Letters for July 10, 2003

Maybe next year
In 59 words, I’d like to state how screwed up the judges were on selecting the first-place entry for the Fiction 59 contest. Some of the “best of the rest” were clearly better than the best. To be selected, like a good old country song, just include drinking, a few cuss words and puke. Those seem to win.

H.R. “Bud” DeVasher
Chico

Left with a pinch of Right
References have been made recently regarding the Yahoo discussion group Chico Left (CL). I have been a member of CL since it was started by Tim Bousquet around two years ago. CL is listed as a political discussion group, but the subjects that are touched upon vary widely. These exchanges of information and ideas range in intensity, are sometimes humorous and frequently mundane. Some topics of late have included the Davis recall, freedom of speech and forestry practices.

CL is an open discussion group, so anyone can join in. It’s true we do count as members some of the who’s who of local progressives, but we encourage views from across the political spectrum. For example, Rick Keene’s chief of staff, Cliff Wagner, has posted his opinions on numerous occasions.

Check out Chico Left. It isn’t a commie plot or smutty chat room. It’s a public forum for the civil exchange of information and ideas. What could be more American than that?

Dan Carter
Chico

Chief critic
Your cover story [“True Blue,” June 26] sounded more like an “Ode to Hagerty” in free verse—apparently, this guy has no flaws whatsoever. Your fawning portrayal of the new chief no doubt has not left a dry eye in the city limits of Chico, except for mine. If the story was supposed to pluck your heartstrings, mine remained unplucked.

That could have something to do with the fact that I was living in Los Angeles during the riots in South Central. The dismaying and brutal actions of the police during this time only exacerbated the volatile situation and made things a hundred times worse than they should have been.

Hagerty was, by his own admission, commander of the 77th Precinct, known to practically everyone in L.A. as the most corrupt, mismanaged and outright criminal precinct in L.A., maybe except for Ramparts. Anyone doubting this can look on the L.A. Times Web site for confirmation.

Geraldo Rivera is not widely respected in the area of news reporting, yet he was the only reporter with the guts to report the truth about the 77th Precinct during the ‘90s on a television special of some four or five years ago.

The last thing Chico needs is a ham-handed, L.A. style of police administration for a relatively crime-free community. A little-known fact that escapes the notice of most slow moving Americans is that the police cause 10 times as much crime as they prevent. How? By supporting the enforcement of unjust and crooked “laws” and extracting money penalties at the point of a gun.

“Democracy and dependence on the military and the police are not compatible,” said Gandhi.

Lastly, in a two-horse, provincial town like Chico, I believe two stars for the chief would be more appropriate and much less ostentatious than eight stars, which in the army represents the commander of a couple hundred thousand slaves, instead of ninety.

Al Marteen
Chico

Bush vs. trees
The Bush administration is launching a proposal to more than double logging levels in the national forests of the Sierra Nevada by significantly revising the Sierra Nevada Framework, a 2001 management plan for these forests. These rollbacks spell disaster for imperiled forest species and will also harm tourist revenues for our local economies and cause further erosion into our local waterways.

In addition, they will distract the Forest Service away from the important task of reducing hazardous fuels in the zone close to our communities, instead spending time changing the rules so the timber industry log bigger trees in the backcountry.

The Forest Service just opened a 90-day public comment period on these proposed rollbacks. Now is the time for our Sierra communities to rally in support of keeping current protections for our national forests. To submit comments, please write to: U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Jack Blackwell, 1323 Club Drive Vallejo, CA 94592

Annie Sherman
Commissioner of Environmental Affairs
Associated Students
Chico State University

Evolution revulsion
My first warning that something off center was taking place was a large banner hanging over the north end of Main Street leading to The Esplanade. It read, “Evolution 2003.” I thought, “Oh brother!” because of my experiences with people who willfully disregard or ignore the truth that is surrounding them, is found in history or upon even hearing commentary of a religious note from perhaps someone like myself, who is not religious, per se, but is biblically based.

I had the chance to speak to several “members” attending this “evolution” conference. At first conversation seemed to flow, until I was asked what I studied.

When the member with whom I was talking learned that I was a Christian involved with the sciences, the talk stalled, turned argumentative and cold, then quiet. Funny, it seemed the members only wanted to hear from those who agreed with them and no one else. That ended it!

Kenneth Van Derslyus
Chico State student and member of F.O.C.U.S

War questions
Please forgive us masses who dare speak or question the highness and anointed one, but the war is not over, even though you say it is. There are no WMD yet. There may be, when the CIA gets better embedded. We are less prepared for an attack, but you have created more enemies when you invaded, terrorized and took over two countries. Our freedoms and civil rights have been compromised by the Homeland Security Act. Forests are being swindled like oil and weapons by the “Healthy Forests Initiative.”

It is the same Republican bankroll that overthrew the “free” presidential election and installed the present regime that is being used to remove Gov. Davis. Is this money from father 1980’s Iran-Contra/savings and loan scandals or grandfather’s profits from the 1940s, when he sold weapons to Adolph Hitler? I don’t believe we should attack or defend Liberia.

Scott Love
Chico