Letters to the Editor

The Last Straw

I love your newspaper and read it whenever I’m in Santa Barbara. I am fortunate to be able to split my time between homes in Seattle and Santa Barbara – two great but quite different cities. While reading the “Great Straw War” editorial, I was shocked to read SB City Councilmember Jason Dominguez’s quote: “Well you know, Randy, we have to regulate every aspect of people’s lives. Unfortunately, common sense is just not common. Right now, people are still driving SUVs instead of walking or riding their bikes. We’ll be working on that soon.”

Sadly, we have a similar-minded city council in Seattle that seems to have disdain for the very people they “serve.” I was so angry reading the quote that I took the time to email Mr. Dominguez. Having seen the reactions to friends with whom I shared the quote, I’m guessing many of your readers might be just as angry knowing this is how their “representatives” view them. Feel free to share this with your readers if you wish. Thanks – and keep up the great work.

Here is what I wrote:

“Jason, I split my time between homes in Seattle and Santa Barbara – and am an active Rotarian in both cities. I was pleased you attended SB Rotary’s centennial celebration – it is a great community-focused organization and has done a lot for the city over the past 100 years with more to come.

“But I’m writing because I was deeply disturbed by your recent quote at a City Council meeting. I have shared your quote with many friends here in Santa Barbara –and to a person, all have been shocked and appalled by your dim view of citizens. I get angry every single time I think about it.

“How dare you think you know more than the people you serve. This kind of elitism sadly runs rampant in politics here and around the world. Hillary Clinton said much the same – and that may well have cost her the election. That kind of thinking didn’t work too well in the USSR – and it won’t work well here.

“I trust the citizens of this country to know what’s best for them – even if I find myself in the minority. They sure as heck know better than a handful of politicians. 

“And unless you never drive a car and only walk/bike – I’m guessing hard working folks and moms/dads carting their kids to games and going to the grocery store won’t find it workable to do so on foot or a bike. (And I am a very active bike rider – but still use a car too).

“So, Jason, I think you owe Santa Barbara an apology – and might want to rethink your views about how to best be a public servant. 

“Just sayin’…”

Kirk P. Greene
Seattle, Washington
Montecito

(Editor’s note: We’re just thrilled that you 1) love our paper, and 2) took the time to respond to Bob Hazard’s Guest Editorial and then took the additional time to send us a copy of your correspondence. Thank you! – J.B.)

In Your Face

The “mainstream” media recently engaged in coverage of three separate stories that once again demonstrated why the America people just don’t trust them.

The first story: the attempted destruction of Covington High School students over false allegations of harassment of an elderly individual who purports to be a native American, and who also claims to be a Vietnam vet, now proven to be a lie.

The second story: the imploded BuzzFeed scoop that President Trump told former personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress.

The third story: an attempt by left-wing media to portray a 21-second clip from the Ben Shapiro show as a bizarre defense of Hitler.

All three stories were blatant politically driven lies.

Take, for example, the Covington High School story. At first blush, it would appear that some of the students had done something wrong. After all, would members of the “blue blooded” media, really have deliberately butchered a video so badly in order to completely lie about the story? Between Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to Newsbusters, CNN and MSNBC spent some 53 minutes and 20 seconds on the original, false narrative.

Then, when a full video appeared that not only exonerated the children, it actually cut directly against the prevailing narrative that the “Make America Great Again”-hatted children had surrounded the “Native American” (Nathan Phillips) after he defended a group of black activists from them. In fact it showed the black activists were members of the foul-mouthed thuggish cult Black Hebrew Israelites, who were spewing inflammatory, racial, and profane sexual slurs at the young white school kids. Phillips provocatively sauntered with his group into the center of them, antagonistically banging his drum in the face of one particular student with the obvious intent of eliciting an aggressive, response from the student.

After seeing the full video, most viewers would probably have responded to Phillips’s “in your face” behavior by flattening his face, and who would have blamed them? The students’ response however was one of well-mannered discipline as they calmly continued singing their high school chants and songs.

