Saturday’s Letters to the Editor

Crisis is just beginning

EDITOR: Francis Wilkinson makes the salient point that climate change will affect all of us (“There may be no escape from extreme weather,” Sunday). To speak of “riding out the climate apocalypse” implies that it is some singular event, after which things will return to normal. Whatever we think “normal” means, we will never see it again in our lifetimes. The crisis is only beginning, and the impacts on human culture and the planetary ecosystem will be shattering.

To ask what places will be the best to live is like asking which room in the house is the best to sleep in while the entire house is on fire. It is not too late to avert complete systemic collapse, but we need to take action now to reduce emissions and adapt to a radically changing climate. The Climate Center’s Climate Safe California plan provides a road map for doing both.

LARRY ROBINSON

Sebastopol

Proceed with caution

EDITOR: I support the idea of the “Idaho stop” for bicyclists, but with a word of caution (“ ‘Idaho stop’ rolls ahead,” Tuesday). In the past, when working with rescue squads, I witnessed the result of excessive trust in cars honoring stop signs when it gets dark. I assume the driver didn’t see any other headlights and blew through the intersection thinking the coast was clear. It wasn’t. As the sun sets, use extra caution.

BRIAN NARELLE

Rohnert Park

‘Pro-life’ Texas

EDITOR: I am so delighted that Texas is boldly proclaiming itself a pro-life state. I just know they will continue to hold life precious by abolishing the death penalty. I imagine that will happen in a week or two. And I’m positive that mask mandates and social distancing as well as mandatory COVID vaccinations will soon be announced by the governor, since life is sacred and everyone must do their best to keep others alive. And when those precious lives in the womb are born, I just know in my bones that the entire state will support free child care, free lunches and an improved educational system as well as financial and other help for single mothers, who I am also sure will be numerous. How wonderful to live in Texas.

Yeah, right.

CONNIE KELLOGG

Sebastopol

Demanding perfection

EDITOR: In Nancy Hair’s letter (“Failure to represent,” Sept. 24) she called for us to vote out Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Assemblyman Marc Levine, Rep. Jared Huffman and state Sen. Mike McGuire because they opposed our wishes regarding cattle ranching in Point Reyes National Seashore.

I must disagree with her. No politician will do everything exactly how we want. No politician is perfect. To ignore the great achievements and efforts these four have made on behalf of our communities over the past few decades and remove them from office would be, as the old saying goes, throwing the baby out with the bath water.

MARSHA TAYLOR

Santa Rosa

Lowering the risk

EDITOR: In response to Matthew Dubois’ letter (“Vaccination restrictions,” Monday), the unvaccinated are more likely to spread the coronavirus because they are more likely to get the virus. According to Dr. Craig Spencer, the director of global health in emergency medicine at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, “this framing (misses) the single most important factor in spreading coronavirus: To spread the coronavirus, you have to have the coronavirus, and vaccinated people are far less likely to have coronavirus — period.”

BARRY SOVEL

Petaluma

Future election fear

EDITOR: The Maricopa County, Arizona election audit is finally over. An analysis and hand recount of 2.1 million ballots uncovered only trivial discrepancies: Donald Trump lost approximately 260 votes and Joe Biden gained around 100 more. However, these results will likely be questioned as the amateur auditors, Cyber Ninjas, followed nonstandard procedures.

Meanwhile, Trump and his allies are encouraging new audits in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where Biden won. And in Texas, after receiving a letter from Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott is moving forward with a plan to audit Texas’ four largest counties; this in a state that Trump clearly won. What factor motivates these audits? It’s not to change results, but rather to maintain doubt in the integrity of U.S. elections, now and in the future.

It shouldn’t take much. A recently completed CNN poll shows that even today more than three-quarters of GOP voters and a third of independents don’t believe Biden won enough votes legitimately in 2020 to be president.

This past presidential election resulted in a January insurrection. I fear what might happen in 2024 after Trump and his allies have three more years to revisit supposedly rigged elections and promote the “Big Lie” that Trump won.

SHERMAN SCHAPIRO

Eureka

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