YOU DON’T KNOW RALPH
Editor,
Any time the name ‘Ralph Nader’ comes up, it is sure to stir controversy. It is like waving a red flag in front of the Democrats.
We’ve heard it all. “He’s too old.” Let’s look at that one. Would it be acceptable to say: “He’s too white, too Hispanic, too black, too short, too tall…”? Ageism is one of the most destructive prejudices that can exist in any culture. It devalues and trivializes an entire class of people—sometimes those with the most experience and wisdom.
Other cultures understand this. They value their elders. Only in the United States do we not ‘get it’. The current trend would put Nader on an ice floe and replace him with a kid who just spent four years at a keg party. That is the view promoted by the culture.
Now is a time when we should celebrate all who contribute to our survival, young and old. Age is irrelevant at a time when a 29 year-old and other relatively young men are making enormous contributions. Not only is age irrelevant, but also we need to take another look at the ‘paper chase’. Edward Snowden has taught us that being a high school drop-out is not necessarily a bad thing. Self-education will be the way of the future.
We also hear: “Nader can’t get enough votes.” The right come-back for that one is: “No shit.” (Sorry for the less than creative language there. That’s the only response I can come up with for that old argument.) A more polite answer would be, if the voters were capable of critical thinking, Nader would win any election with a land slide. Holding any candidate responsible for the actions of voters is fuzzy thinking.
Voters—not candidates—are responsible for every vote they cast. Voters have created the current conditions by consistently voting for the ‘lesser evil’. Never, never, never let them off the hook. Every ballot has a ‘write-in’ option. There is no requirement to vote only for candidates selected by a Party. Voters have unlimited choice. Our survival depends either on ballots or bullets. Bullets have no conscience. Voters should.
There are a lot of things people don’t know about Nader. He is smart. Most people know that. Even his critics admit that. Most do not know that he is guided by a strong sense of justice and morality.
Nader is one of the most egoless Statesmen this war weary nation has ever seen. I can prove that. Back in the 1970s, the Electric Company had plans to build a floating Nuclear Power Plant off the coast of Atlantic City. A small group of citizens in Cape May, NJ fought this proposal. They were getting nowhere until Nader came from his home in Washington and helped. He came at his own expense. No fanfare. No publicity. The floating Nuclear Plant was never built.
Nader is motivated by conscience. The list of Conscientious Objectors to USA policies is growing: Greenwald, Assange, Manning, Hammond, Snowden, and many others. Nader was one of the original COs.
We owe him a lot. He might never go down in history as President. Instead he will always have an even higher status… that of Super Statesman. He is honest. He is moral. He is uncorruptable. He cannot be bought. That is more than we can say about those we vote for and elect.
Rosemarie Jackowski
Bennington, Vermont
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CATCHING UP TO 68
Dear Editor,
While the big bankers and speculators who wrecked our economy are getting ever richer, many of our neighbors are falling further behind. Fifty percent of Mendocino County residents meet the low-income eligibility criteria for Food Stamps. Fifty percent!
Nationwide, 30 million hard-working minimum wage workers now make one-third less today than they did 45 years ago. Had the federal minimum wage kept pace with inflation since 1968, it would be $10.56 instead of today’s $7.25 per hour.
It's time for Congress to raise the minimum wage! There's a bill in Congress to do so, called the ‘‘Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2013.” It raises the floor to $10.50 and indexes it to inflation.
While critics say that raising the minimum wage would increase unemployment, harm small businesses, and that most minimum wage workers are just part-time teenagers, studies show that previous increases to the minimum wage did NOT increase unemployment, two-thirds of minimum wage workers are employed by large, profitable corporations, and over 75 % of minimum wage workers are at least 20 years old.
A report from the Economic Policy Institute shows that raising the minimum wage to $10.50 could add a $60-billion consumer spending boost to the economy. Numerous polls show that 70 % of Americans support increasing the minimum.
Please contact and urge our representatives — Huffman, Feinstein and Boxer- to co-sponsor or at least support the ‘‘Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2013.
Tom Wodetzki
Albion
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A CURE FOR CRAMPS
Editor,
For the last 51 years I worked out in the hills as a forester and later as a land surveyor. I retired in 2002. All of my working career and even after I retired I was subject to leg cramps.
Recently I got a call from my son, Jim, and he told me he hsd heard of a quick cure for cramps. He is a construction carpenter and had always had numerous leg cramps.
The cure is so easy and quick that I thought I would share this method with everyone, hence this letter to the editor.
