Letters for June 19, 2014

Supporting the market

Re “The drama continues” (Downstroke, June 12):

The downtown Saturday farmers’ market is a Chico landmark and helps to support our many local farmers and friends. Since we are such a large agriculture community it goes to common sense to continue with this support. This activity also brings many people into the area to shop and visit the rest of our wonderful city. Any decision other than full support from the City Council for continuation would be a terrible injustice.

Edward and Chava Kazel
Chico

I live in Los Molinos and one of the tipping points to get me into Chico is the Saturday farmers’ market. I buy all of my organic produce at the market and I enjoy strolling around with the other shoppers and visiting with the vendors. It is what makes me get up early on Saturday mornings and make the half-hour drive into Chico.

Afterward, I always stroll right downtown for lunch and then for a mocha. If there are errands I need to take care of downtown, I do it then. I wouldn’t drive into Chico and visit the various stores on a Saturday if it weren’t for the market and the location where it is held.

The market brings business to the downtown. A city needs to be about more than parking garages and multiple levels of retail stores. It needs charm and a place for people to find healthy, affordable food. The market and its proximity to strolling downtown afterward is a joyous occasion that I share with the other thousands who signed the petition. Let it be put to a vote of the people. That is all we are asking.

Suki Haseman
Los Molinos

Editor’s note: For more on this issue, see Newslines, page 9.

’Merica!

I recently went out with Sacramento River Partners and picked up trash alongside Chico River Road. It wasn’t as nasty as you might imagine; I learned that at least one area couple practiced safe sex at least once.

One element of the debris was worthy of notice and comment: America’s favorite beverage manufacturer, Anheuser-Busch, puts their flagship product, Budweiser, into Fourth-of-July-themed red, white and blue cans. Thirsty patriotic Americans suck these things down like cheap lies, then they throw Old Glory out the window of their vehicle (whadyoubet it’s a truck), and no doubt some of these guys will set cans up on a log and use them for target practice.

Makes me proud of my fellow Americans.

James B. Mielke
Corning

Advertising feedback

Just say no! to guns and nutty gun-advertising inserts.

Liz Gardner
Chico

I was very disappointed to see an advertisement in the paper listing 9 mm pistols. I know I am part of old history, but due to my and others’ efforts in the mid-1970s, the CN&R was brought about by the transformation of the Chico State college newspaper, The Wildcat.

Does your newspaper have a clear-cut advertising policy or do you just take money from any corporation that has it? Who at the newspaper makes the overall advertising decisions? Is it by an advisory board or is this an executive editor’s decision? Finally, if someone polled your employees, how would they have voted on this decision? Or was there even a decision at all?

Seth Derish
Chico

Editor’s note: Certain kinds of advertising are prohibited by the CN&R. Ads are vetted on a case-by-case basis by CN&R Advertising Manager Jamie DeGarmo. CN&R’s editors do not know in advance who is advertising in the paper, as there is a separation between the advertising and editorial departments.

‘A minor offense?’

Re “Obama’s cruel program” (Editorial, June 12):

In the above-named editorial, it was stated, “Critics have held that the policy has resulted in needless expulsion on the basis of nothing more than minor offenses such as driving without a license.” That’s a minor offense? And you don’t think the policy is fair?

OK, let’s break this down a little. A person is stopped for an offense such as a cracked windshield and it is found they have no driver’s license. Having no license means they don’t have insurance either, as it is necessary to produce a license to get insurance, isn’t it? So, no license, no insurance.

Does the car belong to the driver? If not, who does it belong to? Did they give permission for that person to drive it? I bet you money that if you or a member of your family was hit and injured by an unlicensed, illegal immigrant, you would pitch a fit.

You claim that this is an insensitive and cruel process for illegal immigrants to go through. Well, you help them get here legally then and go from there. I sure don’t appreciate the thought of being damaged by someone who doesn’t care a whit about me by driving without a license.

Chris Meyer
Orland

A letter’s leap

Re “On the primary” (by Chuck Samuels, Letters, June 12):

Mr. Samuels writes a letter to the editor regarding his polling place identified as being at one of the local Catholic church parish halls. He states that the presence of a few religious icons was “offensive” and a forcible attempt to “indoctrinate” him with other people’s beliefs.

Setting aside his rather large leap in logical causality that supposes viewing a crucifix as an overt attempt at conversion, I also am amazed at his lack of faith in human nature—that we as adults would knowingly walk onto religious property, yet be overwhelmed by the iconology such that we start praising the Lord, and howling that we are saved.

Frankly, I think it’s wonderful that every election day we can visit places of worship that remind us of one of the main reasons this great republic was founded—that of freedom of religious expression. I think it would even be cool to vote at a Wiccan temple!

Paul Weber
Chico

Focus on good stuff

We have focused in the past on what is wrong in our political and economic systems and have created fear. What you focus on expands.

Today I would like to focus on what’s right. We live in a beautiful place [with] wonderful parks, rivers and lakes where we can walk, read and enjoy our wonderful life; loving, giving, joyous people we can attract with just a smile and a friendly word; a fine library, where we can learn about anything; loads of live entertainment both in music and theater; access to fine medical care and fine food; healthy lifestyle farmers’ markets and health food stores and caregivers; churches, where love and friends can be found; good people in local government. We have a warm place to live, cars to drive, and the ability to travel freely and express ourselves freely.

[We also have the] ability to be creative in whatever we do; a mind with thoughts that we can change to make our lives better—a free message on your computer to start your day on a positive note at www.tut.com or www.abraham-hicks.com.

Live it and love it. Enjoy.

Norm Dillinger
Chico

Where heroin comes from

Heroin has made a comeback—oddly enough that has happened since we have been in Afghanistan. Why? Is our law enforcement that ineffective? Are our legislators paying more attention to re-elections, pay raises and lobbyists? Is there no enforceable plan to stop the terrible destruction caused by the use of this drug? Where is the “War on Drugs”? Do more “people in power” need to lose loved ones to this?

Where does heroin come from? How is it that the media never tells us that 90 percent or more of the heroin found on our streets and in the arms of our dead young people comes from Afghanistan! The very place where our soldiers are dying to keep Afghans free! No wonder the tribal leaders of Afghanistan want us to stay there and die there while they continue to profit from the export of this deadly drug.

To believe the federal government doesn’t know about heroin coming from Afghanistan is ludicrous. They’ve had boots on the ground and eyes in the sky for over 10 years. This tells me that the American people—soldiers and civilians—are collateral damage, again, to a foreign policy gone astray.

Kay Hoskin
Bellevue, Penn.