Letters to the Editor

Disaster strikes local couple
On April 12 a disaster struck for two San Benito County
residents, Alice McKnight and Dan Rezendes III’s house burned down,
due to a crack in the chimney pipe.
Disaster strikes local couple

On April 12 a disaster struck for two San Benito County residents, Alice McKnight and Dan Rezendes III’s house burned down, due to a crack in the chimney pipe.

The roof caught on fire but their efforts to save it did not work, the fire spread rapidly. Alice had to sit and watch all of their worldly possessions go up in the flames. Nothing was saved except for the couple’s animals and the clothes they had on their backs. Therefore we are asking for the community’s help. The couple’s immediate family has gotten together clothes and other necessities, but they are unable to afford other things. Any cash donations can be made to Washington Mutual, account number 3092596871. This account was set up for the disaster. Any donations are greatly needed and appreciated.

We wish for the best and hope they can get back on their feet. We thank everybody for all their help and support. We also thank the community for all the donations they may make.

Landon Bishop

Hollister

Appreciated hunger series

The series on hunger and the letter to the editor (regarding obesity and hunger) – wow, I can’t believe someone would make a statement like that. Don’t they know the difference between hunger and starvation? Let’s see what they can buy if they had, if lucky, a $100 to buy food for five or more people to last two weeks or more. See how healthy they would shop.

I’m sure they wouldn’t shop at Trader Joe’s.

Melissa Flores is a great reporter and very informed. That must have been a red-faced moment for Mr. Komarzyk when he found out Ms. Flores not only travels, but also lived and worked in Africa.

Josie Potter

Gilroy

We were all immigrants once

Jesus was probably history’s highest-profile immigrant (the flight into Egypt), one of a constant stream of immigration before and since his time. With the exception of native Americans, we all came from somewhere else, yet we conveniently seem to forget this fact as we force and enforce severer laws and penalties and build higher walls. The Berlin wall failed. The Israeli Wall is an affront visually, psychologically and morally. The expanding U.S. border wall is offensive and ineffectual. Walls always fail.

Why do they come leaving behind family, culture and roots in exchange for hardship, isolation and insults? For myself, I know that if I saw my family suffering from the lack of the basic necessities for life, I would not hesitate to do whatever it took, including illegally crossing borders, to provide for them. Our Judeo-Christian tradition teaches that mercy and justice always trump the law.

Roger Cardinal Mahony, Archbishop of the Los Angeles Catholic diocese (the largest in the U.S.) recently stated that if the law should mandate it a criminal act to give humanitarian assistance to an undocumented immigrant, it is our Christian duty to disobey the law!

However, the larger question is, while we attend to the dictates of forming a compassionate immigration policy, how do we stop the desperate flood of people coming here looking for work? There is only one way, a way that is overlooked in the usual immigration debates: our nation needs to invest in the economic and social well-being of impoverished countries, especially our neighbors, to improve their standard of living sufficiently to give their citizens the preferential option of staying home. Our focus should be primarily on what is in their best interest, not our self interest. We can spend billions trying to lock immigrants out and hold those that come here down. Or we can devote energy and resources, now wasted on a civil war in Iraq, to help lift our neighbors up and significantly reduce the misery that drives people from their homes.

Peggy Kingman

Sonora

Develop inside urban areas

It is heartening to hear that Gilroy’s Mayor Pinheiro wants to reward developers for building green (Gilroy developers to get ‘green’ points, 4/9/06). Development doesn’t have to pave farmland or create more traffic. If it’s built well, near shops, jobs, and transit, development can have enormous benefits for the community.  Residents can get around more easily, with options to walk, bike, or ride transit, which reduces traffic congestion and air and water pollution for everyone.

The use of recycled materials and energy-efficient techniques helps to conserve our limited and precious resources. And by encouraging new development inside the city, Gilroy is helping to protect the beautiful hillsides and working farmlands that are an integral part of Gilroy’s quality of life.

Michele Beasley

South Bay Field Representative Greenbelt Alliance

Hoping for new blood on Board

Regarding huge projects affect local economies, politics (Pinnacle, April 9), wow, this is huge. Could this be why four out of five of the Board of Supes use time telling us how they watch taxpayer money yet fire the head of the planning department for no cause and after a 25-grand taxpayer expense to investigate him?

These four definitely tilt the playing board towards developers. DMB and Del Webb plan 11,000 new homes, which need to conform to the General Plan for Hollister. Seems to me instead these homes would confirm our status as a bedroom community servicing Santa Clara County.

A lot of homework goes with these issues: water, sewer, roads, police, fire, schools, health and business. First we need to level the playing board. Pat Loe needs help. Tracie Cone could do a lot for all the people in San Benito County. She knows the issues and problems. She’s dealt with them, written about them, mulled them. She exerts the energy, effort, enthusiasm and intelligence we need. She is fair to all. I hope and pray to see her face behind that Board of Supervisors desk.

San Benito County truly needs Tracie Cone and Pat Loe. We need them now. June will have to be soon enough.

Mary Zanger

Hollister

Local Iraq war costs soaring

Your readers may be interested in knowing that according to the National Priorities Project, a nonpartisan education organization, the cost for Hollister of the Iraq War is $48.8 million and for San Benito County, $77.3 million.

The purpose of the NPP is “to educate the public on the impacts of federal tax and spending policies at the community level.”

The voting public, of course, can use or not use such information as it wishes.

Mark Levine

San Juan Bautista

Help for missionary trip

My name is Ashley Guerriero and I’m a junior at San Benito High School. This summer I have been blessed with the chance to spend one full month in South Africa on a missionary trip where I will be building churches, vacation bible school, helping out the locals, and spreading God’s word. I will be traveling with a group called Global Expeditions, which is based in Texas and several others from across the United States and Canada.

One evening my Aunt came over and told my little sister, Brittney Guerriero, and I that she will be giving us $4,000 to go towards a missionary trip to whatever country we please. I have been working with my mother, sister, and best friend to raise funds for my trip.

People have been very gracious to my sister and I, but we still don’t have enough money for our trips. Together our trips cost $6,815, which does not count for the flight to Texas for training. By May 22 all my money for my trip and flight are due. My mom is a single parent and has done her best to provide for my younger sister. That is why I would greatly appreciate it if you could possibly write an article about my trip so I could raise money. All money donated is tax deductible and the donors could send it directly to global expeditions.

If you would like to contact me you may email me at

as******@ya***.com











or call me at (831) 634-0698.

Ashley N. Guerriero

Hollister