Coastal Post Online
MARIN COUNTY'S NEWS
MONTHLY - FREE PRESS
(415)868-1600 -
(415)868-0502(fax) - P.O. Box 31, Bolinas, CA, 94924
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Letters To The Editor
It is my hope that California's Supreme Court justices will have the courage and foresight to uphold the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
America was founded on Christian principles. The Bible clearly and unequivocally condemns homosexual acts. Jesus himself confirmed marriage as being solely between a man and a woman (Matt 19: 4-6).
One does not need to be Christian, however, or to have any particular religion to recognize this. Marriage is an institution that predates civilization, ordained by God, and exclusive to one man and one woman who are given the responsibility to procreate the human race, and to nurture, educate, and pass on shared values and mores to their offspring. To redefine marriage to include same-sex couples is to strip marriage of an essential component, namely the ability and obligation to procreate. This would render marriage meaningless and open it up to endless revision and redefinition.
Marriage does not fall into the category of basic human rights because by its very nature, those who commit to it must be of different sexes as a fundamental prerequisite. As the basic expression of man's social nature, marriage can only be understood as the lawful union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.
Paul Kokoski.
Hamilton, Ontario. Canada
Why Do Republicans Want To Destroy Medicare
Breaking my kneecap ten days ago gave me time to reflect on the state of health care in America. Having Medicare is making the healing process a whole lot easier. Why do Republicans and those who have private insurance want to dismantle this valuable source of care in America? Millions of Americans depend on Medicare.
Politicians and members of the military already have what amounts to universal health insurance yet 35-40 million Americans are uninsured and millions more are an injury away from financial hardship. A
single-payer universal health care system would cover every American
with comprehensive affordable health benefits. A single-payer system is the only effective approach to reining in the insurance industry and solving the national health care crisis.
With health care costs escalating why is the GOP blocking universal health care?
Ron Lowe
Nevada City
People Should Not be Victimized By Their Elected Officials,
MMWD Directors did not act properly under Prop. 218 when it authorized mailing 60,000 letters to Marin Municipal Water District customers.
Result?
Ratepayers will gather 35,000 PROTEST CARDS to stop this latest in a series of Water Rate Increases, this one worth $4.5 million annually to MMWD.
Why?
$2.1 million of rate increase will be collected & and placed in a GASB required Retirement Trust account for unpaid post employee benefits.
The exterior envelope looks like "junk mail" because it has no clearly visible statement to disclose:
Important: Notice of Proposed Increase in Water Rates.
MMWD Board met at a Financial Retreat days after the March 4 Noticed Public Hearing. After a published article identified that 54% of the $4.5 million rate increase would pay for post-employee benefits, MMWD Board altered the reasons for Water Rate Increase. No Notice of a Public Hearing.
Ratepayers told MMWD Board their action was duplicity and discussion was a violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act (CA Government Code Section 54954.2(a).
One reason for Noticed Agenda of Public Hearings is to protect the public from abuses by the actions by elected officials. A Noticed Public Hearing was not required according to MMWD General Counsel Mary Casey.
Alterations under authority of the MMWD Board led to a critical result that violates ratepayer election noticing and restricts an opportunity to protest.
Proposition 218, The Right to Vote on Taxes, Fees, Assessments, Extractions, including User Fees (water) has been disabled by MMWD Board intervention.
THERE IS SOMETHING TERRIBLY DISHONEST WITH THE
ACTIONS OF THE MMWD BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
FYI: General Counsel Casey, who stomped the Brown Act, said that she did not believe there is anything in Prop. 218 that would prohibit the Board from adopting multi-year rate increases in the future, if MMWD justified the increase ahead of time which is mandatory. [Minutes, Mar 21, 2007]
MMWD qualified the "voting rules and rationale for the Rate Increase " after the PUBLIC HEARING.
Contact MMWD at 415-945-1400 and fid out the best way to make sure your Water Rate Increase PROTEST will valid and counted.
With great appreciation to the many volunteers and groups acting in concert to hold MMWD accountable to their customers.
Louise Mathews
San Anselmo
Not Cash Cows
We are made as hell and won't take this anymore. We are NOT cash cows for the world to milk. The very idea of sending anything to Hamas, hoping our American Wonderfulness will wow these blooy, American-hating terrorists is sheer stupidity.
What will the dispossessed of Galveston, Louisiana, the Carolinas, the flooded Midwest, and Arizona think when they see how our new administration is more of the same stale thinking.
There's no need for the US to bomb the Arabs invading Israel, Spain, and Europe. But there is absolutely no reason why we should send the Arabs our funds when our banks are bankrupt, people here are in need of aid, and New York World Trade Center is not rebuilt. We come first, and it's about time our politicians put the American People FIRST.
If the Israel Project thinks our money to these so-called 'Palestinians' should be monitored, they are way off base. We shouldn't give Hamas--that's who they voted for---so much as a penny.
Paul la Demain
Campbell
Why Rebuild Gaza
With so many people out of work in this country, why are we sending millions of dollars to 'rebuild' Gaza?
Have we forgotten that Gazans danced in the streets and handed out candy in celebration of 9/11 when thousands of innocent Americans were killed?
Does anyone doubt that the money will be used to buy more rockets and missiles? They will need to replenish their stocks, as over 3,000 were fired into Israel in 2008 alone.
If anyone believes that sending money to Gaza will buy good will or encourage them to be peaceful--I have a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you at a very low price.
Bob Prichard
Tiburon
Economic War and Economy Gardens?
