Letters (April 22, 2020)

• Requiem For An Abused Woman
• Shelter, Please
• Local Austerity?
• Tone It Down, Jer
• While You Weren't Looking
• Be Careful, Codgers
• Honor Everyone
• Wrong Watershed
• Skullduggerish
• Another Cell Tower

REQUIEM FOR AN ABUSED WOMAN

Editor,

This is my response to the Willits woman who died at the hands of her husband. She was beaten to death, around the head, lost her speech ability, lost consciousness, and died. The official response seems to be that the imposed stay at home restrictions and loss of jobs caused a spike in domestic violence.

Listen to assemblyman Jim Woods response which echoes County Sheriff Kendall's explanation: "What I attribute most of this to is stress," and, "the public needs to raise awareness of the dangers of domestic violence and sexual assault."

How many years must we hear this refrain?

This is a namby-pamby response by males "in charge" who are really paying lip service to their violent brethren.

This unnamed woman who paid the price of men defending men had called several times reporting violence against her and the restraining orders had no effect on her persecutor.

We have monuments to the "unknown soldier." How about one to the unknown women beaten to death?

Should we blame stress? Is that an excuse for violence against your family? Think of the Great Depression, the dust bowl era. Was there a surge in violence by men against their families during those stressful times? No — check out the statistics.

What makes today different? We live in a society that enshrines violence and macho behavior. Check out the movies, TV cop shows, video games…

One attack against a woman, child or animal is all a society should tolerate. If we really want to consider ourselves evolved and humane, these violent people who are usually men should be locked up forever.

How many times do you need to read about men raping and beating young girls and boys? Their bodies are not fully formed. They cannot withstand the assault of a violent penis. Many suffer from torn up insides. Peritonitis develops and they are ruined for life. I say try these perps for attempted murder.

Not all men are evil and wicked. But those who consider themselves kind and compassionate must speak out against their violent brethren and this includes our legislators, our judges, lawyers, politicians. Until that happens, it's gonna be same-o, same-o.

My heart is so full of sorrow for this Willits woman. It's hard for me to keep finding affection and love for my fellow humans.

Women have got to rise up and speak their outrage against such horrible violence against their own. It's nice there are hot lines and shelters, but they have not curbed the violence against women, children and animals one bit.

Official platitudes, lip service — this woman isn't buying it.

Louise Mariana, RN

Mendocino

SHELTER, PLEASE

Editor: 

I want to offer some thoughts on an insidiously cruel risk of ignoring coronavirus shelter-in-place restrictions.

In 2019, I spent nearly five months in the hospital for a life-threatening condition. With the grace of God, excellent health care and loving family and friends, I am home recovering well. I know without the love and care of all of those people I wouldn’t have survived. My point is simple — this virus is different.

I am not afraid of dying, but I am terrified of dying alone. Being infected with the coronavirus brings terror to reality for all of us. To die alone in isolation without the tender touch of a human hand and not being near the people you love would be unbearable.

If you choose to ignore shelter-in-place restrictions, remember there are things worse than death as a consequence of this horrible virus. To be sick or dying in quarantined isolation without human contact with people you love is one of those consequences.

For the sake of your loved ones, yourself and people you don’t even know, please shelter in place and observe social distancing.

Rich Brothers

Petaluma

LOCAL AUSTERITY?

Editor,

The state and county coronavirus lockdown has deprived businesses of revenue to pay their employees and their bills. I read daily of CEOs voluntarily foregoing compensation. Management and employees at others have taken massive compensation cuts to try to stay in business. Banks are forbearing mortgage and other debt payments. The IRS has deferred federal income taxes. Millions have been laid off or furloughed without pay.

And the state and county? Seems like business as usual. No one has volunteered to forgo any compensation, nor did they defer property and other taxes. For the involuntarily unemployed, the greedy hand of government still demands they pay, so its employees can avoid the consequences of its own mandate.

Epidemics aren’t new to man. Those most vulnerable must take extraordinary precautions, and society must be prepared to care for the ill. (I am among the vulnerable). But there are tradeoffs between the vulnerable and ill, and the vast majority who are not. Will there still be jobs and businesses for the 99% to return?

