Letters to the Editor

Flapjack’s crew deserves time off
Regarding your mention of our restaurant in the front page
article and the editorial column of March 9’s Pinnacle, Flapjack’s
is open Wednesday through Sunday every week, because we choose to
be open five days. Monday and Tuesday we do chores, run errands,
and enjoy ourselves, just like everyone else does on their weekends
off. Our chosen days of operation have nothing to do with the
amount of water available in Tres Pinos. In six years, the only
time we have closed for water issues have been when the District
employees were working to repair or improve their equipment.
Also, though it is true that we do not live in Tres Pinos, that
has never stopped us from supporting local schools, businesses,
charitable events, and giving donations when asked. We are able to
do this because of the customers that make our business a success.
These customers include vacationing families, employees of county
businesses, ranchers, tourists, motorcyclists, bicyclists,
retirees, hikers, and residents of Tres Pinos, Hollister, and
surrounding communities. All of whom are grateful to have a nice
little community like Tres Pinos to stop in on their way to or from
their destinations. A nice hotel could only make their experience
better.
Not living in Tres Pinos should not make our support of this
project negligible. We are San Benito County residents, and as such
support proposed businesses, such as the Spur Hotel, because we
believe they will benefit the county not only by encouraging
tourism, but by creating an attractive environment for larger
businesses that might bring badly needed jobs and tax revenue to
our county.
We understand and respect the concerns of local residents
regarding this project. And we hope all parties will find a way to
work together to
 make this project a success for the entire community.
Phil and Karen Barrett
owners Flapjack’s Country Cafe
Tres Pinos
Flapjack’s crew deserves time off

Regarding your mention of our restaurant in the front page article and the editorial column of March 9’s Pinnacle, Flapjack’s is open Wednesday through Sunday every week, because we choose to be open five days. Monday and Tuesday we do chores, run errands, and enjoy ourselves, just like everyone else does on their weekends off. Our chosen days of operation have nothing to do with the amount of water available in Tres Pinos. In six years, the only time we have closed for water issues have been when the District employees were working to repair or improve their equipment.

Also, though it is true that we do not live in Tres Pinos, that has never stopped us from supporting local schools, businesses, charitable events, and giving donations when asked. We are able to do this because of the customers that make our business a success. These customers include vacationing families, employees of county businesses, ranchers, tourists, motorcyclists, bicyclists, retirees, hikers, and residents of Tres Pinos, Hollister, and surrounding communities. All of whom are grateful to have a nice little community like Tres Pinos to stop in on their way to or from their destinations. A nice hotel could only make their experience better.

Not living in Tres Pinos should not make our support of this project negligible. We are San Benito County residents, and as such support proposed businesses, such as the Spur Hotel, because we believe they will benefit the county not only by encouraging tourism, but by creating an attractive environment for larger businesses that might bring badly needed jobs and tax revenue to our county.

We understand and respect the concerns of local residents regarding this project. And we hope all parties will find a way to work together to make this project a success for the entire community.

Phil and Karen Barrett

owners Flapjack’s Country Cafe

Tres Pinos

Shelter less than adequate

As volunteers in dog rescue, we recently visited the Hollister Animal Shelter and were appalled by the inhumane and deplorable conditions we witnessed.  The dogs were in outdoor kennels, soaked by the blowing rain, cold, miserable, and stressed.  The cat room, dank but at least indoors, was oddly empty save for two felines.

Animal shelters are rarely cheerful places.  The unending stream of homeless and often abused animals serves as a grim statement about our throwaway society and our disdainful treatment of the innocent and helpless, whatever the species.  What really places the Hollister Animal Shelter among the worst is its hastiness to kill rather than re-home the animals. Animals discarded by their owners are often scheduled to be destroyed within days.

A new shelter would be a sound step toward improving this reprehensible situation but is far from an adequate fix. Hollister and San Benito County must educate its citizenry about and provide a low cost spay/neuter program. It must be law that ALL dogs and cats be altered.  The shelter staff must have inspiring leadership and the help of volunteers to care and advocate for the animals. Only one organization, All Creatures Great and Small Animal Rescue, dedicates its efforts to the animals of Hollister; many more animal welfare groups must be enlisted to help get the animals out of the shelter and into loving and responsible homes.  The killing must stop.

Martina Shaw

Salinas

Linda Shen

San Francisco

Ridgemark pitches in

I have just finished reading the Pinnacle Staff report “A funny thing happened on the way to Ridgemark” and I wanted to make one point of clarification. First, we are proud of our relationship with the San Benito Stage Company and certainly congratulate them on what they accomplish on a shoestring budget. They could not do what they do without the passion and commitment of the cast and support staff.

Ridgemark Golf and Country Club does receive $25 of the ticket price, but that fee goes for far more than just the dinner. We virtually turn over our Main Dining Room to the group from Feb. 18 until the performances end on March 24th. Rehearsals are done here prior to the set being installed and run through the end of the show, every night there is not a live performance.

As with any partnership, it has to be a two way street. I just wanted to make sure that the supporters of the Stage Company and the residents of our Fine County did not get the wrong idea about Ridgemarks participation in this event. We do not lose any money on hosting “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, but we surely do not want to give people the impression that we are using this event to enhance our bottom line.

Eric Dietz

Ridgemark GC&C’s general manager/chief operating officer

Fool me once …

John Bagley almost had it right. Global Warming is not a farce, it’s very real. 

What it is though, is a fad. It’s the hula hoop, the pet rock and tie dye all rolled into one. Although you may recognize it better if I use the terms; Live Aid, Band Aid and Hands Across America, it’s still just a fad and will soon run its course and disappear.

OK, maybe fad is too harsh of a word. Perhaps it really doesn’t properly express the concept behind a large community donating millions towards a single, common goal. How about pyramid scheme? That seems to fit.

Instead of pulling at your heart strings by parading a bunch of starving children across your television screen, the “Green”  prey upon your fears by using exaggerated numbers and partial facts taken out of context.

Do you remember the lively tunes, “We are the World” and “Feed the World”? What happened to all the money generated by those catchy ditties? What happened to all the donations? Approximately $283.6 million was raised from Live Aid alone but when I started to poke around to see where the money went, I could only account for a total of $149.2 million spent from all venues. That’s over $134.4 million plus unaccounted for. Do you know how many Wal-Marts we could have built in Africa for that amount? Where did it all go? I don’t know but what I do know is where all the “extra money” from “Global Warming” donations will go, to pay for Al Gore’s utility bills. I actually donated a couple of hundred dollars in 1985 for those causes but I’ve grown a little wiser over time and now I can recognize a scam when I see one.

Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

Ron Silva

Online Pinnacle reader