Saturday’s Letters to the Editor

Accountability is needed

EDITOR: The office of the president of the United States is not stand alone like the wizard behind the curtain in Oz. The president depends on those who serve in the executive branch for advice and guidance. It’s the president’s singular responsibility to act on that advice.

Every president since George W. Bush has agreed with the military’s assessment that the war in Afghanistan was going well. This assessment was wholeheartedly supported by defense contractors and state representatives with large defense industries.

I voted for Joe Biden in large part because he wasn’t Donald Trump. I would have preferred Amy Klobuchar, but the Democratic backroom boys were so frightened of Trump they lost their nerve (similar to the Republicans continuing loss of nerve regarding Trump).

It was the Pentagon that advised Biden that the government of Afghanistan would last until we could exit the country properly, and it was the Pentagon that authored the mistaken drone attack on civilians during our ill-fated withdrawal.

Someone needs to be held accountable. It starts with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hopefully, Klobuchar will have her chance again.

STEVE CARTER

Sebastopol

Cannabis contradictions

EDITOR: When California approved medical marijuana in a public vote in 1996, no one asked about growing the marijuana. Did the illegal growers comply with environmental laws? Did growers use pesticides, and where did they get their water? The law also allowed individuals to grow their own cannabis in a limited quantity. Neighbors didn’t complain about the odor.

Fast forward to “legalizing cannabis” and making it easier to buy. Liberal Sonoma County supposedly couldn’t wait to legalize the growers and get a piece of the sales in taxes. The state is the greediest. Suddenly there is massive pushback by residents to even selling cannabis in their city. In Santa Rosa, where industrial zoning should allow processing of cannabis, residents are complaining.

So why do growers and resellers want to be legal if the price has gone down substantially since legalization?

ANDREW SMITH

Santa Rosa

A glimmer of light

EDITOR: There is a glimmer of light in the ongoing tragic storm that will be remembered as the Great COVID-19 Pandemic. That tiny patch of light came with Pfizer’s announcement that it has a vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 (“Pfizer says shot safe for kids,” Tuesday). It’s important since, with the most recent deadly delta variant, new cases are occurring among this new age group. The Food and Drug Administration will have to approve it before it can be administered. Presently, 675,000 Americans have died.

Get the vaccine if you still haven’t. By not getting it, your inaction, along with not wearing a mask and not social distancing, is spreading the deadly virus, thus leading to more deaths. I realize some think, “You’re not the boss of me.” This is self-centered and childish, not to mention deadly. Wake up, please. Get vaccinated.

FRANK BAUMGARDNER

Santa Rosa

Climate leadership

EDITOR: I’ve said this many times before and I’ll repeat it here: Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and leaders like her are the future of our world (“Climate change made my son sick,” Close to Home, Sept. 19). Not just Sonoma County or the U.S. but the world. Hopkins is young, articulate and forward thinking. She and her peers must be listened to and followed. I thank her for speaking out and for realizing how few in the world have the advantages that we (still) have.

LYNN WOOLSEY

Petaluma

Success envy

EDITOR: I am writing to express my dismay at the complete lack of consideration for Bill Gallaher. Having worked with him as his real estate broker for seven years, I have experienced something completely different than what I keep reading. Recent letters have referred to him as “wealthy,” “moneyed,” “rich” and more. We should celebrate his success, not bash him. He has every right to spend his money as he sees fit. He is a homegrown success story, and he has created more jobs, more housing, more tax revenue than any other businessman I know. We should be proud of what Gallaher has accomplished and stop the success envy.

TOM LAWRENCE

Windsor

Virus isn’t a liberty issue

EDITOR: Staff Writer Phil Barber quoted Napa restaurateur Sheri Debow regarding vaccination: “So for people who don’t want it, it shouldn’t be an issue. The rest of us should be allowed to take risks for our own lives. Do I want to be told I shouldn’t go parasailing … swim with sharks … be allowed to fly” (“Battle heats up over proving vaccination,” Wednesday)? I expect those sentiments are representative of people who have made the issue a matter of personal liberty. But this isn’t about personal liberty. This is about a virus that will use any host to infect as many other people as it can to secure other hosts and continue to reproduce and evolve to other variants as it moves through the population. It is not parasailing.

JOHN WISE

Guerneville

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