so many like him) thinks “much of the judiciary ought to be sent to Siberia,” apparently because they follow the rule of secular law instead of his ridged personal religious opinion of how he thinks the case of Terri Schiavo should have gone.
Once he and his religious right comrades have the selected judges all safe in Siberia, they can easily create their own Christian Taliban-style government here where they can micromanage everyone’s lives and beliefs without hindrance from our present system of law with its checks and balances.
One of the many things I don’t understand: If these people value life as much as they say, why aren’t they out protesting about what is happening in Darfur and so many other places where their concerted action could possibly save tens of thousands of lives, instead of concentrating on one person who has been virtually dead for 15 years?
Mr. Nordskog could even use his influence to help Tim Flynn fight the killings in Oxnard, as Mr. Flynn addressed in his article next to that of Mr. Nordskog’s.
Or are those lives not as important as a brain-dead Christian?
— Tom Lazarich, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:09 PM
Why grow at all?
Re: your editorial, “How will the county grow,” and Joe Howry’s essay, “Crafting county’s future,” published in The Star March 27:
Last week’s “The Road Ahead 2005” and other similar public meetings on the subject of “smart growth,” are simply presentations designed to persuade the public to accept continued population growth.
A few private financial and land development interests are hungry for continued growth to increase their profits, and they don’t care about the harmful effects that too much population can inflict on the vast majority of Ventura County residents.
As was stated in The Star’s editorial, “Ventura County is still a desirable place to live today,” and one of the main reasons for that is that the voters have solidly backed both citywide and countywide efforts to save farmlands and open space.
In Ventura, the voters three years ago soundly defeated a scheme to build 1,400 houses on the hillsides above town. These are the kinds of actions which Ventura County residents have taken to keep this a desirable place to live.
We do not have a responsibility to satisfy an external housing demand.
The idea that our quality of life will improve by continuing the present rate of population growth is false. The “healthy and sustainable future for our county” will be harmed instead of helped by the continued consumption of our fertile farmland and water supply.
The increased traffic and parking congestion will quickly make our new roads obsolete and make our travel more difficult, just as it has in the past.
Mr. Howry raises false issues to divert people’s attention from the harm of excess population, including “don’t be like Santa Barbara,” and “diversity,” which have nothing to do with the basic problem of too many people crowding into our living space.
There is only one way to keep Ventura County a desirable place to live: Inhibit population growth and preserve our farmland and open space.
— Will Thompson, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 01:01 PM
Road plan isn’t answer
Re: your editorial, “How will the county grow? Today’s residents hold the key,” published in The Star March 27:
Unfortunately, the “residents” do not hold the direct key as to the direction our wonderful county will go in the future. That will be decided by just four of the 300 forum participants sometime in the next few months when the county supervisors vote on the general plan update (GPU). I spotted four of our five supervisors in attendance.
Despite their avowed environmental and agriculture views, I am afraid that the supervisors will soon cast in concrete transportation plans that will eventually kill the public’s goal of maintaining this county’s quality of life. The massive 2020 road system envisioned in the draft of the current-focused GPU is almost a carbon copy of the antiquated and still ongoing 1988 GP. It, not the forum participants nor the county citizens, will set our future.
Instead of the farsighted, innovative ways to approach our future transportation problems, the proposed GPU does not change directions. As forum panelist Charles Maxey said, “If we don’t change directions, we will end up where we are heading.” As the GPU is copying the proven failed Los Angeles model of more and widened roads for the short-term benefits of reduced congestion, we are destined to end up looking like L.A.
I can only hope that the four supervisors in attendance absorbed some creative insight and political courage. As all five supervisors are commissioners on the Ventura County Transportation Commission, they should be aware that the VCTC recently stated, “We cannot simply build our way out of congestion.” More and wider roads will not solve the problem.
The VCTC went on to say: “The quality of life, safety of our communities, and health of our citizens are being degraded by our overdependence on the automobile.” I’m sure that all the forum participants would agree.
— John F. Kerkhoff, Somis
Posted by Andrea Howry at 12:48 PM
Help the exotic cats
To everyone who has been concerned about the 17 exotic cats that are being moved from Moorpark:
I would like to encourage everyone to send in donations to the Ventura County animal shelter to help pay for the care of the 17 exotic cats that have been there since March 16.
