LOVE FROM AFAR

For the past five years I have driven by the horse facility at Fort Ord [“Barnyard Brawl,” June 5-11]. I make it a habit to glance over at the horses when I pass. It has always struck me as peculiar that no one ever seems to be there. The horses are kept on sand and it appears that most of them spend their days standing in and eating sand. This to me doesn’t seem healthy for the animals. I love horses but have never had a desire to own one. I also love dogs. It is my opinion that dogs would be better suited for that particular area than horses. One would hope that both dogs and horses could co-exist at the place. If not, and the dogs win, I’ll be sorry to see the horses go. On a bright note, perhaps the horses will end up in a more horse-friendly environment. – Celia Petroum Costis | Marina

A SIMPLE ANSWER

In answer to Bruce Cowan’s letter [“The Choice Is Ours”] in the June 12-18 issue of Monterey County Weekly regarding the need for population control, he is overlooking the fact that the practice already exists in America!

Since passage of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, there have been 48,587,993 life-extinguishing abortions in the USA! – Charles L. Pifer | Carmel

AN OFFER EASY TO REFUSE

In his 1968 book, The Population Bomb, Paul Ehrlich predicted that because of “overpopulation” hundreds of millions of people were going to starve to death by the 1970s and that by 1979 “all-important sea life will be extinct.”

Unless you’ve been getting your news from NPR or Bill Moyers, you’ve probably noticed that neither has happened. While there is starvation in parts of the world, the cause isn’t “overpopulation,” it’s corrupt, incompetent and socialistic governments. Interestingly, it’s socialistic government solutions that environmentalists tend to propose to solve alleged environmental problems.

Dr. Jacqueline Kasun, professor of economics at Humboldt State University, writes that no more than 1-3 percent of the earth’s ice-free land is populated by humans and that 8-22 times the current population could support itself at the present standard of living.

However, if some of the people who believe in “overpopulation” want to off themselves to save more room for the rest of us, I’ll be more than willing to donate a few dollars to help them (and us) out. – Brian L. Burleson | Seaside

A TOUCHING TRIBUTE

What a wonderful tribute to Ted Kennedy! [“A Man for His Time,” May 29-June 4]. I felt deeply touched by your article and what you said gave me a deeper appreciation of him. Thank you for writing it. – Anne Blume | Monterey

Correction

The Salinas Police Department has made arrests on five of this year’s gang-related homicides. The number of arrests was incorrect in “Death Toll Rises,” [June 12-18].