- Fix Little River Airport Road
- Break Democrats’ Stronghold On California Government
- Cowering Media Conglomerates
- Asylum Seekers Should Be Approached With Compassion
- American Flags, Upside Down And Ablaze
- A Nation Still Incapable Of Civil Discourse
- Prop. 50: ‘A Perfect Example Of Failing Up’
- Trump Inflames An Already Volatile Situation
FIX LITTLE RIVER AIRPORT ROAD
Dear Mendocino Co. Board of Supervisors,
The treacherous Little River Airport Road is a scary drive, with narrow blind curves, no shoulders and deep ditches on either side.
If the road itself wasn’t bad enough, the road surface makes it ten times worse. There are huge, dangerous potholes and washouts, badly painted lines, no shoulders, no turnouts, and deep drainage ditches on both sides. At minimum, this county needs to do basic road repair and resurfacing.
People have been complaining to you for months. They have formed committees, printed signs, made a website (fixlrairportrd.org) and come to your meetings - still nothing gets done.
On Sept. 1 of this month, there was a horrific mass casualty event two miles up Little River Airport Road, along the very stretch we’re talking about - the three miles of road from Highway 1 to the Airport.
From news stories:
“A horrific solo-car crash on Little River Airport Road left four people injured, three in critical condition, after their vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Emergency workers declared a mass-casualty event as it overwhelmed medical resources due to the number of patients and the severity of their injuries.”
Three people were in critical condition and medevacked to hospital. The road was shut down for hours, while they extracted mangled bodies from the wreckage. The poor condition of the road was likely the major cause of this single-car accident. Some who are hyper-critical of this Board might even say, that since you were warned, you have blood on your hands.
That road is a throughfare and evacuation route that serves both the Airport and a major Fire Station. About two and a half miles up, just yards from where the accident occurred, there’s a retirement community called The Woods, with 109 households and over 150 elderly residents. I know people in their 80’s and 90’s who drive that horrendous stretch of road several times a week.
It’s not a matter of time, it’s inevitable that another horrible crash or collision, that ends or ruins the lives of more victims, will occur on Little River Airport Road. You need to fix that road and fix it NOW, as in RIGHT NOW.
We can’t necessarily repair the broken bones and bodies or the ruined lives of victims from earlier this month, but we can repair that road to prevent it from happening again.
Supervisor Williams, this is on your desk. That road is in your district. You, and the rest of you, need to drive slowly from Highway One to the Airport, to observe conditions and then get it fixed. You need to do it now. This can’t be put off any longer, especially not till after the rain begins and risks go up exponentially.
Please, no more blood on your hands.
Get the Little River Airport Road fixed and do it now, as in a month ago.
Fix Little River Airport Road!
Sincerely,
David Gurney
Fort Bragg
BREAK DEMOCRATS’ STRONGHOLD ON CALIFORNIA GOVERNMENT
Editor:
Kevin Parsons warned against one-party control in government (“Voters have a simple choice on Prop. 50,” Letters, Sept 16). In California, Democrats hold all major positions. Before focusing on federal issues, we should address this local imbalance. Vote no on Proposition 50. Giving politicians more power invites overreach.
Larry Tausch
Penngrove
COWERING MEDIA CONGLOMERATES
Editor:
With one fell swoop of the executioner’s blade, yet another court jester has been swiftly removed from the once upon a time, open forum entertainment stage (“ABC suspends Kimmel’s late-night show over remarks about Kirk’s death,” Sept. 18). As corporate media conglomerates cower to the whims and falsehoods of the now reigning king, America has suddenly and undoubtedly hit the wall of complete intellectual development through mindless degradation.
Ray Van de Star
Sebastopol
ASYLUM SEEKERS SHOULD BE APPROACHED WITH COMPASSION
Editor,
What disturbs me most about how the Trump administration is handling immigrants is its expelling of those from Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan who were denied asylum or found to be in violation of immigration laws.
Rules were put in place to grant visas to those war-torn countries to live in the U.S. Now it appears to me that President Donald Trump is ordering that some asylum seekers be thrown out immediately, in some cases within a matter of a week or two.
