Letters 

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Gore is the guy for 2008
John Rickenbach's political fable with a Christmas orientation ("Hot enough?" Dec. 21) was terrific. Very clever! If you didn't read it (due to being too busy with the holidays), it's worth digging out of the recycling bin.

To recap, the one way to get President Bush and Dick Cheney's attention about the seriousness of global warming is for it to threaten Santa's workshop! Anyway, it's a classic and it's nice to know we have such talent here.

In the "fable," the suggestion is made that Bush might need to give Al Gore a job to get him out of the limelight. Actually, Gore has plenty of jobs, besides doing his slideshow. He's writing a book, which will be out in May and it's NOT about global warming. He's on the board of Apple and an advisor to Google. He has co-started a venture capital firm to fund sustainable development projects worldwide.

Sounds like the man who was robbed of the presidency in 2000 would make THE very best president. He has not announced, but in a poll by the Los Angeles Times of Democratic possibles, he came in at 74 percent compared to Hillary's 79 percent. Plenty would vote for him in a heartbeat.

I've reserved a domain name: AlGoreForPresident2008.org. There are other hopeful sites out there. It's not built yet, but I'd be interested in what others think. William L. Seavey

Cambria

 

 

 

Donation process turns off potential donors
I enjoyed your commentary on giving blood ("Bad blood," Dec. 14). Right on. The system is totally archaic. I stopped going recently because the question period took longer than the actual donation. The blood bank should have people's history in a database so they don't have to ask the same questions every time.

As you suggest, they make value judgments based on lifestyle, which makes no sense because they test the blood anyway! It won't be used if it is tainted, so what's the point in screening people so closely?

The bottom line is that the donation process is cumbersome, inefficient, and self-defeating. They want blood all the time, complaining about shortages, but turn away and turn off a lot of safe, willing donors.

Keep up the good work.

Colin Jones

San Luis Obispo

 

 

 

Homosexuals are part of the societal fabric
It's sad to see how seething Michael Larrea must have been to write such a vicious and hateful piece against homosexuals ("New Times is staffed by immoral bastards," Dec. 21). We're really not a bad bunch of folks at all. Sure we have a few bad eggs just like any other segment of society but none to deserve the wrath he exhibited in his letter.

Like the far majority of society, we work, pay our taxes, keep up our homes, do volunteer work, contribute to food and clothing drives, and are part of the societal fabric that makes up America and the world, for that matter. We just have different inclinations than most concerning our choices for mates and partners.

Of course we have our agenda. Everyone and every group does. Ours is to finally enjoy the equality that our Constitution guarantees to all citizens, but which so far has been ignored or legislated against.

Richard Kinz

Atascadero

 

 

 

Nativity story discussed anything but
We noted your article in New Times ("Jesus: then and now," Dec. 21) comparing The Nativity Story and The Passion of Mel Gibson. There were two different audiences targeted for each, so the comparison falls short. Much of the rest of the article seems to be "filler" discussing everything BUT the Nativity of Christ and its meaning to Christians.

For so little media hype, the Nativity Story is doing quite well. However, Orthodox Christians have a rich heritage of tradition surrounding Christ's birth: Joseph was aged, a widower, taking Mary from the temple where she was raised according to the Law, since both were near relatives (he was her uncle), there could be no marital relations. But in order for her to receive her inheritance as an only child (Numbers 36) she must marry in name only to one of the House of David (her own family). These traditions add sense and meaning to the Virgin Birth of Christ, the Messiah of Israel, the mention of "brothers" who were Joseph's sons from his first marriage to Salome, and the purity of this young girl, which allowed her to bear the God of creation as He took flesh from her. Many Orthodox teaching hymns refer to the ever-virginity of Mary prefiguring the sealed tomb of Christ from which He rose from the dead.

The Passion by Mel Gibson brought an entirely different audience: some enjoying Gibson's movies in general some interested in whether it was anti-Semitic or not some coming to enjoy the violence (God forbid) and Christians who believe that the more Christ suffered physically, the more He "paid for our sins" a concept unknown in the ancient Orthodox teachings. Another matter here entirely.

Another major "what?" about your article is its final paragraphs, including those who enjoy denying the existence of God and Christ and debunking Christianity. This is akin to writing about the subject of Shakespeare and wrapping up with commentaries by Bob Dylan. Anyone can strike out against the concept of God, or the Virgin Birth of Christ, but why use this article to showcase the "anybodies" out there who hate any belief system at all except the one they possess? Perhaps this is your own point of view?

We pray that this is not the case.

Presbytera Irene Matta

Orthodox Christian Mission education/outreach

San Luis Obispo

 

 

 

Nuclear power's record is safety
The Santa Maria Sun, aka, extreme left wing New Times held its yearly kangaroo court on nuclear power in the reference article by Patrick Klemz ("Teasing details from the Devil," Sun, Dec. 14 "The Devil and the details," New Times, Dec. 7).