The public has been looking for some way to help these cats, and the funds donated should be sent to the shelter stating it is for the care of the “exotic cats.”
Send donations to:
Ventura County Animal Shelter, 600 Aviation Drive, Camarillo, CA 93010, Attention Kathy Jenks.
Thank you to the folks at the shelter who have been caring for these wonderful animals.
— Jacki Freeman, Long Beach
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:26 AM
Time to switch parties
I have been a Republican since I could first vote. Why? Because I believe in less government, fiscal responsibility, the right to succeed or fail without the help of the government, but, above all, the protection of our country and the Constitution.
I have been let down, as have we all — Republican, Democrat, Green, Libertarian — by the current administration. I am not talking about Iraq, as I believe we have done the right thing there. I am talking about an administration that will talk security on the one hand but leave the borders open on the other. If that is not changed, we will be hit again — and hard.
I am talking about a document called the Patriot Act, which is one of the scariest things ever written or passed as a law in the history of these United States. For those who have not read it, please do.
The final straw for me was the gross and unconstitutional interference with the Terri Schiavo case. This went far and beyond the separation between church and state and the separation of power between the state and the judiciary. If Mrs. Schiavo was able to talk, move, have even the slightest concept of what’s going on around her, then someone would have had a voice- activated recorder going or a video cam. Let this poor lady go in peace. The husband was not the only person to have been told by Mrs. Schiavo, “No heroic measures.”
As a Christian, I do not believe in forcing my beliefs down another’s throat.
We are a republic, not a theocracy. The Republican Party has gone down a road I do not wish to follow or endorse. I find little difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. As far as I am concerned, they are the third-party “Republicrats. The Greens seem to represent the original Democrat Party, or will in time, and Libertarians represent what real old-fashioned Republicans believe.
I have re-registered Libertarian and suggest that other Republicans do the same and that Democrats disenchanted with their party register as Greens. I can’t think of a better way to grab the attention of either party as to the disgust many of us, both Democrat and Republican, feel. When both parties realize how many of us are bailing to what they think of as fringe parties, maybe they’ll get a clue up there on Mount Olympus.
To the Republican party: I think for myself. I do not follow lockstep. I follow my conscience and my common sense, and both tell me to jump ship.
— John C. Page III, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:22 AM
Half-truths in plan
Re: Jeffrey Herman’s letter, “Presidential bias,” published in The Star March 9:
This letter, which defended President Bush’s Social Security plan, suggests that Mr. Herman has learned the propaganda techniques of the Republican Party very well. A combination of half-truths and innuendos in order to mislead and deceive voters is their obvious approach.
For example, Mr. Herman notes, “President Roosevelt himself was in favor of private accounts.” What this half-truth doesn’t say, however, is that Roosevelt favored private accounts in addition to Social Security, not as subtractions from it.
The Republicans fought Roosevelt tooth and toenail to stop Social Security in the first place and only came grudgingly to accept it when the popularity of the program made outright opposition impossible. But we shouldn’t kid ourselves: The Republican Party and the Bush administration never saw a safety net program that wasn’t patently un-American.
So the only answer to the president’s push for private accounts is that he’s not interested in fixing or improving Social Security; he’s out to destroy it. The trillions of dollars (that’s a number with twelve zeros in it, folks) that his plan will cost will certainly encourage discontinuance of Social Security altogether.
The lack of progress President Bush is making in selling America on his plan is a very encouraging sign, and we can only hope he falls flat on his face.
— William Merit True, II, Port Hueneme
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:56 AM
Race isn’t only issue
Re: “Some upset at Oxnard Union trustees’ decision,” published in The Star March 25:
Once again, an article has been written about the unification issue which relies on the same cast of characters: those in favor of unification.
As someone who attended the meeting and supports the Oxnard Union High School District’s board decision to oppose unification, I found it interesting that The Star quoted proponents of unification, with the exception of the Oxnard teachers union representative, in its most recent story.
Additionally, several comments leading up to the board’s decision were omitted. Instead, the issue of race was the sole focus, when several other areas of concern were shared.
One of those areas was the fiscal analysis on unification, which the Pleasant Valley School District recently adopted. There seem to be several areas in this report which are either lacking or were not included in the final analysis.