The lesson we can all take from this is, don’t trust the media’s immediate take on anything; view everything they put out with a jaundiced eye. And, count on their screw-ups to consistently reinforce a leftist narrative about American racism, white privilege, and Trumpist bigotry.

In immediate response to the original four-minute clip, have been nasty tweet after tweet from celebrities, liberal commentators calling for attacks and even the death of these teenagers. All decent Americans want something done to curb this type of biased reporting.
 I think it behooves all of us to support the legal efforts against this outrage whether we are Catholic or not, which I am not.

Larry Bond
Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: Having first seen only the four minutes of Nathan Phillips drumming and chanting into the face of the young Covington student, it seemed to me that it was Mr. Phillips who was in the wrong. Any experienced journalist and/or editor should have come to the same conclusion and, at the very least, would have tried to find out more of the story before commenting upon it. That nearly all didn’t, says much about the sorry state of the “news” industry. – J.B.)

Perplexed

I was perplexed by a recent letter to the editor (“Who Stole the Drinking Fountains?” MJ # 25/4) by someone (Jon Vreeland) who also writes a column in your paper.

Firstly, why was this letter so important for public reading?

Secondly, I could take Mr. Vreeland by the hand and backtrack all the fountains he missed.

Thirdly, I don’t believe that drinking fountains are turned off on weekends or on federal holidays.

The Editor’s note is incorrect: there is no need to build more; just look more intently. It was not a compelling case.

Thomas Carlisle
Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: Firstly, we believed his observations about drinking fountains was not important enough to warrant a column, hence its appearance as a “letter.” Secondly, my editor’s note originally stated: “You make a compelling case for more drinking fountains in the fair city of Santa Barbara. However, had you simply not gotten into your car to find water, you could have purchased a nice two-quart container of cool, clear, water for less than the price you paid to drive your car around in search of…” That statement, however, was edited to read differently. – J.B.)

Pledging Allegiance

Santa Barbara City College Board President Miller saying the Pledge of Allegiance is “steeped in expressions of nativism and white nationalism” left me speechless. I am 82 and have lived in six different states and several foreign countries and have, until now, never heard such an outlandish statement.

I always thought saying the pledge was an honor and a totally non-partisan expression. All Americans should be proud to pledge their allegiance to the United States of America, or remain silent while others express their right, since our country, although not perfect, allows us freedom of speech. Those individuals who tried to shout down Ms Barber saying the pledge during her allotted time on January 24 at City College should be ashamed. The freedom we enjoy is not free. It was obtained through the sacrifice of thousands of Americans who shed their blood. 

I pray the City College Board will, on February 14, approve a motion to permanently start any formal meeting open to the public with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Phil Conran
Santa Barbara

No More Drug War

I’m for ending the drug war. I believe it’s been as counterproductive as was Prohibition: more crime and ruined lives, not less. Substance abuse is a problem individuals and society must overcome, not the iron fist of the state. 

I don’t doubt cannabis has great medicinal properties, so should be legal along with any other drug, legal or otherwise. However, like alcohol and most any other mind-altering, recreational drug, cannabis can have very adverse side effects, not the least of which is addiction and/or dependence.

I believe it’s been scientifically proven that a certain percentage of consumers will fall into the “problem” category for each type of drug (or alcohol). Hopefully, if one chooses to partake, they will fall into the “no problem” category. However, if one falls into the problem category, damage to addicts and dependents and their contacts can be catastrophic. 

Abstinence is no doubt the best choice, but if one must partake, extreme caution and awareness must be exercised when using any drug or alcohol so that social and behavioral problems that might arise may be addressed immediately. Of course, that’s no fun, so one usually ends up wrecked someplace, but a “war on drugs” isn’t the answer.

Steve King
Carpinteria

(Editor’s note: Eventually, you’ll get what you are asking for. Now that cannabis has been “legalized,” other drugs will follow – J.B.)