MRAPs in Napa
Thanks for publishing with
the correction from Tom Gogola (“Missing Tank,”
Sept. 10). Most useful to those of us in the community would be to hear the official explanation of why this was acquired, how it is being maintained and how it would be used! War on drugs? War on glassy-winged sharpshooters? War on phylloxera? Seriously, even if the war on terror should have an active beachhead on the banks of the Napa River, this vehicle would not be very effective.
Healdsburg
Vibrant & Beautiful
Thanks for your recent piece (“Community in Transition,” Sept. 3) about improving the diet and health of the residents of my neighborhood, Roseland. It’s about time this vibrant, venerable and beautiful area is featured front and center without making it about crime.
Santa Rosa
A Worrisome Trend
The appointment of legislative aides to political office is a worrisome trend. Like the relatives of well-known politicians getting elected purely on the basis of name recognition, these aides comprise a kind of “legacy entitlement” similar to the preferment of alumni’s children over others in getting into prestigious colleges, thereby freezing out the general public.
Because maintaining a democracy is hard work, some voters might be more comfortable with these dynastic successions out of an unconscious yearning for monarchy that was evident in the preferences of some of our Founding Fathers like John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, and the recent development of the imperial presidency.
Besides their succession being less than democratic, these aides bring a lot of baggage, having been collectors of favors and insiders carrying their bosses’ water. They are more likely to perpetuate the status quo and turn an institution inward when new blood is sorely needed.
For this reason, I urge the voters to elect Fairfax’s Larry Bragman whose hard work and independence has been proven as an elected city councilman when they mark the ballot for Marin Municipal Water District director.
Lagunitas
Sharing the Road
As a bicycle enthusiast who loves being on two wheels, I share this: the jackasses in clown suits riding their bikes down rural roads with no shoulder are endangering everyone involved. It’s way too common to see bikes in critical mass, side by side, or too far into the middle of the road. I’m not fond of moving my car over the double yellow line into oncoming traffic. Join your local bicycle coalition and support the further installation of bike lanes and trails. Get the hell off of roads with no shoulder to support you!
Via Facebook
So are we supposed to cross a double yellow in order to give this three-foot window? Which law takes priority?
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