Letter to the editor
Crispin B. Hollingshead is correct that there are those who will kill for power and profit (Opinions November 4). He gave good examples of Perdue Pharma and the tobacco industry which appear to value profit over lives.
Then he claimed that Fox News has been killing people by “shouting against the vaccine”. This is blatant misinformation. Fox News hosts encourage vaccination and have chosen to be vaccinated themselves. “Chosen” is the operative word here. Fox hosts are against the government forcing this new vaccine on those who choose not to get it. Not against the vaccine-against being told you have to get it. Get it?
This is the same type of misinformation that has caused a huge drop in ratings for CNN and MSNBC. At the same time, Fox News ratings have greatly increased. Americans don’t like being lied to and told what to think.
Fox News has two types of programs. There are straight news programs hosted by professional journalists like Brett Baier, Chris Wallace, Bill Hemmer, and Martha McCallum. Then there are the pundit shows like Tucker Carlson’s and Sean Hannity’s; they share their opinions and attempt to influence viewers to think as they do. Try viewing a Fox News show hosted by a professional journalist. You might understand why Fox is gaining new viewers.
— Marilyn Wood,
Mendocino
I urge all readers to support our State Senator Mike McGuire’s bill SB 307 to stop an idea proposed to ship coal from the SF Bay area north to Humboldt Bay. It was proposed by some anonymous LLC from Colorado. The group also requested to eliminate the build-up of the Great Redwood Trail. This trail is planned to create the longest rail-trail in the U.S.
The shadowy rail operation would utilize a portion of the now-defunct North Coast rail route, which runs approximately 320 miles between Marin and Humboldt counties. The coal would then be loaded onto ships in Humboldt Bay, sold overseas, and burned.
The proposed toxic coal train would go through Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt Counties along the proposed Great Redwood Trail. Advocate readers can learn more about this at: https://tinyurl. com/3rtpwkef
The proposal would run millions of tons of coal over unstable ground past important waterways and continue alliance on coal for energy despite global climate change.
This is one of the greatest threats against the North Coast in a long time. I urge readers to spread the word to everyone you know and advocate support for McGuire’s bill to stop this.
— Ed Oberweiser, Fort Bragg
Just a short note to thank the Fort Bragg City Council for standing up to the lies of the Skunk Train by writing a letter to the Department of Transportation asking them not to give them the grant requested. The Skunk Train may be many things, but it is certainly not a railroad.
And I applaud the City Council for filing a complaint in Mendocino County Superior Court asking that the railway no longer be considered a public utility and should be disqualified as a “federally regulated common carrier providing transportation.” It has never been a railway.
Although we Fort Bragg residents all passionately want our town to grow and prosper, giving the reins of Fort Bragg to the Hart(less) family will not achieve that. They’ve already lied, disregarded rules and regs (e.g., erected fences on people’s property without their approval or permits), and continue to do so by appropriating information, without approval, in their fourcolor handout, so it looks as though well-thought-of environmental organizations support the Skunk Train land grab, which they don’t.
Let’s keep the Skunk Train’s feet (sic) to the fire and make sure they clean up the toxic waste on the mill site as a first priority and let them stick to what they do best—make tourists happy for a few short expensive hours.
— Linda Jupiter, Fort Bragg