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March 1, 2003 Base policy on compassion In dismissing the recent anti-war demonstrations around the world, President Bush said he did not want to "decide policy based upon a focus group" but rather "based upon the security of the people." I believe he is deciding policy based upon the input of warmongering, scapegoating focus groups. I question the motives of such groups. I object to their focus and their arrogance. I view them as the greatest risk to peace. We should not spend billions of dollars on the invasion of Iraq. We could better spend those billions feeding, clothing and caring for the starving, naked and sick of war-torn countries like Afghanistan. We tried the military approach there. Did it give us security? Did it stop the terrorists? Invading Iraq will increase the number of terrorists and increase their hatred of America. U.N.-backed containment of Iraq and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and other war-torn countries would be a much better policy. It would show a more Christian focus and do more for our security. TOM CUTHBERTSON SANTA CRUZ
Street ‘Smarts’ isn’t Today (February 20), again she wrote about how this "businessman, husband and father put his own life on the line," etc. What about my life? I’m sick of these guys depending on the defensive skills of others so they can get their kicks. Your writer appears to be in the camp of those riders who say that all the problems are created by the "non-racers." Here is some news for you guys: Real racers have sponsors and they race on closed tracks that are made for racing. If you haven’t got the jack to practice with the big boys, find another hobby. Highway 9 is not a practice track; and I guess I have to remind all of you that professional racers on closed tracks with EMT crews within seconds routinely crash and sometimes die, every year, so the idea that being one of the "real" racers will protect you is nonsense. Frankly, I don’t care what happens to you as long as it doesn’t happen under my car; you may have no conscience but I do, and I will have to live with your death whether I get hurt or not. Ms. Turner has checked her credibility at the door. She has no place writing this kind of column. REID WINFREY SANTA CRUZ
Pirie knows her zoning laws Ellen Pirie did the right thing for our county, our environment and our future. She voted against allowing a large office building in a residential/agricultural area of the county. Her vote is legally consistent with our zoning laws and the intent of our general plan. Her vote is consistent with the preservation of a rational balance between demand for commercial space and the ability of the community and environment to support it. I have seen the plans. This office building is very large with an extensive paved area. I have seen the reservations expressed in the Planning Commission report. I have seen letters of concern from the water district. The proposed Freedom Boulevard location is patently inappropriate. Zoning regulations have set aside other more appropriate areas for office buildings. Here’s the rub: The office building is for a local hospice organization. However, politics and emotion should not be the basis for dismissing established regulations. Once the building is built, the damage will have been done and there will be no control over use or ownership. Thanks, Ellen. You get my vote. To the rest of the board, wake up and recognize the precedent you’re setting for our entire county. JOSEPH GORDON APTOS
Peace-rally coverage hailed As we form and express our views, we need our newspapers to keep us informed about what our government is doing. As for our coalitions, we must form them thoughtfully and include voters of all flavors who can help us bring about a positive change in Washington, D.C., on Election Day 2004. Oh, yes, and let no local member of Congress be left behind. JUDY WARNER SANTA CRUZ
Farr wasn’t there His consistent support of several billion U.S. tax dollars to wasteful military appropriations is an example of Sam’s tenuous grasp of the value of peaceful diplomacy. In 2001, he received a grade of F in wasteful military spending from a statewide advocacy group. He has supported Plan Colombia (a war on indigenous people disguised as a war on drugs) and NAFTA (an economic tool for institutionalizing violence against the working class in Mexico and the United States). For these reasons and more, we declined to have Rep. Farr speak. Sam’s vote against the use of U.S. forces against Iraq (HJ RES 114) in October 2002 is certainly a vote in support of the global peace movement which I and other embrace. An invitation to the podium of our next peace rally is up to him: no to ever-larger military budgets; no to Colombia-supported terrorism; move to rescind NAFTA, Plan Pueblo Panama and the FTAA. We hope he’ll join us in our efforts to forever silence the guns of empire and extend the hand of peace. JOE WILLIAMS AND PAUL FRANKLIN SANTA CRUZ
