LETTERS

Let it ring
Editor: A big thank you to the volunteers of the Western Sonoma
County Historical Society who organized the “Let Freedom Ring”
event at the Sebastopol downtown plaza on Saturday, July 4. In 1963
Congress passed the Let Freedom Ring act to encourage communities
across the nation to ring bells 13 times in commemoration of the
signing of the Declaration of Independence. Passersby were treated
to bell ringing, a band concert and cake and lemonade. The
Historical Society maintains our local museum on Main Street and
the Luther Burbank Experimental Farm on Bodega Avenue, and is
involved in the restoration of Spring Hill Cemetery. The current
display at the museum is “Sebastopol from A to Z.” Check it
out. For more information go to their Web site, www.wschsgrf.org.
– Mary McAulay, Sebastopol
Cell tower clarification
Editor: Regarding last week’s story (Spectre of Wi-Fi returns to
Sebastopol council chambers), I would like to clarify my reasons
for voting in support of Mr. Wilson’s resolution. FCC rules now
prohibit us from denying cell towers based on public health
concerns. I voted “yes” not because I am convinced that cell towers
present a public health risk, but because I believe that the
federal or state government should not dictate what criteria we use
to decide what is good for our community.
I share the concerns of my good friend Shepherd Bliss that cell
phones can be problematic for a variety of reasons, but I am not
convinced that the towers themselves are the problem.
There is evidence that prolonged use of cell phones may lead to
health problems for some people; however, I don’t know enough to
make that call. I fully appreciate how they have increased our
ability to share information with each other and to be instantly
connected; witness the recent events in Iran. In roadside
emergencies they have been literally life-saving. I also recognize
that cell phone use has enabled people in developing countries,
where often landlines simply don’t exist, to have phone service.
They clearly offer many benefits.
In any event, cell phones are here to stay and their use will
only increase in the coming years. But our dependence on them does
have consequences that we would be wise to address. One of those
consequences is that they call to us more loudly than does the
world around us. The State of California wisely recognized that
holding a cell phone while driving is clearly a public safety risk.
While the law requires us to keep two hands on the wheel, it still
doesn’t address the issue of attentiveness.
Being always connected to somewhere else obscures what is right
in front of us: neither the beauty of this miraculous world we have
inherited, nor the people sitting around the table with us, nor the
problems of poverty or injustice or environmental damage that need
our attention.
Perhaps as much of an issue is that constant connectedness means
that we are never alone. This is the reason that I personally don’t
own a cell phone. The soul needs occasional solitude and time for
uninterrupted reflection. Individually and collectively, our lives
would be poorer if we never had some time to simply sit in
silence.
Technology certainly has the power to shape the human experience
and certainly carries great momentum. But that power need not be
the determining one. We can still choose how we use technology to
either enhance or diminish our lives, but only if we are honest
with ourselves about both the possibilities and the risks; and only
if we are willing to engage in public conversation about these
issues.
– Larry Robinson, City Councilmember, Sebastopol
Celling out
Editor: Open letter to City Councilmember Kathleen Shaffer:
I honor all the good work you do for our small town of
Sebastopol. I appreciate your organizing and attending many
community meetings, your excellent work with seniors, and your good
communication skills informing us about city matters.
So I was disappointed by your lone vote July 7 against the
prudent resolution giving Sebastopol more local control over
emerging technology. According to Sonoma West, you did a sample
that convinced you that the majority of the city’s residents had
few problems with cell phone use. I am glad that you consult with
some of your constituents. But leadership is not just about
pleasing the people one talks to. When we were in the early stages
of the disastrous Vietnam War, for example, few leaders spoke out
against it. Even when it is unpopular, we need public officials
willing to protect our health. We are now in the early years of
cells phones and their towers, which bring some advantages. But at
what cost?
I hope you will listen to the mothers and others who have
researched the studies that prove that cell phone use can damage,
especially the brains of young ones. The resolution merely calls
for more research and local control before we rush into more cell
phone towers blighting our neighborhoods. What do we have to lose
by such research and increasing local control of our special town?
It might slow things down as we further discuss this matter. Is
that so bad?
In the fall 2008 issue of “The American Trial Lawyer,” George L.
Carlo, M.D., concludes, “Catastrophic trouble lies ahead if
corrective steps are not taken to stem the tide of dangers from
wireless technology.” Dr. Carlo is a distinguished physician and
former medical school professor. He cites more than 1,000
peer-reviewed studies that establish the direct and indirect links
between mobile phone use and a variety of health problems. I am
glad that both attorneys on the Council had the foresight to vote
for the resolution, as did the retired psychotherapist. I hope that
the one absent Council member, a nurse, would also support the
resolution, from a health perspective. We should have placed more
limitations and safeguards on cigarette smoking decades ago and
should not wait decades to do so with this new addictive, harmful
machine and its multiple unintended consequences.
Legislation often lags behind technological advances. In
Sebastopol we are often ahead of other places in practicing the
precautionary principle and protecting our citizens. We need to
continue to provide such leadership, rather than lag behind because
some people benefit or want to speed things up. Similar resolutions
were unanimously adopted by governing bodies in Los Angeles,
Portland, Oregon, and elsewhere.
I request that you study this matter carefully, as I have
recently, and consider a vote for more caution next time. We need
an open, cordial, and respectful discourse on cell phones and
towers, rather than let the federal government — with its many
high-paid corporate lobbyists — dictate to our small town what is
healthy for us. Let’s not rush headlong into more health problems,
especially given our poor and deteriorating health care system.
– Your cell phone-using friend, Shepherd Bliss,
Sebastopol
Keep the compassion
Editor: Don’t let the point of economic recovery pop the
compassion bubble.
The economic downturn has made a strong impression on all of us.
Each of us has been touched by the crisis, whether it is a family
member who has lost a job, a friend whose business is struggling to
stay afloat, or a neighbor who has been forced to leave the
area.
As the president of the board of directors for the Redwood
Empire Food Bank, I’ve experienced first hand how the downturn has
impacted the people with whom we share our homes, our lives, and
our community. I’ve seen where people turn when they need help.
I’ve seen what happens when someone is hanging onto their home,
their dream, and doing whatever they can to prevent homelessness.
I’ve seen people line up in the darkest days of winter, in the
pouring rain, waiting for a much-needed package of food. I’ve seen
it here in my lifelong home in Sonoma County.
For many people, the Redwood Empire Food Bank is the difference
between despair and hope, misfortune and opportunity, humiliation
and dignity. As the economic crisis unfolded, there were protracted
debates in Washington on how to respond. In Sacramento, deep cuts
are currently being made to balance the budget — much of which will
affect the people most vulnerable to economic setback.
In comparison, the Redwood Empire Food Bank was already prepared
to help people in need. In fact, for the past 21 years, the REFB
has been busy fortifying support for a growing number of people who
are threatened by hunger, people who are living on Social Security
or are disabled and even people who have jobs.
In the lines of people waiting for food assistance you will see
the people who care for our children, tend to our homes, work our
land, serve us meals. They are seniors living on fixed incomes and
newly displaced professionals who never thought they would find
themselves seeking food assistance. And then there are the
children, who find themselves in a food line for no other reason
than their parents are struggling to make ends meet.
Our shared experience during these challenging times has offered
each of us a gift of sorts. It has provided us with the combination
to open the door to compassion and generosity. As we look down the
path toward economic recovery, let’s be sure that we leave that
doorway clear and open for people in our midst who, even in the
best of times, are touched by crisis.
– Jim Keegan, Santa Rosa