LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Vesta on target
Editor: Just a note to say I’d like to second Vesta Copestakes
on the matter of Frank Robertson’s opinion column of Feb. 24. His
hilarious-though-sometimes-painfully-true musings about a slice of
Sebastopol citizenry and City Council interactions must have hit a
little too close to home for some. How silly that folks started an
email campaign to solicit rebuttals of the column.
Thankfully, freely held opinion and unbridled humor, no matter
how non-p.c., is still allowed in the pages of your newspaper. (And
they are called opinion pages for a reason.)
Pam Williams
Watkinsville, GA
Smell the coffee
Editor: Citizens across the country are protesting and refusing
Smart Meter “deployment” by PG&E, which has one goal:
maximizing short-term profits. Why are they “deploying” this
job-eliminating technology so fast when we need job creation? This
is not just a “goofy” Sebastopol thing, nine local governments,
including three counties, have enacted moratoriums due to health,
safety, accuracy and privacy concerns.
SmartMeters violate FCC safety rules and are not UL listed. No
environmental impact studies have been conducted and it is
questionable whether this technology will reduce energy
consumption. More than 3 percent of the population is electrically
sensitive and immediately sickened by these not-so-SmartMeters.
If you have attended Sebastopol city council meetings, you have
heard some of these people speak. What if you were in their
shoes?
We are all being negatively affected by the pulsed RF radiation
from cell phones, Wi-Fi and now SmartMeters, maybe we don’t get
sick immediately or if we are sick we don’t make the connection,
but down the road this may be the factor that tips us towards
cancer or autoimmune disease. Six thousand five hundred doctors
have signed the Freiburger Appeal stating that electromagnetic
sensitivity is the probable cause for numerous illnesses they are
seeing in many of their patients.
Shame on you for belittling Sebastopol’s two smartest city
council members and Sebastopol citizens who are fighting to protect
the local population from this new health threat. Wake up Frank
Robertson.
Susan W. Vican
Sebastopol
Restrict not ban
Editor: The Sebastopol City Council is once again trying to take
away another of our rights. The new city council has passed a law
banning blowers, only because they did not have the backbone to
stand up to a few vocal and short sighted citizens.
The blower ban is small business unfriendly, citizen unfriendly
and even environmentally unfriendly.
The newest blowers are EPA approved both for lower noise and
lower emissions. Those of us who do our best to be good
environmental stewards are disregarded by the council. The council
would rather turn us into criminals for trying to keep our homes
and businesses both clean and safe. Wet leaves on sidewalks or
driveways are a potential safety hazard. Banning the blowers could
result in potential lawsuits.
Worse yet, there is talk that the blowers would be banned except
for the city maintenance crew. If this were to happen, the
government would put itself above the citizens it governs. This
would only invite contempt for the council and our local political
leaders.
Furthermore, this would add a burden to the police who have
better things to do than being on the lookout for criminals using
blowers. Or is the council simply looking for a way to fundraise
the city coffers by fining its citizens for not complying to this
absurd regulation?
The three members of the council should not ban blowers, should
not turn us into criminals, and should not challenge our law
abiding citizens by ignoring the latest in efficiency and
technology. Or does the council want us to become a third world
citizenry that must use brooms, or, worse yet, water to hose down
driveways and walkways?
If the three council members elect to see this ban come to
fruition, then they deserve to be recalled.
And just as easily as they were voted in, they can be
recalled.
A better solution would be to put a strict noise ordinance on
the use of blowers. In all honesty, last mother’s day at 7 a.m., my
next door neighbor was using a blower. At the time, I thought to
myself that there should be a law against that. I still believe
that.
However, the law should be hours of operation. The law should
not be turning people who are neat and tidy, and safety conscious,
into criminals.
Chuck Sackett
Sebastopol
No intervention in Lybia
Editor: We cannot afford the two wars we are in now — except
with the eager cooperation of our Chinese bankers. They are waiting
for America and everyone else to become indebted to them to the
point of total forclosure upon the rest of the world.
