RANDOMLetters

Fort Bragg Is a Drag

After the White supremacist terrorist massacre in Buffalo, New York on May 14, isn’t it finally time for the city of Fort Bragg, California to change its name?

No more lame and laughable excuses, Fort Bragg! Allowing this town in Mendocino County to continue to be named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg is evil, not to mention extremely divisive, blatantly racist, and unnecessarily provocative. And… California was never part of the Confederacy!

Fort Bragg’s city council members have the power to ditch the name Fort Bragg by a simple majority vote, but the current council members have inexplicably chosen not to do so. Give them a call at 707-961-2823.

Jake Pickering

Arcata, Calif.

Steve Bannon Is Planning a Coup

My Fellow Progressives:

The smoking gun of the conspiracy to retain Trump as our ruling Autocrat has been revealed! What more do we need to wake the Independents and rational moderates in both major parties to the continuing, existential threat?

If we cannot cut this cancer out of our body politic, we are destined to lose our democratic Republic. Bill Roberson San Pedro

White Supremacy in America; Mainstream Pathology

White supremacy in America began when 20 Black Africans were unloaded at Virginia’s Jamestown in 1619. They were there as human chattel in perpetuity for the next 240 years.

Government sanctioned slavery ended in 1865 with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation to free America’s slaves. But more to a point, did white supremacy end? Well ... just ask Emmett Till’s family or Ahmaud Aubery’s family.

The Civil War and the ratification of the 13th and 14th Amendments should have put an end to white supremacy. But that’s not what happened. Following the Civil War, the push for reconciliation was so strong that the war’s victors willingly lost sight of the reason the war was fought in the first place and refused to punish supporters of the institution of slavery and sedition, and Supreme Court rulings such as Plessy v. Ferguson preserved white supremacy into a generational curse.

This latest mass killing, resulting in ten dead and hundreds more mourning in Buffalo, New York is a case of more Black bodies being sacrificed at the altar of white supremacy. Same story. Different black church. Where’s the outrage? There’s been a few heartfelt prayers sent out to the survivors. But it feels like this shooting will disappear from the news, as proms and high school graduation photographs fill our social media feeds.

We know Republican politicians won’t speak out against white supremacy, god-be-damned the party of law and order. Where are all the Democrats on this issue? Where is the voice of all those Christian fundamentalists who cherish life so much? What about the news media? All are invited to stop playing mumblety-peg around the radicalization of white youth.

Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but unless there is a well-orchestrated protest by all of America’s people against white supremacy, Black bodies will continue to be

sacrificed at the altar of white supremacy.

America ... We are at a crossroads. Will racism and white supremacy continue to be America’s all-consuming and unsolvable problem? Is genocide America’s only way out of its own manufactured peculiar institution.

John Gray

San Pedro

Liberate Ukraine

It is not the Ukrainian people that are attempting to expand NATO power but rather it is Vladimir Putin who has engaged in intimidation to prevent the will of the people (both Ukrainian and Russian) from being heard. Why else would he stoop to such underhanded tactics to block various means of communication among the citizens of Ukraine and Russia? Why is Putin forcing Russia to return to the Cold War utilizing political strong-arm tactics such as violence? Vladimir Putin, you have had over twenty years to acknowledge Ukraine and have failed them by your own choosing. The days of your despotic regime are finally coming to an end as it appears the desire for freedom will continue to sweep among the Eastern European nations as well as Russia.

Accordingly, let the call go forth among all citizens of Ukraine that your brothers and sisters of democracy {from all over the world} are with you during every trial and tribulation you may encounter during this crisis. To the people of Ukraine, the trumpet of freedom beckons you to rise in protest and louden your voice to preserve your sacred heritage, promote your children’s future and obtain the blessings of liberty we all cherish. Ukraine, the hour of your redemption is at hand. As you the rightful citizens move forward to reclaim your own country, rise and strike! In the name of those who were murdered fighting for everyone’s rights, rise and strike! To push back this evil regime, rise and strike! Let no one continue to fear this man. Every Ukrainian must be strong and fight on for their freedom. Rise and strike! Vladimir Putin, you little weasel...let Ukraine go!

Joe Bialek Cleveland, Ohio

Community Alerts Ports Give Update on Clean Air Action Plan

The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles will give a progress update on San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) on Wednesday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to noon. The meeting will include a status update of the ports’ technology advancement projects, feasibility assessment studies of cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks, and Clean Truck Fund Rate.

The meeting will be held via Zoom and is open to the public. The ports will take public comments to receive input on CAAP implementation. The Zoom link and further information can be found at cleanairactionplan. org under the “News” item “Ports Give Update on Clean Air Action Plan.” The agenda will be posted on the website prior to the meeting.

Port of LA Reverses Course, Will Do EIR on Phillips 66 Terminal

The Port of LA announced via email that it will conduct a full environmental impact report on the Phillips 66 Marine Oil Terminal and Wharf Improvement Project at Berths 148-151. It had previously attempted to evade its responsibility under the California Environmental Quality Act by conducting a much less rigorous analysis, known as a mitigated negative declaration, but it received withering criticism, particularly since it would nearly double the facility’s crude oil throughput with a 40year time horizon.

A Notice of Preparation/Initial Study (NOPIS) will be prepared and released for public comment, with dates for NOPIS release and associated public meetings will be announced at a later time.