The procedure is quite simple. When you get a cramp, put your finger on your lip below your nose and press gently. It works very quickly. Give it a try.
Joseph J. Scherf
Redwood Valley
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GRAHAM’S DUNGLINGS
Letter to the Editor —
"Americans have short memories,” say the French.
During the Lewinsky scandal when Monica seduced the chief executive and stole Hillary's gorgeous hunk (no potbelly, no male pattern baldness), we forgot that in 1996 Wee Willie Clinton had made “family values” the centerpiece of his campaign.
During A-Bummer's trip to the Middle East, we forgot that he had already won the Nobel Peace Prize, shortly after his election, for being a very distinguished Negro.
The managing editor has a long memory, but the dunglings on the staff don't. During the 60s and early 70s things were different. Then the staffs were composed of piglets, much higher forms of matter than dunglings, and the ones in charge were hogs and sows — mammals! — much higher life forms than the gusanos we have now. Gusanos is Spanish for worms.
A big change came about around 1972 with Katharine Graham's ethnically correct “investigative reporters” Woodward and Bernstein. Investigative reporters? They had only one source and they didn't find that source, that source found them. It was Katharine Graham, not Woodward and Bernstein, who kicked Nixon's arse. Why did she come out with such a big lie? Certainly she wasn't afraid. As sole owner of the Washington Post since 1931, and as sole owner of Newsweek, she was much more powerful than Nixon.
Why the big lie? The answer is: I don't know. Their lives are so different from our lives that it is impossible for us to imagine what they are like, just as it is impossible for them to imagine what we are like.
Keep on trucking — stay high — do what's right,
Moish (Marvin) Garson
Modi'in Illit, Israel
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PAY AS YOU GO
Editor,
Let’s examine human nature and what any benefits anyone achieves or gets. It’s a fact they don’t want to lose or give up no matter what the circumstances may be. It comes to that word monopoly which everyone tries to achieve in their particular job or profession. What are monopolies? All governments, federal, state or local are monopolies. There is only one of these, and we all have to do their bidding (except themselves). Government creates all the private monopolies. A good part of the medical profession, the lawyers’ profession, the top management of all corporations have gone into monopolies by way of campaign contributions that have grown and grown. One of President Eisenhower’s words when he left office to all the politicians, “To look to the next generation not to the next election.” It probably worked for a while, but then it fell on dead ears, which brings us to our local CSD.
In the last 15 to 20 years our valley has grown big time. The expansion of the grape and winery business bringing the valley value up many times and giving our CSD a big increase in the money they get. Under these circumstances it is inconceivable to raise fees, as I stated at the beginning of this article. It is no longer necessary to have a Parcel Tax, since we have sufficient funds to run the CSD, it is time for the CSD Board to eliminate the Parcel Tax, and throw the new fee schedule out. Then there is the one part of the new schedule that says any fee that’s for the good of the community can be forgiven “by who?” This is just asking for corruption. Slip the Chief a little money and all is forgiven. If not we can cause you grief.
All over the country, governments of all sizes are going bankrupt. A few are Detroit, Vallejo, Stockton, San Bernardino Montgomery, and Chicago. Medical expenses, legal fees and corporation executives pay are going through the roof. All for the lack of the holy word competition, and they didn’t live on what they got.
Emil Rossi
Boonville
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SPORTS TALK I
Editor,
I work in the Anderson Valley and coach high school basketball in the Mendocino School District. I once coached basketball in AV and had a short AD fill-in at Mendocino High to add to my public school volunteer credentials. You recently reprinted an article from Paul McCarthy's blog where he attacks Robert Pinoli, and accuses the Panther soccer team of cheating by illegally practicing.
With the name of Mr. McCarthy's blog being Mendocino Sports Plus, I would like to remind your readers that this blog, and Mr. McCarthy himself, have no connection to Mendocino High School or Mendocino High School Sports whatsoever. The name may indicate otherwise. This is his Facebook page we are talking about.
As a senior coach in Mendocino, I find myself apologizing for him regularly. This is the second time he has attacked Mr. Pinoli, who I personally believe is one of the more honorable members of CMC, NCL, and NCS. (I challenge any sports fans to know what those letters all stand for). It was embarrassing to go play basketball in Point Arena when the AD and school were accused of being “pussys” and “chicken” to play Mendocino,when they had to forfeit for not having enough players (for 8 man football, the small school version of football). When Laytonville won big in football, Cory James Sr., one of league’s hardest working multiple-sport coaches, was accused of running up the score. I remember calling the AD, Sue Carberry, in Laytonville, to beg for forgiveness, when he likened the beautiful new campus to a prison. In fact, the AD and principal in
Mendocino have been on the receiving end of abuse for not running and supporting the 8 man football program the way he would like it. My personal favorite was when he accused the AD, Mr. Gold, of not properly teaching the football coaches of how to turn on the showers.
