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Letters (Nov. 7, 2018)

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BRAVE NEW FREEMARTINS

Editor,

You were wondering about freemartins. Below is a quote from Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World," page 162. The scene is Eton College far in the future and still for "upper caste boys and girls."

"From behind a door in the corridor leading to the Beta Minus geography room, a ringing soprano voice called, ‘One, two, three, four,’ and then, with a weary impatience, ‘As you were.’

"Malthusian drill," explained the headmistress, "most of our girls are freemartins, of course. I'm a freemartin myself." She smiled at Bernard. "But we have about 800 unsterilized ones who need constant drilling."

Mr. Huxley wrote that in 1932 and it appears to mean that a freemartin is a sterilized woman.

Had a parole interview and they say they will give me a definite release date in September 2019 as long as I remain out of trouble until then. So I would greatly appreciate an extension of my AVA subscription.

Hope you are well and remain so because I intend to see you sometime soon.

Freedom,

Paul Jorgensen #53599-146

P.O. Box 09001

Atwater, CA 95301

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STANDING UP TO HATE

Editor: 

It’s hard not to feel both depressed and outraged about the massacre in the Pittsburgh synagogue. At least some columnists are connecting the dots between last week’s violence (including the pipe bombs) and Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric.

The president himself, of course, is in denial that his words could ever incite one in a million listeners, as is the CEO of the social media site Gab, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and many others in positions of power.

The “leader of the free world” reads a few conciliatory sentences from a teleprompter, then goes right back to calling the press the enemy of the people and whipping up hysteria about Central American refugees. Trump won’t change — can’t change — but a change of Congress would better contain him.

In 2017, the Anti-Defamation League logged a 57 percent jump in anti-Semitic crimes, but all sorts of other minorities are affected in Trump’s America. Please vote like your country depends on it, and encourage family and friends, including young people, to do the same.

The quickest, most efficient way to turn the tide is to elect leaders who will stand up to hate rather than stoke it.

Matthew Gollub

Santa Rosa

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SALARY CAPS

Editor,

There have several instances of big raises for the already generously paid management employees of the City of Ukiah and Mendocino County. These studies and been skewed by comparison with the salaries of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County—much bigger governments with bigger responsibilities. At the same time salary increases for rank and file employees are put off. The solution to this inequity would be to put on the ballot resolutions to place a maximum limit on the ratio between the management salaries and rank and file salaries.

Janet Freeman

Ukiah

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THE REAL TRUMP

To the Editor:

Our collective tolerance for and acceptance of the current atmosphere of political extremism is nurtured and molded by what we hear and see on the nightly news. The owners of these national news outlets are, after all, businessmen and a little fascism is always good for business. 

They believe that they're adequately managing the situation, but it's beginning to escape their control. What these media based king-makers should pause to consider is that, despite their indisputable influence, all of their power and profits are ultimately derived from a system of laws that have been carefully crafted to serve their own interests. If an out of control demagoguery succeeds in collapsing the rule of law, their empires will fall with it. It has become time for our corporate media to cease enabling a raging demagogue of instability by continuing to portray him within the context of the political norm. He is not just a rashly inept and ill-informed executive floundering amid the chaos of a failed Presidential administration. 

They need to begin reporting him for what he has actually become, the public face of a dangerously vicious and lawless White Supremacy Movement who is operating from a position of power outside of the legitimate Constitutional constraints of his elected office. He can still be stopped, but only by the same people who created him. 

Michael DeLang

Coal Creek Canyon, Colorado

PS. to Mr. Philbrick: You are clearly very frustrated and angry. So am I. But you should slow down a bit, dial down the anger and hatred, and try to think things out more clearly. I suspect that you're too decent a man to actually want all of the actions you've been saying you want. Your man, Trump, is really neither the solution nor the problem. 

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SPACE PATROL

Editor:

With only 8 pages, I find Philbrick’s mental litter to be not only disturbing, repetitive, and a perversion of American values, but also a waste of space. Please find more room more often for JH Kunstler, especially his Nov 2nd Midterm Endgame.

Thanks,

Ross Dendy

Elk

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WE’RE DOOMED

Editor,

If the Democrats win the back the House of Representatives in the Tuesday election, guess what? Nancy Pelosi will be the Speaker of the House. The United States will be doomed if that happens. It's the worst thing that could happen. The same with Gavin Newsom in California. If he is elected governor California is doomed. I mean doomed. Unless it's not already doomed because of Jerry Brown.

All you stupid Hollywood misfits and idiots have too much money to care what happens. You are liberal hypocrites to the max. You don't care who wins the elections, you just vote Liberal Democrat anyway.

Mr. Ralph Coon in Los Angeles I give you credit for one thing, you must have graduated from the University of Idiodacy. 

Robert DeNiro: You were my hero in the movie Raging Bull. You mentioned a while back that you'd like to fight President Trump. I'm afraid it would be a one punch fight and you would be cold on the floor.

I hope the Republicans keep the house.

God bless Donald Trump

Jerry Philbrick

Comptche

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NOT MUCH TIME

Editor,

On Oct. 8, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a revised report that indicates that we have a much shorter window of opportunity to limit the most dire consequences of human-induced global warming.

More frequent wildfires, prolonged droughts, more intense storms and the economic disruption that comes with those are just precursors to what’s in store if we don’t act now. Loss of most major fisheries, including 99 percent of coral reefs and agricultural instability would cause food shortages that gravely impact all of us and could lead to the extinction of all plants and animals through Earth’s inability to maintain a life-supporting atmosphere.

This is the existential issue that faces humanity at this time. It transcends political, economic and social ideologies.

There is a proposal supported by the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. It’s called carbon fee and dividend, is revenue neutral and could get the level of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions to 50 percent of 1990 levels in 10 years without disrupting the economy. Sounds too good to be true? I thought so too, so I checked it out at citizensclimatelobby.org.

Jonathan McClelland

Santa Rosa

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A MAGICAL EVENING

Dear Editor,

The Anderson Valley Foodshed would like to thank the Boonville Hotel (Melinda, Johnny and the wonderful staff) and all those who came out in support of local food and farmers, for our fundraising dinner. For those who weren't able to make it, it was a magical evening centered around an amazing dinner featuring all local ingredients prepared so skillfully by Rodney, Alexa and the chefs at the Hotel's Table 128 kitchen. Throughout the evening we heard from Erika McKenzie-Chapter, herd co-owner, dairy manager and head cheese maker at Pennyroyal Farms, and Doug Mosel from the Mendocino Grain Project. To hear them talk about their life's work and passion as we ate a delicious meal featuring the products of their labors was deeply nourishing to the body, heart and soul. There was an incredible mix of people who traveled from near and far to share in this meal and evening together. New friendships were made and many great conversations were had. Additional thanks go to Handley Cellars, Pennyroyal Farms and Sin Eater Cider for allowing us to taste your fine beverages throughout the meal and to Cloud Forest Institute for their fiscal support of AV Foodshed. And, of course, last but not least, thank you to the farmers who grow food in our communities and the eaters who support them, helping us to grow a robust and thriving local food economy here in Mendocino County.  

Sincerely, Linda MacElwee / AV Foodshed

Boonville

www.avfoodshed.com

www.mendolocalfood.org

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