The Chinese totalitarian brain trust has discovered the ultimate
21st Century weapon for world domination — credit.
Wake up and smell the soy sauce.
John A. McDonald
Sebastopol
Not a relocation plan
Editor: Recently there was an article in the Sonoma West
Times about Sebastopol’s homeless population (“Homeless issues
creeping into Sebastopol consciousness” Feb. 24). The story
discussed ideas about ways to provide help. One of the ideas was to
provide bus tickets to go to the shelters in Guerneville and Santa
Rosa. Apparently, some readers interpreted this as some sort of
relocation plan. In no way was this the intent of the suggestion.
The objective was to offer the option of shelter on the very cold
and wet nights instead of being outside in freezing weather. One
positive action thus far was a meeting  which was attended by
representatives from our local churches and interested volunteers. 
We had a good discussion, and there is progress
toward organizing some limited services for the local homeless
population.
Kathleen Shaffer
City Council Member
COTS model
EDITOR: There is much debate and community conflict about
emergency shelters and services for homeless people. I wish to
address several issues brought up in previous publications of your
newspaper.
I agree with the small business owners and shopkeepers in
Guerneville that having homeless people loiter around their shop
has a negative impact on attracting customers. I believe having a
homeless “wet” shelter in the town or any town makes the homeless
problems worse. Homeless wet shelters are not the answer. It
attracts homeless people from outside of the local area. Many of
the out of town adults are not able or willing for various reasons
to use the shelter in their area. Reasons can include behavior
issues such as fighting, aggression, and drug
possession/intoxication. Some choose not to use a shelter because
they have pets, more personal property than the shelter allows or
difficulty being around others. There will always be homeless
people who choose or cannot for a variety of reasons use a
shelter.
The approach I am suggesting is not compassion fatigue but
rather tough love. I am speaking from experience. If our community
wishes to end homelessness, then look at the wonderful example COTS
(Committee On The Shelterless) in Petaluma is in our own backyard.
COTS is nationally recognized for its success in helping families
get back on their feet. Yes, there is drug testing. COTS strives to
maintain a clean and sober environment for all.
Yes, it is a program. It requires involvement. Yes it really
works. I agree with what a previous reader stated in her letter
that all of us should check out the shelters and programs for
ourselves. So please take time to volunteer at your local community
kitchen or shelter.
M. Wilkins
Petaluma
Kudos to Shaffer
Editor: Commendations to the Sebastopol Christian Church,
Kathleen Shaffer and the small group of community members’
willingness to address the community’s homeless population
(“Homeless issues creeping into Sebastopol consciousness” Feb. 24).
Shaffer, a Sebastopol City Councilmember and a West County
Community Services Board member, attended one of the homeless
meetings and plans to hold future informational meetings. It should
be noted that she was not acting as a Council member nor a WCCS
board member. Shaffer stated in the article that she had spoken to
ministers of Sebastopol’s churches to see what could be
accomplished.
Community Housing Opportunities West (CHOW) working under the
umbrella of West County Community Services might be utilized to
inventory available facilities in Sebastopol. West County Community
Services, a non-profit located in Sebastopol, could provide
counseling, mental health services and other vital services. The
proximity of Palm Drive Hospital and its services would be
available to assist the homeless in need of emergency and medical
attention. With the services and facilities available in
Sebastopol, there would be no need to bus the homeless to other
shelters.
Federal grants might be available to create programs utilizing
the services of the Sebastopol Police Department, Sonoma County
Sheriff’s Department, Sonoma County Department of Health Services,
Catholic Social Services and Veteran’s Affairs. By working
cooperatively they will be able to protect citizens and assist
those in need. Funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development may be available in the spring when the 2011
Homeless Count is available. If federal grants are available,
Senator Diane Feinstein and Representative Lynn Woolsey should be
contacted to assist with funding.