Speaking recently, Billionaire Warren Buffett said we are in an "economic war" and that we must all get behind the president. He also said that inflation will increase as we tackle the problem.
This set me thinking.
During World War I and World War II, the U.S. government asked citizens to plant "Victory Gardens" in order to support the war effort. Millions of people responded. Americans planted over 20 million gardens and were able to provide their own fruits and vegetables. These gardens produced up to 40 percent of all the vegetables consumed nationally.
Now we are in an economic war, I propose that we all start planting "economy gardens," so that we can economize on fruits and vegetables, beat inflation, and become more self-sufficient.
Now, with spring almost here, is the time to start planting vegetables, fruit and herb gardens.
If you don't have a garden you can plant on the rooftops of apartments, or on a porch, patio, or balcony in planter boxes.
"Economy gardens" can provide you with fresher, more nutritious food for less money. You won't be paying the higher food prices that will result from inflation. Because much of the food we eat travels long distances to reach our supermarkets, as gasoline prices start to rise, so food prices will rise too.
In today's economic climate, we should do everything we can to save a penny for our government and us.
If in the fall you find you have too much broccoli or zucchini, share them with your neighbors. Give them away!
So many people today are feeling helpless about the recession and worrying about the future.
But planting an "economy garden" is something that almost all of us can do, and we can have fun with it as well. The whole family can take part.
It's a positive step. Let's start our "economy gardens" today.
Steve Mozena
Carson
Religion And Loyalty Of Fed Reserve Members Not Relevant
I want to commend Ed Miller for much of his article on the Federal Reserve, which appeared in the January issue of the Coastal Post. As usual Ed carefully researched his material, here about the origins and workings of private bankers' control of our public currency. But I have to strongly regret his remarks about the religion and loyalty of the members of the Fed's Board of Governors in the same article.
This is especially painful to me because I am a secular Jew, and Ed and I are friends of some 30 or 40 years. I know that Ed is not anti-Semitic and he did not mean to be in this article. He and I share the view that Israel has committed decades of outrages on the Palestinians, and I treasure him for saying so in a responsible way in the pages of the Coastal Post. However, in this article he is over the top.
It may well be that all five members of the Board of Governors are Jewish, but to format this fact in the manner that Ed does can only give offense. Their names are listed and after each, their religion "Jewish" is attached to them like a cattle brand to their haunch or a number on their arm.
Ed then goes on to say that their religion is important to note because many Jews have dual citizenship with Israel, and this raises questions about their loyalty to the US. Ed, old friend, you should know better. Your logic boggles the mind, making insinuations with absolutely no justification. You do not say whether these five members have dual citizenship; you obviously do not know, and even if they do, so what?
By such reasoning, all Jews in the US must be suspect. They should be put on a list and denied public office and positions in key professions. I'm sure that is not what you mean to say, but your words invite that reading. This is the worst kind of guilt by association-with what? A religion that must be held in high regard because of the centrality of its social justice teaching. It is the heart of that teaching to speak truth to power, as the ancient prophets (not fortune-tellers but spokesmen of God's law) upbraided the kings of Israel and Judah for their abuse of the poor and powerless.
Ed adds that in 1290 Jewish moneylenders were expelled from England and not allowed to return until the 17th century. He asks us "to think about it." What, Ed, are you thinking of?
Ed, I want you to continue to expose the terrible abuses that have been committed against the Palestinians both by the Israelis and their American abettors. But your credibility and the Palestinians' right to full viable statehood are undermined when you allow yourself such lapses and gratuitous offense to members of a religion I know you respect.
Alan Barnett
Mill Valley
Country First
It's interesting listening to Republicans openly talking about wanting Obama to fail in the middle of a national crisis. Odd, during the election the slogan was "Country First" rather than the Republican Party first. But that was their slogan during an election and the election is over.
I'm Marc Perkel - And I approved this message!
Marc Perkel
San Bruno
Re: Senator Leno audit of Marin Family Court
I am the person who brought Karen Winner to Marin to investigate the family court system. Her ground rules were simple - total objectivity. I agreed and helped cosponsor her report that speaks for itself.
I am the first person to speak out in print about the systemic abuse in my article published in The Coastal Post, March 1997. This inspired others to come forward, slowly at first - some attorneys, some behind the scenes, a few brave souls in the light of day, and a cascade of parents held hostage by a thoroughly corrupt and inhumane, greedy, power hungry cadre of sycophantic officers of the court feeding at the trough of judicial abuse, raking in multiples of tens of thousands of dollars -- a despicable display of avarice and abuse of power... with Dufficy at the helm.
I am the person who was extorted while my daughter grew up denied her caring and loving father victimized by trumped up, phony, fictitious charges never proven-rendered surreal by my attorney's comment - "We have more racy photos in our family album and so do all our friends."
I am the person who told the FBI, "Follow the money trail."
I encountered too many people driven into bankruptcy who lost their homes and businesses to pay court ordered fees or face prison. I met too many driven into the abyss of depression to never come back, some forced to leave Marin out of court induced shame and poverty.
Fast forward 20 years... Dufficy slide into the Civil Court under the cover of darkness, pulling strings back stage and the judicial abuses have continued unabated.
I ask you Marin County - what has changed two decades later? How many more children travel into their futures without a loving parent? How many more parents have been driven into unspeakable sorrow at the hands of the Marin County family court vampires?
I am the person Michael Buck Dufficy hates.
I ask you Marin County, when will you roar NO MORE!!! And finally do something about it?!
Yevrah Ornstein
New Zealand