Letters for March 22, 2018

About that court

Re “A court for the community” (Newslines, by Ashiah Scharaga, March 15):

The only honorable solution to homelessness is to build the affordable housing we need and make it available to the hundreds of thousands on the streets—who are, by and large, disabled people left behind by a failing system. Instead of fixing that system, we keep thinking we can fix people—on the cheap. Enter the new community court idea.

It’s not that we can’t find community court “success stories” in places like Spokane, Wash. Any program will point to success stories. The question is: Why is this court being touted as a “solution” to the “problem” of so-called “quality-of-life crime”?

It’s important to understand that quality-of-life crimes are not crimes. Rather, we issue citations and arrest people for sleeping, leaving carts unattended, public urination (when there are no 24-hour restrooms available), etc. Once ensnared in the criminal injustice system, homeless people live with an additional burden: warrants and indebtedness.

In this toxic environment, no community court can act honorably, because this court cannot remove laws that criminalize behaviors necessary for survival. And, it cannot produce the 500,000-plus affordable homes we need. In other words, it’s more of what we see every day: arbitrary consequences in the absence of social justice.

Patrick Newman

Chico

I couldn’t agree more that Chico and the surrounding areas could benefit from a community court model. That is why, in 2014, a colleague and I founded Circles of Justice.

Circles of Justice was created with the intent of diverting nonviolent offenders away from both the police department and the court system. When we launched, we partnered with the Chico Police Department. At no cost to the city or CPD, we offered interventions, classes, supervised civic engagement, and access to community resources. Utilizing the services of a PhD/licensed clinical social worker from Chico State, we created (and had approved) an evaluation process. We have facilitated successful community mediations, restorative conferences, international trainings and school-based trainings.

Despite a training session with CPD on the referral process, we have not received one referral. We encourage CPD to use our simple referral system so that we can begin to divert cases away from CPD and the court system. We would welcome another opportunity for a training with CPD as well as offering a training to the Butte County Sherrif’s Office to achieve these goals. The groundwork for a community court has been established, so there is no need to reinvent the wheel. For more information, call 514-3270.

Tami Ritter

Chico

A society-wide effort

Re “‘Everything I could’” (Greenways, by Ashiah Scharaga, March 15):

Environmental journalist Dahr Jamail inspired us with his efforts to slash his carbon footprint. His assertion that climate change is our biggest crisis resonates with many. But while his actions are a great example, I fear the problem cannot be solved solely by individuals making selfless decisions.

Most of us are busy looking elsewhere rather than focusing on this crisis. An economy built on fossil fuels must be rebuilt on renewable energy. That will take a society-wide change, a paradigm shift in which people from all walks of life embrace a low carbon future.

Our national Carbon Fee and Dividend plan is such a solution with many economists, industry leaders, environmentalists and politicians on both sides of the aisle endorsing it. It will reduce greenhouse gasses by motivating businesses and individuals to switch to clean energy and increase efficiencies. We can spare our planet the worst effects of climate change if we respond with the same resolve and some sacrifice that we did to the crisis of World War II.

Please check us out at citizensclimatelobby.org or on Facebook at ChicoCCL.

Carrie McGranahan

Chico

Shelter debate continued

Re “BHS not the answer” (Letters, by Armeda Ferrini, March 15):

Armeda Ferrini questioned the financial health of Butte Humane Society. As a past board member of this organization and a founding member of another local animal welfare organization, Ms. Ferrini should know firsthand that with any nonprofit, some years are more financially favorable than others.

Since Butte Humane is 100 percent donation- and program service-funded, each year may look different than the last. For instance, if an organization receives a substantial bequest one year, and in the following year does not receive a similar-size gift, donations will reflect a “drop,” as is the case with the two years being compared.

Additionally, our clinic revenue dipped in 2016-17 as we were without a full-time veterinarian for eight months, affecting our bottom line—a hurdle we have since overcome. Lastly, rest assured that as we move forward with our capital campaign, 15 percent of each donation is set aside in a designated operating endowment fund specifically for maintenance and operations of our new facility.

Butte Humane Society is so thankful each day to our many donors and customers who support our cause and who help to fill our savings account so that we may offset the years that are less favorable.

Katrina Woodcox

Chico

Editor’s note: The author is executive director of the Butte Humane Society.

Kids these days

Re “Support the fight of their lives” (Guest comment, by Roger Beadle, March 8):

Yes, sometimes bits and pieces of intelligence come out of the questions and observations of the young. My own children and now my grandchildren (in school now) occasionally have given me pause to contemplate my choices and actions, but they lack a knowledge of history and an insight into the mindset of man and the workings of a society, enlightened or not.

Being “savvy,” “passionate” and “resolute” are not a substitute for wisdom and an understanding of the bigger world, especially when it comes to the folly of mankind. But my desire to protect and help my grandchildren to grow and in fact thrive doesn’t empower me to start trimming the rights of others. If it did, I’m sure that in my passion I could come up with any number of modifications to laws that limit the future (and indeed their lives), especially considering the direction that the state of California has taken in recent years.

Actually, ignorance can kill you.

James Jenkins

Oroville

I’m so proud of all the kids who participated in the inspirational, peaceful walkout in support of the students murdered in Florida. I’m even more proud of the students in Chico schools who participated in spite of the bad-mouthing I’ve heard from a great many adults in our area.

Some schools supported their students’ choice to walk out and others agreed upon a consequence like detention, which was fair since kids knew ahead of time what the consequences were and the same punishment was given to all involved. My granddaughter, a local seventh-grader, chose to participate in the walkout. She was in her math class at the time. She and one other girl stood to walk out.

