Comment Archives: stories: News & Features: News
Re: “Bird Call”
The people who care need to coordinate with a bunch of friends with the right equipment and implements and cut the damn netting down yourselves. Do it at night if you have to. It should be obvious by now that these government idiots aren't going to do anything. Why are you surprised - it's what they do best.
You better get out there and help those birds or there will be thousands of dead ones in that netting. GET RID OF IT AND DO IT YOURSELf.
And if you are asked about it, respond like the governent agencies do: deny, deny deny.
Re: “Bird Call”
“When the Swallows Come Back to Petaluma”
sung to the tune of “When the swallows Come Back to Capistrano”
When the swallows come back to Petaluma
That’s the time you need to to take down all those nets
When you look at the bridge in Petaluma
You will see poor little birds killed in the nets
All the people on the ground are calling all around
The cruelty it astounds even hearts made of lead.
When the swallows come back to Petaluma
That’s the time you need to to take down all those nets
If you care about birds in Petaluma
Please sign on, raise your voice, save the birds.
Re: “Bird Call”
Meant the petition to remove the nets. It is located on the NSCC website (native songbird care & conservation).
Broderick
Re: “Bird Call”
I have pledged $100 to NSCC to help Bowers her staff and her mission. I have signed the petition to remove the nets on the NSCC website. I have shared this horrible problem with over a hundred conservationists....If you can please help. Please sign the petition, please spread the word....
Thank-you.
Broderick
West County Hawk Watch.
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
I was wondering if the Family would be intrested in sharing this story on my TV Show I would be intrested in having Annette Keys share this story. My TV Shows deals with State Mental Hospitals and families and friends mentally ill. I sent a message to the editor to ask to foward my message to Herczog family. My site is waynemorinjr.com
Thank You
Prayers
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
What a shock to read about Mark's murder. He was a really fine person: intelligent, kind, thoughtful. My heart goes out to the family; they are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope the justice system will listen to their plea for compassion and mercy for the mentally ill son.
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
My hopes and prayers surround this entire family and all who are seeking the truth and its relevance to Houston and his care beyond this sad moment. I, too, wake up everyday to a tragic nightmare that began over 7 years ago with psychosis and the killing of 2 of our 5 children by their medication induced psychotic father and my husband, David Crespi. I believe that we all need to seek the full truth and surround the details with diligent attention for understanding to facilitate meaningful action and healing beyond the horror. See CrespiFamilyHope for details and possible understanding. I completely support understanding and mercy for Houston.
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
What a sad story. My sympathy to the family. I remember Mark, Annette, and Marilyn from the mid-1980s in San Francisco. May God have mercy.
Verna Shaheen
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
Absolutely agrees with the thrust of this article.After knowing known Mark personally, and having a nephew who suffers from this disease, I believe that a delicate balance between mercy, wisdom and keen judgement desperately needs to be exercised. Mark was a deeply caring individual, and probably would be the first to testify on Houston's behalf.
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
For those complaining about the article writer: What do you expect? Remember who wrote it, and then remember Mark for who he was. Mark Herczog was one of the few who were inspiration to me when we met early in 1992. He was a role model who I aspired to be like one day. He encouraged me in so many ways, to pray, to be persistent and to talk when I needed to. I loved that man and was always grateful when he walked into a room. Save me a seat, Mark! Until we meet again...
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
I'm rather disappointed by the way this article was presented. For the sake of this poor family, there was absolutely no need to be so graphic. You caused the family more pain (as I see from their post) and you've also contributed further to terrible stigmas and discrimination against mentally ill. That's exactly why the family couldn't get the help they needed- fear of the police hurting their son because it's obvious there's discrimination and lack of awareness regarding mentally ill people. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill states that 1 in 4 people suffer from some sort of mentally illness during their lives. Statistical research also shows that only 4 percent of violent crimes are committed by people with mental illness - most of the time they hurt themselves instead and are vulnerable to being abused while in hospitals or during incarceration. Sadly, there are cases where some didn't get the help they needed and tragedy against others struck. It's clear you were trying to point out the issue about the fear of the police, which is very important, but please be mindful not to contribute to the problem by presenting such an unbalanced picture and focusing on violence. The entire community of people living with mental illness are afraid of the police, mental health system, justice system, and media because in today's political state it's feels like a witch hunt against them. What can we do to join together as a community to provide compassionate help for those who need it, prevent tragedies against themselves or potentially others, and change some of the areas of social bias and discrimination so people seek treatment and have a chance to live in harmony with others? All kinds of people hurt other people, and drugs and alcohol use are the highest link to violent crime. If our country just took a more proactive stance on treatment for drugs/alcohol and mental health, we would have a much happier society in general.