Government must join the governed in the collective pain if there is to be a balanced discussion of the tradeoffs in a political forum. Let the discussion begin.

William Rothe

Santa Rosa

ED NOTE: Mendocino County's hard-hitting leadership, wildly overpaid, continues to draw their big paychecks, and you tell me what exactly they've done during the crisis to soften its blow on our everyday citizens. The Supes and their CEO should, as an example of the "dedication" to us they're always going on about, immediately halve their pay.

TONE IT DOWN, JER

Editor,

Please renew my subscription.

But please be aware that this year I considered not renewing because of your enthusiastic showcasing of Jerry Philbrick's letters. While I believe the rationale has been explained as the writing being refreshing or triggering libs or something, to uninitiated readers it simply looks like you are making cruel fun of an elderly man with dementia.

More concerning, though, are the study stream of death threats he makes. Though you and I don't take them seriously, you must have noticed that there are people out there who, exposed to constant goading like Philbrick's, end up shooting people.

May I suggest you kindly but firmly let Jerry know that letters (his and anybody else's) will be edited to remove frank incitements to violence that could be taken literally by the sheltered, the dim, or the intoxicated?

Ralf Burgert

Oakland

WHILE YOU WEREN'T LOOKING

While you weren't looking: wars prevailed, plagues rose, climate changed.

We jailed ourselves, afraid to touch, careful to not breathe each other's air.

While you weren't looking: we lost each other and achieved the identity of self through fear, illness and despair. The self is gained at the loss of the other.

While you weren't looking: they picked your pocket by privatizing profits and publicizing the cost.

While you weren't looking: they sold you short when desire folded its dream. The lawmakers hold themselves harmless. The rich indemnify their wealth.

While you weren't looking: Robots replaced you. The computer implemented man. Self driving trucks went to empty stores. The toilet paper run proved the world is full of assholes.

While you weren’t looking: Reality ruined the party. The bullshit regained its odor. The virtual world of wonders vanished.

While you weren't looking: Reality caught you by the throat. Home alone with humans you’re not certain you really like or understand.

Dave McCain

Richmond

BE CAREFUL, CODGERS

Editor,

What kind of websites have you been visiting? Surely you must know about tracking and profiling. That is why “Misty” and “Krystal” appear on your computer. Seniors need to be especially careful in times like these accessing the internet.

Shelly Hepburn

Boulder Creek

HONOR EVERYONE

To the Editor:

During Holy Week, a four-page advertisement ran in our local papers that includes words and phrases such as “sin-o-gogues”….”religious folks who ran the show”….”hatching evil schemes”…”looking to kill the Man”….”The murderers’ moment came”…”they hired a snitch”…and more. Such expressions—intended or not— lay the ground work for hate and violence in the form of anti-semitism.

Some have suggested: “The ad is simply an expression of freedom of speech. It’s not anti-Semitic. The author is just dramatizing the death of Jesus.” But such words cut upon fracture lines that historically divide communities, inspiring violent citizens to hurt their fellow citizens. This advertisement was not appropriate and helpful to our community.

Here, the advertisement was an act of both an individual (the writer of the text) – and of a group (the newspaper group that chose to publish). Let us act as individuals and as a community by reaching out to the Mendocino Coast Jewish Community and Rabbi Margaret Holub expressing our personal support for their right to worship and believe. Let us exercise our freedom of expression by making the choice to not trade in hate-speech.

Let us also take the time to write to the publisher to express our concern. Let us exercise our freedom of expression by making the choice to not encourage hate-speech.

As reconciliation is not about being “right” it is about creating relationship; let us also reach out to the author of the poem and all our friends who found the poem beautiful. Let’s ask them what they love about the story of Easter, about Christianity, and about any Jewish people they know. Let us create safe spaces to grow in friendship and peace. We trust that G-d is always doing a new thing where—through the Spirit—we can create a culture that honors everyone as a “Child of G-d.”

