Letters for September 24, 2015

Support, not blame

Re “Key to solving homelessness in Chico?” (Streetalk, Sept. 17):

In response to the problem of homelessness in Chico, firefighter Jessica Ellis believes that we support homelessness “too much. They know they can get arrested or go to the hospital to get three meals, a place to sleep…”

Your fire department family, Jessica, is at high risk of mental illness and suicide. Estimates range from twice to 10 times higher than those in other jobs. At least 720 families are homeless due to the Lake County fires. If you think that mental illness means only psychosis, even psychosis strikes anyone at anytime.

There’s one solo factor common to all victims: being human. My siblings and I were raised by a respected lawyer and pharmacist. Our mother was stricken by cancer in her 40s. My brother was attacked by schizophrenia after watching her die. Mental illness sent him to the streets at night. Once, he was handcuffed and thrown into jail. This wasn’t rewarding for him; he died by suicide shortly thereafter. Please join us on Oct. 10 at City Plaza to prevent suicide and break the stigma surrounding mental illness. Let’s support, not blame or dismiss, each other. Education must start here and now.

Robyn Engel

Out of the Darkness chair, Chico

Speaking of homelessness

There were many, many homeless people who joined BEC’s Chico Community Cleanup crews on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Sandra O’Neill

Chico

On being fire safe

Re “Firestorm of confusion” (Greenways, by Virginia Arthur, Sept. 17):

Many residents in the wildland urban interface communities of Butte County are doing the right thing by balancing wildfire risks on their property with appropriate landscaping, defensible space clearance and attention to building construction.

These residents participate in the chipper program and are engaged in community fire safe councils to help encourage others to take these positive steps. There is hope that residents, native plants and wildfire can coexist. There are now five nationally recognized “Firewise” communities in Butte County: Forest Ranch, Forbestown, Merry Mountain, Berry Creek and Yankee Hill/Concow. These communities are undertaking a variety of programs and projects to improve collaboration between Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, other large landowners and residents.

The Butte County Fire Safe Council serves as a nonprofit grassroots community organization to assist in building resiliency to wildfire across the landscape. Residents can request a free home visit from the Fire Safe Council in which native plants, fire-wise landscaping, structure ignitability and evacuation preparedness are all discussed. We encourage residents to get involved on their own properties and in their communities. More can be found at www.thenet411.net.

Calli-Jane DeAnda

Paradise

‘Grow up, N&R!’

Re “So much for transparency” (Editorial, Sept. 17):

Give me a break. The progressive, liberal City Council spent Chico’s finances damn near into bankruptcy. You have the audacity to demand the transparency of this current council, when you failed miserably to identify those who ordered monies moved by the past city finance manager. You, the Chico News & Review, failed miserably to identify who recommended the finance manager be given a job in Temecula as their finance manager while leaving Chico in such disrepair from the same lady.

Your paper is only interested in ad revenues and not the truth. You tell young people how to think, but you never use your own brains to enhance the transparency owed to us by our elected officials. If it doesn’t fit your narrative. Hmmm.

Grow up, News & Review. Quit trying to posture yourselves as the only source of truth and guidance. Do what you’re best at; direct young people to spend their monies at the advertisers who support your paper. Then award them with toilet paper to wash it all down in the privacy of their home.

Rick Clements

Paradise

‘Only in America’

Re “Sharing a note of thanks” (Letters, by Bill Mash, Sept. 17):

Bill Mash should get his facts straight before bragging about helping the homeless. Only he would believe the kids he took in were “kicked to the curb.” They probably were runaways, because they did not want to follow rules of the home they got “kicked out of.”

Only in America will kids complain about the roof over their heads, being provided to them by tax-paying adults, because they don’t like the rules, don’t want to do their part to help with chores, or stay in school to better themselves, get jobs, etc. Because, in America, we can get a handout playing the “pity me” game.

Why not help them get jobs instead of backpacks and tarps?

Patricia Pierce

Chico

Where’s the compassion?

I run the Chico Cannabis Club. I see pain all the time in the members of the club. Every day I see people living who want to die. How a society cannot allow someone to stop the extreme pain they are in—and that is only going to get worse—is beyond me. Life is no life when you are in pain all the time. A debilitating disease faced by one of your family members can take its toll on everyone, not just the subject of pain. A healthy outlook for the nation is to stop the pain for everyone with dignity. Unless you like to see people suffer, this seems to be the most compassionate road for a civil society.

Joel Castle

Chico

Sphincter says what?

While most Americans are trying to dodge the BS Trump is spewing all over America, the tea party crazies, Republican women with no self-respect and hypocritical “evangelicals” seem to be ecstatically rolling around in it, like Trump is the savior of their perverse and ignorant thinking. Finally, someone to truly support the worst of America!

They like that he talks the common man’s language and is honest, but the truth is, he contradicts himself in the same sentence and has no respect for anyone. I love Hispanics! Ship them out of here! I love women and they love me! Bimbo, ugly, blood coming out of their wherevers! The only women who love Trump are brainwashed, blind women who have no class, no respect for themselves, are ignorant of the facts and like squinty-eyed, blubbery-faced men who hate them.

Jon Stewart summed it up perfectly when he said Trump represents the sphincters of America, and if Trump wins, Americans will have their first sphincter president. Even with political correctness blown out of America by The Blowhard, I will not use the actual word Jon used, but I am sure all will get the point. The scary thing is, who knew there were so many ignorant sphincters in America?

Pat Johnston

Red Bluff

No apologies

Having all the military power means never having to say “I’m sorry”—even to the millions of suffering men, women and children refugees from nations completely destroyed by U.S. say-so.

Linda Furr

Chico

Correction

In last week’s essay in Greenways (“Firestorm of confusion,” by Virginia Arthur), a sentence inserted by an editor about raking pine needles unintentionally misrepresented the author’s views. She advocates against bare soil surrounding structures. This sentence has been deleted from the online version of the story. —ed.