Editor:
Reading Thadeus Greenson’s article about Travis Schneider in the North Coast Journal (“Coastal Commission Approves Land-back Agreement to Resolve Developer’s Permit Violations,” Feb. 12), my first thought was, “How arrogant of this Schneider character to think he could ever get away with so blatantly disregarding all the rules and regulations?” I mean, how could he ever think this would fly? But then I thought about how he grew up in Humboldt County at a time when the good ol’ boys ran this county and if you were a friend of theirs, you could do pretty much anything you wanted. The worst case was maybe you’d pay a small fine but no one was going to stop you and, if they try, one of your friends on the board of supervisors will smooth it all out for you. We have been living with a majority on the board of supervisors who won’t show that type of favoritism and expect that the laws apply equally to everyone. If you need a reminder of what it was like back in what folks like Rex Bohn would call the “good old days,” you need go no further than reading the recent telling of Rex’s berating our county staff on behalf of his friend for special favors regarding a permitting issue.
If you think we can’t go back, just remember that a decade ago we never would have believed the federal government would take away a woman’s right to choose, or that masked armed men with no identification could demand to “see your papers” if you have more than a dark tan.
Believe it, it could happen again here, too. Now, Rex Bohn is a good ol’ boy, both literally and figuratively, so it is critical that we keep him in the minority on the board of supervisors. Please, let’s not return to the old days!
Richard Salzman, Sunny Brae
This article appears in On the Matter of Censure.