Protest story misquote Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked about these sanctions in a 1996 interview by Leslie Stahl on "60 Minutes" (May 12, 1996). Leslie Stahl asked, "We have heard that over half a million children have died. I mean, that’s more than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?" To this question Madeline Albright responded, "I think this is a very hard choice. But the price — we think the price is worth it." Since that interview, the deaths have continued to increase. U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, for his part, has done nothing to stop this death by sanctions. In my speech I also criticized Sam Farr for many other positions he has taken, including voting for over $400 billion for the war budget while schools are being shut at home. In opposition to Farr’s pro-war policies, I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Congress in opposition to Sam Farr. STEVE ARGUE SANTA CRUZ
Bush should ignore protests Our president has information that has him convinced removing Saddam by force is the only answer, should he refuse to disarm peacefully. This firm stance has subjected him to ridicule and loathing around the globe. Tony Blair’s popularity has tumbled for aligning himself with Bush. These men are leaders. They will not be swayed by public opinion or political points when they believe the security of the United States and Western world is at risk. Weaker men would have caved by now. They should be respected for their leadership. People who lived in Iraq, people who worked for Saddam Hussein have stated the U.S. would be vindicated many times over once the truth is revealed about what he has, and what is happening in that country. Someday, the world will thank President Bush for having the audacity to ignore those who are not in a position to know what he knows. For those who compare Bush to Hitler, he’s probably saving your sorry lives, too. BARBIE DRACOULES LA SELVA BEACH
Give children a voice on Iraq For children in our communities who have even less voice and certainly no less anxiety over the mounting pressure toward war, the following project is available and we would like to invite those who may want to pass this information on to children in their lives as a way to have a voice for their sentiments. Letters are being collected from children (teens, etc.) of compassion, concern and care to send to children in Iraq. Send to: From the Hearts of Children, P.O. Box 2259, Nevada City, CA 95959 (please include age and gender). We hope it makes a difference in humanizing this dangerous checkmate of nation states. NITA HERTEL SANTA CRUZ
Another opponent to war While it could well be argued that Saddam is a dreadful tyrant who must be stopped, an action such as this is properly one for the United Nations to lead. If we take this action without the support, much less leadership, of the U.N. we set an awful precedent. Frankly, there are quite a few dreadful tyrants in the world today. No one country should take the lead in deposing such tyrants. BJ CRAWFORD SANTA CRUZ
Bush defies public opinion You shouldn’t be. He isn’t an elected representative of the American people. He’s a dictator pure and simple. He’s the recipient of the Bush family coup. His brother, Jeb, threw the election in Florida by illegally purging 57,000 voters, who were mostly black and likely to vote Democratic. That the president doesn’t believe in freedom or democracy is amply demonstrated by his "USA Patriot Act," which pretty well eliminated the First and Fourth Amendments. He’s committed an impeachable crime, pushing the Patriot Act through a spineless, treasonous Congress. You’ll never see any impeachment proceedings against him because, as Sam Farr pointed out, the Republicans control the committees in Congress. Any impeachment article will never make it to the floor of either the Senate or the House. Now that the president has so arrogantly dismissed millions of people all over the world who demonstrated against his blatant oil grab, he has upped the ante. All concerned citizens need to go to Washington, D.C., and surround the White House and stop all capital business. If that doesn’t do the job, we must, on the day the bombs begin to fall, declare a general strike against the pre-emptive strike and mass murder of innocent Iraqis who the U.S. has been bombing for the past 12 years. ED OBERWEISER SANTA CRUZ
Protesters, go to Iraq Perhaps they do not feel as safe in Iraq as they do on American soil. Saddam just might use some of those biological or chemical weapons (which he does not have) and eliminate them as he does his own people. MARIAN TRAUGHBER SANTA CRUZ
