Mailbox

Editor: I enjoyed the Journal’s presentation of several varying views of President Obama’s health care reform package (“Reform!?,” Sept. 17). Kudos! However, I have issues with a few of the points brought up by Ron Ross in his article, “Many Questions, Few Answers.” While I agree Pres. Obama is all over the place right now […]

Editor: Modesty is becoming in this age of hype and megahype, but false modesty is almost as bad as the chutzpah that it contrasts with. Your choice of Kevin Hoover for best reporter, when your own Hank Sims stands at least 10 feet taller than Kevin, is an example (“Best of Humboldt,” Sept. 10). While […]

Editor: Following the media and having some historical knowledge of the flu pandemic, I have some concerns about the unknowns of the coming flu. I was relieved to hear in your article that the death rate for H1N1 was not higher than the regular flu (“The Coming Flu,” Aug. 27). What I have never been […]

Editor: Thanks, Bob Doran, for covering the health care meeting in Fortuna and greetings from the socialist stronghold of Arcata, where we have public roads, a fire department, public water, a library, a police department, where people use Medi-Cal and Medicare, collect government pensions, student aid, unemployment insurance, social security (which even has the dreaded […]

Editor: Please, more stories about utterly futile crime suppression efforts ("Stung," Sept. 3). It’s useful to recall how our communal hypocrisy — women who have sex for money are "bad," boys will be boys, sin must be paid for, etc, — forces the police to commit casually destructive and pointless folly: arresting a poor woman […]

Editor: Last week Bob Doran wondered how the lion become synonymous with reggae music ("The Hum," Sept. 3). Amen, known as the hidden god, had a ram’s head; all the fish are dying, and the church is going down thanks to pederasty … all these things are related. This is the dawning of the Age […]

Editor: In his insightful “Town Dandy” column of Aug. 27, the North Coast Journal’s editor, Hank Sims, sums up Democratic State Senator Patricia Wiggins’ unfortunate, tormented tenure in office perfectly. As a partisan Democrat myself, I would like to remind the predominantly self-appointed so-called leaders of our local, official Democratic Party that the great, groundbreaking, […]

Editor: I felt heartened when I read Dr. Lindsay’s statement regarding swine flu — “We’re focusing on prevention efforts” — but then was surprised that nothing other than covering mouth and nose when sneezing, washing hands frequently and getting vaccinated was mentioned (“The Coming Flu,” Aug. 27). Here in Humboldt where so many people grow […]

Editor: In a recent movie review, Charlie Myers complained that he was being criticized for the fact that he isn’t enjoying the spate of dorky “guy movies” which he’s seen lately (and for what it’s worth, I agree with him — yuck!). The comment made me realize what I like best about Charlie and why […]

Editor: In the Aug. 20 edition of the North Coast Journal, Richard Engel manages to tie in the sad and troublesome issue of toxic algae blooms in our rivers to HumCPR’s mission of protecting rural living styles (“Mailbox”). As if it were somehow the fault of people who do not live in the city that […]

Editor: Thanks to Hank Sims for the flashback column on the passing of an early back-to-the-lander ("Town Dandy," Aug. 20). I was moved to reminisce about the "good old days," and, maybe more importantly, to segue in to the passing of a certain Humboldt County vibe which is rapidly passing as well. The early hippies […]

Editor: Your article on toxic blue-green algae in our rivers touched only briefly on the causes of this growing problem ("A Deadly Scum," Aug. 13). Failing septic systems and fertilizer runoff are noted as two of those causes, and they point to the fatal flaw in the pro-growth vision for unincorporated areas of Humboldt County […]