Trigger Fingers


Gun clutchers who cloak themselves in the Second Amendment argue that gun regulations are ineffective because criminals never abide by them (“Local Spin,” Jan. 3-9). That’s a peculiar ration-ale. Let’s try applying it more broadly.


Driving regulations should be abolished because criminals will always disregard them. Borders should be open and unprotected because criminals will always cross them as they please.


Breaking, entering, stealing and aggravated assault laws should be abolished because criminals will never stop breaking, entering, stealing or committing aggravated assault. But then arbitrarily shooting anyone on your property would have to be legal because intruders would no longer be violating any law.


It’s an inherently flawed and absurd rationale. Listen. Hear that? It sounds like a mob of “patriots” locking and loading in a fit of paranoia. - Sean Gallagher | via Web


So Chief McMillan claims no one needs a gun for home defense and that dialing 911 is enough. Don King of Physicians for Social Responsibility had a letter printed in the Dec. 26 Californian where he wrote, along with several other anti-gun myths, that police should keep their guns at work instead of taking them home. 


I wonder if McMillan would consider leaving his gun at work and instead, relying on a strong lock and calling 911 if he’s ever threatened in his home.


Apparently, as evidenced by his statements to you several weeks later, he doesn’t believe his own bullshit when he told you, “who knows how long it would have taken to send a car.” Yikes, as you appropriately remarked. As for publishing the names and addresses of gun owners in the local paper, how about if gun rights advocates were to publish the names and addresses of anti-gun activists on the blogs and Facebook pages?


We would only be exercising our First Amendment rights. - Bryan Grasper | via Web


Yo, Derf


The cartoon “The City” by derf (Jan. 10-16) is one of the most divisive, racist and twisted [bits of] propaganda from the left I have ever seen. 


History has shown us socialists and communists rule with the barrel end of the gun. To depict every white man as a gun wielding, steroidal superman who makes minorities and socialists sweat is a very racist and unjust way of expressing an anti-Caucasian/anti-gun opinion. 


I have friends and family that are socialist and others who could be considered minorities. Most of those friends and family, believe it or not, own guns. Let’s not even talk about the Dianne Feinsteins and the hypocrites of the current administration. (Feinstein has had a conceal carry permit.) 


I am the suburban, middle-aged Caucasian male (it’s just my skin pigmentation), and I do not own a firearm. So I would suggest to “derf,” let’s try an untwisted version: How about Feinstein with a 9mm strap-on, with her official conceal carry permit over her left breast and a tattoo of Obama’s face on the right. The next scene would be of gangbangers and cops in a shootout with drugs in the middle of both parties. Then for the final depiction just go ahead and make it a big rectangle picture with a group of libertarians holding peace signs up with their fingers while holding Ron Paul yard signs. 


This comment about the racist cartoon was written by a real social liberal! - Joshua Kelsey | via Web


The Castañeda Factor


[Jose Castañeda] is a savior to Alisal, but Alisal is not a city and he needs to learn to build bridges with the other parts of the city and its representatives if he wants to actually be an effective councilman (“Where Salinas Councilman Jose Castañeda goes, controversy follows,” Jan 10-16). 


Otherwise he will find himself alone on the council with no hope of ever getting anything done because Alisal is not the majority of Salinas. He doesn’t seem all too interested in Salinas as a whole, so perhaps he should push to incorporate Alisal into a city, with its city boundary identical to the school districts. Then he and the coalition can do whatever they want. - Sandy Guillen | via Facebook 


Potty Talk


The success of this remains to be seen (“Chinatown seeks to clean up its act with one program, another in the works,” Jan. 10-16). 


There has been a stable tent community in Chinatown for several weeks. They have done a very good job policing themselves and keeping their area clean and orderly. These are the folks who are slated to take care of the port-a-potty and likely would do a good job. 


However, the city does not seem to care. They are scheduled to do another “sweep” of Soledad Street on Jan. 21 early in the morning. The sweep will kick everyone out of their tents and off the lot. This is the reward for taking responsibility? The excuse this time is that the lots are contaminated with lead. They will not allow anyone to sign a waiver and I doubt the lead contamination is that severe. 


Paving over the lot would solve the problem. What we will see is a repeat of the “Surviving Sisters of Salinas” who had a self-organized space on Soledad Street where no drug dealers were allowed and women could be safe. Many of the women were actually drying out and staying off drugs while they were free of the negative influences. This did not last. They were kicked out of this space in order to make way for an “art gallery” where street people were to sell their work on consignment. - Thomas Paine | via Facebook


They have been “successfully” tenting near downtown, yet their presence and extreme panhandling in downtown is getting out of hand. They need to relocate this tenting community or go back to the days when it was illegal to panhandle and stop this problem from spreading. I’m all for giving them somewhere to sleep and survive, but they shouldn’t be allowed to loiter and panhandle like they are now in the downtown section, or any section for that matter. Their presence is hurting these downtown businesses. - Fox Creek | via Facebook


Corrections: The painting published in the Art Openings & Happenings column (Jan. 10-16) with the caption of Paola Berthoin’s talk at Pacific Grove Art Center is actually Ann Thiermann’s “Carmel Lagoon in Sun,” promoting Thiermann’s drawing workshop at Monterey Museum of Art-Pacific last Saturday. 


The photo of True North in the Jan. 10-16 issue should have been attributed to Robert McLaren.