One item was the annual deficit costs of the Adolfo Camarillo High School cafeteria, which was omitted from the report. Questions were raised as to whether the expenditures designated for special education programs were adequate. Transportation costs may also be significantly higher than the report projected.
These last two categories constitute significant portions of any district budget. The fact that there are doubts as to their accuracy should be of concern to anyone considering the financial ramifications of unification.
Another recently quoted proponent, Patty Lerner, repeated the often-heard concern of articulation at the high school district meeting. I have actually experienced her fears and will gladly share our children’s experiences of a positive transition to high school compared to a less-than-desirable transition (within the Pleasant Valley district) from the fifth grade to middle school. When I realized something was amiss, I simply contacted my child’s teachers and worked with them to remedy the problem. I hope this purported concern will stop being dragged into the equation.
Until the Pleasant Valley district can provide all of our high school students with a comprehensive education, I will continue to wholeheartedly support the Oxnard Union High School District in its endeavors to educate all of the children who fall within its jurisdiction.
— Pamela Cwiklo, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:42 AM
Let’s go to Fargo, N.D.
Re: Terry Paulson’s essay, “In defense of rich people,” published in The Star March 21:
Wow, I feel a whole lot better after reading that. All this time I’ve been thinking that it was poor people who needed advocates. Silly me, I always figured it was pretty tough for poor folks to hire the same expensive lobbyists that Enron and WorldCom did.
As far as I know, most rich folks were laughing up their sleeves when they heard about the Bush tax cuts. “Found money,” they said. “I didn’t ask for it, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?”
No rich person I knew was canceling their plans to move out of California to North Dakota because they never had those plans in the first place.
All kidding aside, does Terry really believe that moderate and low-income people are better off as a result of the tax cuts? Did he for one moment stop to think about the impact that the 2005-06 budget cuts will have on those folks — budget cuts that are primarily a result of the budget deficit, which was caused primarily by excessive tax cuts for rich folks? I bet he did, but, like always, this little fact didn’t fit his carefully crafted logic.
Here are two facts I stumbled on from a September 2004 article in the Detroit News. (Yes, I know, the Detroit News is probably owned by poor people who emigrated from California.)
The poorest 20 percent of workers, who earn an average of $16,600 annually, will get a tax break of 68 cents a day. By comparison, the richest 1 percent will receive $78,460 in tax cuts this year or nearly 7 percent of their income.
The Bush tax breaks for the richest 10 percent this year alone will total $148 billion. That’s twice as much as the government will spend in total on-the-job training, college Pell grants, public housing, low-income rental subsidies, child care, insurance for low-income children, low-income energy assistance, meals for shut-ins and welfare.
And that’s before the 2005-06 budget cuts were announced.
So Terry, on behalf of all us rich folks, let me once again thank you for making me feel better. I’ve torn up my ticket to Fargo.
— Fred Rothenberg, Ojai
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:31 AM
Religion can be wrong
Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 essay, “Has religion lost its way?”:
Where do you get these people who write these essays? Do they check their facts? And where are the essays that represent the other side?
Mr. Larsen speaks about religion as being under the umbrella of “metaphysical” and therefore can neither be proved or disproved. He states, “As such, religion remains speculative in nature: No one religion can be right; no one religion can be wrong.”
Are you kidding? When Jim Jones got a group of people to commit mass suicide, was that religion right or wrong? If my husband is living with another woman with whom he has two children and is still legally married to me, yet decides that I am brain-damaged and that my hydration/feeding tube should be removed — even though my parents are willing to assume responsibility for my care and I breathe on my own without a respirator — and he has spent no money on rehabilitation for me, and liberals are using my situation to accuse Republicans of misconduct ... hmmm.
“Religion has lost its way” is not what comes to mind. What happened to valuing and preserving human life? Is killing right or wrong? If killing is right, then it must be “left.”
— Marci Hellmuth, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:12 AM
Learn language of U.S.
Re: Zoran Bogunovic’s letter, “English only, please,” published in The Star March 24:
Hooray for this letter, written by a Serbian immigrant who, like other European immigrants past and present, learned English once here.
Why special treatment for Hispanics? Could it be the color of their skin? Political correctness (Liberalism)? All of the above are true because of a fear that if we ask any immigrant from Latin America to learn English, we will be called “racist.”