The teacher yelled at my granddaughter, not the other girl, threatened her, not the other girl, and embarrassed her. She told the teacher “OK,” meaning she accepted the threats and with the other girl left for the walkout. They participated in 17 minutes of silence and went back to class. I’m writing this to let my granddaughter know that she is my hero, and to her teacher, you know who you are, I have little respect for you.

Barbara Garcia

Chico

‘Flush the toilet’

America, and the world, has just witnessed a shameless display of President Trump’s cruel, vindictive and paranoid persona. Last Friday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired Andrew McCabe, the deputy director of the FBI, just two days before he was set to retire.

Sessions needs to go before Congress and explain in detail the process that led to this decision, and whether this is an attempt to target, punish or silence those investigating Russia and the Trump campaign. He did not act alone and his involvement with Trump in this process raises serious questions.

For months Trump has targeted McCabe with malicious tweets, belittling his job and the FBI. Truly juvenile behavior that is eroding the confidence the world once had for United States leadership.

Trump is worried about the Robert Mueller investigation, as well he should be. Communications between the Trump campaign and Russian officials continue to be exposed. Criminal indictments have been issued. We are witnessing every day his efforts to obstruct this lawful investigation through innuendos and blatant lies as he corrupts the power of the Oval Office in an effort to fire the special counsel.

Drain the swamp? Mueller is about to flush the toilet.

Roger S. Beadle

Chico

Heck of a record

Republicans have exhibited a bizarre long-range strategy that seems to be working for them (if not the nation). Each successive Republican president has been so incompetent as to make his Republican predecessor look bright by comparison.

The current bumbling occupant of the White House appears clueless regardingt matters foreign and domestic, making Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld’s misadventures seem minor in a world torn by divisiveness and strife. Only the stock market performs well today, fueled by tax cuts for the richest Americans.

President Ronald Reagan is lauded now by Republicans, but we remember when he had Ollie North working in the White House basement on the Iran-Contra affair and for the El Salvador militarists. Going back to Nixon’s forced resignation, one can only recall Gerald Ford and George H. W. Bush as approaching mediocrity in an assessment of U.S. presidents. A pretty sorry record overall.

Robert Woods

Chico

‘Nicked the jugular’

Although only 13 percent of Americans wanted to repeal and replace Obamacare, the Republican-led Congress still tried mightily to wrest it from American families due to pressure from their mega donors. Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act or ACA) survived by one vote in the U.S. Senate.

Did the Republicans then work with Democrats to fix the ACA? Not at all. Instead, months later, the Republican leadership crafted a law and added to its tax package, which nicked the jugular artery of ACA. GOP leaders left our system to slowly bleed out so they could later pronounce it dead. After the tax plan passed, despite every Democrat opposing it, Trump bragged that “piece by piece by piece, Obamacare is just being wiped out.”

Rep. Doug LaMalfa has taken every opportunity to vote for repeal of Obamacare, even for bills that did not provide a replacement. Jessica Holcombe, a Democrat challenger for his seat, will work hard for Medicare for All Americans, the national health care replacement Republicans have buried in committees.

Medicare is a time-proven program for seniors, 65 and up, which provides for affordable care, even for pre-existing conditions, by doctors of their choice.

Support Holcombe. She will work hard to protect you and your family.

Ralph Slater

Chico

Hitting delete

It’s morning and I switch on the computer to check the emails. Are there any from friends? Nope! How about someone hawking cheap vacation cruises, dietary supplements or new electronic devices to make my life better? Yep, there are a number of those. How about emails from political parties, politicians, special-interest groups and charities begging me to just send us $10 or even $3 this morning and the world will change? Yep, more than 20. Money—all it takes is money and everything will be glorious. The more money, the better. I delete all, my delete box is overflowing.

Once I added up the minimum donation requests for the day. It came to $276. So, in a month it would be $8,280 and my charitable donations for the year would be about $100,000, about twice my retirement income. And, of course, if I were to capitulate and send in even one donation it would generate numerous additional requests.

A recent book I just read regarding the discovery of the ruins of past sophisticated civilizations in the remote rain forest of Honduras ended with this paragraph: “No civilization has survived forever. All move toward dissolution … [and] none, including ours, is exempt from the universal fate.”

It sure makes one think.

Dean Carrier

Paradise

On that spy poisoning

Do those reading this really believe that Russia is responsible for poisoning the ex-Russian spy in the UK?

The World Cup is about to be played in Russia, Putin was up for re-election in Russia—so Putin decides to murder a former spy and do it in the most obvious way possible. Unlikely.

Probably, either the CIA or MI6 did this, but we may not know the truth for decades.

In the U.S. and the U.K. there is no talk of a real investigation, just hysteria and “the Russians did it.” The need to demonize Russia is insatiable. What is the U.S. afraid of?

In the U.N. Security Council meeting on the poisoning, many members mentioned the need for a fact-based investigation, following established protocol.

The “Russia-did-it” narrative serves multiple purposes, increasing the demonizing of Russia, making Theresa May look strong and making the calm, reasonable Jeremy Corbyn look weak (to some).

The poisoning is deconstructed, with facts and links to sources, on the Moon of Alabama website.

It seems the U.S. government and its media could easily sell citizens on fake WMDs and an unnecessary war, again and again.

Lucy Cooke

Butte Valley

Correction

A feature on singer/songwriter Lita Ford in the March 15 issue (see “Coming home,” by Mark Lore) incorrectly stated that Ford had written the song “Cherry Bomb.” We apologize for the error, which has been corrected online. —ed.