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Raise your water IQ

Summer in the Sonoma Valley means blond hills, long days and the annual Fourth of July parade. There are few places more appealing than here during these hot months. It is easy to see why droves of people have always descended upon the Valley to... Continue

What the community needs

In 2014, Latinos became the largest population group in California. With this column, The Sun continues to provide readers a variety of perspectives from members of this ‘new majority.’ Everyone is talking about conservative businessman Donald Trump’s recent and continuing comments tinged with racism toward... Continue

‘Punctuated Evolution’ in politics

The cascade of social change in the last few weeks has been startling for politically jaded activists who have come to expect progress to come in incremental steps, if at all. Biologists refer to the phenomenon of ‘punctuated equilibrium’ to describe the rapid and dramatic... Continue

The marriage-go-round

As a compassionate community, we should make an effort to reassure those among us who believe the recent Supreme Court decision recognizing same-sex marriage will cast the nation into hellfire and damnation, and “destroy marriage as we know it." “What’s next?” they demand tearfully, “Marrying... Continue

Global OCD: Greece, Germany and Palestine

The current crisis in Greece, the role of Germany in imposing austerity programs, and endless ongoing conflict in the middle east reveals how deeply the western world suffers from a case of mass-obsessive-compulsive disorder. Generation after generation these regions have been the focus of attention... Continue

Ritual killing and the death penalty

We no longer sacrifice human beings in ritual killings for the sake of a good harvest, though given their effects on human health we could view the use of agricultural poisons and pesticides from that perspective. Capital punishment in America, however, which objectively is unnecessary... Continue

A drought of leaders

I’ll begin by paying homage to our legendary but never well-studied leader, César Dario Estrada Chávez,  known simply as “César Chávez” (b. Yuma, AZ, 31 March 1927 – d. San Luis, AZ, 23 July 1993).   Leader and activist for the civil rights of farm... Continue

To tell the truth

It sounds simple. Just tell the truth. But, telling the truth is difficult. As much as I believe in honesty, I grapple with it. Speaking up isn’t as easy as it sounds. Try telling someone they have gas or their hair is too greasy. Being... Continue

Pardon Edward Snowden

What better example of American Values than if our president pardoned Edward Snowden on the Fourth of July? While that might send local conservatives to the ER with chest pains, it could prove entertaining. Who can forget the outraged lady who, during a Sonoma Fourth... Continue

A Tendency to Tamper

My granddaughter, aged seven, and I were watching an animated movie about a curious fairy who is told by her Fairy Master not tamper with Pixie Dust. She does, of course, and an accident caused by one of her experiments wreaks havoc with the Fairy... Continue