A bag is not a toy Warning: Plastic bags placed over the head will result in death. In 1968 I was standing on the balcony of the Student Union building at Berkeley with a beautiful young man who was home on leave and about to do his second tour of Vietnam. It was one of…
A blight of Measure F falsehoods from a league of extraordinary misleaders
“There is not enough room on this page to address the numerous misleading statements and untruths contained in the argument against Measure F. We are saddened the author has not taken time to learn extremely important facts before taking such a negative position on something as important as the safety of our community.”
Mad River Union Editorial: Never stop asking serious questions, or calling out pretend ones
Abusing the inquiry process by framing arguments as questions for the purpose of sowing fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) has to be called out for the contemptible tactic it is.
Despite climate emergency, Arcata still invests in destructive industries
Note: On Sept. 3, the Union, other media outlets and the two incumbent City Council candidates received a letter from former City Councilmember Jason Kirkpatrick. The letter posed a question about city investment policy, which was answered by one of the incumbents. To give all the council aspirants a fair shot, we forwarded it to…
Sean Campbell: Addressing confusion and mistaken assumptions about Measure F
Are you willing to risk your family, property, neighbor, or community for 26 cents a day? I would hope not. I ask that you support AFD and the dedicated firefighters who serve this organization with your YES vote in November.
Paul Nicholson: A real-life firefighting experience
As he sprayed water on the upper and lower deck and the three-story wood shake building, a hanging bicycle was stopping him from being effective with the water. I told him to turn off the hose and I would knock the bike down. He agreed, I ran in, knocked the bicycle off the hook from the upper deck and returned to hide behind him.
Letters to the Editor, September 9, 2020: Basic responsibilities of citizenship that benefit everyone
The census is crucial – please participate Besides the presidential election and COVID-19, 2020 is also the 10-year point when our entire nation takes the Census. Since 1789, the U.S. Constitution has required “enumeration” to determine our representation in Congress. Undercounts especially hurt rural areas. The Census is how we tell Washington how to allocate…
An alarming claim, oft repeated, can take hold… but facts are stubborn things
Arsenic facts and fiction I was somehow prescient in my prior letter to the Union editor, communicating some facts about the City of Arcata adding arsenic to our drinking water, when I suggested “Both sides of the fluoride debate can now wave their arms and raise their respective hullabaloo.” And then there was the Union’s…
Letters to the Editor, September 2, 2020: Just this once, let’s make an exception and listen to reason
Will the 2020 City Council candidates continue the neglect of Valley West? I have enjoyed reading the biographies of the many candidates running for the three available seats on the Arcata City Council, and I look forward to those that remain. Many have said that this is a time for change in Arcata, and I…
Letters to the Editor, August 26, 2020
Just say no to the fantasy factories I am responding to two letters in the Aug. 19 edition of the Mad River Union. The first is “Needless harassment” by Trish “The Dish” Riel. At one level, I understand her frustration with getting a traffic citation from an APD officer for a seemingly innocuous offense rather than…