Friday’s Letters to the Editor

Asking, not telling

EDITOR: I continue to be astonished at all the people here in the Entitled States of You Can’t Tell Me What to Do who insist that the government has no right to tell them what to do. News flash. Your government is not telling you, it is asking you to do the right thing on behalf of your loved ones and fellow citizens.

If we lived in a country where the government did indeed tell us what to do, you would have been dragged out of your house and held down to be vaccinated. No questions asked. End of story. Luckily, we don’t live in such a country, but they exist in our time.

Somewhere Charles Darwin is shaking his head and wondering why on earth humans are volunteering themselves to help thin the herd.

LEAL REINHART

Sebastopol

Unwelcome senator

EDITOR: Pardon me, but am I the only one who is a little suspicious when a senator from Massachusetts initiates a TV ad blast concerning a gubernatorial recall in California, claiming a power grab? This election is about whether our governor violated the trust of enough California voters to result in a recall, not about how he irritated people in Massachusetts, none of whom, including Elizabeth Warren, are eligible to vote in a California election. Sure sounds to me like she is mounting a power grab campaign of her own. We have enough trouble here without politicians from other states interfering. This recall does not concern any national issue such as voter rights. It looks like she feels she has a right to interfere in another state’s business wherein she has absolutely no standing.

BOB PROCTOR

Rohnert Park

A low-carbon lifestyle

EDITOR: What are our thoughts and feelings as we learn that even if we sharply cut emissions now, global temperatures will still rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040 (“Hotter future certain, report says,” August 8)? We imagine pain and suffering in the world, including worsening droughts and fires. Do we push our feelings down? Do our daily activities change, or do we keep our uneasiness about this reality on the back burner?

Then we learn we can still do things to stop it from getting worse. Taking actions can build strength, resilience and hope. What if we decide to forgo that flight to Puerta Vallarta and instead spend a week exploring our beautiful coast? Could we have more Zoom work meetings? Could our next car be an electric vehicle, and could we advocate for more charging stations? How about contacting our senators to request strong climate policies, including carbon pricing, in the reconciliation bill they are drafting?

When we start making these choices and tell our friends, family and neighbors about it, a cultural change can occur. A low-carbon lifestyle can align with our hopes and dreams, where we feel more fulfilled and stress-free.

EILEEN HEINRICH

Santa Rosa

Nonsensical recall

EDITOR: My gubernatorial recall voter guide arrived recently. I’ve been receiving these for more than 50 years now and make it a point to review them carefully before I vote. This year’s guide is very brief and can be read in less than an hour. When I was done, I found myself in a condition of astonishment and disgust. The reasons for the recall are generalized to the point of absurdity. None of the points stated are justification for not waiting until the 2022 election to oust the current governor.

Then the list of candidates — oh, my. While a few have government experience, most have none. Here are some “qualifications”: talk show host, hairstylist, college student, screenwriter, entertainer (this is Angelyne’s second go-round for the governorship). Are these the occupations that might enable someone to govern a state of 40 million people and the world’s fifth-largest economy?

California, this is a national embarrassment. You, the voter, can put a stop to this nonsense by voting no on this recall.

KIT SCHLICH

Petaluma

Cut and run

EDITOR: Our president says the pullout from Afghanistan is nothing like our withdrawal from Vietnam. Well, yes and no. Yes, in that it’s much more coordinated. But, no, in that it’s still a cut and run. Sorry, Afghan citizens, we’re taking our toys and going home.

All we left them is a bunch of angry radical Taliban fighters who are going to go right back to running the country, just like we left the South Vietnamese to the mercy of the Viet Cong. And God help any Afghan who helped the American forces.

So, what was gained by this 20-year conflict? Not a “war” in the legal sense as Congress never declared it a war, as it never did in Vietnam. That’s a rhetorical question, as our government will never answer it, as it never did about Vietnam.

The U.S. just goes in, shoots some folks and then pulls out and counts the deaths and casualties like so many nickels and dimes. Well, as least I’m secure in the fact that as an American citizen I can go anywhere in the world with my head held high. Or not.

GREGG GRUBIN

Santa Rosa

Vindictive recall

EDITOR: Livid best describes how I felt when I heard that a local developer was trying to recall District Attorney Jill Ravitch. She has performed honorably for the people of Sonoma County, and it’s shameful that she needs to deal with this bogus recall as she serves her last year in office. I only hope the people of Sonoma County will send a clear and strong message that they are wise to the antics of one spoiled, vindictive man by handing him a resounding defeat. Please join me in voting no on the district attorney recall.

DONNA JAMES

Sonoma

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