Letters for February 4, 2016

‘Nix this … project’

Re “Row on the creek” (Newslines, by Howard Hardee, Jan. 28):

Stony Creek is a documented critical water recharge zone for the area surrounding Hamilton City, with flow as far south as Colusa. The site of the proposed KVB Inc. Waste Treatment Plant on Highway 32 and Stony Creek sits on a highly permeable 103-feet-deep gravel bed. Additionally, Stony Creek flows directly into the Sacramento River.

According the draft EIR for this project, the plant is to include an unlined stormwater collection basin to capture any stormwater run-off. This is just crazy. All the contaminates that come into the plant as part of the daily trash tonnage or any of the run-off from the processed digestate being stored on the surface would run into the unlined stormwater pond with potential disastrous consequences for contamination of our ground and river water.

The 2-mile area surrounding the site has 58 household wells. The Glenn County Board of Supervisors should nix this proposed project and locate a waste treatment plant in what is, according to the draft EIR, the “environmentally superior” site, which is the current Glenn County Landfill.

Pam Plemmons

Glenn County

Help shelter people

Re “Sanctuary in need” (Newslines, by Ernesto Rivera, Jan. 28):

The other evening, I logged on the Torres Community Shelter website and signed up to automatically donate $10 every month. The process took two minutes of my time! Ten dollars is about one visit to Starbucks and yet it will help keep open this community’s walk-in nighttime shelter for those with a housing crisis.

People Helping People is as easy as it gets when it comes to funding critical community services. Just go to chicoshelter.org/php/. They use PayPal, so you don’t even have to share your credit card information.

If even one of every 100 people reading this letter would sign up today to donate $10 a month, it would make a difference. The demand for emergency housing is not going to lessen, especially with the ongoing rain storms. Most of us have shelter. Please provide shelter for others.

Ronald Angle

Chico

Two views on Oscars

Re “So white, so wrong” (Editorial, Jan. 28):

It appears that we have worked ourselves into another racial tizzy, this time involving nominations for the Academy Awards.

I have a novel solution for this problem: Why not just put an end to all of these senseless and self-serving show biz awards shows, irrespective of the color or ethnicity of the nominees and the winners? One would think that endless publicity, a pair of Ferraris, a Manhattan condo and a beach-side palace in Malibu would be enough reward for any of the professional attention-seekers who populate these events, but apparently not. They also require regular trophies and pats on the back, while the rest of us work our way through life just fine with a modest paycheck and an occasional thank you.

Perhaps we could replace all the glitz and self-congratulatory hoopla with recognition ceremonies for those who quietly and humbly toil at the important task of holding the seams of civilization together; the single mom who gets five kids through high school, the service club member who takes a disadvantaged child fishing, or the couple I saw this weekend picking up trash along Cohasset Road.

Carl Ochsner

Chico

Since I’ve been in IATSE (the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), taught at the Art Institute, have two degrees in theater and film and have done hundreds of shows, I think I’m qualified to respond to the editorial about the “lack” of black nominees for the Academy Awards. The fact is, blacks have been nominated for Oscars a total of 133 times. The current president of the Academy is a black woman, Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

We’re just seeing “artistes” here whining and complaining as usual because they’re not getting attention: “Me, me, it’s all about me!” is the clarion call of show biz people.

If anyone has any right to complain, it’s myself. We have no copyright protection in this country (the FBI hasn’t been given a budget to go after script thieves and the Ninth Circuit Court hasn’t ruled in favor of ripped-off writers in 20 years) and I’ve had half a dozen scripts stolen from me and made into movies, two of which even won Oscars (see “Shakespeare in court,” May 23, 2002).

So, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, I’m the one complaining and my complaint about script theft is legitimate. What are you going to do about it?

Mike Peters

Chico

No pot, no tax revenue

Re “Hasty decisions” (Newslines, by Meredith J. Cooper, Jan. 28):

The benefits of medical marijuana, both medically for patients and financially for the state and local governments, should be fair across the board. In the case of Colorado, the state has shown benefits for the schools and government through taxation.

To be fair, the cities that choose to “ban” the sale and distribution of medical cannabis also should be restricted from access to the tax revenue benefits offered by the state coffers. The prohibition scare tactics by the opponents of legalization and fair use under the medical marijuana bill of rights should not be governed by individuals at the city government level, as this process has been hashed out at the state government level and fairly voted on by the people. It should not be overridden by certain individuals who may or may not have political aspirations influencing their decisions.

The overpolicing of the people will lead to a mistrust of police and government and deprives the people as a whole of their freedoms, further decaying the due process that protects our rights to self govern through established voting methods.

