Letters for December 6, 2018

Jeffersonian joke

Re “California divided” (Cover story, by Stephen Magagnini, Nov. 29):

Three words: Never gonna happen. After over 200 tries since 1850, what makes them think now is the time? I fail to see Trump’s relevance since attempts have been made before California was even admitted to the union. Do they realize that all state jobs and state funding would vanish overnight? And what of the CHP, the state parks and the state welfare system that serves so many of those counties that would leave California? It’s a pipe dream that I wish they would just give up because it’s never going to come to fruition.

Adam Clegg

Chico

Three views on editorial

Re “Denying climate change doesn’t negate it” (Editorial, Nov. 29):

The global warming phenomenon would be more acceptable and worth deeper consideration if it was thought of and framed differently by the sky-is-falling fanatics. It is hard to take a bunch of ranting self-righteous know-it-alls serious.

For instance, accepting warming is easy—accepting that it is fixable by our country suffering economically alone to do so is unbelievable. Under the Paris climate accord, only the United States was compelled to take any action and we also were expected to pay untold millions to other countries that were compelled to do nothing. Furthermore, our country has a deep environmental awareness. We make things much cleaner than other countries, so restricting our ability to do so actually adds to global warming. Just as increasing gas mileage in cars required making their windshields paper thin, causing them to break constantly and therefore requiring massive mining, production, and transportation costs that may very well offset any perceived environmental benefit.

There is some evidence that any huge windmill used to produce power will not, in its entire lifetime, offset the energy costs of its production, installation and operation. It may just be a feel-good exercise. Ah, then there are the volcanoes and the cow flatulence!

Garry Cooper

Durham

Climate change is real! The climate will be a sunny mild day Monday, with rain expected for Tuesday and Wednesday. The climate today has changed from what we experienced last month. With surprising regularity, we can anticipate temperature cool downs, warm ups, etc.

Overlooked as a significant contributor to our changing climate are volcanic eruptions. The resulting explosions of millions of tons of CO2 and SO4, the latter converted to H2SO4 in the atmosphere, significantly affect the air we breathe and the upper layers of atmosphere. Laki fissure, 1783, 120 million tons; Mount St. Helens, 1980, 10 million tons; Mount Pinatubo, 1991, 20 million tons; Mount Fuego, Mount Kilauea, 2018, you call it.

According to the United States Geological Survey, eruptions cause aerosois—gas conversion—which creates an “increase in the reflection of radiation from the sun.” The result is a cooling of the Earth’s temperature. Climate change can be moderated when all active volcanoes are sealed off. Let’s start with Mount Lassen!

Bill Collins

Paradise

We have again heard from international scientists about global warming and weather catastrophe in the past decade. It’s obviously not good! International scientists and other representatives of government from around the world are meeting, talking, strategizing for the near future of our world, like five to 10 years?! Hello! Where are the leaders of the United States, our representatives, in all this? Where are the people of America in all this?

We have dropped off the international landscape of influence with our neighbors, friends, fellow humans of this world! Please find a way to educate and stay truly informed and ask yourselves: Are we paying attention to what’s really important in our lives, our families’ lives, future? Wake up, America.

Brian Johnson

Orland

Adopt a Ridge family

The last few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to talk with those who’ve been affected by the Camp Fire. And I’ve read several moving Facebook posts by people who were evacuated or helped with the rescue. Shortly after the fire began, Paradise Fire Adopt a Family was created. It’s a Facebook page for both those affected and those who’d like to help. (Mister Rogers would love this.) However, it has also become an initial meeting place, online, for people to share their stories.

Eventually, maybe by the start of the new year, an actual room or hall could be found which would be beneficial to the greater Paradise community. Some place where children could draw pictures and people could write stories to “decorate” the walls. Perhaps musicians could even bring folks together with a songfest. That way, those whose lives were upended by the Camp Fire would have a place to share their fears and grief, and speak of their hopes and dreams. Maybe Sunday afternoons, someplace. This might help mend hearts, while getting the healing and rebuilding process going. After all, one way or another, we are all in this together.

Carolyn Whitfield

Chico

Trump’s VA troika

The Veterans Administration has a backlog of 73,000 claims, a 27 percent increase over last year. Pressure from veterans’ groups has forced them to rescind their decision to withhold G.I. Bill educational funds from 10,000 vets; however, the payments will be after the Christmas holiday. What’s the reason for such callous behavior, one might ask?

Just one month into his presidency, Trump formed an unofficial “kitchen cabinet” to oversee the Veterans Administration, a troika of Mar-a-Lago insiders: Ike Perlmutter, chairman of Marvel Entertainment; Bruce Moskowitz, a Palm Beach doctor; and Marc Sherman, a lawyer. None served in the United States military nor held public office, yet they direct VA officials in all manner of policy and personnel decisions, to include starting new programs, and officials travel to Mar-a-Lago, at taxpayer expense, to hear their views. Their only oversight is Trump.

His hypocritical pomposity about “supporting the troops” rings as hollow as his self-proclaimed achievements and intellectual capacity. The sanctity for the military espoused by politicians on the campaign trail is coming to roost as they oversee military budgets with a sleight of hand. Bob Dylan once sang:

“While money doesn’t talk, it swears/Obscenity, who really cares/Propaganda, all is phony.”

Roger S. Beadle

Chico

Trump supporter’s retort

Re “Trump’s trip to ‘Pleasure’” (Letters, by Danny Wilson, Nov. 29):

Danny Wilson bashes our president with tacky personal attacks, but says nothing of substance. We have a president who cares enough to come to our area and view it for himself, just to be attacked.

Danny, President Trump has done more for this country in two years than liberal fascists like you have ever done. Gov. Jerry Brown, the Sierra Club and the rest of the environmental extremists are squarely to blame for the Paradise tragedy.

Yet flaming liberals like Danny blame Trump and PG&E. California’s liberal utopia is a joke, and shows the nation just how ridiculously bad liberal progressive policy has become.

Brad Pankratz

Orland

More lights, please

Hey, Downtown Chico Business Association and all downtown business owners: Imagine how pretty downtown would look if everyone wrapped the trees in front with lights? I know it’s hard to get in the X-mas spirit right now, but we gotta try.

William Strom

Chico

Correction

In a recent Chow review (see “Deli discovery,” by Ken Smith, Oct. 25), the name of the owner of Alpaca Bob’s Sandwich Adventures, Mark Guillaume, was incorrect. Our apologies for the error, which has been fixed online. —ed.