Associate Pastor, Kristen DelMonte, at the Sebastopol Community
Church and the Community Youth Group are also to be commended for
their work with the homeless. Sebastopol stepping up at this time
should be applauded. By joining with Santa Rosa’s homeless
programs, Petaluma’s COTS and Guerneville’s homeless program,
Sebastopol will be a welcome addition.
Samuel Pullaro, retired superintendent,
Guerneville School District
Herman Hernandez, owner, Frank Howard Allen
Realtors, Russian River
Richard and Donna Hines
Pat’s Restaurant and Bar
Frank and Nancy Lambert, owners Lambert’s
76
Michael Kennett, Fern Grove Cottages
Just the facts, Frank
Editor: Frank Robertson seems to miss the message behind the
SmartMeter rejection with his name-calling attempt to neutralize an
upheaval against corporate mandates and badly planned dangerous
technology (“Smart thinking,” Feb. 24). Twenty-six California
cities and counties, Dayton Ohio, Maine, Texas and Hawaii feel
similarly. Name calling is a form of character assassination
without facts. Actually it is pretty infantile. Get some facts
Frank. The wireless stuff you broadly support as new technology has
real problems. An effective corporate black out and media washing
does not stop that. News articles in the US start with “a new study
suggestions concerns …” or “RF stimulates …” instead of the fact
that in 97, Dr. H Lai and Singh found low level wireless caused DNA
breaks (both strands) and that has been supported with peer studies
in China 2005 and Switzerland 2009. Radar illness is the electro
hypersensitivity. Swedish studies show immune system response and
depression in double blind human and animal studies. An Oncologist,
presenting new brain tumor shrinking drugs on San Diego TV, tells
how he avoids wireless devices, especially with his family.
Also missing in your tirade against concerned people, (rape is
pretty devastating,) many of the complaints come from direct
experience. There is an exodus of normal straight impacted folks
out of Smart meter cities, who have heart arrhythmia, brain fog or
seizures from the so called safe stuff. Safe based on an obsolete
standard challenged by at least 7 resolutions of world wide
scientist. I know 10 relocated families now in my county. The safe
technology is being taken out of schools and libraries in Europe,
and French government  is posting signs advising parents to not
give their children cell phones and making laws to keep them out of
children’s hands. How about 10 % of Sweden is electrically hyper
sensitive. A sensitivity provoked by this technology. That’s one in
ten, Frank. In a room of 100, 10 of those folks will soon need to
leave, if a cell phone is on, or the restaurant or library is
wireless.
Privacy concerns, damage to personal home equipment, disruption
of safety devices like GFIs and then absurdly high overcharges. No,
not everyone (40,000 written complaints), but I think it should be
no one. One does not build confidence in the CPUC mandate or
Utilities application seeing boggled expensive installations in
Kern County (three times,) replacement in neighborhood of bad S
Meter batches or the General Accounting Office fretting about
homeland security issues in the Smart grid, our power system in a
50 page report January 2011. And who pays for it? You and I, Frank.
We rate & tax payers, pay with our hard earned money and our
health.
Get some facts Frank and then let’s talk.
Greg Krouse
Philo
Exceptions allowed
Editor: I support the Sebastopol city council resolution to
restrict the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. Exceptions should be
allowed where no practical alternative exists, such as cleaning out
rain gutters. But otherwise, for the sake of the environment and
our health, there are better, non-polluting alternatives, such as
the rake and the broom.
When people start shouting about government interfering with
their rights we need to take a closer look at what rights they want
to keep. Blowers drive people crazy with their awful noise. Their
two-stroke engines are highly polluting and they blow dust
containing pesticides, mold, and animal feces into the air at
speeds that can exceed 200 miles an hour.
Should people have the right to blow toxins into our lungs or
loud high-pitched noise into our ears when viable alternatives
exist?
Not only will blower regulation improve our environment and
quality of life but experience in other communities with blower
regulations has shown that small businesses have benefited from
reduced maintenance and fuel costs. There are plenty of workers
happy to use rakes and brooms. The only real losers are the big
corporations that make these polluting monstrosities.
Peggy Karp
Sebastopol