Letters to the editor (Feb. 13, 2020)

Rep. Huffman is a leading voice on conservation

February 13, 2020

Here’s another option for Nancy Pelosi: Paper dolls

Behind his back, and with impressively systematic and deviously vengeful deliberation, Nancy Pelosi ripped apart the president’s magnificent State of the Union speech even as he delivered it to the nation. Rather than trashing those papers, she could have made something useful from them, such as toys for little girls who might dream of someday becoming SOTH or even POTUS. Salvaging the papers would have enabled Nancy to then manipulate and control the resultant paper dolls to her liking.
I enjoy your newspaper!

Claudia Nelson, Hydesville

Support Cliff Berkowitz for 1st District Supervisor

Dear editor, when it comes to being out of touch, the incumbent First District candidate takes the cake. If it’s not being the lone vote for the Terra-Gen project to build 600-foot-tall windmills where the majority of the public did not want them, it’s making racist comments in public. It’s backing a bad choice for public defender, until it wound up costing the county $50,000 to get rid of him. It’s being in favor of really bad ideas, such as building a liquid natural gas terminal in Humboldt Bay or a $10 billion East-West rail line. It’s ignoring Humboldt County Fair Association’s violations of the Brown Act. It’s responding to whistleblower Karen Paz Dominguez, who alerted the board to serious issues with Auditor-Controller Department, by saying, “If my number-two (employee) came to a meeting and made statements like she made … I think I woulda (expletive deleted) myself and then fired someone.” It’s claiming credit for Redwood Fields in Cutten when in fact it was former Supervisor Stan Dixon who did the heavy lifting by getting the land rezoned for the ball park, setting up the commission to oversee construction of the ball field, and coordinating with local leagues. Given how far out in left field this incumbent is, the best call is to get rid of him. Support Cliff Berkowitz for 1st District supervisor.

David Holper, Eureka

Please spell it out, for the sake of your readers

Regarding your very good article on information literacy (“Researchers give a crash course on information literacy,” Feb. 8, Times-Standard, Page A1): It would have been advantageous at the start to follow a standard for abbreviations. At the beginning of the story was an acronym (CRAAP, or Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose). The acronym should have been spelled out early on in the article to give readers some relevance to the subject line, which would encourage reading of the full story. As it was written, it came off “cute” but not “keep reading.” I looked up the meaning of CRAAP and kept reading the story, as knowing what it meant kept me interested.

Joanna Hawley-Jones, Eureka

Trump would burn down country to save his skin

He is a cruel, ignorant, heartless bully that loves dictators, but hates free press, the Constitution, or democracy. Trump is a clear and present danger. He has lied over 11,000 times, and spreads every whack-a-doodle Fox News conspiracy. Republicans refused to do their jobs to protect America ,and the impeachment trial was a farce Trump can only create chaos and would burn our country down to save his skin. Vote this idiot out in 2020.

Larry A. Lange, Bayside

Rex Bohn has supported the community for years

I met Rex Bohn in my early teens, as he was always out in the community doing auctions and supporting events my siblings and I were involved in, especially at Redwood Fields. Today, my children are involved in soccer and baseball, and Rex is still out at the ballfields every weekend. Rex is a huge part of the community, helping keep the kids motivated and engaged in healthy activities. Something people might not know is every Christmas morning Rex drives around Humboldt County in his Santa suit and helps make the joy of Christmas come alive for children.

I run a small family business and understand that a business needs to bring in more income than its expenses. Humboldt County is like a business, and one of the supervisor’s role is to maintain a balanced budget, which means we have to bring in more money if we want more services. Growing up on a cattle ranch in Bear River, we’re often calling Rex about the Wild Cat Road, he always answers the phone and always listens. He can’t make promises that we’re going to have a new highway, but I’ve seen improvements to the road from Measure Z and understand that Rex is working to bring new state funds into the county to help with infrastructure and road improvements. I am glad Rex stuck with his vote on the Humboldt Wind Project, although the project wasn’t popular, it would have brought new tax dollars and renewable energy to Humboldt County.

Catherine Sundquist, Eureka

Let’s free the incumbent to play with his grandkids

I keep hearing that the 1st District supervisor incumbent is a good neighbor: he picks up discarded needles, helps selected charities with fundraising.