Rev. Matthew Davis, pastor, Mendocino Presbyterian Church; Rev. Randy Knutson, Priest-in-Charge, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church & Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church; Rev. Tansy Chapman, associate priest, St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Fort Bragg; Rev. John Carrick, Fort Bragg Presbyterian Church; Rev. Dr. Sunny Farley, pastor and Director of Mendocino Redwood Retreat

WRONG WATERSHED

Editor:

There is a new sign on Fish Rock Road just east of the ridge saying, You are now entering the Gualala River watershed. But this is clearly erroneous as anyone with a topographic map can attest. What you are entering is the Garcia River watershed.

While I appreciate that it's difficult to put a sign on what is essentially a ridge, Signal Ridge is much of the road. It straddles two watersheds. But in the location of that sign there is no doubt that one is in the Garcia River watershed, and not Gualala.

It remains the Garcia watershed for at least a mile after that sign before truly straddling the watersheds.

Walter Stillman

Point Arena

SKULLDUGGERISH

Editor,

Governor Newsom just bought $1 billion worth of facemasks from a communist outfit in China that is very skullduggery. The company is known for selling bad goods. All the countries in the world won't buy stuff from them. But Newsom did — $1 billion worth of facemasks. That's normal for him. He also invested $1 billion worth of retirement funds from state employees into a communist nation that's now going defunct. What will happen to the billion dollars? Our tax money. 

Then another $125 million, no, $150 million, for the illegal aliens, our tax money, instead of going to the local people who need money is going to the illegal aliens. Normal for Gavin Newsom. 

Nancy Pelosi stopped the plan to help the small businesses that President Trump worked up to allow small businesses to get reimbursed for some of the bad times we are having. She stopped it because she wanted the money for herself to put in the green new deal and all that stuff. So Pelosi is the reason for small businesses not getting their money. Believe it or not. It's the truth. 

All these Democrats are rotten to the core. They interfere with everything that's trying to be done in the United States. The coronavirus that President Trump started working on the minute he heard about it right away the Democrats were trying to impeach him and didn't pay any attention to it, just smoking their crack pipes on impeachment, that's all they wanted to do. They didn't care about the coronavirus, they turned their back on it. President Trump fought it tooth and nail. That's alright, it will all come out in the wash.

God bless Donald Trump.

Jerry Philbrick

Comptche

ANOTHER CELL TOWER

Letter to the Editor 

How significant are the impacts of this large wireless communication facility for the Willits/Ukiah Communities?

On Thursday, April 16 at 9am the Mendocino County Planning Commission will hold a virtual public hearing to adopt among other issues a Negative Declaration (ND) and grant a Major Use Permit for a 143 ft. AT&T Mobility/Epic Wireless LLC wireless communication facility.

This lattice tower with 12 antennae, various equipment, a generator, and an associated gravel and paved access route will be located within a 1,800 sq. ft. fenced compound 5.1± miles southeast of the City of Willits on the east side of Manzanita Drive (20201 Manzanita Drive) and 0.5± miles east of its intersection with Ridgewood Road (Pine Mountain).

Read the staff report, Major Use Permit, Draft Initial Study, Environmental Checklist, Attachment and Public Comments for U_2019-0011 and send public comments by e-mail before 8am this Thursday to <pbs@mendocinocounty.org>. You can participate digitally by sending comments to <pbscommissions@mendocinocounty.org> in lieu of personal attendance. All public comment will be made immediately available to the Commissioners, staff, and the general public as they are received and processed by staff, and can be viewed as attachments to the meeting agenda at https://www.mendocinocounty.org/government/planningbuilding-services/meeting-agendas/planning-commission. The meeting will be live streamed and available for viewing on the Mendocino County YouTube page, at https://www.youtube.com/MendocinoCountyVideo. 

Due to the cumulative impacts of many environmental issues, weak conditions of approval and mitigations this project has a significant adverse effect on the physical environment and therefore needs an Environmental Impact Report. 

This important, contentious high-interest "public hearing" should be canceled/postponed as true citizen participation is mandated by the California Environmental Quality Act. Few residents have the capability currently to participate at this virtual hearing. 

Annemarie Weibel

member Stop 5G Mendocino 

<stop5gmendocino@mcn.org>