I hope everyone realizes how pathetic and weak we are if we cower to this type of thing. I learned Spanish 15 years ago, along with a little German and French in high school, but I did it to try something new and fun, not to accommodate illegal aliens who are pouring into our country and then demanding we speak their language.
If Americans are “racist” for preserving their language, culture and country, then the illegal aliens coming here to eradicate our culture and replace it with theirs are every bit as “racist.”
I know that liberals would love to see our country soar down to Third World status, but, please, if we don’t all wish to go with you down that “diverse” path, refrain from the petty name-calling.
By the way, I hope Camarillo students can unify and leave Oxnard, if that is what they wish. You shouldn’t force people to stay in schools just to create a “proper” mix of ethnicities. That only fosters anger and hostility.
— James Di Pinto, Port Hueneme
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:06 AM
Judging love
Re: Hal Swanson’s letter, “What God teaches,” published in The Star March 24:
As a Christian, I do not appreciate Hal’s effort to speak for me or the other “80 percent of the American public.”
I believe that understanding the Bible and attempting to apply it in my life requires reasoned judgment. Knowledge of the context in which the Bible was written and the context in which I try to apply it today is important to me in my judgment. I see no passages in the Bible that speak to homosexuality in the context of a loving, committed relationship between two people — one intended to last the rest of their lives. Indeed, I see no reference to homosexuality as we know it today.
My understanding of Christianity requires that I respect all humans as being children of God and to love them. I believe we should encourage loving, committed relationships between two people as a Christian imperative.
Our Founders recognized that the only way we can maintain religious freedom is to create a separation between church and state. They operated from personal experience where they saw Christians of differing theological beliefs persecute, torture, and murder those who did not share their specific theology. They saw it happen here in America among people who left their old countries to seek religious freedom.
Today in the United States, we have many people who have strong religious beliefs who are not Christian. We need to honor their beliefs as well, because they also come from divine revelation.
God teaches in many ways, over many thousands of years to all the peoples of the world who seek truth and understanding.
— Bill Robinson, Westlake Village
Posted by Andrea Howry at 08:57 AM
March 25, 2005
Kids need our help
Predators come in all shapes and sizes. We teach our children not to talk to strangers, not to take candy from strangers, and not to accept a ride from anyone they don’t know.
How do we protect our children from those they do know? How do we protect them from those who are responsible for hurting them 90 percent of the time? That’s right, 90 percent of all child sexual abuse victims know their abusers.
Current California law allows for these vile predators to escape any punishment simply because they are related to, or live in the same household as the child they have sexually abused.
This misbegotten legislation was intended to “reunify families.” With the current statistics on the repeat offenses and the low “cure” rate of sexual offenders, who in their right mind would put a child into the custody of the same adult who had sexually molested them?
It is imperative that we in California band together and let our state legislators know that we want this changed now!
Senate Bill 33, introduced by Sen. Jim Battin, R-La Quinta, and known as the “Circle of Trust” bill, will end this preferential treatment of sexual predators within these abused children’s own households.
There are no Amber Alerts to save children abused in their own bedrooms. They need our help now to change state law.
— Sandi Henderson, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:42 AM
Problems at BP
My thoughts and compassion go out to the 14 dead and more than 70 injured in the explosion at the BP refinery in Texas City.
“There’s no indication of any sabotage or terrorism,” Ross Pillari, the president of BP America, said.
Well, thank goodness! He should know.
Because on March 4, three weeks earlier, his refinery was fined $109,500 for one alleged willful safety violation for failing to relieve trapped pressure within a pipe, and seven violations, including failing to identify exit areas and failing to maintain mechanical equipment. Why the fines? Last September, two employees were burned to death and a third seriously injured by superheated water.
I realize life is dangerous. Life also has several rules, among them: “Good, fast, or cheap: Choose any two.” Watching out for workers is “good.” Those who choose “fast” and “cheap” sacrifice the “good” — sometimes literally.
— Darryl Pearce, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:37 AM
Who’s the terrorist?
Iraq, an independent sovereign nation, is illegally being attacked on a daily basis by American airplanes, helicopters, tanks, heavy artillery and ground troops. Yet President Bush, his administration and the American media and military have the unmitigated impudence and audacity to refer to the Iraqis as “terrorists.” Now if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black!
