Tuesday’s Letters to the Editor

Punish Russia

EDITOR: It is time for the international community to strip Russia of its leadership roles in the United Nations. A member state of the U.N. should not be allowed to carry out unprovoked aggression upon free and independent countries. Vladimir Putin has become the Hitler and Stalin of our day, ruthlessly attacking independent countries, and if not stopped he will continue as he tries to rebuild the old Soviet Union.

First, the U.N. must strip Russia of its role as a permanent member of the Security Council, along with its veto power, in a demonstration that the international community will not put up with criminal behavior.

If this does not bring an immediate halt to the aggression, then Russia should be stripped of its membership in the U.N. Failure to do this is giving Russia tacit approval of its actions in Ukraine.

FRANK MAYHEW

Sebastopol

Border security

EDITOR: Sandy Metzger (“Biden’s lies,” Letters, Dec. 1) refers to increased “border encounters” as evidence that the U.S. Mexican border is less secure under the Biden administration. Here is how the Pew Research Center defines encounters: “Migrant encounters refer to two distinct kinds of events: apprehensions, in which migrants are taken into custody in the United States to await adjudication, and expulsions, in which migrants are immediately expelled to their home country or last country of transit without being held in U.S. custody.”

The encounters Metzger refers to are actually unsuccessful attempts to enter this country clandestinely, not successful ones. Rather than proof of an insecure border, the increase in the number of apprehensions and expulsions actually represents a great improvement in border security because more people are being caught. The numbers do not prove that the border is less secure. They prove that the Biden administration is doing a superb job.

NANCY J. FLOM

Petaluma

Eliminate pronouns

EDITOR: In response to Pamela Tenant’s letter (“Nonbinary Pronouns,” Wednesday), I wish to float the idea of eliminating pronouns and only using a person’s name or title, such as doctor. In the English language one must first identify whom a pronoun refers to anyway, so don’t use pronouns at all, just repeat a title or name that the pronoun would have referred to. Example: Sam made a suggestion and others agreed with Sam. If more people speak in such a way as to eliminate pronouns, we would get used to it.

KEVIN PARSONS

Forestville

A source for solar

EDITOR: I’m wondering why you didn’t ask Geof Syphers, CEO of Sonoma Clean Power, his opinion about the California Public Utilities Commission’s proposed net metering rules. If electric vehicle adoption is now the key to quickly expanding communitywide solar and storage, maybe new net metering rules won’t have an adverse impact on community solar growth. Is that the CPUC’s thinking?

If so, maybe a photo of Syphers next to a big parking lot solar canopy with integrated vehicle-to-grid chargers would be a better illustration of what’s next. Look around: there’s an ocean of parking lots within every community. Parking lots are a wasted resource, detrimental single-purpose heat islands, unless they’re canopied with big shade trees — or solar canopies.

Maybe the state needs to incentivize parking lot canopies with integrated stationary storage and vehicle-to-grid chargers, targeting all large parking lots at public facilities and leased commercial property like business parks, typical neighborhood shopping centers and large apartment complexes.

No new PG&E transmission infrastructure required. Commercial property owners, developers and lenders evidently need a taxpayer handout, a judicious kick in the pants or both to make this happen ASAP.

JEROME WAGNER

Santa Rosa

Save Green String Farm

EDITOR: It is very important to preserve the wonderful institution of Green String Farm (“Green String Farm closing in Petaluma,” Friday). Some local person or entity should buy it from Bob Cannard and keep its vital functions going. The most logical choice would be Santa Rosa Junior College. Interest in sustainable agriculture has never been higher, and students would greatly benefit from having a working farm to study and do research on. Sonoma County’s many small farms are a vital source of local foods.

The problem of labor is real and having students earning college credit while carrying on the farm’s operations would go a long way toward keeping a full staff.

Part of the land could be used for tree farms, wildlife habitat and other regenerative activities. Just no more grapes.

ANDREW HAYNES

Petaluma

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