Sell park to Capitola A city the size of Capitola needs an elementary school to attract and retain families. Its current location is the most cost effective. It’s ironic that the Soquel School Board has just spent $363,000 (a figure given by Miles Billheimer, assistant superintendent of business services) pursuing litigation against Capitola to regain control of Jade Street Park (district property) where the board would like to build an elementary campus. The city has been trying for years to purchase this park from the school district. Part of the deal could include trading Monterey Park, which is adjacent to the Capitola Elementary/New Brighton Middle School campus and could be used for school expansion projects. As evidenced by the defeat of Measure Q in 2000, Capitolans do not support an elementary campus at Jade Street Park. Yet the school board is so single-minded in its lawsuit against the city it has squandered $363,000 defending its right to this park. This money could have been put toward solving our budget crisis and keeping all four district elementaries open. Please contact the Soquel district trustees if you would like to see them drop the lawsuit and sell Jade Street Park to the city. AMIE FOREST CAPITOLA
Vote Libertarian, sleep well My Libertarian vote is cleansing. It rejects the massive taxes that ultimately fund spurious military operations. It declares us free to live our own lives as we choose, by refusing to authorize the police or military to do anything but protect us and our property from trespass and aggression. It promotes integrity and common sense in government by endorsing candidates who oppose needless laws and taxes, and who will respect the rights of all citizens (primarily by minimizing the size and expense of government to the point where it cannot get away with abusing anyone’s rights, here or overseas). Learn more about what your Libertarian vote means, at www.lp.org. Perhaps the strong medicine of massive protests can shock the body politic into remission, but too much of that cure might kill the patient. Alternatively, you can protest with every ballot you cast, as Libertarians have done for over 30 years. For decades, it hasn’t mattered who won elections: Democrats and Republicans alike have delivered bigger, more expensive, more intrusive government, leading us, inexorably, to war. Authoritarians must lose elections or we’ll all lose. Massive protest at the ballot box can break the fever. Vote Libertarian, for a change, so we can all get a good night’s rest. JAMES MERRITT SANTA CRUZ
We dare not trust them The infuriating part is the condescension with which Bush and his spokesman speak to us and to the world. They declare; they do not try to explain, certainly they fail to convince. Even Colin Powell, heretofore a man who appeared to level with us, at the U.N. seemed evasive and to be pushing an indefensible line. I try but cannot tell where we are being led. Trust them? I dare not. JACK CUNNIFF APTOS
Leave it to the U.N. Is the United States a democracy for the people? Well, Mr. President, the people are speaking — quit ignoring us. Focus on diplomatic solutions to world problems and stop flexing our threat of war for your objectives. The Iraq issue is in the hands of the U.N., not the U.S.A of George "War" Bush! RAY BORG SANTA CRUZ
The children are watching That there is no such thing as democracy when a president isn’t elected by the people, but appointed by a court. There is no such thing as a republic when elected officials don’t represent the wishes of their constituents, but cower from the evil epithets of "anti-American" or "unpatriotic." There is no such thing as equality when tax cuts, the legal system and health care are all tipped heavily to those who already have more than everyone else. There is no honor when international treaties, agreements and pacts can be overturned or negated if they cut into a profit margin too heavily. There is no honesty when our politicians, even to our president, renege on promises after they are elected. There is no compassion when funding for health care and children’s services is cut in a headlong rush to war. There is no vision for a better future when natural resources are raped and abused in the name of capitalism. There is no chance of bettering your lot in life when the middle class is systematically being eliminated. There is no justice when people are arrested and held indefinitely because of their ethnicity. Don’t worry about all the high-sounding, moralistic mutterings of the powers that be; the children aren’t listening, they’re watching. Actions have always spoken louder than words. JOYCE BLASKOVICH APTOS
Base policy on compassion I believe he is deciding policy based upon the input of warmongering, scapegoating focus groups. I question the motives of such groups. I object to their focus and their arrogance. I view them as the greatest risk to peace. We should not spend billions of dollars on the invasion of Iraq. We could better spend those billions feeding, clothing and caring for the starving, naked and sick of war-torn countries like Afghanistan. We tried the military approach there. Did it give us security? Did it stop the terrorists? Invading Iraq will increase the number of terrorists and increase their hatred of America. U.N.-backed containment of Iraq and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and other war-torn countries would be a much better policy. It would show a more Christian focus and do more for our security. TOM CUTHBERTSON SANTA CRUZ
