Friday’s Letters to the Editor

Interference by drones

EDITOR: The last two paragraphs of the July 22 story about PG&E and the Dixie fire had information very relevant to an issue before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. According to the Butte County district attorney, when the Dixie fire was small Cal Fire aircraft could have put it “dead out” if a drone had not grounded them (“PG&E says it will bury lines”).

The supervisors are considering an ordinance that would create a (laughable) $100 fine for drone operators who interfere with authorities during emergency operations. Do the supervisors really think $100 will deter low-life drone operators who hope to make thousands of deollars selling video of their neighbors’ houses burning?

JACK ZIEGLER

Santa Rosa

Combine school names

EDITOR: This may sound too simple, but if west Sonoma County’s high schools’ students are being put together in one school, why not call it Analy-El Molino High School? Easy to do, and much of the paperwork can simply be modified to work. At least the students of both schools will have part of the name as their alma mater.

JOHN SKINNER

Fort Bragg

Require vaccines

EDITOR: I’d love to see all private companies deny service to those selfish people who won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s a matter of public health. No vaccine? No airline ticket. As a matter of fact, no public transportation at all. Include shopping. No vaccine? Then you can’t personally shop. Order online. Concerts, movie houses, restaurants — all could require proof of vaccination for admittance. These anti-vaxxers are a danger to the public. I’m sure some businesses would allow them entry, but if more got tough it might change some minds.

Something’s got to give. Numbers are going up again. We’re never going to be rid of this until more people get the shot. And while we’re at it, let’s remind everyone that mask mandates are not a punitive measure. They’re just trying to keep people healthy.

DEBORAH COLYER

Santa Rosa

Yes on Measure D

EDITOR: Rohnert Park is being bullied by outside interests. Did you know a campaign contribution report shows there is only one donor supporting the sale and use of fireworks in our community? TNT Fireworks, a giant fireworks company from Alabama, is bankrolling the whole campaign. They don’t care that fireworks are unsafe in our fire-prone community or harm our environment. They only care about making big bucks.

Did you know that 99% of fireworks are made in China? The U.S. Department of Labor says that fireworks made in China are made with child labor and even forced labor.

Did you know that 90% of residents in Sonoma County have banned fireworks? We live in an area of extreme fire danger. Do we want to continue to risk starting more fires, contribute to increased calls to police and fire and harm to our environment?

Join me and many other concerned citizens and leaders in voting yes on Measure D. Protect our future.

KATHY NORDIN

Rohnert Park

American ‘geocracy’

EDITOR: Kudos to Mark Wardlaw for pointing out deep flaws in our voting systems (“Hobbled by minority rule,” Letters, July 20). Our government is certainly a republic in form, but the spirit of it is democracy. Observing the Electoral College and rules of voting it is more like a “geocracy.” It reflects geography more than people.

There were compromises at the Constitutional Convention with agricultural (i.e., “slave”) states that compromised democracy. One example is the Senate, where Wyoming has one senator for every 300,000 persons while our state has one senator for every 20 million people. This is patently anti-democratic.

Two of the last three winning Republican presidential candidates “won” with fewer votes than their Democrat opponent. That is not democratic. Some states use gerrymandering to abuse democracy. In Wisconsin recently, Democrats received 47% of the vote but won just 37% of the public seats. This is undemocratic. (California has a nonpartisan redistricting system.)

Can “one person, one vote” arise from its political interment, or is it, and democracy, in the grave forever? Fairness and democracy are in the hands of Republicans. I fear that their political gain through subterfuge may be more important than protecting democracy.

PHIL WEIL

Santa Rosa

Will returns to the right

EDITOR: By George, he’s done it again. After a smattering of common-sense musings about the disgraceful behavior of GOP legislators denying the realities of the attack at the Capitol and the importance of vaccines, George F. Will reverted to the illogical extreme right position of denying the need for attention to racial justice within the Federal Reserve System (“Governing gives way to political performance,” July 22). Can any thinking person not tell the difference between socio-economic realities and political disinformation? Can anyone with a fifth grade education deny the results of the long history of racial injustice in America and its impact on income, housing, employment and more for Black, Latin American and Indigenous communities? Please, George, recover your intellectual integrity.

WILLIAM CAMPAGNA

Cotati

You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com.