.Letters to the Editor: May 10, 2017

Stuff that'll make you mad, stuff that'll make you sad

Let It Rest

Little is as Machiavellian as scoring political points off the tragic, legally justifiable shooting death of a teenager by a deputy doing his duty. Other than Andy Lopez’s family, no one grieves him more than Sgt. Erick Gelhaus (“Over a Barrel,” May 3).

Sgt. Gelhaus saved lives. A less skilled marksman shooting eight bullets would have sprayed them into the other children. Apparently armed with an automatic weapon bearing on two peace officers, Andy was hit seven times. Given the inhuman stress, that kind of weapon control is rarely seen even among weapons experts.

Time should have been put into teaching Andy how to properly handle a gun, i.e., never point it at anyone; always carry it encased when not in use; guns are not toys; gun ownership has very strict, highly enforced rules; and guns require absolute responsibility. At least as much time as put into designing the caps and T-shirts “memorializing” Andy’s life.

Let Andy and his family, Sgt. Gelhaus and his family, and the community rest. Work on the real problems in our criminal justice system and society.

Too many cunning, duplicitous, bad faith points have already been scored by people who don’t really care about Andy’s, Sgt. Gelhaus’ or your life.

Guerneville

Mother’s Milk

Last week, the Washington Post published a major exposé of the U.S. dairy industry, concluding that mega-dairies scam consumers into paying extra for “organic” milk that isn’t. The timing, a few days before Mother’s Day, could not be more appropriate. Dairy cows, worldwide symbols of motherhood, never get to see or nurture their babies.

The newborn calves are torn from their mothers at birth and turned into veal cutlets, so the dairy industry can sell their milk. The distraught mothers bellow for days, hoping in vain for their babies’ return. Instead, they are chained on a concrete warehouse floor, milked by machines, then impregnated artificially to renew the pregnancy and keep the milk flowing. When their production drops, around four years of age, they are ground into hamburgers.

This Mother’s Day, let’s all honor motherhood and our natural compassion for animals by rejecting the dairy industry’s cruelty. Let’s replace cow’s milk and its products, laden with cholesterol, saturated fats, hormones, and antibiotics. Let’s choose delicious, healthful, cruelty-free, plant-based milk, cheese and ice cream products offered at our grocery store.

Santa Rosa

Bud System

It seems to me that there is already more than enough wine industry. (“Branded Buds,” May 3). I’d like to see more food crops and, not just cannabis, but also other healing herbs and plants. Sonoma County could lead the nation in diversity, filling all the needs of a healthy population. And why not make it all organic while we’re at it?

Via online

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