Warmongers Deserve Blame

Eric Johnson’s “The Fog of Post-War” [March 18-24] was as good a one-page summary of the Iraq War and its aftermath as I’ve seen. The only exception I have with it was the line “There is no use in just flinging blame…” Those responsible for this unjustified, fraudulent and illegal war should be blamed, impeached, fired, forced to resign and/or prosecuted for this tragic fiasco. Perhaps then crimes like theirs would have less chance of being repeated.

Arlen Grossman | Del Rey Oaks

Salinas Police Cause Detours

I am coming home Sunday night, March 28. Traffic comes to a crawl after the Tyler light on Laurel. As I crawl to North Main, the useless, overpaid and armed police had cut off access to North Main.

As an overburdened taxpayer, I am getting fed up that the police spend time on my dime harassing youths and flirting with jailbait. This nonsense last night added two-and-a-half miles and twenty minutes to my commute.

I realized long ago the police are not worth the cost, but when one pays them off and they still inconvenience one, it is time for a new regime.

W.L. McAtee | Salinas

Bush Administration is Poisoning the Oceans

I didn’t panic with “mad cow” because I don’t eat mammals. But I do eat fish. It is my main source of animal protein. One of the main attractions of living here is the abundance of fresh fish that we all enjoy. Now one of our main food staples is seriously and increasingly threatened by mercury contamination.

Thanks to unregulated power plant emissions, the oceans are becoming mercury soup. Mercury is a dangerous poison. The EPA was planning to require power plants to reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2008. The current administration wants to delay toxic mercury cleanup by over ten years.

This would protect the energy industry at the expense of our health. Are we all just looking at a different part of the menu?

Mercury pollution is a serious and growing menace to public health. Allowing utility companies to swap pollution credits is equivalent to leaving the sheep in the care of the wolf and looking the other way. How much longer can we wait? It is urgent that we clean up toxic emissions and switch to alternative energy sources that are pollution-free.

Mabelle Lernoud | Monterey

Even National Politics is Local

President Bush recently unleashed his first set of campaign ads saturated with 9/11 imagery. By using footage from Ground Zero and a firefighter’s funeral for his political gain, the president dishonors the families of those who lost their lives. Then I remembered that Bush has nothing else on which to run his campaign.

We need coalition-building and strong public involvement to defeat Bush in the November election. The Republican Party’s strength over moderates, liberals, independents, and progressives in the past has been in its unity.

It is imperative that every person who feels that this country is moving in the wrong direction take action in the Democratic campaign now. Sign up to attend local monthly meetings on democrat.meetup.com and kerry2004.meetup.com. Check out campaign updates at montereydemocrats.com. Everyone has something to offer in this campaign.

Kristin Meyers | Monterey