Letters 

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Don't compare humans and seals

If we are equivalent to elephant seals, then I would like to spend my life on the beach, fishing and having babies, too! To compare a human being to an elephant seal is the dumbest thing I've heard yet this year. I don't normally think about writing to New Times, but the Jan. 18 "Baby seals, baby humans" letter really irritated me.

To compare a human being's decision to abort a baby to that of a seal giving birth to theirs is despicable. If seals had bills to pay and the stress humans do and the thought capacity of a human I could see comparing the two. But to say a woman is less than an elephant seal because of her decision to have an abortion is downright ignorant.

Humans are able to make decisions, so who are you to take that away from them? Who knows what a woman is going through when she goes to those clinics? Only she does, so to classify her as anything but a woman making a decision is maddening to me. Mind your own business people. Try worrying about your own life instead of someone else's whose shoes you have not walked in.

Kristin Huffman

Paso Robles

 

 

 

Check out this tally

Here's a summary of the most-abused words during Bush's State of the Union address:

terrorists: 14

enemies: 12

Al Qaeda: 8

9/11: 6

extremist and extremism: lost count!

And, an honorable mention for:

War on Terror: 3

evil: 2

Osama Bin Laden: 1

Anthrax: 1

Way to continue connecting Iraq to 9/11 and the "War on Terrorism!"

Cheri DePaulo

San Luis Obispo

 

 

Here's a positive no one's reporting

I must react to your recent article, "Beyond the trial" in the Jan. 11 edition. I have been a volunteer at Animal Services since 2001 and have worked closely with Dr. Anderson on many programs to make the shelter a better place. In my six years of volunteering, I have never heard of any of the volunteers mentioned in the article. Who are these witnesses?

This article does not come close to describing the man, nor the big job he has to do. In terms of the Walsh dogs, it was important to Dr. Anderson to keep all of the shelter dogs alive. Space was very tight and help in short supply accommodating an additional 84 dogs (when technically there is space for 48), however no life was lost. This is a huge positive, which no one seems to be reporting.

Terry Parry

Animal Shelter Adoption Partners

shelter volunteer

 

 

 

SLO County: Join Los Osos in its fight

After watching the Jan. 22 water board meeting on television regarding the Cease-and-Desist Orders forced upon certain residents of Los Osos, I am disgusted with the water board and their reasoning for their actions. How is it possible that the "judge," Mr. Jeff Young, a member of the water board, is allowed to run the hearing? What a circus!

The total money spent on these cheeseball hearings could be used to help the citizens of Los Osos pay for our proposed $300-a-month sewer. What a waste of government funds. Thank you, Mrs. Sullivan, for setting the water board straight regarding the legality of their ludicrous proposal for fining the community of Los Osos.

I urge everyone in this county who has a septic tank to write and fight the water board and their discriminatory actions. All septic tank owners will soon, by state mandate, have to have their tanks inspected and pumped regularly per state water board regulations. The bottom line here is that it is okay for a state correctional facility to dump raw, untreated sewage on numerous occasions into the estuary, but septic dischargers in Los Osos using county-approved septics is considered pollution.

I want more than anything for our community to install an affordable sewer system. However, the point of affordability has passed. This fight is now about the rights of our people to resist the domination of our government to force a community to pay for a system we simply cannot afford. Maybe if we didn't spend our hard-earned tax dollars in Iraq, the coastal communities in our county could support the people who live therein.

Eric Zatt

Los Osos

 

 

 

Thanks for making the vigil memorable

I would like to thank the more than 90 people who came to the North County Women in Black Vigil on Jan. 20. I would especially like to thank Hedy Carra for bringing the Tibetan-style prayer flags she has made with the names, ages, and date killed of the more than 3,000 military in Iraq. You could tell by the way she handled the flags of her respect and love of all of those that have died.

We had people from all over San Luis Obispo County, including 93-year-old Joe Schwartz, a famous photographer and peace activist. We had students from Atascadero, SLO, Templeton, and Paso Robles high schools. There were families with small children and many others who came to share in this vigil. It was a very sad and moving event that made a strong statement for peace in the world. Peace and love to all.