The Iraqis are fighting against the invaders of their country. And so would I! So would any brave man or woman if their homes, businesses and properties were being bombarded, destroyed and overrun by foreign soldiers and armored vehicles. So tell me, who are the real terrorists in Iraq?
Invasion, murder and destruction of one’s country by a foreign military is terrorism to the highest degree, and the Iraqis certainly have the right to retaliate — without a doubt.
The Americans are the ones who are guilty of creating and causing terrorism in Iraq — not the Iraqis.
So I say to President Bush, the media and the military brass: Even if you don’t have any compassion for human life, at least be honest and show some integrity to the rest of the world about who is right and who is wrong in this fight. And, in the future, I suggest you try not act more hypocritical to the world than you already have.
If the shoe fits, wear it proudly! And, henceforth, be sure to put the shoe on the right foot.
— Patrick Reel, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:32 AM
No incentive
Re: Zoran Bogunovac’s March 23 letter, “English only”:
I wholeheatedly agree. Mr. Bogunovac’s story shows that English can be learned if you have the determination and desire. It is obvious that the Latin invaders have no such determination. And why should they? They know they can get free medical, housing, welfare and food stamps from a far too generous America.
If it is handed to you on a silver platter, then there is no desire to work. And if you want to cater to Hispanics and teach them Spanish in school, they will never grow. This is hindering the rest of our kids’ education. English kids have to wait while the teacher translates in Spanish.
By now, some readers will say people like me are racist. No. But I am tired of being told we need to tolerate other cultures. I have done so for 40-plus years, and I’ve seen enough.
— Brian McElhiney, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:29 AM
Color issue is green
As a Camarillo resident and Adolfo Camarillo High School graduate, may I say I am getting tired of the Oxnard Union High School board and various district employees accusing Camarillo residents of having a racist agenda in their desire to have local control of the schooling of their own children.
Once again, the board members managed to address this issue without being quoted mentioning the welfare of the students from Camarillo. I suspect their concern about “segregation” has less to do with the color of people than the color of money.
— Nels Norene, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:23 AM
Hypocritical standing
I find it very hypocritical that the neoconservative religious right is trying its best to keep Terri Schaivo imprisoned in a body, using artificial methods, to prevent her from her ultimate destiny of joining God, whom she loves and adores.
I am confident in believing that anyone who suffers as much as Terri will certainly be rewarded in heaven. Free Terri Schaivo.
— John Plait, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:15 AM
Start picking
Re: Zoran Bogunovac’s March 23 letter, “English only”:
Mr. Bogunovac obviously is passionate about his belief that one can learn English solely by being exposed to that language. It is not always so simple, and one thing is certain: Making racial generalities such as “teach them English before they come over here illegally” is no way to address the problem of students not being proficient in English. Many decent, hard-working people come across our border and do so “legally.” However, for those who do immigrate without documentation and work all day in the fields for far less than minimum wage, rest assured you need not bother, because Mr. Bogunovac is perfectly willing to pick for you if he wants all of you to go back.
— Kim Cordero, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:12 AM
To elected officials
In response to the recent actions taken by our Congress and president, I urge all citizens of this country to send the following letter to any and all elected officials with any sort of responsibility over their well-being:
Dear Elected Official,
Being of sound mind and body, I take this opportunity to advise you of my intentions should I ever be in a situation such as that involving Terri Schaivo.
Should circumstances ever arise in which you are asked to participate in a vote as to whether or not I should be taken off any sort of life support systems, please vote to remove that support and let me die without any further medical intervention to prolong my life.
Furthermore, I would request that you afford me the same love and respect we give our dogs, cats and convicted murderers and allow a doctor to administer a dose of medication that would afford me the opportunity to be released from the restraints that bind my soul to the hell on earth that would exist by keeping me alive in this type of situation.
Respectfully yours,
Gary Sparks, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 10:04 AM
North Park questions
Kudos to Moorpark Mayor Patrick Hunter and the members of the City Council for staying focused and patient in continuing to press North Park for real resolutions — resolutions to the many problems that have existed in this project from the beginning and still continue, including fire stations, schools, traffic, property ownership, eminent domain, and the list goes on.
North Park continues the tactic of attempting to avoid or divert from the problems they can’t resolve. They successfully used this tactic to get through the Planning Commission in 2003 and have not strayed from it since. Their continuing effort at City Council meetings to take credit for fixing problems Moorpark does not have has become old and tiring. It is an attempt to divert attention from their ongoing failure to resolve problems that the project will create for Moorpark.
