Respect goes both ways

To the Editor:

I am responding to a letter about the threats made against our sitting president and exampled a great many of them. It said, “This defamation of character to any sitting president is a deviation from what is right, true and moral.” He also states, “The vicious rage and hate that permeates against our president by the left-wing Democrats, news media, hate groups and the Hollywood/TV industry is depressing to me.”

I would agree with him. I was just wondering if he wrote the same type of defense letter regarding the previous president who underwent the same type of vicious attacks from media and internet writers and hate groups. The sitting president even participated in degrading the last president by saying the he wasn’t a citizen, played golf too much and took too many days of vacation away from the White House.

The sitting president showed no respect for the office of the president preceding him. I said I agree with this writer regarding disrespect to the office of the president but it can’t be only when we like the man in office.

Dennis Del Corno


Too far

To the Editor:

I’ve stayed quiet for a good while, as this paper continuously promotes a far-left ideological agenda, especially in the letters page. But, I have seen a seriously troubling trend being pushed by left-headed leaders and the media that supports them.

Internet articles and media are now calling for “war on white nationalists.” This term was never seen before the Trump administration came into power. Over the last three years, we see this term being thrown around more and more; until now we’re seeing calls for attacks against this specific group.

Let’s look at this label from a practical viewpoint. White seems to clearly point towards European-related white people. Nationalist would seem to refer to those persons that show an affinity or pride in their nation. You know, like a patriot. I am second-generation, German-American, white, Nam-era vet, and proud of my country. With this description, I would easily fit into the category of a “white nationalist.” This term would easily fit probably 70 plus percent of this nation’s citizens. So, doesn’t that mean that the left-heads are openly declaring war on the law-abiding, hard working and retired/disabled American majority population?

Wake up, people. Be careful about just how far you are willing to sit back and allow these left-headed extremists to push their dangerous ideas and policies.

You (and I) are quickly becoming the nations’ enemies, with targets on our backs that can easily result in injury and/or death. A “white supremacist” is one label folks have come to understand as a true threat to all moderate humanity.

To allow this current label of white nationalist to be used in its current form; will certainly open the doors of hell itself, to fly open and wreak evil, havoc and bloody mayhem on our streets, such as has never been imagined. Think it over.

Wally George


Governor Gavin Newsom

To the Editor:

While Trump is in the news 24/7 for sneezing, Newsom without comment or interruption continues the destruction of the greatest state in the world.

FYI, Trump sneezed in such a way that the liberals called it racist. As mayor, Newsom perpetuated San Francisco’s cesspool status by allowing the homeless and illegal alien crisis, that is not really a crisis, become a bigger crisis.

On the bright side his superior management skills did create hundreds of new jobs due to the amount of human waste and drug paraphernalia that covers the streets. San Francisco now has a human waste branch in its “Waste Management” program.

When I legally migrated to California in 1967, I was amazed at its diversity and beauty. The state continues to be overrun by illegals that are exhausting our limited resources in our schools, living spaces, and medical care. Along with supporting the sanctuary city and state debacle he signed a bill allowing millions of illegal aliens to receive free medical care. This could be considered a kind, gracious, and humane act. However, when there are millions of homeless citizens including veterans in our streets needing exactly this kind of humane consideration it saddens me.

Also, even with Obama care and any other version adopted by this state there are still seven million to 10 million, one fourth of the state’s population, Californians without healthcare. I was ready to support him when he announced the postponement of the now ten-billion-dollar train to nowhere until he caved to the lobbyist and money mongers that fill his political war chest. The money wasted for the soon to be trillion dollar train could fix a lot of dangerous roadways and highways. A little less obsession with Trump and a more scrupulous look at Newsome is needed.

Thomas Neiderer


Had enough?

To the Editor:

Saw the Lyin King’s address regarding the latest AK 47-facilitated massacres (ho, hum, what’s new). He seemed genuinely shocked and committed to doing something, anything to end this “American Carnage” (not) as he was reading his scripted response off the teleprompter.

He was totally believable as he delivered his assessment that it wasn’t the gun that pulled the trigger (as we all know, assault rifles have nothing to do with the ability of a crazed shooter to kill nine and wound 20 in less than 45 seconds), it was the video game-influenced, mentally ill outlier entirely at fault.

Come on, all countries have crazy, disaffected people. Only the U.S. (among the supposedly enlightened Western democracies) has virtually unobstructed access to weapons of war and a leader (along with his congressional enablers) who tacitly encourages division and xenophobia/ racist empowerment.

Have we finally had enough?

Terril Spitze

Twain Harte

Times change, so can we

To the Editor:

I flew back to Switzerland recently to visit my family after a gap of five years. One of the changes that struck me was the fact that the glacier in the valley of origin of my family had shrunk significantly. It was enough of a change that I wonder if that glacier will disappear in my lifetime. That means the drinking and irrigation water for that valley and the one below is threatened, among other consequences.