Most parents I talk to love this facebook page for the wonderful collection of pictures of our kids playing games. I personally enjoy this part. The “shoot first” and “deal with the facts later” type of writing that Mendocino Sports Plus engages in is entertaining at times, often hurtful, regularly embarrassing for MHS, fun to respond to, and sells papers. (Just ask the AVA.)
Jim Young,
Mendocino High School Basketball
Mendocino
Ed reply: O please, Jim. What sniveling. High school sports around here is lucky to have anyone even notice, never mind writing about them. As for the ancient whine that the adventures of our scintillating local personalities sell newspapers, well, har de har. I'm glad McCarthy takes the time, whether or not you agree with him. Not everyone is cut out to be a pom-pom girl.
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SPORTS TALK II
Editor,
I was very clear with what I agree with and what I don't. It is sort of logical, I guess, that I would back the “trash talkees” (coach volunteers and ADs) and you the “trash talkers.” You say sniveling, I say it takes some thick skin to spend multiple years in youth sports. Ask your son. You know I love your paper.
Jim Young,
Mendocino High School Basketball
Mendocino
Ed reply: It takes thick skin to roll out of bed everyday anymore, Jim. As Tarzan said to Boy, “It’s a jungle out there.”
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LOSING FOCUS
Editor,
Congressman Jared seems lost. With all the many and serious challenges we face, our representative has decided to fight back by holding a … photo contest! After our initial reaction of disgust and disappointment, we entered a photo in this contest, chronically Mendocino Redwood Company's extensive chemical warfare above the upper Albion River last summer. (MRC poisons around 5,500 acres in Mendocino County every year.) Congressman Huffman says the two photos with the most “likes,” as of noon, July 18, will be featured on his Facebook and Twitter pages. You can help Jared focus by voting for our photo here.
Mike Kalantarian
Navarro
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A HIGHER LAW
TO: David Eyster, District Attorney, Mendocino County
Ukiah, California
Re: People v. William Edward Parrish,
Case No. MCUK-INNT-13-16663-000
District Attorney Eyster,
I urge you to consider a spirit-of-the-law approach in the case of Will Parrish. He is obviously not a common vandal. We all know why he was doing what he was doing, trying to prevent an ill-fated, unnecessary, unwanted, irreversible ecological disaster from happening. His act was noble, not base; generous, not selfish. And far from alone, his actions represented the thoughts and feelings of a large number of people who are close to, and well informed on, the issue.
Sometimes people are compelled to act in accord with a higher law, outside the statutory ones of their time and place. This is such a case. As District Attorney, you could, of course, use the letter of the law to maximize sentencing against Mr. Parrish, but that would be a terrible miscarriage of justice. Instead, I ask you to judiciously consider the larger context of these events and act accordingly. The law can be used as a weapon or it can serve a higher purpose. The actions of Will Parrish call for the latter response and I hope you will rise to the occasion.
Sincerely,
Mike Kalantarian
Navarro
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HARASSMENT
Dear Sir:
We had occasion to see the MTC production of the Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo. It was a continuous litany of vulgarity and profanity in a harsh and brutal background offering us an evening of dismal entertainment.
I submitted this letter twice last month to the Mendocino Beacon which declined to print it. Perhaps it offended their sensitivities. I thought you might like to have a go at it. By-the-way, The 39 Steps was an amusing entertainment this month.
Sincerely,
Fred Martin
Philo
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BANKS NOT MENTIONED
Editor,
Consider “the mystery.” Nobody seems to know why Detroit is bankrupt. White flight? Jobs exported? Greedy unions? But not the banks — never mentioned!
When banks foreclosed on those bogus mortgages, taxes were not paid because the paper had disappeared in all those “new” securities which had been sold far and wide (even to European investors).
The city went to the banks looking for their tax money and were told they (the banks) were not the owners!
Nobody punished the too big to fail fat cats with the millions in bonuses, salaries and stock options, for writing mortgages they knew would fail. A few minions were punished, period. Certainly not justice for all.
We need to bail out the criminal banks with taxpayer funds, but Detroit can beg for relief in bankruptcy court and good look to all those pensioners and claims against the city.
Get ready for the bath.
Fool on the Hill
Eureka
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