What would Bob do?
Where is Bob when you need him? I remember Bob was also
perturbed about Children being taken to inappropriate movies. I
took my son and a friend to see
”
Lord of the Rings two Towers, rated PG-13. I was amazed to see
how many young children were there.
What would Bob do?
Where is Bob when you need him? I remember Bob was also perturbed about Children being taken to inappropriate movies. I took my son and a friend to see “Lord of the Rings two Towers, rated PG-13. I was amazed to see how many young children were there.
Come on parents! Can’t you say “no?” It’s not a fairy tale. It was violent and scary. Granted there was love and hope but, the war scenes were not for young children. Their minds aren’t mature enough to process what was going on.
I operated on the premise that PG-13 meant not until you’re ready. Thirteen doesn’t work for everyone, but it is a measure to use. An R rating is for mature audiences.
Leave children at grandma’s when the content is not for young minds or eyes. Don’t rush them into material for more mature minds when it’s you who wants to see the movie. Please Think! I hope your children don’t have nightmares.
Dee Dee Hanania
San Juan Bautista
Stand up and be counted
Pat Hughes’ letter in the Jan. 2 issue of The Pinnacle claims criticism of LoBue is unfair and not justified. Like other LoBue supporters, Pat offers no facts to support his claim.
In two years I have counted six letters in newspapers supporting Tony LoBue. Three people in property development, Tony’s dad, Mr. Russell and Pat Hughes. Like Tony LoBue, Pat sadly misses the message expressed by critics and attacks the messenger, in this case The Pinnacle.
Please Tony LoBue supporters, set LoBue’s record straight. Come out from wherever you are, stand tall, add your name to the list of six by publicly saying how proud you are of the achievements LoBue has made as councilman/mayor (and list them).
For starters, tell the community how proud you are Tony voted “yes” for the 677-home development annexation that would further erode our frail infrastructure after accepting tickets to a baseball game and party from the company. With the hungry homeless being reported, say how proud you are Tony wants to spend $22,000 for new brick sidewalks downtown. Say how proud you are that Tony, as mayor, did not attend the most important RWQCB meeting ending with our city being fined over a $1 million and a “cease and desist” sewer hookup resulting in a loss of local jobs. Say how proud you are Tony almost destroyed working relationships with the County. Say how proud you are Tony cowardly left the council meeting shortly after voting “no” for the election of Councilman Brian Conroy as Mayor. Say how proud you are that he-man Tony LoBue pushed a female news reporter.
LoBue supporters, it’s very basic. We elect these officials for a term in office to represent our interests, not as God. We trust public officials to do the right thing. When officials like Tony LoBue act in a self-serving manner and disregard the concerns of the community, they better believe I will comfortably be there to criticize their actions.
Paul Grannis
Hollister
Gangs require more than police effort
We in San Benito County need creative solutions to address the issue of youth involvement in gangs. To that end, I recommend The Pinnacle and/or the new gang taskforce investigate localities with successful gang intervention programs, such as Santa Cruz County. It was recently recognized for drastically reducing youth violence and gang involvement. One of the organizations in Santa Cruz that I am familiar with is Barrios Unidos. It offers recreational, job training, arts and cultural programs. These programs instill pride and self-esteem among program participants and offer alternatives to gang involvement.
Hollister and San Benito County have very few prevention programs and funding to provide youth with such alternatives is limited. We don’t even have a youth center. Even Castroville – with a population of 5,000 – has a youth center.
Youth gang involvement is multi-faceted and requires multiple strategies. To only focus on police suppression – as has been reported in your paper so far – will not cure the problem, but simply force the youth elsewhere as has apparently happened in Gilroy. What will happen to the youth if Hollister forces them out? Will they end up in Los Banos? Or worse, in jail?
Gang members and “wannabes” are misguided youth who need support and positive direction. We must provide youth with programs and services that help them achieve to their greatest potential socially and academically thus helping develop skills to contribute to their families and to our community.
Please remember that an ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure!
LucÃa Aguilar-Navarro
Hollister
Bites, not bytes, fight crime
A computer system will not solve the problem of gang violence in your fine community. You need to round up these thugs, arrest them, charge them with the horrific crimes that they have committed and put them away for a life sentence. If you do not, they are going to sentence your citizens to a life of looking over their shoulders wondering when they are going to be victimized. Then, and only then, can you concentrate on kids under the age of 8 and have an influence on their lives.
These gangs get the kids at an incredibly young age—the older ones are lost causes. Don’t delude yourselves. You have to write off the current teens to young twenties and direct your community resources to the youngest of the young. I should know; I live in Southern California, home to thousands of illegal gang members and wannabes.
Jean O’Neill
Burbank
A vote for Caltrans’ barriers
The article written for your December 26-27 publication about Caltrans’ selection of a concrete median barrier for San Juan Bautista reads as if it was ghost written by Rebecca McGovern. I also was a voting member of the Citizens Advisory Committee, but did vote to save lives, along with creating a beautiful decorative barrier offered by Caltrans. The “anti-everything new” group packed the committee of six, however, and though they wanted no barrier, voted as a 4-to-1 majority (one was absent) to recommend the more dangerous and less attractive “steel rails on wood post” option. This was after Caltrans showed us several decorative options available for the concrete median barrier and provided records showing the safety advantages and long term cost benefits of concrete over steel rail on wood posts.
Thanks, Caltrans, for not going along with the majority of our committee.
Steve Mitchell
San Juan Bautista.