This was the moment when I decided that I would look at all my activities and the impact those have on the climate and the environment and act accordingly. As a first step I decided to “gift up” air travel altogether. My wife and I came up with calling it “gifting up”, because the long term rewards of not doing those negative impact activities are a gift to the next generations. What can I “gift up” next, is a question I will ask myself over and over again.

Jakob Jaggy


Twain Harte Branch Library closure?

To the Editor:

I was stunned to learn recently that one of our branch libraries, Twain Harte, may be closed due to the budget shortfall.

My husband and I played music for kids at four of the branch libraries this summer in support of the Summer Reading Program. We were able to witness firsthand what an important role libraries play in the life of our rural communities. Youngsters are actively encouraged to read, and are rewarded by the libraries for doing so.

Libraries provide a destination for community members to gather and socialize, an important aspect of mental health, especially for our older and sometimes isolated citizens. Community members who do not have a computer or access to Wi-Fi use the library’s computers in their search for employment. Individuals seeking their GED or assistance learning to read receive help through our library’s literacy programs.

There is another institution in this community that offers some of these same services: The Sierra Conservation Center. Unfortunately, one must be incarcerated to be eligible for the prison’s assistance. The dedicated teachers at SCC do their best to provide inmates education leading to a GED. It’s a long road. According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, 70 percent of inmates cannot read at a fourth-grade level.

Our libraries deserve our support. They promote success for our youth, assist adults searching for jobs and improving their literacy skills, and serve as much-needed community centers. Supervisors, support our libraries and pave the path to success rather than to prison.

Pam Ivie


History lesson, revised

To the Editor:

I must correct a very misinformed Letter to the Editor published on Aug. 7, 2019 about militias.

To be blunt, everything in his letter is wrong.

The writer has no concept of the Militia of the United States.

For the actual facts I refer to 10 U.S.C. 311 – US Code Title 10

Many would be surprised to learn that there are two classes of militia in the United States. The Organized Militia, (the Na tional Guard) and the Unorganized Militia that consists of : “… all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32 , under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.”


Essentially this means if you are not on active duty in a branch of our military or a member of the National Guard you are in the militia.

A reading of the Second Amendment makes this very clear.

“A well regulated militia (people) being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The key word is people. People make up a militia.

JB Dugan


Creative Solutions

To the Editor:

Our county has a serious budget crisis. The easy answer is: cut community services and raise taxes. A better answer is: spend our money more wisely and protect our community services.

Our supervisors want economic development. Businesses and workers want a good place to live and raise a family, with affordable housing, a rich culture, good schools, and strong community services. If we want to attract new businesses, we must not cut our libraries, arts, after-school programs, and other community service programs.

Public safety consumes the vast majority of our county’s discretionary spending. But, only a small fraction of our public safety expense is for patrol officers. Most is for court cases and jailing people — both are very expensive.

Violent crimes seriously threaten our safety. We should prosecute and jail offenders. But, many criminal court cases and incarcerations are not for violent crimes. These people do not seriously threaten our safety.

Let’s find a better way, keep our county safe, and save money. Let’s prosecute fewer cases and sentence more people to public service.

We have a critical need for public service workers. Fire danger is high and people need to improve their defensible space. But, the cost is too high. Let’s add public service workers to our tree service companies and offer greatly reduced rates for improving defensible space.

This idea is a win-win. It’s also hard to do. The budgets for the DA, the courts and the jail are approved by the Board of Supervisors. But, the DA is elected and independently decides which cases to prosecute. Judges independently decide on jail or public service.

For the good of our county, we need everyone to come together and create a new policy that will protect our safety, save us money, and protect our community services.

Marvin Keshner


Let’s consider context

To the Editor:

Debates about the Second Amendment have focused on whether it protects a private right of individuals to keep and bear arms or a right that can be exercised only through militia organizations like the National Guard. This question was never even raised until long after the Bill of Rights was adopted.

Why is that? Because of the times the people lived in.

People should know this and I suspect they do and that they are being duplicitous. Here is the history in a nutshell.

Before the United States were states and before it was one country, the English forced upon the people of the colonies the responsibility to house and to feed the soldiers. This led to many abuses; rapes, murders, etc.

It was unstated that everyone should have the right to hold arms, as in raising an army takes this when war suddenly descends.

Implicit in the debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists were two shared assumptions. First, that the proposed new Constitution gave the federal government almost total legal authority over the army and militia.

Second, that the federal government should not have any authority at all to disarm the citizenry. They disagreed only about whether an armed populace could adequately deter federal oppression.

Context matters. Context and an understanding of history.

Fritz Bahten


No way to run a county

To the Editor:

The county claims a $3.7 million budget shortfall. Is it poor management of our money, some bloated salaries and inflation? Spending money they don’t have?

If you run your personal budget this way think what your life would be like. Government can run on a deficit, but we can’t. What is wrong with this picture?

Watch for a PG&E increase, a new fire tax , water/sewer price hikes and county tax increases. They are coming.

Roy Jueal

Twain Harte