Letters to the Editor

Tennessee’s loss is Springs’ gain
Editor: Sitting in the auto repair shop and reading everything at hand, I read Lisa Murray’s Springs column in the March 15 Sun. I have never written a letter to a newspaper before but did want Murray to know how much I appreciated and understand the sentiments she expressed in her article. I felt it was beautifully written and shared it with others. While I am not a longtime resident (been here 25 years – but others have been here so much longer …), I can appreciate and understand Murray’s sentiments as she expressed them. All I can say is, “Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here!”
Loretta Hibbard

Liked Peace Dept. article
Editor: I must take the time to write and share with you how grateful I am for the spirit with which Joan Huguenard wrote about the possibility for a U.S. Cabinet-level Department of Peace. One never knows how what one says during an interview will get interpreted. I applaud Joan for the genuineness of her article. Her accuracy and care of the subject matter brought tears to my eyes and opened my heart even more.
Melissa S. Mulcahy

Thanks for Metzger column
Editor: Just a note of thanks to “just joan” Hugenard for her fine and informative article on Jim Metzger’s 100th birthday, celebrated, this time, by his admiring fellow Sons-In-Retirement at a luncheon held at the Moose Lodge on April 5.
We are indeed grateful to Joan for her welcomed attendance and rendition of a witty account of the festivities, which included a humorous monologue and a commemorative “scroll” presentation by member Vince Chirles to this esteemed centenarian. Our sincerest appreciation to Joan.
Jim Hill (Big Sir)
Sons-in-Retirement
Branch 41

Goya story, exhibition great
Editor: Enjoyed the cover story on Goya in the April 12 Sun. Informational and well-written. Went to the opening and Sunday lecture. Great exhibition, beautifully hung and quite a coup for little Sonoma Valley Museum of Art to have gotten this exhibition.
Thanks for the coverage. Hope all Sonomans stop in and see it.
Mirja Muncy

World diminished by Vonnegut’s death
Editor: Kurt Vonnegut died. Not a tragedy from his point of view, but it is, or should be, from ours.
Vonnegut was able to do that rare thing for a writer – expand consciousness. And without drugs.
“Have you read Vonnegut?” was the oft-repeated question rooted in the 60s.
“You gotta get into Vonnegut, man” was the passed-on message from men and women, just able to grow beards, and burn bras – respectively. “Read “Slaughterhouse Five.” It came as a directive.
And for many of us, that’s how it started, and it didn’t end until we’d gobbled up all he’d seeded out.
Like illegal substances and first loves, he took you where you’d never been. He opened the doors for viewing where we were, all us human critters, and let us slip behind the curtain of the presented reality. He showed us the truth about what was really going on all around us – the mendacity, the manipulation of desires solely for economic gain, the murderous brutality and cruelty of nationalistic or religious ideologies, the factor of pure happenstance, and the paradoxical nature of nature and man.
And he did it all through satire, and fantasy and exquisite writing.
Our world is diminished by the loss of Kurt Vonnegut, a more delightful teacher and messenger of bad news the world has rarely seen. When comes such another? Maybe never. And so it goes.
Will Shonbrun

Outlaw guns? Yeah, right
Editor: I have the ultimate solution to all those who write to you about the violations in our parks, in the plaza, on our streets – and national and perhaps international crime and violations of all kinds.
I’m sure gun lobbyists will support this, as well as those who want peace throughout the world.
We make them against the law. Thieves will say, “Darn, we can’t rob anymore because it’s against the law.”
Ban all the guns. That will make us safe because, if there are no guns, we will all be safe. Again, the thieves will say, “Darn, foiled again, now we can’t even use a gun we’ve stolen.”
Peeing in the park will no longer happen because there’s a law against it. You can’t exceed the speed limit because there’s a law against it. And make it against the law to infringe on our rights under the Constitution. How about a law that says it’s illegal to enter another country without that county’s permission? Then you can do away with fences, walls and border guards.
So when a thief breaks into your home and threatens you and your family with a gun, remind him that it’s against the law.
In an ideal world that might work. But knowing what we know about human nature, enforcement and punishment seems to be the only solution to those who “break the law” – state, federal or international. Selfishness, greed and power underlay most of the “law violations” we see around us. Be it in the park, on the streets, Washington D.C., or one nation or ideology imposing their perception of “the good” on someone else. Like you and me.
I have an idea, why don’t we get all the nations of the world together and ban war? Make war illegal. Would that take care of that problem? Think of all the positive things we could do with the money we would save without the “military complex.”
Don Geddes

