June 29 Letters to the Editor

Two cheers

EDITOR: It is a good thing that gay couples will feel less stigmatized and generally better about themselves because of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

But in all the celebration, we must have a thought for the children that live within these relationships. Gay couples have children through a number of means - previous divorce, surrogacy and artificial insemination. Many of these children will be deprived of the fundamental and unique experience of a knowing a mother's love (in the case of gay men) or a father's love (in the case of gay women). I can't help feeling that this is at least sad, and while social scientists assure us that children of gay couples "perform" as well as children of straight couples, they cannot measure the sense of loss that these children will ultimately feel.

TOM GLYNN

Santa Rosa

Left and rights

EDITOR: Interesting all the goings on from the U.S. Supreme Court rulings - the left talking about "civil rights" and "equal rights" and "equal protection." But many of these same people, with all the enthusiasm for homosexual marriage, which will apply to maybe 4 percent of our population, are working hard to deprive about a third of our citizens of civil rights that are specifically protected in the Bill of Rights.

Where is the enthusiasm for protecting the rights of a third, or more, of our citizens? Why, rather than supporting all civil rights, are the liberals working hard to eliminate two key rights that are protected by the Second Amendment? We are five years past the Supreme Court's Heller decision and three years past the McDonald decision, which confirmed individual rights and incorporated the Second Amendment against the states, but we have in the California Legislature 28 bills devoted to stripping rights from honest citizens. Civil rights are civil rights, even if they are unpopular with the left.

I guess some rights are "righter" than others in the eyes of the left.

JOE LOVELL

Santa Rosa

Vets and parking

EDITOR: I am really shocked that Santa Rosa Junior College could even think about charging wounded vets, who have returned from combat zones, for parking ("Veteran wins SRJC ticket fight," Thursday). It's my opinion that anyone who has served their country in a combat zone should be issued a free parking sticker at any university, college or like institution. It would be the least we could do to honor their courage and dedication to protect this great country. It should be a national occurrence not just state or local.

FRED STONEBURNER

Petaluma

Corporate sin

EDITOR: There isn't anyone in Willits, or traveling through, who wants the gargantuan Caltrans freeway ruining our lovely alluvial valley when a $50 million truck route would take care of the few thousand through-vehicles until the end of time.

We would gladly hand back the cumulative $450 million in taxpayer savings and bond interest to be used for more populated areas so that drivers can reach home safely and in peace.

But Caltrans is a live dinosaur of utopian waste and destruction, which has lost its memory that huge freeways mean huge franchise subdivisions around the exits, which will permanently foul our lives and rob our local economy.

And this particular freeway is a high two-lane with no divider and no turn-offs for six miles, so human death and destruction are guaranteed. Then, with a belated sense of human decency, and appropriate mortality statistics, the dinosaur will shrug.

Why all for entrenched interests and a permanent curse for the matrix of living things who rely on this valley for contentment and stability? We're here now. We won't accept the corporate sin.

WILLIAM RAY

Willits

Hefty budget

EDITOR: The Santa Rosa City Council has approved a $340 million budget for a city with the population of approximately 175,000. Do the math. How much per resident? Seems ridiculous.

RORY FLOOD

Santa Rosa