Street ‘Smarts’ isn’t Today (February 20), again she wrote about how this "businessman, husband and father put his own life on the line," etc. What about my life? I’m sick of these guys depending on the defensive skills of others so they can get their kicks. Your writer appears to be in the camp of those riders who say that all the problems are created by the "non-racers." Here is some news for you guys: Real racers have sponsors and they race on closed tracks that are made for racing. If you haven’t got the jack to practice with the big boys, find another hobby. Highway 9 is not a practice track; and I guess I have to remind all of you that professional racers on closed tracks with EMT crews within seconds routinely crash and sometimes die, every year, so the idea that being one of the "real" racers will protect you is nonsense. Frankly, I don’t care what happens to you as long as it doesn’t happen under my car; you may have no conscience but I do, and I will have to live with your death whether I get hurt or not. Ms. Turner has checked her credibility at the door. She has no place writing this kind of column. REID WINFREY SANTA CRUZ
Pirie knows the value of zoning laws Ellen Pirie did the right thing for our county, our environment and our future. She voted against allowing a large office building in a residential/agricultural area of the county. Her vote is legally consistent with our zoning laws and the intent of our general plan. Her vote is consistent with the preservation of a rational balance between demand for commercial space and the ability of the community and environment to support it. I have seen the plans. This office building is very large with an extensive paved area. I have seen the reservations expressed in the Planning Commission report. I have seen letters of concern from the water district. The proposed Freedom Boulevard location is patently inappropriate. Zoning regulations have set aside other more appropriate areas for office buildings. Here’s the rub: The office building is for a local hospice organization. However, politics and emotion should not be the basis for dismissing established regulations. Once the building is built, the damage will have been done and there will be no control over use or ownership. Thanks, Ellen. You get my vote. To the rest of the board, wake up and recognize the precedent you’re setting for our entire county. JOSEPH GORDON APTOS
Peace-rally coverage hailed As we form and express our views, we need our newspapers to keep us informed about what our government is doing. As for our coalitions, we must form them thoughtfully and include voters of all flavors who can help us bring about a positive change in Washington, D.C., on Election Day 2004. Oh, yes, and let no local member of Congress be left behind. JUDY WARNER SANTA CRUZ
Farr wasn’t there His consistent support of several billion U.S. tax dollars to wasteful military appropriations is an example of Sam’s tenuous grasp of the value of peaceful diplomacy. In 2001, he received a grade of F in wasteful military spending from a statewide advocacy group. He has supported Plan Colombia (a war on indigenous people disguised as a war on drugs) and NAFTA (an economic tool for institutionalizing violence against the working class in Mexico and the United States). For these reasons and more, we declined to have Rep. Farr speak. Sam’s vote against the use of U.S. forces against Iraq (HJ RES 114) in October 2002 is certainly a vote in support of the global peace movement which I and other embrace. An invitation to the podium of our next peace rally is up to him: no to ever-larger military budgets; no to Colombia-supported terrorism; move to rescind NAFTA, Plan Pueblo Panama and the FTAA. We hope he’ll join us in our efforts to forever silence the guns of empire and extend the hand of peace. JOE WILLIAMS AND PAUL FRANKLIN SANTA CRUZ
Protest story misquote Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked about these sanctions in a 1996 interview by Leslie Stahl on "60 Minutes" (May 12, 1996). Leslie Stahl asked, "We have heard that over half a million children have died. I mean, that’s more than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?" To this question Madeline Albright responded, "I think this is a very hard choice. But the price — we think the price is worth it." Since that interview, the deaths have continued to increase. U.S. Rep. Sam Farr, for his part, has done nothing to stop this death by sanctions. In my speech I also criticized Sam Farr for many other positions he has taken, including voting for over $400 billion for the war budget while schools are being shut at home. In opposition to Farr’s pro-war policies, I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Congress in opposition to Sam Farr. STEVE ARGUE SANTA CRUZ