Dee Carroll

Santa Margarita

 

 

 

That was the same old tripe

True to form, whenever a gay-positive article or letter appears in New Times or elsewhere, Otis Page runs to his "I hate gays" closet and pulls out his bulging file of bile and bias, most of which was and is propagated by the Oberfuehrer of gay hatred: power-hungry, money-hungry James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Based on Dobson's "facts," Otis echoes the lies and deceptions so prevalent among the gay haters. His diatribe, "Homosexual agenda is a fraud on society" in the Jan. 4 issue of New Times, is no exception. He trots out all the old bigoted tripe, such as gays are hell bent on converting young boys into homosexuality, are promiscuous sexual beasts, are pedophiles, can't be truly dedicated to one partner as married straights are, and on and on, ad nauseum.

However, he did take a new tack for a change. He states that "Kinz may have the legal right to his sexual preference, but he is wrong in assuming this right is granted under the Constitution." Perhaps Otis is not acquainted with the 14th Amendment to that document. It states in part that "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

We are created to be just exactly what we are, Otis. Period. Only now is the law finally beginning to realize that this is an immutable fact, and is righting the wrongs of centuries.

Richard Kinz

Atascadero

 

 

 

The world will miss these two men

Two wonderful people have departed from this world, long before we were ready to lose them: Phil Norton, a true gem of a person in San Luis Obispo, whose life story and accomplishments were wonderfully put before us in his Jan. 19 Tribune obituary.

The other lost treasure is Art Buchwald, a person who always seemed able to find a way to help us get through some of the insanities of life, and walk away happier in the end. Both of these men left the world in a better place, because of their gentle sense of humor and considerable wisdom. Phil and Art, you will be missed.

Lee Ferrero

Los Osos

 

 

 

Hot earth versus hot air

The earth's climate is changing constantly. To think that puny humans could effect major changes is ludicrous. Al Gore, who failed in his attempt to become president, has collected every threat generated by those scientists that make a living satisfying the EPA and used that to write a best seller.

The planet's temperature has increased slightly since 1850, and if the earth cycles as it has done every 20,000 years, we are in for another ice age. But even as dynamic as the earth climate is, there won't be any of the present population around to see it. Major climate changes come about very slowly as compared to human life.

As an example of the environment out of our control, Scientific American, in its latest issue, points out that plants give off several hundred times more methane than humans generate along with animals and insects. In that methane is a principle sun-blocking gas, how do we intend to control that?

The government is being forced to take action by an uneducated population that is responding to that warning of people who make their living doing just that. I don't object to scientific progress being made to improve efficiencies in fuel consumption, and if takes scaring the population, so be it.

Norman Mehl

Orcutt

 

 

 

Thanks for the support

When it comes to giving blood, we have long known the support and generosity of our community. Indeed, the Blood Center depends on hundreds of donors each day to make a gift of life. However, without the support of local businesses in sponsoring blood drives and providing thank you gifts for our donors, we would not be able to maintain an ample and steady blood supply for our community.

We see this generous spirit daily at blood drives throughout the region, but what is especially warming is the loyalty of businesses and donors over the years. Most recently we celebrated 20 years of support from F. McLintocks Saloons for our annual Gift Of Life Blood Drive. Each year, for the last 20 years, Tunny Ortali, Bruce Breault, and their team of great employees have sponsored our year-end Gift of Life Blood Drive. For the final week of the year, donors have received a thank you gift from F. McLintocks Saloons for a free lunch.

This year was doubly special. Not only did we celebrate 20 years of support with McLintocks, but it was also a record-breaking year for us with 713 donations. This is the largest number of donors we have had support our Gift of Life Blood Drive in San Luis Obispo County and the Santa Maria area. Collecting blood through the holidays is always a challenge, and were it not for our Gift of Life Blood Drive and the support we receive from businesses like McLintocks and our many donors, we would not have blood on our shelves. Blood that saves lives.

Thank you all for your support, and especially the folks at F. McLintocks Saloons.

Vicki Finson

executive director

United Blood Services Central Coast

 

 

 

Thank you, community

The Board of Directors of the San Luis Obispo Children's Museum would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the members of the community who helped us to meet the recent $100,000 challenge grant we received from the Orfalea Fund. Because of the grant, and the donations we received from the members of the community, the museum was able to raise $200,000 for an exciting Early Childhood Learning Center in the new museum.

In addition to the Early Childhood Learning Center, we expect to start work shortly on the sidewalks, landscaping, and other outside work, and the third floor offices. We believe the museum will be a world-class attraction that children and adults alike will enjoy, and that will add enormously to downtown San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, and the Central Coast.

With continued support from the community, we are looking forward to opening our doors later this year.

Lisa LaBarbera Toke

San Luis Obispo Children's Museum 2006 president