Red Smith, the famous New York sports columnist, described the directions to the historic Saratoga Race Course in upper state New York this way: “Take the 87 north from New York City, drive past Albany, turn right on Union Avenue, and go back 100 years.” The Humboldt County Fairgrounds in Ferndale may not have the […]
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Posted inLetters + Opinion
Disquiet on the Mobile Home Front
Humboldt County heard from four of its five supervisors in reaction to the request that the issue of a mobile home park lot fee stabilization ordinance be placed on the Board of Supervisors’ agenda (see “Mobile Home Owners Rally over Rent,” Aug. 6). Third District Supervisor Mark Lovelace has said he would like to help […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Cannabis Crossroads
We are at a crossroads in Humboldt County. We can either build on our rare good fortune of living in a place where wild ecosystems still account for most of the land, or we can continue down the well-worn path of developing and fragmenting the remaining unprotected lands. The proposed ordinance put forward by California […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Left With Nothing
Let us have a viable Humboldt County economy. The average 2,300 square foot cannabis garden, suggested by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, is only viable now because prices have not yet bottomed out and no one is paying half their income in administrative and tax expenses. The following facts, figures and estimates faced […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Growing Greed
Greed is dangerous: Don’t turn your back on it. As the environmentalist who incorporated the Environmental Protection Information Center, I also have worked for years, largely through the Humboldt/Mendocino Marijuana Advocacy Project (HUMMAP), in the effort to secure an economic future for our county that is not boom-and-bust. The following generally represents HUMMAP’s views. Our […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Homicide by Police
Several cases involving police use of deadly force have received widespread scrutiny during the last year: the July 17 strangling death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York; the Aug. 9 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; the April 4 shooting in the back of Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina; and […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Bomb Throwers and Bridge Builders
Toward the end of his recent State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama grew reflective about the disillusionment with national politics which permeates Washington as well as the country. He observed in plaintive tones, speaking from the well of the House, “There are a lot of good people here, on both sides of the […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
‘Are You OK?’
Two weeks ago the Journal published an op-ed I wrote about the rape and exploitation of women in our local weed industry. It got a very interesting response. A friend from my hometown emailed to ask if I was writing about a community member accused of rape. Another friend who works in the industry texted […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Why Journalists Often Get It Wrong
“[The journalist] ought therefore to consider himself as subject at least to the first law of history, the obligation to tell the truth.” Samuel Johnson, Of the Duty of a Journalist, 1758 The 18th century literary genius Samuel Johnson won lasting fame for compiling the first historical dictionary of the English language. But for much […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
A False Sense of Reform
As a scholar of voting rights and constitutional law, I’m opposed to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors’ proposed campaign finance reform ordinance that would restrict individual campaign donations to $1,500 for county offices. I generally support campaign finance reforms because most contemporary campaign funding undermines the very purpose of elections. However, these reforms must […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
The Numbers Game in America’s Education Casino
The axis on which U.S. higher education turns is enrollment growth. It is a numbers game akin to Wall Street’s casino. Hence the statistic in the North Coast Journal‘s “Ground Breaker” cover story last week, “Enrollment went up 78 percent.” If you are a university president and you miss your enrollment targets, the chancellor will […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
The Insurance Leech
I am a local physician who has lived through some of the scenarios you describe in your article about Anthem Blue Cross and the roll out of Covered California (“Bait and Switch,” June 12), and it has been a nightmare. About half our patients have various types of insurance, so our office accepts nine different […]