Gavilan plan is idiotic
The proposed site of the Gavilan College Hollister campus on
Fairview Corners has gently rolling terrain with a maximum
elevation difference of approximately 80 feet. The Draft EIR for
the Hollister campus shows that Gavilan intends to level most of
the 80-acre campus to within five to ten feet. This will involve
moving an obscene amount of earth. It will take hundreds of
thousands of gallons of diesel fuel to do this project, and the
dust and noise will be intolerable. If the new Hollister campus
must be level, why doesn’t Gavilan just purchase a level piece of
property to begin with? This proposed location is idiotic.
Robert Gilchrist Huenemann
Hollister
Gavilan plan is idiotic
The proposed site of the Gavilan College Hollister campus on Fairview Corners has gently rolling terrain with a maximum elevation difference of approximately 80 feet. The Draft EIR for the Hollister campus shows that Gavilan intends to level most of the 80-acre campus to within five to ten feet. This will involve moving an obscene amount of earth. It will take hundreds of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel to do this project, and the dust and noise will be intolerable. If the new Hollister campus must be level, why doesn’t Gavilan just purchase a level piece of property to begin with? This proposed location is idiotic.
Robert Gilchrist Huenemann
Hollister
We must defeat terrorism
I wholeheartedly agree with the thoughtful letters by Marvin Jones and Marty Richman in the Pinnacle of Aug. 22.
War is awful, but force is justified when clearly essential to defend our freedom, and in some cases, to defend others from brutal tyrants. As Marvin Jones noted, Patrick Henry stated this truth most eloquently in 1775. And, it is also true that a nation ready to defend its freedom can be a powerful deterrent to ambitious tyrants. We should emphasize the word ready, or better, say resolved. Furthermore, a nation cannot long endure in this harsh world if it refuses to call on its people to defend its vital interests.
The well-intended Hollister in Black peace group and their misguided protests only serve to erode our nation’s resolve. Freedom’s many enemies know full well that their success lies in weakening our resolve.
Let me quickly add that war is a desperate measure, not to be taken lightly. It is a last resort when all other alternatives for resolving a terrible situation have failed. Also, it can be argued that our incursion into Iraq was not sufficiently justified. But having taken the fateful step, we must now persist with all our might, or allow a victorious enemy to gather strength and strike again. I submit that failing to see the struggle through now would condemn many more innocent lives to the cruel power of the terrorists.
John Blake
Hollister
I still stand for peace
If I have shown any lack of respect to Mr. Marty Richman, I heartily apologize. It is not my intent to attack any fellow human being. If I have strayed I am sorry. The issues are larger than both of us. I will always stand for peace.
Our responses to the remembrance of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki differed. My point of the remembrance is the horror.
Now, 63 years later and bristling with a nuclear arsenal, does this over-armoring make us safer? In our post 9-11 world the answer seems obvious. Rather, we have a conundrum. Nuclear weapons are too expensive to possess and too unthinkable to use.
I believe the American people are ready to care for the world rather than to dominate the world. We have matured to understand others and to realize we are all human beings trying to earn a living and raise a family.
Mary Zanger
Hollister
We deserve a budget
California is No. 4 in the list of the states having the highest tax rates. If the Democrats push through their plan to increase tax as their budget solution, California will shoot to the top of the list as No. 1 in the list of states having the highest tax rates. The Democrats don’t want to stop funding the millions of dollars it takes to cover both education and health costs being forked over to illegal aliens.
Do the math, folks. Increasing taxes will drive businesses out of California … fewer jobs, less tax collected, we will never get out of the cycle. Raising taxes is not the answer. What a slap in the face for those who lost their homes to foreclosure. Now they may lose their jobs because the company leaves the state or they now have even less of a paycheck because of higher taxes. We need to cut back on spending.
We need to recall those that are obstacles (governor, Assembly, Senate). We need to vote in a state government that has respect for constituents and completes the budget on time.
Karen Ingalls
Hollister
Guard liberties zealously
Although as a Libertarian-leaning Republican I am far from “activist grandmother” Natasha Wist on the political spectrum, I loudly applaud her (Sept. 5) “Reflections” column. It is important to keep the people informed every time the police abuse their authority and every time the big-city mayors and other fiefs violate the Constitution.
The abuses that Ms. Wist described at the Denver and St. Paul political conventions are unfortunately nothing new. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin seized the people’s guns using Hurricane Katrina as an excuse. Locally, Sheriff Curtis Hill and the Chief Pig of Hollister have ruined the Hollister Motorcycle Rally by over-policing it. In every case they get away with this by using the tired old “public safety” excuse.
We have effectively stopped living in the name of “safety.” Even the Garlic Festival is so paranoid as to not allow the Top Hatters M.C. to wear their club vests. Local whiners are trying to ban Independence Day fireworks. The line between stupidity and safety is easy to see; too bad our “leaders” are so blind.
Alan Viarengo
Gilroy
Re-elect Michael Honda
Californians living in the 15th Congressional District have the good fortune to be represented by Michael Honda. He fights for the people of our nation and stands against the Bush/McCain special interests.
Honda voted to increase the minimum wage, Bush/McCain stood against this. Honda voted to give health care coverage to 8.7million American children, Bush/McCain stood against this. Honda voted to give the GI Bill for service since 9/11, Bush/McCain stood against this. Bush/McCain cut $12.7billion from the student loan program, Honda voted to restore the funds and improve the program.
Keep up the good work, Congressman. November should bring more people to Congress who will battle for our best interests.
Frank Crosby
Morgan Hill
