Letters 2/4/2025

• With Love, Patti
• After The Apology…
• Farm Life In Ross
• Not Buying It
• Comptche Book Chat
• America’s Oligarchs
• Slo Learners
• A Super Alternative
• Facts About Climate Change Etc.
• Mendocinocoast.News
• ‘Affordable’?
• Letter To Lenny Bruce, 1963

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WITH LOVE, PATTI

Editor:

In P&GE’s full page ad in the January 12 Press Democrat, I found it quite interesting that their CEO justified raising our rates because when customers overall use less energy it drives our rates higher because “our rates are based on dividing total costs by the units of energy used.” Perhaps PG&E’s corporate leadership should calculate their rates differently and fairly so customers don’t think we are getting gouged and that PG&E is trying to recover the immense amounts of profit lost because they hadn’t done enough to prevent future wildfire losses, in great part due to their slow reaction to the effects of climate change. From the first paragraph, which included “leading with love,” to the last, which included “With love, Patti,” the irony and faulty, ungrounded reasoning just grew and grew.

Dana Parnay

Healdsburg

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AFTER THE APOLOGY…

Editor,

After watching the public comments at the Fort Bragg City Council meeting January 13, I reviewed videos of earlier meetings, starting with the originating Tess Albin Smith comments, and successive meetings where several speakers took issue with Tess Albin Smith. This was regarding Tess voicing her opinion that Councilwoman Marcia Rafanan lacked the qualifications and experience necessary for the position of Vice Mayor compared to the other nominee. Tess’s comments, which were intended as discussion with her fellow council before voting, were very critical and public. But the Council majority was not swayed, and Marcia Rafanan was elected Vice Mayor by a 3-2 vote. Despite being elected, Marcia and others became very angry and clearly decided Tess had to be reprimanded.

Tess was overheard trying to personally apologize to Marcia the next day at a committee meeting, and she made a full and sincere public apology to Marcia one week after the incident. Marcia did not acknowledge this apology, and last night, four weeks later, several members of the public continued to praise Marcia and harass Tess, telling her she needs to resign. Someone called Tess a bully, which is making me ask myself, who is the victim now? In searching for the topic online, I found parts of Albin Smith’s original comments and video were edited, for more impact perhaps, and people are believing the edited version.

Now the 2025 Fort Bragg City Council members have been assigned to committees and there is much work to do. One of the committees includes both Rafanan and Albin-Smith, who will need to work together. It is my hope that we can move on and let the Council do its work. We can use each and every one of these council members at peak productivity.

I hope Vice Mayor Rafanan will accept the apology and the healing can begin. I extend my sympathy to Vice Mayor Rafanan for the critical public comments, and wish her great success in her new role.

Marilyn Boese

Fort Bragg

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FARM LIFE IN ROSS

Editor

Regarding the demise of dairy farming and ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore, it couldn’t get any better than a cadre of rich leftist donors meeting in the affluent town of Ross to gather million-dollar chump change to destroy farms, ranches and myriad livelihoods.

Ross, the “center” of the agricultural pulse of California, is the perfect place to eviscerate historic farms and ranches that were there way before Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom bought a mansion there to hide from burning Democrat-imposed failures downwind.

If they met in Corning or Dunnigan to toast themselves, they’d get a real whiff of California farming and dust on their Escalades and BMWs that would probably hinder their donations to destroy agriculture elsewhere. Hence, when they flock together in Upscaleville in Marin County to do it, it gets ink in San Francisco, not Red Bluff.

In the end, it’s sad no matter where farming and ranching is destroyed in California. It’s more than a living history to archive the voices of long-lost farmers; it’s a footprint that should be preserved in unison with the natural resources that neighbored together for generations as a family of one.

Robert T. Molleur

Manassas, Virginia

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NOT BUYING IT

Editor:

On the whole the Musk fascist/salute thing, I call BS. I’m not buying what a fascist Democratic Party is selling. These same people who tried to force Genocide Joe down our throats, canceling primaries, and telling us all along that he was mentally fit, then when their lie could not be hidden, they selected (not elected) their nominee. And now they see Nazis hiding behind every corner? Puhleeezzzzz!

And it’s now reported there are 20,000 orphans in Gaza, 88% of the infractructure has been destroyed, all with bombs provided by Kamala and JB, with her promising (if elected) more of the same, and now you want us all to get fired up over Musk? I have no words that are adequate to express the depth of my contempt. This is the party that tries to convince the public that the FBI, CIA, and DOD are our friends, and have the doomsday clock closer to midnight than any time since WW2. OH! And if you don't buy what they are selling, you are automatically labelled a sexist and a racist.

Chris Skyhawk

Fort Bragg

ED REPLY: I share your contempt for the Democrats, Hawk, but I think that was definitely a fascist salute Musk threw up there. One salute you might excuse as inadvertent or out of ignorance. Two? Inexcusable, and mos def synonymous only with Nazis, in my opinion.