Remaining silent and waiting until the City Council or the public has directly challenged them on issues is expected. Vague, noncommittal answers to key questions are standard procedure. This was illustrated clearly by the laughter heard in the audience at the last City Council meeting when North Park was again pressed for clear answers and couldn’t or wouldn’t deliver.
So, two-plus years down, we are all still asking the original questions.
The last two City Council meetings have been very specific in trying to force North Park back to the problems at hand, but I don’t believe they will get resolution out of North Park. This project has too many complicated flaws that North Park can’t fix easily.
North Park only attempts to understate the problems caused by the project to try and make it look good.
When the developer is gone, Moorpark residents will be left to deal with the issues.
— Kerry Wilson, Moorpark
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:57 AM
North Park questions
Kudos to Moorpark Mayor Patrick Hunter and the members of the City Council for staying focused and patient in continuing to press North Park for real resolutions — resolutions to the many problems that have existed in this project from the beginning and still continue, including fire stations, schools, traffic, property ownership, eminent domain, and the list goes on.
North Park continues the tactic of attempting to avoid or divert from the problems they can’t resolve. They successfully used this tactic to get through the Planning Commission in 2003 and have not strayed from it since. Their continuing effort at City Council meetings to take credit for fixing problems Moorpark does not have has become old and tiring. It is an attempt to divert attention from their ongoing failure to resolve problems that the project will create for Moorpark.
Remaining silent and waiting until the City Council or the public has directly challenged them on issues is expected. Vague, noncommittal answers to key questions are standard procedure. This was illustrated clearly by the laughter heard in the audience at the last City Council meeting when North Park was again pressed for clear answers and couldn’t or wouldn’t deliver.
So, two-plus years down, we are all still asking the original questions.
The last two City Council meetings have been very specific in trying to force North Park back to the problems at hand, but I don’t believe they will get resolution out of North Park. This project has too many complicated flaws that North Park can’t fix easily.
North Park only attempts to understate the problems caused by the project to try and make it look good.
When the developer is gone, Moorpark residents will be left to deal with the issues.
— Kerry Wilson, Moorpark
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:57 AM
Fly in the ointment
Social Security is the main topic today for the Republicans. And in all the ranting and raving about future benefits and fixes, I never hear the j-word, as in jobs, probably because this is the “hard fix.”
Back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, newspaper classified sections were filled with many pages of job opportunities with great salaries and benefits. Everybody seemed to be upbeat, buying houses, cars and other niceties. This was definitely a “job-driven” economy.
Today it’s a far different world. Prices have gone through the roof, and jobs have gone down the drain. Corporations have become international behemoths. The rich are richer and the so-called “trickle-down” (a Republican invention) is less than a drip. The government is run by millionaires who cater to billionaires. In this context, Social Security seems like a fly in the ointment. How do you compare a CEO’s retirement package in millions to a peon’s Social Security check?
How do you fix Social Security? The answer is “blowing (maybe blogging) in the wind.”
— Charles Vanderbilt, Simi Valley
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:49 AM
Pesky protesters
Re: Steven Farley’s March 24 letter, “Stop protesting”:
I must agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Farley and his take on those pesky protesters. Why must they always bring up the fact that we supposedly went to war to prevent an imminent Iraqi attack? I mean, all that weapons of mass destruction stuff doesn’t matter anymore when we look at all the good that has come from our occupation — excuse me, liberation.
When will the masses become enlightened enough to see that the ends truly do justify the means? To question our government and exercise our rights as American citizens will simply do nothing but embolden our enemies.
Finally, and most importantly, when will all these liberal actors learn that non-Republican entertainers should not get mixed up in politics?
— Gregory Hoffmann, Agoura Hills
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:43 AM
Fools or cowards?
Re: Steve Farley’s letter, “Stop protesting,” published in The Star on March 24:
Farley manages to condemn “has-been actors and pseudointellectuals” who oppose the war in Iraq without once mentioning his own contribution to the war effort, prompting the logical question: Where was Farley when there was fighting to be done?
After all, as he puts it, “only a fool or a coward” sits back and does nothing.