Bush should ignore protests Our president has information that has him convinced removing Saddam by force is the only answer, should he refuse to disarm peacefully. This firm stance has subjected him to ridicule and loathing around the globe. Tony Blair’s popularity has tumbled for aligning himself with Bush. These men are leaders. They will not be swayed by public opinion or political points when they believe the security of the United States and Western world is at risk. Weaker men would have caved by now. They should be respected for their leadership. People who lived in Iraq, people who worked for Saddam Hussein have stated the U.S. would be vindicated many times over once the truth is revealed about what he has, and what is happening in that country. Someday, the world will thank President Bush for having the audacity to ignore those who are not in a position to know what he knows. For those who compare Bush to Hitler, he’s probably saving your sorry lives, too. BARBIE DRACOULES LA SELVA BEACH
Give children a voice on Iraq For children in our communities who have even less voice and certainly no less anxiety over the mounting pressure toward war, the following project is available and we would like to invite those who may want to pass this information on to children in their lives as a way to have a voice for their sentiments. Letters are being collected from children (teens, etc.) of compassion, concern and care to send to children in Iraq. Send to: From the Hearts of Children, P.O. Box 2259, Nevada City, CA 95959 (please include age and gender). We hope it makes a difference in humanizing this dangerous checkmate of nation states. NITA HERTEL SANTA CRUZ
Another opponent to war While it could well be argued that Saddam is a dreadful tyrant who must be stopped, an action such as this is properly one for the United Nations to lead. If we take this action without the support, much less leadership, of the U.N. we set an awful precedent. Frankly, there are quite a few dreadful tyrants in the world today. No one country should take the lead in deposing such tyrants. BJ CRAWFORD SANTA CRUZ
Bush ignores public You shouldn’t be. He isn’t an elected representative of the American people. He’s a dictator pure and simple. He’s the recipient of the Bush family coup. His brother, Jeb, threw the election in Florida by illegally purging 57,000 voters, who were mostly black and likely to vote Democratic. That the president doesn’t believe in freedom or democracy is amply demonstrated by his "USA Patriot Act," which pretty well eliminated the First and Fourth Amendments. He’s committed an impeachable crime, pushing the Patriot Act through a spineless, treasonous Congress. You’ll never see any impeachment proceedings against him because, as Sam Farr pointed out, the Republicans control the committees in Congress. Any impeachment article will never make it to the floor of either the Senate or the House. Now that the president has so arrogantly dismissed millions of people all over the world who demonstrated against his blatant oil grab, he has upped the ante. All concerned citizens need to go to Washington, D.C., and surround the White House and stop all capital business. If that doesn’t do the job, we must, on the day the bombs begin to fall, declare a general strike against the pre-emptive strike and mass murder of innocent Iraqis who the U.S. has been bombing for the past 12 years. ED OBERWEISER SANTA CRUZ
Protesters, go to Iraq Perhaps they do not feel as safe in Iraq as they do on American soil. Saddam just might use some of those biological or chemical weapons (which he does not have) and eliminate them as he does his own people. MARIAN TRAUGHBER SANTA CRUZ
Vote Libertarian, sleep well My Libertarian vote is cleansing. It rejects the massive taxes that ultimately fund spurious military operations. It declares us free to live our own lives as we choose, by refusing to authorize the police or military to do anything but protect us and our property from trespass and aggression. It promotes integrity and common sense in government by endorsing candidates who oppose needless laws and taxes, and who will respect the rights of all citizens (primarily by minimizing the size and expense of government to the point where it cannot get away with abusing anyone’s rights, here or overseas). Learn more about what your Libertarian vote means, at www.lp.org. Perhaps the strong medicine of massive protests can shock the body politic into remission, but too much of that cure might kill the patient. Alternatively, you can protest with every ballot you cast, as Libertarians have done for over 30 years. For decades, it hasn’t mattered who won elections: Democrats and Republicans alike have delivered bigger, more expensive, more intrusive government, leading us, inexorably, to war. Authoritarians must lose elections or we’ll all lose. Massive protest at the ballot box can break the fever. Vote Libertarian, for a change, so we can all get a good night’s rest. JAMES MERRITT SANTA CRUZ
We dare not trust them The infuriating part is the condescension with which Bush and his spokesman speak to us and to the world. They declare; they do not try to explain, certainly they fail to convince. Even Colin Powell, heretofore a man who appeared to level with us, at the U.N. seemed evasive and to be pushing an indefensible line. I try but cannot tell where we are being led. Trust them? I dare not. JACK CUNNIFF APTOS
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