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is the SYV Journal’s policy not to publish personal attacks, and reserves the
right to edit for length and content).
Dear Editor,
President
Bush, along with Harris Sherline, supports the troops by sending them into the
crossfire of a civil war, and sending them back again for second, third and
fourth tours. Neither the President nor Sherline has a plan for victory,
and no one can describe what victory in this abominable and mismanaged war
would look like. Bush’s strategy is now strictly political—to pass the
war on to his successor in 2009, and to preserve what little is left of his
presidential reputation.
Democrats in
the Senate supported the troops in recent weeks by voting to give them as much
time at home as in Iraq. But Republicans in the Senate nullified that
position by threatening a filibuster, despite a majority vote for it, and in
defiance of the will of a vast majority of the American people.
The headline
on the Sherline article: “Democrats Do Not Really Support the Troops” is simply
false. One can support the troops while opposing the war, a fact that
appears to escape Sherline and the Valley Journal.
Sincerely,
John A. Schnittker
Santa Ynez
Dear Editor,
Thousands
have sojourned to our beloved Solvang for holidays and/or quick reprieves from
overwhelming suburban existences only to return permanently for a better way of
life. Sacrifices were made, job securities forfeited, homes downscaled -- but
the general consensus was that it was worth leaving the hustle and bustle of
major metropolitan areas for a better life style more conducive to raising
families and living stress free lives.
Last Thursday
at 4:30 p.m., while painting a upstairs bathroom in my home on Alisal Road, I
heard a loud ruckus downstairs. When I went to see what was happening, I found
two large German shepherd dogs searching the entire downstairs area. After
seeing me, both dogs became aggressive, snarling and holding me at bay for what
seemed a lifetime.
I’ve raised a
German shepherd myself, and I am not particularly afraid of large dogs. But I
felt that I was in real danger of being severely maimed or possibly killed, so
after five minutes of sparring back and forth with these dogs -- and steadily
losing ground -- I slowly turned around and walked into the living room. Both
dogs pursued, snarling and coming dangerously close. I knew I was going to be
bit when, suddenly, they did an about face and quickly ran out of the house. At
the time I did not know where the dogs came from or who owned them, and it
appeared to me that someone had either called them (which I did not hear) or
blew a dog whistle, one of those things that only a dog can hear.
Now that my
rage of last Thursday has somewhat subsided and I am reasonably calm, I can’t
help but think what would have been the outcome if two small nephews or nieces
had been playing on my living room floor when the dogs entered my home. One
thing I know about larger dogs is they innately do not like small dogs or small
children, whom they view as prey. Sixty years ago or so, Jack Ross, the local
sheriff, would have picked up the dogs, taken them behind the barn after a cup
of coffee with the owners, and the incident would have been closed. I am also
pondering the question of why someone might need these kinds of animals in our
small town.
I’m one of
the lucky few who have lived here since birth, giving me a good perspective
from which to compare where we have been and where we are heading, and I am not
really optimistic about Solvang remaining a quiet, little community where
children can play and be raised out of harm’s way, where neighbors wish each
other good morning, and where vicious dogs don‘t roam unsupervised. My fervent
hope is that I am wrong, but I feel that this incident is just another
barometer of where we are heading.
Richard I. Jensen
Solvang
Dear Editor
I have been
mad all week after reading the commentary by Steve Pappas. No wonder this county
is in such a mess!! Given the message from the desk of Mike Brown,
it is makes one wonder how much influence Casino money can buy!.
When
last I looked, there was NO race track in Santa Barbara County, and the two
off-track betting sites could not hold anywhere near the amount of folks who
visit the casino on an off day. To try to distract attention from
the casino by attacking thoroughbred breeders is just more than dumb. Hand
picking statistics on racing to make a point is less than honest and proves
nothing. To try and place any sort of blame on breeders of these wonderful
horses is just plain uninformed. Of course, he does not mention the current use
of synthetic surfaces that have already dramatically reduced all manner of
injuries to horses on the track. Perhaps there should be no sports at all,
since people are killed, paralyzed and suffer broken bones playing football,
baseball etc. Look at all the current scandals in those sports, what with
crooked referees and fixed games -- all influenced by gambling. Perhaps Mr. Brown would like all that stopped
as well.
Do you
see any vans or buses traversing our highways picking up folks to go to the
horse races anywhere? I don’t either. I sure do know that the casino has van
service between their Solvang Hotel and the casino; it runs about every 15
minutes to half hour. They send buses all over the county and out of the
county, giving free round trips to come and gamble. These run many times
per day, seven days a week. The Chumash even bought the gas station where
they fill up their vehicles, so now they can use the gas at their cost.
Mr.
Brown tries to make it sound as if all the difficulties folks find themselves
in, financially, are due to race track betting and not losing it at the
Chumash Casino, when nothing could be further from the truth. The
place is full of gamblers all the time -- from high rollers to the 1-cent
players, and whether they can afford to loose what they spend has never been
investigated. I assume Mr. Brown cares not a whit for these folks who
live and pay taxes right here in the Santa Ynez Valley.
I
believe the board of supervisors needs to take a close look at Mr. Brown and
perhaps find a replacement who is willing to address the problems of
greatly increased crime and traffic that we face daily due
to this expanded gambling facility.
Signed,
Mad in Santa Ynez
Dear Editor,
The
negative reaction to the renaming of Highway 154 is bordering on the
ridiculous. It has been asked why this highway wasn’t named
for the Chumash 15 or 20 years ago.
I wonder why it hasn’t always been called the Chumash
Highway? For that is what it truly has always been. Before my
European great-grandparents came to this country, before the Pony Express
delivered the mail, before the vineyards, yes, even before the casino, it was a
Chumash trail. How wonderful that alongside markers showing the Pony
Express route, our earliest residents now have a
road sign to commemorate them. Not just the Chumash who live here in the
valley, but all Chumash who have ever lived.
I, too,
would love to see Highway 246 named to honor Jake Copass. So
initiate a resolution to make that happen! The Jake I knew would
most certainly be honored to share the county roads with his Native American
friends. And I would imagine that our Chumash neighbors would support
such an idea as well.
Claudia Cable
Santa Ynez
Editor’s Note: The route
of the Pony Express, a fast mail service that operated from April 1860 to
October 1861, was from St. Joseph, Mo., to San Francisco. It did not pass
through Santa Barbara County.