Letters to the Editor 5-16-13

Crossfire
Editor: I read with sad amusement Mr. Henderson’s letter to the editor about guns in the USA. The NRA was founded by the US government after the Civil War. The US government was disappointed to find that its draftees (mostly dumb Irishmen just off the boat, no doubt my ancestors) didn’t know one end of a gun from another. So the US government set up a training program.
Mr. Henderson worries about the deaths of schoolchildren. Governments killed 280 million plus human beings in the 20th century. A lot of them were schoolchildren. President Obama killed several schoolchildren last month in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Anystan with his drone attacks.
Where is Mr. Henderson’s et al. outrage over that?
The true gun obscenity starts with the governments. Certainly not the law abiding citizens who may own a gun or two. Really, here in Sonoma County the only people who carry guns about are cops and gangsters. The rest of us are just patsies hoping not to get shot in the crossfire.
Tim McGraw
Healdsburg
Tree removal
Editor: The decision to pull trees wasn’t easy, in 2005, when we commenced phase one of our market/center renovation; nor was it easy this time for phase two. A recent letter to the editor rightfully characterized our property as “any other strip mall you’d find in LA” because that’s exactly how it was built so many years ago. The market was built in 1968 and the strip buildings were added in 1982. Our approach, since 2003 when we acquired the property, has been to revitalize the market and the center, understanding the constraints of “what is” vs “what could be” and a budget.
In 2005, anyone traversing the tree lined city sidewalk along Dry Creek Road encountered variations in the concrete of up to 8 inches from level due to invasive tree roots. Those same roots wrapped themselves around underground electric lines, water service lines, telephone cables and sewer pipes, and uplifted the curb. After discussion with landscape experts as well as city officials, the decision was made to replace the trees with a more appropriate variety. Mitigation measures would likely have killed the trees too. They were simply the wrong species for their environment. The sidewalks had to be replaced.
The same scenario existed along Healdsburg Avenue. The city’s electric transformer adjacent to the northeast driveway still sits on a jaunty tilt.
To characterize those trees as “mature” understates the fact that they were still growing and would have created more havoc over time. They were also not heritage as defined by city ordinance.
We truly understand anyone’s concern for the stark visual difference and ask that you allow us the time to make things better.   
John Lloyd
Big John’s Market
One-way mistake
Editor: As a relatively new resident of Healdsburg I have found the ongoing controversy on the Foss Creek one-way quite interesting. Without the benefit of knowing any of the council members, but reading for months of nothing but negative comments I can only surmise that there must be one or more very hard headed council members. It is pretty clear to all of us without an axe to grind, that  this was a terrible decision. Furthermore,  the temporary flags and cones that never seem to come down would have me suspect that someone is afraid of the legal consequences of causing an accident after all the bad press this decision has gotten. I have what I hope is a face saving solution for the council that might finally end this silliness. Lets declare all the flags, signs, cones and street stripping a public blight and have it removed, along with returning the street back to two-way. Perhaps we could get one of our city attorneys to proclaim that  removing these temporary  flags would put the city at risk of a lawsuit should there be the inevitable traffic accident. Surely our council has better things to deal with than such a trivial, yet controversial decision. Let’s admit our mistake and move on!
Steve Ineich
Healdsburg
Open transit contract
Editor: We, the Peace & Justice Center of Sonoma County, are writing to support opening up our County Transit contract for the bidding process this coming year. Veolia, the French company currently under contract, is in violation of International Human Rights Laws by operating bus lines through the occupied West Bank on roads that are off limits to the Palestinians who live there. These bus lines transport Israelis from Jerusalem to the illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. International law also prohibits the transfer of civilian populations into occupied territory, which is what Veolia is doing by connecting the settlements to Israel.
This company (Veolia is the 33rd largest corporate employer in the world) also operates the Tovian Landfill where Israeli waste is dumped onto Palestinian land. On July 24, 2012 the County of Sonoma Commission on Human Rights heard testimony by Ruth Otte, executive vice president, marketing and communications of Veolia Transportation North America. She stated that “We do not have any ownership or interest as Veolia Environmental Services in that contract any more.” Despite Veolia’s repeated claims that it divested from the landfill in 2011, on Jan. 17, 2013, the Israeli Ministry confirmed that Veolia is the sole owner and operator of the Tovian Landfill.
In the 1980s the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors made a principled decision to divest from South Africa. The Peace & Justice Center now would encourage the Board of Supervisors to disqualify Veolia from the contract renewal process due to its participation in human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The $7 million contract to operate our County Transit System, an important community resource, should be awarded to a company or agency that upholds human rights and make it possible for our tax dollars to go to an entity that does not violate international law.
Gary Melrose
Board Member
Sebastopol