I consider this embarrassing as an American — to have this administration turn their backs on these people and their families by literally throwing them out of the U.S. is cruel and unusual. I suspect many agree that Trump is the cruelest president we’ve ever had.
Sandra Macleod White
San Rafael
AMERICAN FLAGS, UPSIDE DOWN AND ABLAZE
Editor:
At the end of the Labor Day weekend, our shabby Old Glory was set ablaze. It had flown proudly, albeit upside-down, as it did on Flag Day and every national holiday since Donald Trump plunged our country into distress mode in January. Our new flag will likewise be displayed upside-down on all future holidays for as long as he remains in power. Trump threatens a year in jail for burning the flag, but under the U.S. Flag Code, it’s the proper and preferred way for military personnel and civilians to dispose of a no-longer serviceable flag. Additionally, in 1989 the Supreme Court ruled that “flag-burning constitutes symbolic speech that is protected by the First Amendment.” Trump may threaten jail-time, but flying the flag upside-down is also considered freedom of speech.
When it comes to American history and laws, Trump is the least knowledgeable and qualified and most uneducated and disrespectful president we’ve ever had. So strike a match for freedom, and if you decide to burn a worn and torn flag, consider throwing in a photo of him as well — just for the joy of it. You’re doubly protected.
Bob Canning
Petaluma
A NATION STILL INCAPABLE OF CIVIL DISCOURSE
Editor:
“Violence is as American as cherry pie,” activist H. Rap Brown said in 1967, a year that saw no shortage of violence as urban centers across the nation exploded into fires of rage that summer. The country had already witnessed President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and would see two more public figures killed in 1968, with the slaying of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Later that same year, there was violence at the Democratic National Convention.
We were born of violence it seems — it is a birthmark of sorts. And with easy access to firearms, whether bought or stolen, it is a small jump to literally pull the trigger when untamed emotions surface — whether it be on the streets of our cities or within the walls of our children’s classrooms.
Such violent behaviors continue to reinforce the fact that although we are almost 250 years old, we are still an adolescent nation — unable or unwilling to conduct civil discussions to resolve our political differences and, sadly, still unable to comprehend that what we reap we shall sow — that in fact we are sowing.
Gene Gross
Santa Rosa
PROP. 50: ‘A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF FAILING UP’
Editor:
Have the supporters of Proposition 50 thought about what it means for California?
To cut off your nose to spite your face means to harm yourself to punish or hurt another, even if the act causes more damage to the person performing the action. For the slight chance of affecting national politics, Proposition 50 would condemn Californians to more of the same for many years to come.
California has ranked No. 1 in homelessness, unemployment, gas prices, income tax, illiteracy, retail crime, budget deficits and poverty. It has ranked in the top two as far as housing and utilities cost s. Democrats already hold a supermajority in California, and a Republican has not won a statewide election since 2006. Does making a statement for Gavin Newsom’s 2028 presidential campaign mean more than giving California a chance to change for the better?
Proposition 50 is a perfect example of “failing up.” Don’t give politicians the wrong message that we’re happy with the status quo here in California. Passing Proposition 50 means California will continue to be No. 1 in residents and businesses leaving their state. Please vote no on Proposition 50.
Dan Pizza
Healdsburg
TRUMP INFLAMES AN ALREADY VOLATILE SITUATION
Editor:
What do leaders do in a time of crisis? Using the example of Winston Churchill and FDR, they exert a calming influence and attempt to unite people. In the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting, Donald Trump predictably seized the incident to urge his base to seek revenge against the “radical left” even before he knew who was responsible.
When asked about violence from the right, he conveniently ignored the assassination of Melissa Horstman and her husband in Minnesota, the arson attempt on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home, the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi. He justified such activity as motivated by a desire to reduce crime. Similarly, he pardoned the criminals who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
Political violence by either side is wrong and should be condemned. Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize, and yet he renames the Defense Department the War Department. What does that tell you?
Leland Davis
Santa Rosa
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