We face the greatest threat to democracy and our constitution in our lifetime, if not in the history of the republic, and the Democratic “leadership” is AWOL! A coup has usurped judicial and legislative roles, consolidating them all in the executive branch. Meanwhile, past presidents are mute; the Senate minority leader has become an enabler; […]
Letters To The Editor
Posted inOpinion
America deserves better than this
As an elder, I’ve lived through many political crises in this country—but I have never seen an attack on our democracy like this. In the past, there was bipartisan opposition to lawlessness. Today, the guardrails are being dismantled before our eyes, and we must sound the alarm. The damage this administration has done to our […]
Posted inOpinion
The environmental cost of the space boom
In 2023, there were 211 successful orbital launches worldwide—98 by SpaceX, a record it matched in 2024. Vandenberg Space Force Base set a record 51 launches in 2024, with projections to double in 2025. While promoted as a national security necessity, most of these launches are commercial. As SpaceX accelerates launches off the Central Coast, […]
Posted inOpinion
Allow us to bid farewell to Dana Reserve habitat
It is my prayer that the slayers of the “Dana Reserve” native oaks at least allow a ceremony to be performed by the native Chumash and kindred spirits to bid farewell to the 3,000-plus Native Oaks that are to be sacrificed so that nonnatives can now reside on stolen Chumash land. In sympathy with our […]
Posted inOpinion
Democrats, take this opportunity to engage!
We’ve all seen the many viral videos of town hall meetings during which Republican voters are haranguing their elected Republican officials over the gutting of federal programs crucial to American families. As a result, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has been advising Republicans to stop holding town hall meetings for their […]
Posted inOpinion
A coastal assault
Here are some questions that probably aren’t keeping you up at night: Why isn’t the Hearst Ranch a golf resort? Why aren’t we still arguing about whether Los Osos should have a sewer system and how it should work? Why wasn’t a seismic survey allowed to devastate our local fisheries and marine wildlife with underwater […]
Posted inOpinion
Questions about Nipomo battery storage
Upgrades better than Moss Landing is not good enough (“Nipomo residents express concerns about battery energy storage plant safety,” Feb. 27). If the Nipomo battery energy storage facility needed upgrades, it was not perfect, and safety is still an issue. Can we do better? Can we even trust that the safety measures and standards are […]
Posted inOpinion
Responses to recent Sun articles
Regarding “Don’t Palestinians have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” (Feb. 27): Unfortunately, the short answer to your question is … no. At least, not until the so-called right-wing Christian Nationalists, who ignore the teachings of the Christ and follow the edicts of an Israelite war god, wake up and realize […]
Posted inOpinion
Food for thought
How do you create a lasting peace when you do not include in negotiations the people who need to be involved to make it work (Ukraine and Gaza)? How does someone who considers himself a shrewd negotiator sacrifice his trump cards (NATO, Donbas) before negotiations even begin? How do you believe and trust people who […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t Palestinians have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
No matter who is in our White House, Israel rules our country. Three hundred and twenty-nine members of our House of Representatives are supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) political action committee. In the last congressional elections, AIPAC spent millions of dollars to defeat candidates who would not do their bidding. A […]
Posted inOpinion
County supervisors deserve the pay raise
I can already hear the howls of outrage about the proposed pay hike for our Board of Supervisors. What I don’t hear is an understanding of how hard they work, and how grossly underpaid they have been for far too long. Consider this: According to a recent survey of comparable counties, Santa Barbara County Supervisors […]
Posted inOpinion
Until Palestine is free
Since Oct. 7, 2023, all of us have experienced continuing, intense grief. Many of us are mourning cousins, siblings, classmates, parents … all of us are grieving the astounding loss of Palestinian lives as well as the very structure of Gazan life. There is nothing left of Gaza, yet its people rush back—on foot—to sift […]
