No Water for Johnny Pinot
Good to see you promoting water conservation—but not for the farmers’ sake! I won’t take a one-minute shower so Johnny Pinot can make more $100 bottles of wine, but I will to save the fish and other critters in the ecosystem!
Santa Rosa
Balance It Out
I liked the article about sex and education (“Sex Is Fun,” Feb. 5), but I’m not happy with the cover. I just wanted to point out that if you look at this cover, you have a girl reading a book that says, “Sex tips for girls,” and the other side says, “I wish she’d do this.” It’s not very equal—it’s really just saying, “Women, you’re still the ones that have to perform correctly in order to have a sexually exciting situation.” Instead, it should have read, “I wish she’d do this, I wish he’d do this” and “Sex tips for boys and girls,” so it could balance out correctly.
This is such a hot topic—when you think about the fact that we just had V-Day and the One Billion Rising event, which talks about women and violence, this says that women are still the ones who have to please the men. I’m really hoping you’ll take a serious look at that and think about what’s going to be the catchy phrase and balance it out between men and women.
Petaluma
Support Children’s Village
When I was orphaned at 14, the prospect of foster care and inevitable separation from my siblings was beyond frightening. Thankfully, a local family came forward and took all three of us under their care via legal guardianship. I was given the gift of consistency and raised in a loving home with my little brother and sister. The importance of maintaining sibling bonds is paramount, especially after a traumatic experience like so many displaced children have experienced.
For this reason, I admire, support and volunteer for the Children’s Village of Sonoma County. This family-home environment is an alternative to foster care, which often separates siblings and shuffles children from home to home. Since opening in 2006, the Children’s Village has housed up to 24 children at a time, most of them siblings. Their primary concern is maintaining stability so children have a smooth transition into adulthood. In fact, with the addition of the Dickinson Center nearby, children who have graduated out of the program will be able to maintain housing and communication with the Children’s Village so long as they maintain employment or pursue education.
Recent California legislation has put this wonderful organization on the path to closure this summer. Budget cuts have led to a shortage of children being placed in group homes like ours, and focus has shifted to foster care as the primary model for displaced children. Currently, 16 children are housed and cared for at the Children’s Village. A sudden change in their lives would be devastating.
Santa Rosa
Wishful
I wish I could tell you that Horatio
Alger was alive and well in America, but that’s not the case, and I only have 200 words.
I wish I could tell you that there is equality for all, but that’s not the case, and I only have 200 words.
I wish I could tell you that our present über-capitalism is not eroding democratic principles, but that’s not the case, and I only have 200 words.
I wish I could tell you that our political parties put county first, party second, but that’s not the case, and, again, I only have 200 words.
I wish I could tell you that we do not have a pro-corporate Supreme Court, but that’s not the case, and I only have 200 words.
I wish I could tell you that corporate power in collusion with Congress, not big government, is the real problem, but that’s not the case, and I only have 200 words.
I wish I could tell you that America is a leader in universal healthcare, but that’s not the case, and I only have 200 words.
I wish I could tell you.
Santa Rosa
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