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COMPTCHE BOOK CHAT

Editor,

Katy Tahja and I were talking while at the Comptche bookmobile about the lists of authors and books offered by readers (and his eminence) in the AVA. We both wondered if this was the Erudite Sweepstakes? Or penance? Lugubrious, virtuous, endlessly tedious. Do these people read for fun?

So here is my list. These are purely enjoyable — no teaching, no preaching, no tragedy, no moral, no deeper meaning, no lit degree to decipher. The only virtue here is the love of the story.

Fiction in no order of appreciation

George V. Higgins ‘The Diggers Game,’ ‘A Year Or So With Edgar,’ ‘The Mandeville Talent,’ ‘The Friends of Eddie Coyle.’ George V. is quite uneven so start with these. There are many more.

Elmore Leonard ‘Stick,’ ’52 Pickup,’ ‘Get Shorty,’ ‘Be Cool,’ ‘City Primeval-High Noon in Detroit’ and everything else. Even the early westerns like ‘3:10 To Yuma’ and ‘Hombre.’ Most of his novels get made into movies because he is so graphic.

Thomas McGuane ’92 in the Shade’ and many others, all less fun.

John LeCarre ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.’ ‘A Small Town in Germany,’ ‘The Honorable Schoolboy,’ ‘The Russia House’ and everything else. He gets heavier and more currently political, but I'd start at the beginning. For many authors the freshest and best stuff happens before Hollywood.

Martin Cruz Smith ‘Gorky Park,’ ‘Stalin's Ghost,’ ‘Red Square,’ ‘Havana Bay’ and all the other Arkady Renko honest Russian policeman series.

Robert B. Parker ‘Early Autumn,’ ‘Mortal Stakes.’ His huge output is best in the earliest books. He gets really formulaic.

Tony Hillerman ‘A Thief of Time,’ ‘The Dark Wind’ and if you like these there is a whole series to enjoy.

J.P. Donleavy, forget ‘The Ginger Man.’ These are much better: ‘The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B.’ ‘A Singular Man,’ so perfect, so lovely. There is much more but he is best approached by these.

Ken Kesey ‘Sometimes A Great Notion.’ Some say this is the great American novel. It's on the list.

Annie Proulx ‘The Shipping News.’

Science Fiction

John Wyndham ‘The Midwich Cuckoos,’ ‘Out of the Deep,’ ‘The Day of the Triffids.’ Mid-50s British horror and,

John Blackburn ‘The Scent of New Mown Hay’

Arthur C. Clark ‘Childhood’s End.’

William Gibson ‘Neuromancer,’ ‘Virtual Light,’ ‘Mona Lisa Overdrive,’ and all the others. Hold on to yer mind.

Non-Fiction in no order

John McPhee. Anything. He writes so well that (like Michael Lewis) you don't need to care about the topic to enjoy the ride. Just pick one up.

Michael Lewis ‘The Big Short,’ ‘Liar's Poker, and everything else.

Frank McCourt ‘Angela's Ashes.’ A master of the Irish ability to be tragic and hilarious in the same paragraph. And sometimes even in the same sentence.

Joan Didion ‘Slouching Toward Bethlehem,’ ‘Play It As It Lays,’ ‘The White Album,’ ‘Salvador,’ everything else. Kinda fact and kinda fiction. Kinda like…

Nora Ephron ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck,’ ‘Wallflower At the Orgy,’ ‘I Remember Nothing,’ ‘Heartburn’ and many rom/com movies: ‘Sleepless in Seattle,’ ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ etc.

Hunter Thompson ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.’

There are many more but these will get you started.

Michael Nolan

Comptche

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AMERICA’S OLIGARCHS

Editor:

Wikipedia defines oligarchy as a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people. Or business groups meeting the following criteria: they are the largest private owners in the country; they possess sufficient political power to influence their own interests; and the owners control multiple businesses, coordinating activities across sectors.

From these definitions it is not hard to see that Elon Musk could likely be seen as the U.S.’s top-dog oligarch, but not the only one. A closer look at Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees and many corporate CEOs who have been currying favor with Trump reveals a list of oligarchs who seek to mold our laws and regulations to their advantage.

The only way we have to claw back our democratic power is to elect representatives who have the good of the people uppermost in their minds, rather than their own profit margins.

Pam Tennant

Sebastopol

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SLO LEARNERS

Editor:

The ancient Greeks portrayed tragedies as the result of arrogance, the delusion that one person or group could annihilate any obstacle. Our Industrial Revolution encouraged that fallacy. And who could blame us? The 19th-century inventors accomplished feats often considered impossible.

Yet the consequences of burning fossil fuels should have been a warning long ago. London, as early as the 14th century, started having “Pea Soupers”: smog inversions. In 1952, a five-day event called the Great Smog caused the deaths of 12,000 people, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica. Nevertheless, it took Parliament four years to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act.

While America hasn’t had five centuries to decide on the fossil fuel problem, we still deny the consequences of burning it. Why? Money. The rich consider money more important than people. And the rich oil politics with campaign contributions. Money buys politicians who can prevent change.

Who cares if our harmful habit causes respiratory stress, heart troubles and cancer? The rich can afford medical care that the poor cannot.

