Friday’s Letters to the Editor

Postal Service trucks

EDITOR: As a retired letter carrier and someone who is concerned about climate change, I agree with the need for the U.S. Postal Service to have an electric vehicle fleet (“Postal Service spurns plan for electric vehicles,” Feb. 24). I would like to see the current postmaster general replaced for a number of reasons, but the Postal Service doesn’t have the funds to build the recharging infrastructure that is required for such a large fleet.

This is another reason to pass the Build Back Better plan. Perhaps a plan could be developed that would allow individuals to use postal charging stations for a fee while postal vehicles are on the streets delivering. I also must correct the statement by Ellie Cohen that our federal tax dollars should be invested in climate-smart solutions. I agree; however, federal tax dollars do not support the U.S. Postal Service. It is self-supporting.

JEFF PARR

Santa Rosa

History’s judgment

EDITOR: How inspiring are President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and those brave Ukrainian patriots fighting to save their country and preserve freedom and democracy for their loved ones in the face of overwhelming odds and being vastly outnumbered and armed, in many cases only with hunting rifles, Molotov cocktails and placing their own bodies in front of Russian tanks? Is there pure evil in the world?

Unfortunately, I’m afraid there is — on a small scale and a larger scale. On a geopolitical scale, it looks like Vladimir Putin is joining some of the worst dictators in history — Hitler, Idi Amin and Josef Stalin, who tortured and killed millions. Obviously, Putin made a serious miscalculation regarding Ukraine and the world’s reaction to his invasion, and he will pay a harsh price.

With sadness, I wonder about those in the U.S. who cling to false bravado, false “alternative facts,” false conspiracy theories and false patriotism — while openly supporting Putin and spouting Putin’s talking points shamelessly.

As with Putin, I doubt that history will treat Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, Tucker Carlson, Ron Johnson, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Tom Cotton and others kindly. Will they also pay a harsh price? I guess only time will tell the tale.

BILL WRIGHTSON

Santa Rosa

Name the donors

EDITOR: In reporting about North Bay donors who supported the Canadian trucker protest that brought downtown Ottawa to a three-week standstill, you said, “Also among the local ‘freedom convoy’ donor base is a substantial number of business owners, including vintners” (“Donors sent money north,” Feb. 24). None were identified.

Given the lofty journalistic goals your editor, Richard A. Green, invoked to justify his approval of the stories about Dr. Sundari Mase’s DUI conviction (“Why we pursued, published Dr. Mase story,” Feb. 23), I suggest that it’s in the public’s interest to know which North Bay businesses and vintners so oppose efforts to combat COVID-19 that they would pay for big rigs to block commerce between the U.S. and Canada. I wish these entities no evil, but I would welcome knowing whom not to do business with as my own form of protest.

GARY DEVINE

Santa Rosa

‘Good’ and ‘bad’ policies

EDITOR: Sandy Metzger’s letter outlining why people leave California implied that Florida, Tennessee, Idaho and other states have better policies and politics than California, and she complained about homelessness; inadequate forest management; poor education; and restrictive COVID rules, among other examples, as evidence of California’s “poor policies” (“Why people leave,” Monday).

Perhaps Metzger is unaware that Florida has had 30% more COVID deaths per 100,000 population since the pandemic began than California, or that Tennessee ranks 29th in higher education rankings, while our state ranks third. Texas has the highest level of uninsured at 18.4%, while California is 7%.

Texas’ “good policies” left hundreds dead last year during horrific ice storms. Why? Because Texas’ electric grid policy is to be independent from the national grid, so when theirs failed, people died of hypothermia.

California schools continue to teach the truth about U.S. history. Meanwhile in Florida, LGBQT students will bear the brunt of that state’s proposed “don’t say gay” in the classroom “good policy,” potentially increasing already high suicide rates of LGBQT youth.

California has its problems, but in my opinion, there is no better place to live. And everyone has a choice: leave or stay and help make our great state even better.

VICTOR AIUTO

Cloverdale

Time to move on

EDITOR: You had a duty to the public to publish the story about Dr. Sundari Mase’s alcohol-related arrests. You did. Now let’s move on. It wasn’t a hit piece, it wasn’t sensationalized, it was news, and if she can’t live with it, she should move on. It’s her choice, just as driving while impaired was her choice.

WAYNE DIGGS

Cloverdale

Mase’s judgment

EDITOR: Notwithstanding her medical expertise, I question Dr. Sundari Mase’s judgment. She said she went with a friend to have drinks, and “I misjudged my sobriety” (“Health officer arrested in 2020,” Feb. 19). Sorry, but being a doctor, she of all people should know that registering 0.14 on a blood-alcohol test, indicates four to five drinks.

She then chose to operate a motor vehicle — poor judgment. She put people’s lives, including her own, at risk by doing so — horrible judgment. Being that this was her second alcohol-related driving offense, maybe she should really check her sobriety.

JOHN WYMAN

Windsor

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