NORTH BAY BOH E MI A N | JANUARY 22– 28 , 20 14 | BO H E M I AN.COM
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BOHEMIAN
Rhapsodies Baby Steps Obama’s NSA speech: half-hearted at best BY BIANCA MAY
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his past week brought a storm of news regarding “internet security” (sort of any oxymoron in today’s day and age), NSA spying (at this point, we all know they do it) and the vast extent to which our government infringes on our lives.
“Those who are troubled by our existing programs are not interested in a repeat of 9-11,” said President Obama last week, “and those who defend these programs are not dismissive of civil liberties. The challenge is getting the details right, and that’s not simple.” The president recommended changes to the NSA’s citizen spy program, but said it as if he were doing us all a favor. While I commend the president in addressing these activities, this still raises the question, why? What does the government need to know about you or I that they should legally be allowed to tap our phones without cause? We have a Constitution and a Bill of Rights that are slowly disintegrating, and we should not be treated as criminals in the name of “national security.” Nothing that Obama mentioned should be a shock to people in the current age of electronic media, social networking and everchanging “privacy” policies. We live in an age when our lives are becoming entrenched in electronic media. Although internet services are convenient, we should pause a moment to survey just how much of our lives we have willingly put online. Credit cards, banking, bills, emails, family photos . . . We volunteer this without hesitation to the internet ether. I love my Facebook as much as anyone, but even I am reevaluating how much information I want to keep floating around for others to grab. It may be time to get back to conversations in person, visiting people in person and writing letters with good old-fashioned paper and pens. (I’d say, pick up the phone and call a friend but, you know, the NSA . . .) In other words, if you want to say something securely and privately, the best way to do it is with your mouths, in person and behind closed doors—preferably your own. For now. Bianca May is a graduate of Sonoma State University and self-described feather-ruffler living in Rohnert Park. Open Mic is a weekly op/ed feature in the Bohemian. We welcome your contribution. To have your topical essay of 350 words considered for publication, write openmic@bohemian.com.
Let Them Have Dreams
multigeneration side effects of the kinds of very controversial poison compounds being proposed for broadcast here.
When Social Advocates for Youth’s proposal for a Dream Center met with some neighborhood opposition (“Dreams On Hold,” Nov. 20), they had a unique response: they opened the doors of their existing residential facility, Tamayo Village, to all who had questions or concerns about their ability to manage such a project.
The inhumane slow death by which this broad-spectrum poison kills the targeted species is well established. The dirty little secret behind this plan is that in spite of generally ineffective efforts to scare nontarget animals away, a range of predators higher up the food chain will inevitably feed on the dying mice and on the persistent poison pellets and also die, in a phenomenon dismissively called “bykill.” This controversial brodifacoum poison, in particular, can also damage future generations of exposed nontarget animals that fail to succumb, thereby likely interfering with the ongoing biological viability of important wildlife populations within the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
A series of free, open dinners at Tamayo Village were set up by volunteers, and all were welcomed The evening I attended, I heard powerful poetry from a phenomenal young man, and stories from other youth that broke my heart. I witnessed the bonds of support these young adults formed with each other, and met dedicated volunteers who were committed to empowering them to make healthy choices. I also heard from a Bennett Valley neighbor who had previously opposed the Dream Center, but left with her opinion transformed. I encourage everyone to check out SAY’s ‘frequently asked questions’ page on their Dream Center web page. It will likely clear up confusion over misleading statistics disseminated by those opposed to this project. My hope is that our community will come together to help create an effective, supportive, responsible and safe Dream Center for all who need it.
JULIE CHASEN Santa Rosa
Disrupting the Ecosystem Thanks for the informative cover story by Alastair Bland on the proposal by Fish and Wildlife Service to apply poison to our local Farallon Islands (“Mice Capades,” Jan. 8). A follow-up would be useful, to further disclose the nasty
However well-intended poisoning on this scale here may be—and however financially profitable for certain groups—this is unfortunately the wrong precedent to set for management of our national ocean treasures, not only on the California coast, but throughout the U.S. Marine Sanctuary system. Target the mice, not the whole ecosystem.
RICHARD CARTER Vice-chair, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, Bodega Bay
We’re the GOP The war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war on drugs—each of them illconceived, unwinnable and not only a failure but counterproductive, a tragic misuse of good money and good lives. Yet the party chiefly responsible for launching all three of these disasters, the party that now wants to cut back on food stamps and unemployment benefits, is happy to go on throwing $2 billion-plus a week down the war hole. And who profits by this? No mystery there.
J. B. GRANT Sebastopol