Saturday’s Letters to the Editor

Keeping public informed

EDITOR: Eddie Engram should know why I did not vote for him for Sonoma County sheriff. The last two sheriffs did not communicate with the public that elected them. Steve Freitas put the deputy who killed a 13-year-old boy back on the street. He hid from public anger, instead sending his underlings. He put the SWAT team on the roof of the Sheriff’s Office with rifles during a peaceful march. Mark Essick defied a public health order during a pandemic, putting us all at risk. He argued with and threatened Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and tried to keep records hidden. As a woman and a nurse, I was horrified and disgusted at the behavior of these two.

Engram said if Essick were running again, he would vote for him. How is that change?

Now he is sheriff-elect. I wish him success. That includes communicating with those he serves. I think he is better than his predecessors at that. Talk to us.

ROSEMARY BERGIN

Santa Rosa

Retained rights

EDITOR: The Dobbs (abortion) and Bruen (gun control) decisions are “egregiously wrong” because neither adequately discusses or analyzes the meaning and application of the Ninth Amendment.

The Ninth Amendment reads: “The enumeration, in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

The fact that abortion is not mentioned in the Constitution should have not been relevant to Justice Samuel Alioto’s opinion. If abortion is a retained right, then it “shall not be denied or disparaged” because of its omission from the Constitution. The issue before Alito should have never been whether abortion was a written constitutional right but whether it is one of those unnamed retained rights implied by the Ninth Amendment.

I believe that the right to an abortion is protected by the Declaration of Independence’s retained and stated rights of equality, liberty and safety. The power of local and federal government to regulate guns is also protected by the Declaration’s right to safety.

Question: Who will decide whether abortion is among the retained rights referred to by the Ninth Amendment? Answer: Probably delegates to an Article V constitutional convention.

(Hurry, Congress. We can’t wait 20 years for one.)

DENNIS BOAZ

Santa Rosa

A price worth paying

EDITOR: I support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to keep California’s last nuclear power plant operating. This is in spite of the costs (“Energy bills likely to rise if nuke plant kept open,” July 6). Before you launch your slings and arrows, think of the alternates for base load (e.g., 24/7 steady output). They are hydro, if the drought ends, and coal- or gas-fired plants, adding significantly to global climate change. I personally am willing to pay the price for reliable power and no carbon emissions.

JON YATABE

Bodega Bay

A profile in courage

EDITOR: Among the few positive pieces of news recently have been the words and actions of Rep. Liz Cheney, who is standing up to Donald Trump’s brown shirts with courage and principles I haven’t seen in an elected official of either party in a long time.

Who else has the guts to stand up to violent fascists like “RINO-hunting” former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, at the Reagan Library no less? Who else will condemn Trump’s attempted coup and “the Republican leaders and elected officials who have made themselves willing hostages to this dangerous and irrational man … and enable(ed) his lies”?

Trump fired up his mob of insurrectionists, many of them armed, to attack the Congress of the United States, and said they were his people and should be allowed to carry weapons. Only a handful of people around him, including Mike Pence calling the National Guard, prevented a violent overthrow of our democracy.

Cheney should be an example to other elected officials. Do they have the courage to stand up the armed mob pushing to erase the Constitution? With the Trump Supreme Court in place, the mob is very close to winning.

WALT FRAZER

Graton

Rethink tradition

EDITOR: I was dismayed to see that my hometown once again decided to celebrate community with a pig roast (“Pig roast and patriotism,” July 3). Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it will continue to be the right thing to do. With the devastating effects of climate change now impossible to ignore, we need to drastically reconsider our food choices and other actions if there’s going to be a chance to save our planet.

A young child was quoted in the article asking where the pig’s legs were. I hope one day that child will still have a community to celebrate — and learn how intelligent and special pigs are when given the chance to live.

It’s time to rethink tradition.

DIANA ROUSSEAU

Forestville

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