Tommy Tirey

Yankee Hill

More on Paradise shooting

Re “Death and justice” (Newslines, by Meredith J. Cooper, Dec. 24):

When Paradise Police Officer Patrick Feaster got out of his truck, he walked directly toward Andrew Thomas, who was hoisting himself out of the overturned vehicle. Thomas’ hands are in plain sight; he shows no weapon when Feaster assumes a firing position, briefly shifting his weight to his right leg behind him, and shoots his gun.

District Attorney Mike Ramsey said that Feaster then looked to the right, supposedly at the injured woman. What he was really looking for was his holster, which was riding far back on his hip. Then Feaster walks to the vehicle and looks right down into the truck through the window that Thomas had fallen through. If Feaster thought Thomas was dangerous, why would he stick his head right over the open window?

As the other officers arrived, it was like a scene from the Keystone Kops. It would be 11 minutes before Feaster admitted firing his gun. During this time, these officers, all trained first responders, were arguing with Thomas, telling him he hadn’t been shot.

Ramsey has embarrassed his office by not charging Feaster with at least first-degree manslaughter. I believe he should be recused from this case. Then perhaps fired.

Grace Califea

Magalia

‘Stop wasting money’

Re “About the boulevard” (Letters, by David Hurst, Jan. 28):

As a daily user of The Esplanade, I agree with Mr. Hurst. Why waste big bucks on improving one of the few streets that flow well in Chico? What they should do is put cameras—yes, more cameras—at the major intersections so everyone, and I mean everyone (buses, cops, taxis, me, you), might stop running the red lights. This is why it’s dangerous.

As for Chico High School (I have a freshman there), how about a real traffic cop for two hours a day? That would definitely would get people’s attention and keep them moving. Although I’m sure Chico PD would say it can’t spare one of our well-paid officers for our children’s safety.

Stop wasting money on things that work. Remember the City Plaza, anyone?

William Strom

Chico

Consider the cost

For anyone who may have missed the memo: Football causes permanent brain injuries to nearly every player. This is no longer disputed—it’s a fact (95.6 percent of deceased NFL players tested positive for chronic traumatic encephalopathy—CTE).

When we gather for Super Bowl 50, what are we doing? We’re watching a spectacle, involving the infliction of suffering. If someone said, “Hey, my favorite thing is to inflict suffering for my amusement,” we would no doubt think, “What a creep!” Is it any less creepy because it’s our national pastime?

Aside from the cost to players, who one might argue have “decided” to “voluntarily” incur permanent brain damage, what’s the cost to us? When we know something is wrong and we do it anyway, what does that do to our souls? Our integrity? The fabric of who we are?

Another way to think of the cost is to imagine who we would be as human beings if we stood up and said, “That’s a game I can no longer support. I can’t support it any more than bullfighting or any other spectacle that hurts animals or people.” Seems like we’d gain something worth more than a few hours of entertainment.

Patrick Newman

Chico

More words, less diction

It’s hilarious how Merriam-Webster added 1,700 words last year. One new entry is “net neutrality.” Another cutie is “emoji,” which is a small icon used in technology. The list is nauseating and senseless to memorize. It seems paradoxical how we invent thousands of words annually, yet many Americans have trimmed their diction to roughly 15 words and phrases. Mastering vocabulary is challenging but can be reduced to a simple formula. In alphabetical order, the words and phrases necessary to be an enlightened citizen are: absolutely, amazing, awesome, do you know what I mean? dude, epic, having said that, it is what it is, oh my god, random, selfie, and that’s what I’m talking about.

These above expressions are “meme,” which is now defined as “something spread within a culture,” and have effectively butchered the English language beyond recognition.

So now you’re fully capable of elucidating intellectually in contemporary English and perfectly suited for the ever-challenging global economy.

Omg! That was only 12 of 15!

The sounds uttered most frequently are me, myself and I. These three are foremost and clearly belong at the top of the list.

Kenneth Keith

Los Molinos

None of their business

I recently contacted my phone company about changing a service plan. “To better serve me,” the customer service representative said she had to ask a few questions. The first, what do I do for entertainment? I replied that I would not answer personal questions. Her second question was which television channel would be on if I turned on my set right now? I repeated that I would not be answering personal questions. Apparently, many people answer these type of questions.

This phone corporation or any corporation does not need personal information to be able to conduct business with me or you. They seem to think otherwise. Please stop giving this type of information out to these corporations so freely, my friends.

W. Jeff Straub

Chico

More on trees

Re “Let the planting being” (Greenways, by Ernesto Rivera, Jan. 28):

I’d like to piggyback on your article about planting trees in Chico (hurrah for the Chico Tree Advocates). An additional strategy is adopting a tree through your social network, discussed in a report about “The Top 10 Urban Innovations,” which all of us who care about our city should read. Read it here: www3.weforum.org/docs/Top_10_Emerging_Urban_Innovations_report_2010_20.10.pdf.

Gayle Kimball

Chico