Tom Fantulin

Fort Bragg

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A SUPER ALTERNATIVE

Editor,

As Super Bowl Sunday nears, it’s worth considering the staggering number of chickens sacrificed for a single day of indulgence — it’s estimated that 1.45 billion wings will be consumed. This annual tradition comes at a great cost to animals, the planet and our health.

Fortunately, there’s a kinder and equally satisfying alternative: plant-based wings. Made from ingredients like tofu, seitan, potatoes and cauliflower, these options pack all the flavor without harm to animals.

This year, why not make your Super Bowl spread one of compassion and sustainability? By swapping traditional chicken wings for plant-based alternatives, you’ll score a win for animals and the environment, all while enjoying a healthier take on a game-day favorite.

Sal Fuentes

San Francisco

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FACTS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE ETC.

Editor,

Regarding ‘Climate Change didn’t cause the LA fire; this is who to blame,” … (SF Chronicle, Jan. 20, 2025), I was taken aback by the claim that climate change had nothing to do with the Los Angeles fires and that “elected officials” were to blame.

During my 40-year career in science, my office was two blocks from an atmospheric research center where many of the world’s leading scientists worked on the climate challenges that they predicted and we are now experiencing.

There was never any debate amongst the subject matter experts about whether overloading our atmosphere with carbon is a problem. In this age where untruths and deception are now considered acceptable, it has never been more important that we pay attention to unbiased, peer-reviewed sources of information from scientists who are truly qualified to comment on complex matters.

I can testify that there are no harsher critics, or more difficult people to convince, than fellow scientists. Nothing short of absolute proof about scientific research will carry the day.

I encourage people to use common sense in their information sources. No politician or oil company-owned expert will provide anything other than the usual obfuscation for profit.

The world faces unprecedented, weather-related disasters. It is time to give scientists their due and ignore the opinions of those who reach their conclusions from ignorance.

Mitchell Neto

Davenport, Santa Cruz County

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MENDOCINOCOAST.NEWS

AVA,

Thanks for carrying journalism on your backs for decades. While the entire industry turned into sales pitches for power, you guys asked the hard questions and represented the readers, not the power that be. I want to keep doing that at my new site, mendocinocoast.news. As I recall you don’t usually do links. You have my permission to reprint mendocinocoast.news material. If you can’t use my link, you can just print the article if you wish.

https://mendocinocoast.news/pge-kmart-make-separate-6-million-mendo-land-deals-come-along-as-i-follow-the-money/

Frank Hartzell

Fort Bragg

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‘AFFORDABLE’?

Editor:

I keep reading and hearing about “affordable housing” but have never seen a definition or description of what is affordable housing. I did see this article in a Dec. 27 article about George’s Hideaway in Guerneville that may provide some insight (“George’s Hideaway razed to make way for housing”):

The hideaway was razed to make way for low-cost housing. The county purchased the land for $849,000 and transferred it to affordable housing developer Burbank Housing, which was to provide 21 homes for low-income individuals ($29,050 or less annually). The project’s total cost is estimated at $12.4 million, including about $10.8 million for construction.

So the total estimated cost is $13.2 million for 21 homes, or $630,905 per home.

Is that the definition of affordable housing? Add to that insurance, property taxes, utilities and maintenance and I do not see how an individual making $29,050 annually can possibly afford to buy and live in these houses.

Perhaps affordable housing is a concept that can never be realized, at least not in Sonoma County.

Larry m. Tausch

Penngrove

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LETTER TO LENNY BRUCE, 1963

To: Mr. Lenny Bruce, The Village Vanguard, New York, New York

Dear Mr. Bruce:

I came to see you the other night because I had read about you and was curious to see if you were really as penetrating a critic of our common hypocrisies as I had heard. I found that you are an honest man, sometimes a shockingly honest man, and I wrote you a note to say so. It is never popular to be so scathingly honest, whether it is from a nightclub stage or from a pulpit, and I was not surprised to hear you were having some “trouble.” This letter is written to express my personal concern and to say what I saw and heard on Thursday Night.

First, I emphatically do NOT believe your act is obscene in intent. The method you use has a lot in common with most serious critics (the prophet or the artist, not the professor) of society. Pages of Jonathan Swift and Martin Luther are quite unprintable even now because they were forced to shatter the easy, lying language of the day into the basic, earthy, vulgar idiom of ordinary people in order to show up the emptiness and insanity of their time. (It has been said, humourously but with some truth, that a great deal of the Bible is not fit to be read in Church for the same reason).

Clearly your intent is not to excite sexual feelings or to demean, but to shock us awake to the realities of racial hatred and invested absurdities about sex and birth and death… to move toward sanity and compassion. It is clear that you are intensely angry at our hypocrisies (yours as well as mine) and at the highly subsidized mealy-mouthism that passes as wisdom.

You may show this letter to anyone you wish if it can be of help. Please call me when you come back from Chicago.

May God Bless you.

The Rev. Sidney Lanier

St. Clements Church, New York, New York

January. 13, 1963