Let’s review: Bush is re-elected. Right-wingers sport “W” bumper stickers on gas-guzzling SUVs. The Army and Marine Corps fall short of replacements. Parents in Ventura County’s “Bush Country” demand that military recruiters be kept out of high schools.
So many chicken-hawks are “proud of our troops.” So few willing to join us. Which are they: fools or cowards? There’s no third choice.
— Russell Burgos, Thousand Oaks
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:38 AM
Bad lesson in civics
On March 15, I attended the Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting. Compared to a class in American government or civics, it received a failing grade. Although not illegal, it certainly did not appear to be ethical.
The preceding Monday night, Pleasant Valley School District President Sandy Berg telephonically advised unification proponents that the resolution to support AB 780 (Item 31) would be moved forward on the agenda, essentially eliminating the presence of opposite viewpoints. Ms. Berg somehow knew that Board of Supervisors Chair Kathy Long would have the item addressed and voted upon prior to the time indicated on the agenda. It is hardly ethical to alert one side of a known controversial issue to this action without providing the opposing side the same notification courtesy.
Phone calls to the Board of Supervisors office had informed non-proponents that Item 31 would probably be addressed at approximately 12:45 p.m. When we arrived at the scheduled time, Ms. Long denied us the right to speak because the issue had already been addressed and voted upon. It was only through the intervention and insistence of Supervisor John Flynn that we were able to present our viewpoints. The board did reconsider the issue and the vote did not change, but how could it, as both sides were not present at the same time to debate it?
Supervisor Judy Mikels then chastised us for “waltzing in” after the issue had been decided. She also stressed the importance of local control, which I do not debate, but if this meeting was an example of “their local control,” I want no part of it.
Is this how you expect your public servants to treat their constituents and conduct your business? Given the above facts, what grade would you give this session?
— Dolores “Val” Rains, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:32 AM
Tall ship rescue fiasco
I live at Silver Strand Beach and watched the tall ship’s death. I was appalled at the response by the Coast Guard and the Harbor Patrol, which showed a lack of effort to pull this ship out of the area where it first went aground.
In fact, the only thing I have seen the Coast Guard do is board people’s boats in the harbor to do safety checks, and they play a lot of basketball. They have one of those rescue boats especially designed for operation in the surf, yet all I saw was their small inflatables.
I talked to the Fire Department and asked why a tugboat was not utilized from Port Hueneme and was told that they would not go into the surf zone. The Fire Department was there with their fast water rescue team, jet skis and expert swimmers, and they could have brought a rope outside the surf to a tugboat or to a Coast Guard boat, but nothing was done.
My guess is the boat was insured for more than it was worth. Fortunately, everyone was rescued. However, a lot more people were put at risk than necessary.
I counted six news helicopters hovering less than 1,000 feet — maybe less — directly over my house, at times for hours! The noise was so loud I couldn’t hear my TV. They were back at 6 a.m. With so many helicopters in such a small area, if one of them had a malfunction or had they collided, there would have been a lot of property damage and possible deaths. They could have covered the story by hovering just over the ocean. Who is in charge of the media? Anyone?
— Eddie Hoag, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:22 AM
Different Christian
Re: Richard Larsen’s March 22 essay, “Has religion lost its way?”:
Parts of Larsen’s essay resonated deeply with me.
The religious right complains that seculars are “at war with Christianity.” They claim to speak for the whole of this multidenominational religious tradition rather than a noisy fragment. Yet they seem the poorest exemplars of their founder’s teaching.
They rage at the removal of their symbols from public property like gang members fighting over plaques or dogs quarreling over territorial markings. But they remain unmoved by the victims of preemptive war or exploitive trade practices that perpetuate poverty, or the humiliation, torture and killing of prisoners in U.S. custody — and so much more that begs for the outrage of people of faith.
I have encountered a different kind of Christian while raising money for the hungry and speaking out for peace. And though profoundly secular and not a Christian, I recognize them as brothers and sisters in faith.
Who would Jesus torture? Who would he bomb? Who would he exploit?
— Margaret Morris, Ventura
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:15 AM
K-Swiss does it right
Re: “K-Swiss goes for sun power,” published in The Star March 17:
Steven Nichols, president of K-Swiss, has the right idea by turning to alternate energy sources. While he analogizes the installation of solar panels and other energy-saving measures at his corporate offices in Westlake Village to a “little speck of sand,” his conservation efforts should be commended. Indeed, if enough people follow his lead, the “specks of sand” will become a “beach,” or at the very least save several of our local beaches.