Nuclear power has for 20 years delivered power to millions of homes safely. Yet in every article, it is presented in a negative light by the left-wing liberal news media. The issues are always storage of spent fuel rods and some mysterious threat from the equally mysterious terrorists.

The waste issue is a catch-22 formulated by the liberal press and their ignorant Abalone Alliance and Mothers for Peace. These are some of the same people who do not want the spent fuel rods moved and stored in Yucca Mountain, so they complain about the only other option: storage on-site behind the Diablo Power Plant. Hypocrisy is the catchword of the news media and their liberal stooges.

Nuclear power is used safely around the world and on hundreds of ships. California uses a peak power of 50 billion watt hours, of which nuclear is 20 percent. Its record is safety. Taking a ride on a jet airplane is not as safe. Who knows why no one has attacked the reactors. Maybe it is too hard to do for the result that would be gained. It is very hard to cause any damage to a reactor, because they are designed to be fail-safe. The quaking violets in Mothers for Peace are not engineers or nuclear experts and only hold up the threat boogeyman to gain the attention of the equally uninformed news media and public in general.

Mr. Klemz's article does nothing but stir up concerns and offers no solutions, except to damn the great benefactor of our society: nuclear power.

Hopefully, more reasonable and informed parties than the Abalone Alliance, Mothers for Peace, and Sierra Club will prevail in moving us ahead to building more nuclear power plants in the future to meet our growing power needs in California. Alternate renewable power sources are not a solution in themselves because they are just too puny a source, unreliable, and damaging to the environment.

Justin M. Ruhge

Lompoc

 

 

 

Bianchi and Bush have something in common
Supervisor Shirley Bianchi was to Los Osos what George Bush is to Iraq: She wrecked the place!

I believe that giant ego Shirley decided to punish our little town for not worshiping at the feet of the great queen by dropping a sewer plant right in the most beautiful spot in the middle of town.

Ms. Bianchi was the town's only government official, so the State Water Board trotted along behind as she packed the new CSD with her good-old-boy pals and then watched the town squirm.

What a disaster. What a monster!

Jack Campbell

Los Osos

 

 

Supes end year well with Element decision
The county just accepted the Park and Rec Element, which provides a plan to help shape a livable county for decades. It creates a mechanism for balanced decision-making clear protections for agriculture proposes new parks and natural areas and formalizes a system for setting priorities. Every month the county operated without an Element, we lost opportunities to protect habitat, enhance the economy, and preserve cultural and historic resources.

The Element's success is due to 10 years' work and the dedication of many people and organizations, from trail users to agriculturalists. We thank them for their time, ideas, and consensus-building abilities. We are very grateful to the Planning Commission for their thoughtful recommendations.

Special thanks to: Pete Jenny (parks manager), for his remarkable leadership Jan DiLeo (park planner), whose expertise kept all parties at the table and Chris Clark (Crawford, Multari & Clark Associates), who masterfully crafted the words.

We publicly acknowledge the Board of Supervisors who unanimously approved the Element, with a special thanks to Supervisor Harry Ovitt who led negotiations to clarify trail issues and passionately spoke in favor of a balanced approach for future planning.

Last week's decision is a great way to end the year with great gratitude!

Terry Eberhardt

Dorothy Jennings

Rick Mathews

Pandora Nash-Karner

Paul Teixeira

The San Luis Obispo County Park Commission

 

 

 

Here's a new idea
Instead of executing Saddam Hussein, we should give him back his country, tell him we are sorry for 500,000 we have killed and the destruction of property, and promise to buy his oil for 10 percent more than he can get from any other country and then get out ASAP.

Bill Denneen

Nipomo

 

 

 

We should get out of Iraq
When we were attacked by terrorists on 9/11 and President Bush seriously took the broad power given him by the Constitution "to protect the country from all enemies both foreign and domestic," both houses of the government and many citizens were totally in back of him. At that time, Saddam Hussein was offering $25,000 to the families of anyone willing to become a human bomb.

Because our success in easily taking out Saddam and his army has turned into a seemingly endless involvement, into what has turned into a religious war between the Muslims, I think we should get out of Iraq.

Even though the government has been successful in stopping terrorists for which it gets no credit by the liberal press they get only criticism from people who, I believe, do not understand what is going on. I would propose something more drastic.

I would get out of the Muslim Asia area as fast as possible. Our presence there does nothing but provoke them. There, Muslims hate us as much or more than we would if we had Muslim occupation in this country. As oil is not a problem, we should use our military assets to protect us from any attacks. I would bet that attacks would diminish dramatically if we were no longer trying to control a people and culture that is so foreign to us, we don't know how to deal with it.

Norman Mehl

Santa Maria