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
Striking the windshield with your head does not cause schizophrenia...The head usually acquires frontal lobe injuries with impact. Affecting the executive order..Not cognitive (memory) Rear of skull left and right sides, but executive order creating recognition of police, right from wrong, authority, nobodies vs. great people...All of it is the same with executive order frontal lobe head injuries...Just people not junkies and pastors or police and fireman just people....This may have happened to him...The long hair has me thinking another game of poison taking, M.D.M.A (molly) .....I'm sorry....And psychosis from "molly."
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
From NAMI's website:
In 1992, NAMI and Public Citizen’s Health Research Group released a report, entitled Criminalizing the Seriously Mentally Ill: The Abuse of Jails as Mental Hospitals, which revealed alarmingly high numbers of people with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other severe mental illnesses incarcerated in jails across the country. A report issued by the United States Department of Justice in 1999 revealed that 16 percent of all inmates in state and federal jails and prisons have schizophrenia, manic depressive illness (bipolar disorder), major depression, or another severe mental illness. In the years following these reports, the situation has not improved. This means that on any given day, there are roughly 283,000 persons with severe mental illnesses incarcerated in federal and state jails and prisons. In contrast, there are approximately 70,000 persons with severe mental illnesses in public psychiatric hospitals, and 30 percent of them are forensic patients. NAMI’s position is for treatment, not punishment.
My thoughts and prayers are with all affected by this tragedy, including Mark, his family, friends, acquaintances and our whole community.
Re: “Radio Days”
Radio will be here forever, and it should have local stations. One should be able to choose what to listen to and what stations to support. Now that we have satallite radio, and cable, we need local stations more than ever..
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
I am praying for the whole Herczog family. Houston should not be added to that statistic of 400,000 mentally ill in prison. In a hospital, Houston can teach doctors more about his disease so this doesn't happen to another family. I am holding the right thought that he will not be sentenced to prison. I am beyond sad for this whole family. Sending so much love to you all.
Re: “A Picture of Tragedy”
Please, Sonoma, Marin and Napa counties - pray for us. Before this happened, we were like any other family. Too bad this reporter had to go into the horribly gruesome details of my brother's death. These are the things we've tried for 18 months to put out of our head. That's what has made this all such a tragic nightmare - and I mean nightmare - one that never seems to end. Mark was so beloved to us. If for a minute we believed that Houston was not mentally ill, we would quietly sit by and let justice take it's course. But this is not justice. Civilized societies treat their sick, they do not punish them. One thing Rachel didn't mention was that WE HAVE A COUSIN WHO WAS SCHIZOPHRENIC. You can read more about her, their family's story along with ours, and what's happening with the mentally ill in the country and in Sonoma County in the upcoming issue of Mother Jones Magazine, online on April 17th. Justice is supposed to be tempered with mercy. I hope we see some of it soon. Thank you all for your prayers for resolution and one day, healing.
Re: “No Laffing Matter”
Sounds like Marin County!
Re: “No Laffing Matter”
Similar story: Martin"s Beach, lower San Mateo County Coast. Nice Beach, no access.
This Week's Issue
Re: “The Final Four”
I like this article and I love the fact that the Bohemian is investigating something so important to all of us, but I'd love it EVEN MORE if your reporter looked into the labor practices of each company. You can't be a GREEN ENERGY provider if you don't pay workers decent wages and benefits and give them a voice at work (especially in jobs like this where public safety is at risk- do you want a worker to have to choose between speaking up about shoddy safety standards or losing his or her job?) Workers rights standards should be a part of any criteria in picking a "Green Energy Partner"