Monday’s Letters to the Editor

Don Quixote’s latest quest

EDITOR: Once again, Don Quixote, Sancho and Rocinante are on a mission to right the wrongs of the world. Conquering windmills and castles has given way to righting something new. This time it’s an entire country — a country besieged by an evil prince who must be stopped at all costs. Don Quixote’s mission is clear, and he is convinced that regardless of the danger to himself or others, right will always conquer the rampant evil forces he sees before him.

Like Don Quixote, the United States has taken upon itself the lead and responsibility of maintaining and defending the sovereignty of Ukraine and the welfare of its people. The potential cost of doing so places this country and the rest of civilization on a fulcrum that balances between righteousness and destruction.

The inhumanity perpetuated upon the Ukrainian people cannot be ignored, but this time Don Quixote and I are not willing to sacrifice our way of life, our country and humanity to demonstrate misplaced hubris to an evil prince who has no boundaries, too much pride and little to lose.

JOHN R. ANDRES

Santa Rosa

Put men on the spot

EDITOR: The discussion about reproduction is focused on the wrong group. It should be focused on men. What if we regulated men’s reproduction? What would be the cutoff age to limit men’s reproduction? What legal awards could be given to women who sue for unwanted pregnancies? Rape and incest should be life in prison without parole crimes. Could women report men who don’t protect them from pregnancy to the police or government? Women can’t get pregnant without a man or sperm. Let’s change this discussion. It is up to men, not women, to stop unwanted pregnancies. Spread the word.

LAUREL HOLMSTROM-KEYES

Sonoma

Campaigning for court

EDITOR: While it is true that justices of the U.S. Supreme Court don’t have to run for reelection, they sure campaign for appointment. I wonder how many prospective nominees have said, “No thanks, I think I’ll keep my current job.”

ED SHOOP

Sonoma

Only ‘credible’ candidate

EDITOR: Any suggestion that Assistant Sheriff Eddie Engram can or will implement changes demanded by the voters who approved Measure P is wishful thinking. Remember: His current boss and the unions representing his fellow employees are trying to overturn Measure P in the courts. They, too, are backing Engram.

No candidate backed by leaders of a culture desperate to overturn Measure P can seriously be expected to respect it, even if he wanted to. Thankfully, Measure P has been supported from the start by the only law enforcement professional and Sheriff’s Office outsider in this race — Carl Tennenbaum.

Tennenbaum will provide new direction and a powerful lift to the spirits of the many good apples in the department, who also long for meaningful change in Sheriff Office performance and transparency, including cooperation with the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Outreach. They are tired of getting a bad rap from the bad apples.

Indeed, if such changes don’t happen, the district attorney may soon find it difficult to persuade jurors to convict anyone of a crime where the witness against the accused is a deputy sheriff.

Carl Tennenbaum is the only credible candidate.

BOB EDWARDS

Sonoma

A community decision?

EDITOR: Columnist George F. Will writes that “defenders of Roe’s reasoning are … vanishingly rare. Constitutional reasoning was almost absent from Roe, which makes (Samuel) Alito’s draft opinion less a refutation of Roe than a starting over regarding the core question: What may the community properly do regarding protection of human life between conception and birth?” (“Abortion debate belongs in state legislatures,” May 6). Have you seen “The Handmaid’s Tale”? There should never be a “proper community decision” about the personal/private decisions a woman or a man may make regarding their body.

Is this the same “community” of legislators who have voted to restrict voting eligibility and rights? That limited citizens’ access to the Affordable Care Act? And who support dark, unlimited corporate election donations?

STAN PAULE

Santa Rosa

A compassionate leader

EDITOR: I have been a citizen volunteer on the Inmate Welfare Trust Committee of Sonoma County for 12 years. The committee is composed of eight members from the Sheriff’s Office administration and two civilians. Our duties are to make informed decisions about the well-being of those incarcerated in the Sonoma County detention system.

Assistant Sheriff Eddie Engram has been a vital part of our committee with his knowledgeable input, sensitivity and empathy for those in confinement. He is a thoughtful and pragmatic leader who sees the entire picture, including the roadblocks. He has a compassionate, logical and practical way of getting things done with fairness and reason.

Eddie Engram is a genuine leader that Sonoma County needs and deserves as its next sheriff.

TOMMY FRANCOIS

Santa Rosa

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