Opinion
- Details
- Written by: Leona M. Butts
To the Berkeley City Council:
No one is forced to join the Marines by having a Marine Recruiting Office in their city, so what is the problem?
As an American citizen, I am horrified at the action you have taken against the Marine Recruiting Office in Berkeley. These are the very kind of people who make it possible for you to even exist. Where is your backbone? Have you no knowledge of history? What cowards you are! Without the military, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines under civilian control, how long do you think the United States of America would continue to exist? There are no freedoms without a strong military. Freedom is never free!
By your actions, you are saying to anyone with an idea of infiltrating or conquering this country, come on, take over, we don't want anyone to defend us, we just threw them out of town. If that ever happens, what rights do you think you will retain? Wake up, look around!
If you don't like the United States of America, maybe you are the ones that should get out of the town! Freedom of speech or freedom to assemble and all of our other freedoms are only guaranteed with our strong military under civilian control. The same is true about gun control. If government takes away the right, for qualified people, to own firearms, then only the criminal element of society will have the guns. Just look at England and Australia. Crime has greatly increased since the guns are no longer available for civilians in those countries.
Leona M. Butts lives in Clearlake Oaks.
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- Details
- Written by: Wanda Harris and Sunol Westergren
California Democrats are committed to do everything in their power to achieve legislation at all levels of government requiring that all water supplies and water districts be owned by local government entities and will urge Democratic legislators in California to support such effort.
Water is essential to all life and is unique in the realm of products in that water consumers have no choice, but must have it or die. Recent scientific reports on global climate change indicate great uncertainty about changes in precipitation patterns and areas of drought or flood as warming continues. This uncertainty makes transparent public ownership imperative.
Many communities whose water systems were sold to for-profit corporations, or who have entered into partnerships with those corporations, have experienced higher prices for water, poorer quality of water, and poorer quality of service.
Finally, thinking of water as a commodity to generate profit is contrary to our country's values and morals, but for-profit companies, both domestic and foreign, now own 14 percent of the United States water supplies and seek to acquire more, potentially endangering the public health and safety and national security.
The Lake County Democratic party, one of the original authors of this resolution, asks that all of our elected legislators work diligently to support and achieve this goal.
We urge you to support and advocate for legislation requiring that water supplies and districts be owned by not-for-profit entities such as special districts, municipal water districts and non-profit corporations and be under public oversight.
Wanda Harris is chair of the Lake County Democratic Central Committee; Sunol Westergren chairs the Lake County Democratic Club.
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- Details
- Written by: Pat Hopper
The Garden Club members give of their time in making these wreaths, and with the money earned we give scholarship money to local youth – their education will in turn give them an opportunity to also give back to their community.
This year we earned enough profit to again offer two $1,000 scholarships to our local youth this coming spring.
Thank you to all the people who purchased wreaths for making this possible.
Pat Hopper is scholarship chair with the Clear Lake Trowel and Trellis Garden Club.
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- Details
- Written by: Herman W. Hughes
Kennesaw, Georgia has responded with a resolution of its own. The Kennesaw City Council passed a resolution on Monday, Feb. 4 in support of the U.S. Armed Forces, and opposing a resolution by the City of Berkeley. In part, Kennesaw's resolution states that the "City of Kennesaw pays respect and tribute to those who protect and defend our rights to enjoy the freedom of speech which is essential to the fabric of this Nation ..."
You can get the full resolution by visiting the official web site of the city of Kennesaw, Georgia, at www.kennesaw.ga.us or go directly to the resolution page at www.kennesaw-ga.gov/documents/City%20Manager/Release%20-%20City%20of%20Kennesaw%20resolution%20supports%20military%2C%20opposes%20Berkeley%20resolution.pdf.
As a Southerner, born and bred, I am proud to stand with the City Council of Kennesaw, Georgia in their public opposition to the actions and intentions of the pinheads in the city government of Berkeley, California.
I want to state publicly and forcefully that not all Californians are kooks and flakes or extreme leftists who take unappreciative actions such as the City of Berkeley has taken. However, that being said, I defend their right as citizens of America to freedom of speech even though they would prefer to deny that same right to others. I defended that right with 26 years of military service, both in war and peace; I stood in defense of that freedom, among the other freedoms everyone living in the United States enjoy, whether citizens or not.
Also, I must note that not all of Berkeley is “wacko”; the city hosts one of the great universities – the University of California.
Herman W. Hughes, Ph.D., Captain, USNR (Retired), Professor Emeritus of Pepperdine University, lives in Lakeport.
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