›› LETTERS How ‘bout Chad and Jeremy vs. Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders? I enjoyed Jason Walsh’s article on whether the Beatles are the greatest rock ’n’ roll band of all time [“Vet the Beatles,” March 30]. Regarding your question about Beatles vs. Stones, I have to say neither. The Beatles were the first group to break through, but the Kinks and the Who (both still sounding astonishingly contemporary) were the real trailblazers in terms of innovation and evolution of the music scene. They really made a huge impact and continue to influence numerous musicians. Mary J., San Rafael
This story is full of holes If the county didn’t destroy all the plants and “cover” in the open space where critters lived (raccoons/snakes/birds of prey/etc.)...you’d have a natural balance and perhaps not a gopher problem. I live on Hacienda Way, at the end where the dikes begin and had gophers also. I have very tall trees on my property and asked the “owl” people to put up some boxes so the owls could eat the gophers. They didn’t even respond. I have two very high palm trees, and a nest of baby hawks living there; and I can see the mother flying around looking for food to feed them, and she comes back to the nest with something for them to eat. I haven’t seen a red-winged blackbird in years; ever since you jerks destroyed all their nesting area out in the open space and made it look
like a bomb went off there. No plants, no bushes, nothing...except gophers living in the clay. Marcia Blackman, San Rafael
Also hates gophers Hooray for Marcia Blackman! She tells it like it is. We need more like her. William A DeRade, Corte Madera
›› TOWNSQUARE
TOP POSTINGS THIS WEEK Letter: Easy Street owners tell their side of the story The following is a letter sent to the Pacific Sun from the owners of Easy Street Cafe, one of Marin’s most renowned “kid friendly” restaurants. As writer Pat Fusco.. Where Have All the Hero’s Gone? Remember all of those good guys from Fannie Mae, Lehman Brothers? Where are Jim, Tim, and Franklin now? Just in case you might have wondered how their ineptitude aff...
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Apocrita now Whew-eeeee! It sounds like a freeway is roaring through my back yard. I am not talking about the chainsaw, which I hear at this very moment, though that is part of the matter. The real issue here concerns the hundreds of bees I see flying around like darts out of hell. They are going crazy, in clouds, in my neighbor’s back yard. Just standing there, I can hear the freeway humming...I mean, the displaced bees going crazy.... This is the third time that this has happened since last summer. That’s about an eight-month period, or every two or three months, that bees are being displaced and going homeless and hungry for honey. Can we please, before we cut down trees, consider the bees and their survival? After all, ours is intertwined with theirs, too. Perhaps in honor of Earth Day, to also consider going pesticide-free in our food choices, will also help the bees. Drina Brooke, Novato
It’s their devil-may-call attitude! Driving while talking on a cell phone is dangerous. Daily one can see instances of distracted and unsafe driving by those using cell phones. I think it is good public
Yes, as a matter of fact I do own the road...
Go ahead, buddy. Mock us.
policy to have a law against using phones while driving. But I think what is most troubling about drivers who use cell phones is the casual brazenness with which these people break the law right in front of everyone. This is disrespectful and an affront to the community. So I do think you should hang up and drive. However, if you are on the phone, at least have the good grace to look sheepish or act furtive. Next time: those whose dogs assist them in driving by sitting in their lap. J.S. Danielson, San Rafael
Lot of ‘general unpleasantness’ to go around... In regards to Ritter Center winning an agreement to expand to a 933-square-foot medical facility [“Out of Sight, or Out of Mind?” March 30], I think it’s a great step in helping homeless and needy people get off the street. With more medical care available and affordable, the homeless people that are serious about getting back into “society” (although we are still considered citizens and members of society) will get the help they need. Most of us are victims of bad luck and medical issues. I have been a client of Ritter Center for two years. I am able to get showers, medical aid, clothes and food that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to obtain on the meager assistance of moneys the county and government dole out. As for Hugo Landecker’s appeal and comments about the homeless and downtrodden “involved in assaults, defecating in parking lots and general unpleasantness,” just remember, any one of us could be in these sad conditions at any time from misfortune and/or medical reasons or mishap. We need more places like Ritter Center—whose actual goal is to help, not enable. I am very grateful for their services. God bless Ritter Center. Deborah M, homeless temporarily
I’ve had an affinity with the Pacific Sun since 1966 when as a younger lawyer (Boalt Hall ’52) we incorporated the Sun, then based in Stinson Beach, and then Mill Valley. I even owned some shares. Enough for that The William T. Bagley Freeway namesake, circa 1974. These days background. the former state Assemblyman For fun, I call spends his time as a Pacific Sun attention to the truth-in-trivia watchdog. first question of Trivia Cafe from March 23. [Question: “Where in Marin County is the John T. Knox Freeway?” Answer: “The section of I-580 through El Cerrito, Richmond, over the RichmondSan Rafael Bridge to route 101 in San Rafael.”] But the John T. Knox Freeway never crossed the John F. McCarthy Bridge to Marin. The following is a memo I wrote to my colleagues in our national law firm Nossaman LLP—noting the three retired partners’ “freeways”: Named by joint resolutions of the Legislature, the [William T.] Bagley stretches 10 miles on U.S. 101 from the Golden Gate Bridge north to San Rafael. Without my knowledge, the resolution was introduced by a Senate friend, I did not demurrer. Jack Knox’s I-580 freeway runs from I-80 to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge; John Foran’s runs on I-280, part way from SFO to San Francisco. An important detail is that the Bagley is the longest but Jack Knox points out that his and Johnny Foran’s are wider— important fact among men. Someone proposed that we create a “Nossaman Beltway” around the Bay, but we could not find the funds. Incidentally, Jack is more entitled to his designation because, as a legislator, he went to Washington and obtained a $100 million appropriation to build the I-580 extension through his city of Richmond. William T. Bagley, former state assemblyman for Marin
APRIL 27 - MAY 3, 2012 PACIFIC SUN 7