Opinion
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
The success of the Sierra Club Lake Group's April 14 Global Warming rally at Clearlake's Austin Park despite distinctly uninviting weather was due primarily to the many individuals in our community who refused to let rain, wind, and cold keep them from demonstrating their concern for the fate of our planet.
Thanks to you, we were able to add the voices of Lake County to the nationwide chorus emanating from more than 1,400 events in the Step It Up campaign's National Day of Climate Action. Together, we sent a powerful message to our elected leaders: we need to fend off the threat of catastrophic climate change, and in order to do so we must all work together to cut global warming emissions enough to culminate in an 80 percent reduction by the year 2050.
The Lake Group is particularly grateful to Supervisor Ed Robey for his deft services as master of ceremonies; to Mayor Judy Thein for her warm welcome on behalf of the City of Clearlake; to Lake County Special Districts head Mark Dellinger for his account of the county's remarkable ongoing efforts to trim its own carbon footprint; to Barbara Christwitz for her persuasive discussion of the virtues of solar ovens and the ease of constructing them; and especially to Supervisor Denise Rushing, whose inspiring presentation, "Global Warming and You: what individuals can do to make a difference," was the keynote of the event.
Peter Senkowski's electric vehicle, Eileen Irving's information about Lake Transit, and Glenneth Lambert's green building display all engaged the interest of participants. Janis Paris and Paul Frindt provided a truckload of sound gear and the professional expertise needed to make it function, and with the assistance of bass player David Gilmore also treated us to several rousing sets of songs that were as musicially adept as they were spiritually invigorating. Thank you!
Thanks also to Hiram Dukes, who videotaped the event, and to Denise Rushing, Shirley Howland, and Juliana Vidich for their quick response to an emergency appeal for equipment that could provide a refuge from the elements. The hasty construction of several shade shelters and a substantial tent in the rain and wind was something of a challenge, but due to the efforts of Jack Arnold, Ryan Callen, Fred Cork, Lars Crail, Denise Rushing and Juliana Vidich we made it in time to offer a dry venue to grateful tablers. Bill and Barbara Christwitz, Paul Kolb, Jack Arnold, and Juliana Vidich then took everything apart again two hours later.
Many thanks to all of you: your dedication, your commitment, and your hard work are precisely what this planet needs, and this community too.
Victoria Brandon
Chair, Sierra Club Lake Group
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- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
A stake has to be driven through the heart of an incomprehensible rationalization advanced by President Bush and others for not taking decisive action against global warming: It must not hurt the American economy.
Do Bush and his advisers really think that global warming is not going to hurt the economy worse if they don't act? Do they think that permanent drought in western agricultural areas is not going to hurt the economy? That flooding of our coastal cities and relocation of millions of citizens is not going to hurt? Does it bother them at all that up to 1.7 billion people worldwide will not have enough water?
Do they actually believe that a mass refugee movement into the Pacific Northwest will not tax its resources? Do they not care about the flooding of coasts and islands where hundreds of millions people live?
Do more hurricanes worry them? Do they remember Katrina? Are they concerned about the dangers to the world's vulnerable poor? About mass extinctions of species?
Apparently, not much. Is it that they care most about preserving the finances of the richest Americans, of Bush's friends, relatives and associates in the oil industry, and about continuing to put maximum free market profits above any other public consideration? Are they out to make as much they can before a Democratic president gets in? Is this the economy they mean? That at least would make sense.
Otherwise, pardon the language, this business about not hurting the economy amounts to pure bovine scat.
Larry Spears
Eugene, Ore.
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- Details
- Written by: Chuck Lamb
What a great feeling to be able to witness and participate in large community projects manned by willing volunteers whose only interest is to improve our great little town.
Such was the case on April 11, when a number of people helped to clean up and grade the new county-owned park property located next to Nylander’s Red & White store.
Not only was there a substantial amount of grading to be done, but the work also included the removal of a significant amount of asphalt and concrete – demolishing a detached garage, filling and carting away a large dumpster full of garbage and hauling away appliances from a vacant house on the property.
This was a fine example of county and community members working together to improve our town.
Grateful thanks go out to: Richard Kuehn of Copper Cross Vineyards for providing both his time and equipment; Clay Shannon and Thurman Mahan of Shannon Ridge Vineyards for donating heavy equipment and labor; local citizen Bill Rett who always seems to be the first to volunteer for such projects, and the county for making this project happen. Thanks go out to our new Deputy Redevelopment Director, Eric Seely, who unselfishly donated his time to coordinate the effort and for providing a substantial amount of hands-on labor.
I encourage you to drive by the property and look at what community involvement can do!
Chuck Lamb
Clearlake Oaks
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- Details
- Written by: Mark Knaup and E. Harold Riley
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
United States House of Representatives
235 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-0508
Dear Madam Speaker:
It is with pride and hope that we salute you for your hundred hours of important legislation that have brought back respect and honor to Capitol Hill. After almost a decade of Byzantine partisan politics and arrogance of power, those hundred hours have restored a lost and absent sense of government that is truly by the people, and of the people. Although we are a small group from a small rural community, I am sure that we speak for the majority of the American people.
With your inspiring leadership, and the support of both houses, and by eliminating those politics of obstruction and punitive measures, you have restored faith once more by your visions and dedication.
Thank you Madam Speaker, we remain dedicated democrats, and send you and the Congress and Senate our best wishes and firmly support your efforts to restore representative democracy to the American people.
Sincerely yours,
Mark Knaup, chair
Harold E. Riley, ex-chair
South Lake County Democratic Club
Clearlake
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