Cliff Berkowitz is also a good neighbor. He also has helped numerous charities as an MC, an auctioneer, and through the power of radio. Cliff started the national Stop the Violence, Start the Healing campaign, and has helped local organizations ranging from the Discovery Museum and Food for People, to the Kinetic race and Stand Down. (Speaking of Stand Down, when a disabled veteran risked being homeless, Cliff invited him to live in his own home.)

But being a good neighbor is not a supervisor’s job, nor is being a good neighbor dependent upon being supervisor. A supervisor’s job is to make well-researched policy decisions that benefit the entire county.

It is time we replace the incumbent with a supervisor committed to respect, transparency, and informed decisions that will protect our forests, clean water, ag lands, and unique character.

Let’s free the incumbent to play ball with his grandkids and be a good neighbor. Let’s vote for Cliff Berkowitz on March 3.

Phillis A. Seawright, Eureka

Rep. Huffman is a leading voice on conservation

Australia is a haven for biodiversity, containing roughly 5 percent of all species on earth. This diversity is now in peril, however, as the wildfires raging for the past nine months have destroyed more than 25 million acres of land and killed an estimated 1 billion animals, potentially driving several species to extinction. This tragedy underscores the pressing need for American lawmakers to make every effort to protect imperiled wildlife, both here and abroad, from a global extinction crisis. Fortunately, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) is among the lawmakers leading the charge for conservation. He consistently voices his support for the Endangered Species Act, our nation’s strongest tool for bringing species back from the brink of extinction. The ESA has come under attack in recent years; last year, the Trump administration finalized three new regulations that have severely weakened the law. In response to such destructive policy changes, Huffman expressed support at a House committee meeting last week for the “Protect America’s Wildlife and Fish in Need of Conservation Act” (PAW and FIN Conservation Act), which would reverse the recent changes limiting ESA protections. Thank you, Congressman Huffman, for fighting to ensure that all species have a future.

Cathy Liss, president of the Animal Welfare Institute

Exercising the right to protest is not ‘sinister’

In your article “City pushing to be featured on HGTV” (Times-Standard, Feb. 7, Page A2), you refer to our Constitutional right to protest as “sinister.” The right to protest is NOT sinister, it is what makes democracy work. Your attack on our Constitutional rights are like Trump’s attacks on our constitutional right to a free press. Makes me believe that you are not an impartial observer, but a right-wing fascist like traitor Trump and the traitor Republicans.

Rick Siegfried, Eureka

Democrats: vandalization of GOP HQ unacceptable

The Humboldt County Democratic Party must once again condemn all forms of political violence, most immediately, that directed recently toward Republican Headquarters in Eureka. There can be no place in our community for such actions. Democracy requires a free exchange of ideas. Actions that constrain such free expression undermine our democratic system and play directly into the hands of those whose goal is to sow discord among the American people, most sadly, those of the man who currently occupies the presidency.

Disappointment with the failure of the Republican majority of the U.S. Senate to provide a fair impeachment trial is understandable. Frustration with an administration that is bent on favoring the 1% at the expense of the 99% is real. Fear of policies that deny the climate crisis is just plain common sense. But, breaking windows is not going to address any of these.

Fortunately, we have a remedy. The California Presidential Primary Election is less than a month away. Those who truly wish to participate in making political change should get involved. Contact Democratic Headquarters at 707-445-3366 for contact information for the major Democratic presidential campaigns.

Republicans are not our enemies. They are our fellow citizens. Any attempt to silence the voices of one group of Americans is an assault on us all. As Justice William O. Douglas wrote, “The liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected.”

Bob Service, chair, Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee

Newsom has no business taking over power grid

I’m sure Gavin Newsom and Sacramento can run our power grid in a efficient manner. Paying your bill or getting service will be like going to the DMV. Getting repair service would be like getting a response from our legislators. We would be told what appliances to buy, consumption would be up to the state. Would illegals get free power, would felons get reduced rates? Would rates be based on one’s race, religion or political affiliation? I just don’t believe a state that can’t keep people from pooping on our streets and shooting up drugs in public should control our power grid. Maybe Newsom should show us he can protect our families and communities, repair and maintain our infrastructure, prevent businesses and citizens from fleeing the state, and be able to pay our pensions before getting into the energy business. Punishing waitresses for giving customers plastic straws seems to be all the state can handle right now. Just my opinion.

Eric Cortez, Eureka


By:  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Source: Times Standard