If other businesses in California followed the responsible lead set by Mr. Nichols, California could greatly reduce its reliance on foreign fossil fuels and obtain more reliable sources of energy, which are not subject to interruption by mudslides, rolling blackouts or greedy exporters.
Californians need to seriously consider their daily choices, and, when possible, choose conservation and alternative energy sources over further dependence on foreign fossil fuels. As Mr. Nichols has demonstrated, we don’t need to import liquefied natural gas into Oxnard to satisfy our energy needs. We need to focus on conservation and alternative sources of energy.
As Mr. Nichols has shown, the technology exists, it just hasn’t been embraced by our local utility companies, which are clearly more interested in their corporate bottom lines than providing reliable, clean sources of energy to the citizens of Ventura County.
— Deborah Meyer-Morris, Oxnard
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:11 AM
Plan for colleges
Here’s a savings plan for the community college system:
— Administration, 15 percent pay cut.
— Deans (there are 20), 10 percent pay cut.
— Instructors, 5 percent pay increase.
— Cynthia J. Gardner, Camarillo
Posted by Andrea Howry at 09:03 AM
Island no paradise
In 1990, there were an estimated 1,500 foxes on Santa Cruz Island. Today, only about 100 remain.
What caused the drastic decrease?
The National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy are blaming the feral pigs and initiating a program to massacre them. However, NPS and NC conveniently neglect to mention their own contributions to the worrisome decline.
The population was stable until NPS and NC began their experiments in biological cleansing during the 1980s and ‘90s. After NPS and NC shot or trapped and removed all the sheep (about 100,000), the golden eagles preyed on pigs and foxes. The removal of the plant-eating sheep also encouraged the spread of fennel, which is now thriving and providing shelter for the pigs.
The island fox population plummeted because of human interventions on Santa Cruz Island. Instead of admitting that their precipitous eradication of the sheep simply created new problems and that it may be time to consider new solutions, NPS and NC continue to embrace their gun-slinger mentality, hiring sharp-shooters to kill the pigs and eagles and putting noxious poisons on the fennel. They even use militaristic rhetoric to describe their plans: “an all-out war.”
But the pigs are not our “enemies.” Their activities are not motivated by malevolence toward us humans. They are simply trying to survive in an area that has been home for them and their ancestors for more than 150 years.
NPS and NC will spend more than $5 million to cleanse Santa Cruz Island of pigs. The eradication of the sheep and the horses cost much more than $5 million. Sterilization of these species would have produced a gradual reduction in their populations, a reduction much less traumatic for the ecosystem than mass killings or removals.
NPS and NC supporters reject sterilization as infeasible, but it is being tried in other, apparently more enlightened, areas of the world, by people who are aware of the moral issues of causing pain. Pigs caught in traps and chased by helicopters and dogs will be badly injured long before they are shot and killed. And the dogs that corner the terrorized pigs will also be injured, as anyone who has witnessed a pig hunt can tell you.
If NPS and NC had spent $10 million to support research into sterilization, rather than to hire shooters and trappers, perhaps they would have made a valuable and enduring contribution to the effort to conserve endangered species and landscapes.
Instead, we will, in the next few months, once again be witnessing just more of the same old inhumane trapping and killing and undoubtedly the creation of new ecological problems that will be addressed with more trapping and killing.
How ironic that people who advertise themselves as protectors of the natural world are so focused on killing.
— Jo-Ann Shelton, Santa Barbara
Posted by Andrea Howry at 08:59 AM
March 24, 2005
Inability to reason
Like Terri Schiavo, U.S. Sens. Tom DeLay, Rick Santorum, Bill Frist and President George W. Bush have lost all function in the cerebral cortex. Where there was once active brain matter, there is now nothing but liquid mush. The fact that they can roll their eyes, respond to bright lights and sounds, and mouth platitudes makes it appear they have active brains. But, sadly, they have no capacity for reason and intellect. They react instinctively only to outside stimuli.
And like Terri Schiavo, these men must be kept alive by artificial means. However, unlike Terri, they do not need nourishment given to them through a feeding tube. Rather, they are nourished by an adoring far right, the media, and lots of PAC money. Remove them from their positions of power an