Saturday’s Letters to the Editor

Undermining elections

EDITOR: Vladimir Putin could take lessons from MAGA Republicans with his plebiscite — maybe more correctly called “plebicide” as he seems more interested in geography than populations. Putin sent soldiers door to door to enforce votes in his favor — most inefficient.

Republicans make it more difficult for people they don’t like to vote. Life-threatening phone calls to election workers, attorneys general and other election officials, causing many to leave their jobs — hopefully to be replaced by more sympathetic people. Discourage unfavorable districts, deem unfavorable fraudulent, refuse to certify unfavorable election results.

MAGA Republicans have to do this because we are ostensibly still a democracy. But if you like them now, give them power and become unhappy with their future performance, it may be impossible to get them out of office.

Because Putin’s rule is absolute, he really doesn’t need to go through these gyrations. He could just let people vote as they will, have all the ballots sent to the Kremlin and, Trump-like, wave his hands over the ballots thinking, “I think 93% are for me,” and it will be so. MAGA Republicans wish they had this power. Doesn’t everyone?

JON WOBBER

Cotati

Yes on Measure H

EDITOR: Renewing Santa Rosa’s public safety sales tax by voting yes on Measure H is of vital importance.

While riding my bike in 2012, I was hit by a car that ran a red light. The first image I recall after being hit was a Santa Rosa police car pulling up and blocking the street to protect me. The speed at which the police officer and firefighters responded kept me safe at one of my most vulnerable moments and was made possible because of these funds.

Santa Rosa’s public safety sales tax is up for renewal as Measure H on the November ballot. Voting yes on Measure H will continue this vital funding source while not increasing or creating any taxes. And Measure H will continue to make sure tourists contribute to funding public safety services when they visit our city.

When the worst happens to us, we want our public safety officers to be there. Please join me in voting yes on Measure H to make sure they are there, and they are there fast.

NICK W. CASTON

Santa Rosa

Appeasement failed

EDITOR: Caroline Vaughan’s Oct. 1 letter (“A lesson in war”) suggested Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden should negotiate about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which has killed thousands of Ukrainians, laid waste to a sovereign country and cut gas supplies to Europe. I wonder if she would be willing to give up, say, California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona if Putin invaded them to procure “peace for our time.” As Neville Chamberlain learned in 1939, negotiating with mass murderers, war criminals and liars doesn’t always work. And as for Roger Waters “persuasively arguing” to let Putin take over Europe, I’m not convinced taking advice from aging rock stars accused of antisemitism is such a good idea. Maybe we really do need education.

WALT FRAZER

Graton

American carnage

EDITOR: The artwork “Or, the whale,” currently exhibited at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, really is a must-see, but Dan Taylor’s article doesn’t prepare one for what one will see (“Popular whale mural returning to art center,” Sept. 30).

To quote Taylor, “The work is covered with numerous smaller drawings within the shape of the whale, including portraits and scenes from history.” Ha! In keeping with the theme of Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” the portraits are of capitalist exploiters — John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Leland Stanford and Steve Jobs.

The scenes from history are, except one hopeful scene of children at the beach, of the human and environmental devastation of the planet, such as the decimation of the Indigenous population, slavery, subjugation of workers and specific scenes of enslaved people on the auction block, slaughterhouses, the napalmed girl in Vietnam, the Kent State murders, children in coal mines and so much more.

When you go to see the whale, you aren’t going for a biology lesson; you’re going to see the carnage that the United States has wrought upon the world. Everyone should see the whale, but be prepared to be uncomfortable — very uncomfortable.

SUSAN COLLIER LAMONT

Santa Rosa

More accountability

EDITOR: Concerning your Oct. 1 editorial (“Focus on chronic homelessness,”), I especially agreed that there is an obligation to reach the people who really need and deserve assistance. But before increasing distributions to various organizations, the public should know how dollars are currently spent and who benefits.

It isn’t just a matter of throwing more money at the same problem. The current approach brings to mind the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

And we have to get beyond marginalizing anyone who questions certain actions by local organizations as lacking compassion. What is really lacking is accountability, consequences for personal behavior and transparency in the management of funds, whether it’s government funds, grants or tax deductible dollars to 501(3) organizations.

We can’t continue to manage and finance our homeless outreach like a GoFundMe account.

TIM TRAINOR

Santa Rosa

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