Thanks to Kyra for lots of laughs

Thank you, Kyra Gottesman. I have not laughed as long as I did in reading your article about “Sleepless in Oroville” (Off the Record). Everything that you have tried to go to sleep, I’ve tried with the same results — no sleep.

In fact your article made such an impression on me, everyone I talked to, I told them about your article.

And I told them I would make copies of it and send to them. I have sent one copy to my friend in Dunsmuir and I have other copies to mail out or hand out.

I so look forward to your next article. Thank you again for the sunshine in the laughter — may God be with you always.

— Sharon Chambers, Chico

America is an extremely violent country.

America exalts in using force to get its way in the world, setting the example that violence and weapons are the way to resolve conflict. It should be no surprise that American citizens do the same, routinely using violence and weapons to kill each other.

Violence is more American than apple pie.

The US/NATO/ Russia/ Ukraine conflict had a very obvious compromise that would have prevented the violence of war. However the US did not want the conflict resolved peaceably. It wanted to punish Russia, using Ukraine as the killing field.

Ironically, after many deaths and much destruction, the outcome will likely be very similar to what would have been accomplished by negotiation and compromise.

With its gargantuan military budget, 750 military bases all over the globe, America has been in more wars than any other country in recent history.

Seventy-one percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 are ineligible to join the military, some 24 million, according to Pentagon data. The reasons: obesity, no high school diploma or a criminal record. American life expectancy is declining. Opioids killed at least 75,000 Americans in 2021. Every day in America, about 53 people are shot and killed.

Russia did not cause America’s society to deteriorate. An even more gargantuan defense budget and billions of dollars in weaponry to punish Russia, will not make America a stronger country.

America could have been a better country.

— Lucy Cooke, Butte Valley