Letters to the Valley Journal are the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect opinion of the Publisher. Although we welcome the opinions of all, it is the Valley Journal’s policy not to publish ad hominem attacks, and the newspaper reserves the right to edit for length and content.

 

 

Yes, horses are in heaven

The man that shared real heart, soul and love with me was my dad.  He told me, “Son when you pray, you have the right to go straight to God.” His name was Frank M. Ridgley. On a Friday he called and said he was going to die but he would be standing up and walk into heaven. Three days later on Monday at eight thirty a.m., he did just that.

Later my two sons and I were living on the Chumash Indian reservation. At three in the morning, I was awakened and my father came to see me for seven seconds. He said “Son, I came to tell you everything is real and beautiful,” then he went out the front window, put his arms around an old-fashioned palomino and in a flash he went  back to heaven. Yes, horses are in heaven.

Lawrence Ridgley

 

 

An accidental and unnecessary fire

A young man has accidentally started one of the largest fires in California history. Now he is being brought up on criminal charges and this is not a criminal offense. The fact that the fire lasted so long was caused by the vegetation that has never been properly cared for. There were two places in which the fire was able to be handled, and both had been previously burned.

As a member of the Santa Barbara County Range Improvement Association (S.B.C.R.I.A.), I can tell you that this large fire was unnecessary. Through the S.B.C.R.I.A., with cooperation from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the local ranches were once able to burn small amounts of vegetation to minimize larger fires. But due to certain groups, such as the Air Pollution Control Board, it is harder to do so. The truth be told, the smoke from a few small fires a year will dilute into the atmosphere much easier than what a large fire produces in a matter of weeks.

Some people worry about the animals in a large wildfire. In the case of the Zaca fire, the brush was so thick that no real food could grow for the animals to survive properly. As a fire moves out, animals will move back in and use the ashes as a natural insect repellent. When the rains come, new vegetation will grow and animals will flourish. Hopefully, with the removal of the brush, springs will naturally come back and rivers will soon flow again.

With the help of the Santa Barbara County Range Improvement Association and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, a fire such as the Zaca fire won’t happen again, and a young man won’t have to worry about what his future holds.

Billy King, President

Santa Barbara County Range Improvement Association (Est. 1946)

 

 

Open letter to Steve Pappas

You ask, “What do you think?” regarding a possible underground Santa Barbara County emergency operations center (EOC) at or near the contaminated Santa Ynez airport landfill. (VJ Op-Ed 10/26-11/2)

You oppose it, listing some of the same reasons I might use to support that location: EOC command staff -- the people who decide what to do in an emergency -- would be safely located 30 miles from Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, cities where, as you point out, 90 percent of the county population live who trigger the majority of the calls to EOC; the in-the-field operations staff would most likely remain in those cities and environs, to receive and respond to the directions from the central EOC command staff.

Additionally, you oppose the multi-million dollar EOC project that might be located underground in soil that has a documented history of contamination which the county has yet to address -- while I would speculate that the county may try to address that concern by contemplating removal of the contaminated soil while constructing the EOC underground facilities -- killing two birds with the same budgetary stone.

I share your concern that the lack of timely and comprehensive information from the county representatives makes it more difficult to see the complete picture. To me, the real question is: “Why do we need an underground EOC? What are the possible emergencies that could warrant the expense? Fire? Earthquake? Flood (collapsed levees)? Electric outage (grid failures)? Terrorism? Water wars (water shortages caused by a national drought with attendant rationing by the federal government)?”

Diane Willee

Los Olivos

 

 

Dear Nancy Crawford-Hall:

I am always pleasantly surprised at how in sync you are with this community.  You do a much better job of putting the balance and perspective on the things that most interest and frustrate those of us who love this valley.

For over a week, I have been mentally composing a letter to the Journal about my hair-raising experiences driving 154, only to find you nailed it in the Oct. 19 issue.  Thank you!  I, too, am always wondering, “Where is the CHP?”  When did traveling 10 to 20 mph over the speed limit become acceptable?  When did tailgating become legal?  Is defensive driving taught anymore?  The (tractor-trailer) drivers are equally guilty of this madness!  My once-pleasant drive on a very scenic highway has become as stressful as driving an L.A. freeway.

 Reading the Valley Journal and On the Ranch keeps reminding me how much I love this place and appreciate the efforts of the many wonderful people here who are striving to keep the essence and spirit of the Santa Ynez Valley alive.

 Thank you Nancy,

Susanne MacKenzie

 

 

Yo! Nancy Crawford-Hall

I hate to say this girl friend but you are from the dark ages. The days of tooling along out there at 55 miles an hour are over; the casual Sunday drive is history, the road less traveled is now a major freeway.

Granted, driving patterns and attitudes have changed radically here in the valley. Long time residents, of which you are one, surely know the whys and the how come; more people, same idyllic narrow county roads, no by-pass on the other side of the river, so many cell phones, so little time.

My first driver’s license, issued in 1945; next driver’s test, 2011. We can talk old, but don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve seen the changes. Four speeding tickets and sixty-two years of driving (under my seat belt), I’ve pretty much seen it all. I’d rather drive The Milwaukee Mile, doing so in the ’50s. ’Least everybody’s going in the same direction and you know who’s behind you.

The changes, I admit, took some getting used to, but adapting to any change was my responsibility and because I loved the sound of my own wheels, it was go with the flow, or park it.

The valley hasn’t been singled out just on purpose; rude, aggressive drivers are all the rage these days. Two or three more CHP officers, whatever the budget, they’re not the answer. Because there’s going to be more growth, more people, more traffic, more CHP, and then what do ya’ got? Gridlock! Unless of course the valley secedes from the State of California, or becomes one great big huge gated community, speed bumps et al.

And if the Governor shows up, find’s out for himself and waves his magic Gubernatorial wand and then whammo presto, he’s able to change people’s inconsiderate lousy driving habits, I’d say more power to him.

And by the way, in automobile-speak it’s “tooling along,” not “toodling.”

Ruth A. Raymond

Solvang