The Weekly Digs Deep
Congratulations to Jessica Lyons for her exemplary article “Outlaw County” [July 29-Aug. 4], a searing indictment of the members of the County Board of Supervisors who have failed to uphold County policies for protection of the environment and have made decisions in flagrant violation of State and County laws. This is investigative reporting at its best, researched, factual and substantiated. The Weekly is to be commended for its feature presentation.

Janice M. O’Brien | Pebble Beach

Mooot Point
The only issue I have with Andrew Scutro’s reporting of the Salinas River pot farm raid [“Into A Sea of Green,” Aug. 12-18] comes from his opening sentence. How did he know those cows were “lazy?”

Perhaps they had yet to enjoy their morning cup of coffee (addictive stimulant). Maybe they were hung over from a Monterey County wine (addictive depressant) tour. Or, might cows be no good until that first drag from a cigarette (addictive stimulant)? Could a methyl bromide (chemical farmers are dependent upon) drift have clouded their minds? What if their dose of growth hormone (drugs ranchers utilize) wasn’t sitting well? Possibly they were worn out because their calves went off Ritalin. Or, worse, perhaps those old gals were out of sorts because the bulls, minus the Viagra, just don’t satisfy. Or maybe, just maybe they were ruminating on the absurdity of heavily armed, multi-agency patsies doing the work of our cigar-smoking, brandy-drinking, ex-steroid-using governor, and ex-cocaine-snorting, alcoholic president.

Yes I jest. But my point is drugs, chemicals, and activities that affect the mind (shopping, TV, making war…) are omnipresent. Keeping marijuana illegal makes a plant a $3,000 pawn, and has law enforcement charging into the dark (adrenaline, anyone?) with night vision goggles, gunning for the “Mexican drug cartel.”

Get real, this isn’t terrorism, it’s a party favor! But, so long as the pharmaceutical, alcohol, tobacco, and night vision goggle companies put the dollar before an individual’s best interest, it will be business as usual, and the hippies (et al.) be damned.

Chris Mack | Salinas

Cops Bug Unionizers
I am writing to express my deep disgust with a totally inappropriate use of city resources that occurred the afternoon of August 11.

I chose to attend a rally that day at the Monterey Fairgrounds Travelodge in support of the workers of UNITE/HERE local 483 who are in difficult contract negotiations with the hotel’s owner.

I was amazed to see that it takes four city police squad cars (in addition to a private security force hired by the hotel) to keep watch on a crowd that was made up of, in large part, senior citizens, Latina females, and small children. I was also saddened to hear of the ignorance of our own law-enforcement officers, who threatened to cite a hotel employee for leafleting at the rally.

There is no way to justify the time and expense of having our police department harass peaceful, law-abiding protesters in a time when it is claimed that budget cuts are devastating local government. If I were a criminal, I would now know to plan my next scheme for the time of the next UNITE/HERE rally at the Fairgrounds Travelodge, which will be August 26 at 4:30, as evidently every available policeman will be there keeping the seniors, children, and overworked, underpaid Latinas in line.

David Stanley | Monterey