Sometime between Friday and Sunday, the people who have been managing State Senator Pat Wiggins must have gathered round and decided that the facade could no longer be maintained. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat published a long, myth-busting and soon-to-be award-winning story on Friday; two days later, the poor woman stood at a podium and […]
Letters + Opinion
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Thanks for the Flashback
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 […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Programmed for Poverty
Many factors play into how we behave with money. Do we come from wealth or poverty? Has our job grown unexpectedly obsolete? Have health expenses drained our savings? Our society claims to value family, but provides so little support for parental leave, childcare, health coverage, well-funded schooling that parents prioritizing childraising risk poverty. America’s financial […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Death of a Hippie
My wife later reported that he had cut the line at the gas station counter to demand his coupon for a free car wash, and that he further endeared himself to those who respected the queue by asking the harried cashier a series of questions about the size of his vehicle and the dimensions of […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Plan A Defeats Algae
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 […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Whatever That Is
Editor: I find it somewhat ironic that revolutionaries seeking to overthrow the system and establish a new world order end up working for the same system they sought to overthrow ("Notes from Underground," Aug. 13). Usually at some university, where they’re regarded as some sort of hero. Another one drinking out of the public trough […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Snow-Flamer’s Side
Editor: College of the Redwoods is experiencing a time of significant change in its commitment to re-connecting with the communities it serves. CR has revised its Education Master Plan with a focus on increasing access to classes and programs and helping students attain their educational goals. Opening new instructional sites in Arcata and McKinleyville, offering […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Watch Them Fight
Occasionally you hear someone raise a stodgy moral objection to The Media’s "horserace coverage" of politics. Let’s briefly acknowledge that these grumpy scolds do indeed have a point — not everything should be fun — before brutally sending them back to their caves. We posit that the human brain is hard-wired to revel before the […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Ex-Hacks on the T-S
Editor: As a retired reporter, I frequently find myself in agreement with Media Maven Marcy Burstiner, but this time her broadside against the Times-Standard misses the mark (“Media Maven”, Aug.6). And her sniping at reporter Thadeus Greenson is unfair. Greenson is the best thing to happen to the T-S since millionaire Rob Arkley’s misbegotten venture […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Gosh, Josh!
Editor: Joshua Kinch’s letter to the Journal (July 30) was very enlightening. I can’t believe how misinformed I was! I thought the increase in unwed mothers might have been related to Reagan-era regulations (continued by both Bushes) restricting education about and distribution of birth-control technologies, and limited teaching about human reproduction in public schools. Gee. […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Big Box o’ Fish
Editor: Normally I try to stay out of the fray of letter writing, but a letter by Gary Graham Hughes titled "Grovewashing" (July 23) needs a reality check. I’m wondering if Mr. Hughes, and the other few but vocal opponents of the Richardson Grove project, have noticed that there is a Costco and a Target […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Sick Time
There is one national story that will directly affect every resident of Humboldt County: passage of health care reform in Congress. If it passes it promises insurance for those who don’t have it and possibly hundreds of dollars in savings each month for those who do. Over the past two weeks, you could find in […]