New flag over Sonoma
Editor: Shortly after 9-11, I noticed and read that most cities in the country were flying the colors, both at homes and at businesses.
Sonoma fell short of doing the same to honor New York City’s departed.
I called city councilmembers Ken Brown and Dick Ashford to ask what we could do to improve the situation. Calls were made and flags started to fly, including on Broadway light poles. The flags were donated by the veterans’ organizations.
In Sonoma, the banks still fly dirty and unsightly flags. There are businesses not flying the flag even though they have flagpoles. In my own neighborhood, fewer than 30 percent fly the colors on holidays and most of my neighbors are combat veterans.
This year, after comment from Ken Brown, I worked with Mayor Stanley Cohen. I requested and received a flag that was delivered by U.S. Representative Mike Thompson, Democrat. I believe that this new flag that is flying over Sonoma is the first one to have also flown over the Capitol in Washington D.C.
I hope and wish that the stars and stripes would soon return to its original meaning – that wherever in the world the flag flies it will be the symbol of hope, freedom and peace, not invasion and tyranny.
I challenge Sonoma and the 4th of July Parade this year to encourage pride back into America by being the most-flag-draped city in the county. It is my hope that the city council will support this effort for this year’s celebration.
Sam DiGiacomo

Don’t knock the RAC
Editor: As one of the redevelopment advisory committee members for the Springs (RAC), I appreciate the Sun’s attendance and representation at our meetings and discussions that take place on the first Thursday of each month. I am concerned that sometimes what gets reported is not entirely reflective of what actually was said or took place, but free press is better than no press I suppose. For example, we are not trying to “spiff up” the arch. What we are trying to do is bring context and meaning to an already existing structure that was put there without public approval (by the board of supes) as part of the whole highway improvement scheme. This arch is a permanent structure that is not going to go away. We decided to bring in public art as a way to complete this unfinished project and also hoped to bring the community together by involving them and by making that area something that we could all enjoy and actually use. I should add that 18 professional artists from all over northern California were considered by a volunteer ad hoc committee and an artist was selected (Oliverio Quezada) who happens to live in the Springs, is of Mexican heritage, and brought a lot of personal enthusiasm to the project. He was chosen from a group of very impressive, experienced candidates. I would encourage people to ask around and find out what other cities pay for public art, and I think anyone would be humbled at how an artist can accomplish something like this for $35,000! Too bad public works and Caltrans cannot work as cheaply or as creatively. Would anyone care to guess what a speed bump or a traffic light costs? Before the RAC, the community had no say in what was going on. So we, as a small group of non-paid volunteers, now get to sort through a variety of challenging and difficult decisions every month including issues from schools, fire departments, sheriff’s stations, water and sewer problems, traffic-calming, crime, litter, housing and of course, our most pressing: the sidewalks, gutters and curbs along Highway 12. After all is said and done and we finally do get our sidewalks etc –and we will – the total cost will be upwards of $8 million. Did you know that, in general, it is recommended and in others cases, mandated, that cities devote at least 1 percent of budgeted infrastructure costs to public art? The Springs, of course, cannot afford to be frivolous with its resources with so many pressing needs, but I do think we need a balanced perspective. The Springs needs a lot of things, including art and beauty.
I thought the Sun’s comments made it sound like we are just looking for dumb things to throw $35,000 at. Anyone who has ever sat in at one of our meetings would know that we don’t throw money around indiscriminately. The state government, however, is a bureaucracy that could use improvement. We are working with a system that is imperfect, but at least we are working. When are “they” going to do something about…? “They” are all of us! I also think those who are unhappy with how monies are spent should sit on local committees, such as ours, and find out how to make it better.
Gay Kisbey

Keep hospital in town
Editor: The in-town option (ITO) proposal for the new Sonoma Valley Health Care District Hospital is the plan that will best serve the people of our valley. A “green field” outside of the city’s urban growth boundary should not be an option when we have space in town for a new hospital.
The in-town plan proposes to build a new hospital on a 2.5-acre site at the west end of Perkins Street, between Third Street West and Fourth Street West. This is one half block north of the existing hospital on Andrieux Street. The whole campus, counting existing streets and land owned by the hospital district, is approximately 8-plus acres, much of it already in public ownership. This in-town site is easily accessed by the greater population of the valley, whose center is just north of Maxwell Park.
The in-town plan calls for a new, two- and three-story, 57-bed hospital with an emergency room, operating rooms, ambulatory care, intensive-care unit, and swing beds for skilled nursing or conventional in- patient care. The in-town plan has the same space and adjacencies as the Broadway site with none of the negative environmental issues such as changing the UGB, removing vineyards from productive agricultural use and paving over acres of land needed for groundwater recharge. It also recycles the existing hospital, which will be converted to offices for physicians, labs, physical therapy, and administrative uses, thus generating rent for the district.
The in-town plan allows the entire existing medical and commercial infrastructure that surrounds the hospital to remain in place, serving everyone, close to downtown.
The in-town plan makes sense, and will serve our valley well.
Will Pier