Double standards

EDITOR: It’s amazing. Really. For close to a decade, I’ve listened to liberals in various state legislatures, including some of the oh-so-honorable, diverse, tolerant and inclusive Democrats in Sacramento, wax rhapsodic at the thought of killing National Rifle Association members, gun owners in general and members of their families for good measure.

When called on their murderous fantasies, they put on their best Foghorn Leghorn voice and say, “It’s a joke, boy! Yer supposed to laugh!” And all the illustrious press and erudite liberal politicians allow how it was indeed a fine joke. No one calls those serious calls for violence against gun owners and supporters of the Bill of Rights death threats.

But if anyone not a liberal makes any sort of comment about targeting a seat held by a Democrat — or saying that those who support all of the Bill of Rights can stop Hillary Clinton — the same unbiased press and oh-so-tolerant politicians start screaming about death threats.

No double standard at all.

JOE LOVELL

Santa Rosa

Roots of trash growth

EDITOR: While Monday’s article about trash (“More waste heads to county landfill”) mentions an accompanying decrease in recycling, it fails to recognize a significant reason for the changes. We’ve been directed to place in our recycling bins only those recyclables that are profitable to the trash hauler. Where do you think the remaining stuff goes? To the landfill.

AL CATTALINI

Petaluma

Combating poverty

EDITOR: Kudos to Chris Smith for his comprehensive article, “Charity serves up good food, respect to all,” which was published on Aug. 8.

Poverty has many faces. There are many pieces to the solution of poverty in our community. The Saint Vincent de Paul dining room, featured in Smith’s article, provides one of those pieces.

There are many ways to support the work of the Saint Vincent de Paul dining room.

Last month, my church, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Windsor, partnered with the Saint Vincent de Paul dining room for our annual golf tournament and dinner fundraiser. Together, we raised a little more than $15,500 for the dining room. This money will be used to provide more than 5,400 meals to people who are in desperate need of a hot, nutritious meal — not only to individuals who are homeless but also to families, many with children.

Let’s all work together to support those organizations that are working to provide a piece of the solution to poverty in our community.

BETTE ANN FLEISCHACKER

Windsor

Say no to GMOs

EDITOR: I intend to vote in favor of the GMO ban in Sonoma County. GMOs, as they are currently being used around the world by Monsanto in particular, appear destined and even designed to centralize food production even further than technology-driven industrial farming methods already have. I think this is a very bad idea.

Until we show that we can reasonably regulate property rights for the benefit of everyone, we should ban any technology that seems poised to do anything like this. Small, locally owned farms, like small, locally owned businesses of other types are much more likely to engage in practices that are beneficial to the local community and its environment. And that is who we need to be encouraging.

Population growth too much for food production system? How about free birth control for all women? How about reducing the amount of grain that we feed to animals (currently 80 percent). But GMOs? Not until they are properly regulated for the benefit of all.

EDWARD MEISSE

Santa Rosa

PG&E verdict

EDITOR: I’m trying to get my head around this. Corporations have been designated as individuals by the U.S. Supreme Court. As an “individual,” PG&E destroyed about $22 million in property, injured scores of people and killed eight. It is fined $3 million, a minor percentage of its net profits each year. As an “individual,” if I had committed a crime of this magnitude, I would never again see the light of day.

This fine is what an actuarial would call the cost of doing business or what would be considered an acceptable payment to offset decades of mismanagement and neglect. The prosecutors in this case need to be investigated. And the collusion between the state Public Utilities Commission and the utilities needs to be ended.

RICHARD McKEE

Santa Rosa

Perpetuating falsehoods

EDITOR: Drew Sheneman’s political cartoon in Thursday’s paper serves to cement a lie in the minds of readers, in the same manner as the master of innuendo and falsehoods, candidate Donald Trump, does. America has a policy of not paying ransom, and no ransom was ever paid. A contractual obligation to Iran, dating from the late 1970s, was fulfilled.

It’s just a political cartoon, sure, but perpetuating slurs, falsehoods and rumors isn’t funny, and it does not serve the public well.

JANE WILDER

Windsor