Editor:

You write this week that it would be unpalatable to tie Humboldt to Redding and our red environs (“Town Dandy,” Oct. 23). Au contraire, mon frere! 

Facing the same problem of political passivity from the opposite side (although Jeff Morris is making a brave attempt against Rep. Wally Herger this year), I’ve dreamed of bringing in Humboldt and Mendo counties (dumping, I dunno, Glenn, Colusa and Yolo -- not sure how the numbers would work) to balance the district and create some honest competition.

And the barbarian hordes of Republicans wouldn’t necessarily swamp you lefties on the coast. Heck, back in 1990 Mike Thompson won a state Senate race in a district that (thanks to the vagaries of gerrymandering) included Tehama and Shasta counties. (Oddly, he beat Jim Nielsen, who’s certain to win an Assembly seat in 12 days but might not manage it without racking up a felony conviction.)

I say we unite the 299 corridor and make Weaverville the center of gravity it hasn’t been since the Gold Rush. It’ll be a hoot.

— Bruce Ross, Editorial Page Editor, Record Searchlight (Redding)

Editor:

Need to thank Hank Sims for his “Gutless Wonders” piece, where he illustrates the deep corruption of the state and local Democratic Party machine (“Town Dandy,” Oct. 23).

This political machine actually works hard to deserve the name “the anti-Democratic Party,” as not only the gerrymandering mentioned by Sims, but the shameless proclivity to pursue activist court rulings to thwart the will of the electorate, are a key part of their strategy. Buying the goodwill of the public employees by paying them higher than their real-world counterparts is another part of their plank.

Locally, the court ruling giving transient students the right to vote in local elections stacked the deck against the citizens of Arcata, and has resulted in the pathetic, “one more tax please” City Council always holding out the hat every election, not to mention Arcata’s collective PG&E bill making a mockery of its alleged environmentalism.

Protecting Mexicans from honoring the immigration laws of our country has given them 46 million more allies.

Gutless indeed are the local liberals, who watch Chesbro and Berg scorn the term limit laws and simply move to other positions in the bureaucracy when the time comes to get a life.

Thoreau is quoted as saying, “There are 1,000 men hacking away at the branches of the tree of inequity for every one hacking at its roots.” Thanks to Sims for being that 1 in 1,000.

— Joshua Kinch, Freshwater

Editor:

I vigorously disagree with your characterization of the Humboldt County electorate as lazy, mellow or servile.

I read about three sentences of “Gutless Wonders” and my blood pressure started to rise. Then I got to your fatuous comments about Jim Pell -- didn’t you listen to his Libertarian-type BS at the KEET forum? -- and decided that I had to write.

To discuss just one local race, the Second District Supervisors’ race will decide 1/5 of the Board of Supervisors and there are three very diverse candidates running. Although I do not live in the Second District I have made a careful choice and supported one of the candidates. The outcome of that race is critically important to all of us because of the many important decisions soon to be made by the Supes.

You bemoan the fact that there are “only so many days and so many pages” but instead of covering races where the “big two” don’t shed much light, you regurgitate what we get from them!

I think Howard Rien’s letter about Measures F and J was execrable but you did balance it with one from Ross Mackinney (“Mailbox,” Oct. 23).

I hope the surprises you allude to will make it worthwhile for me to read the Journal next week. I’m not at all happy with this week’s issue and I’m only up to page 7.

P.S.: I did learn a lot about the Eureka City Council candidates (“E Pluribus Eureka,” Oct. 23.). Thanks for that.

— Hollie Bartscht Klingel, Eureka