Excellent pictures and coverage of the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge (“To barricade or not to barricade?” Feb. 18). Rather than wasting money trying to prevent folks from jumping off, select the best spot and put up a large sign: JUMP HERE. We have had 5 billion more people added to our fragile planet in just […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
A barrier wouldn’t really impact the view
Lompoc
I think everyone, especially Mr. McGinnes, who opposes the suicide barrier, should be required to go on the search and recovery of the jumpers (“To barricade or not to barricade?” Feb. 18). I think their first experience with the body of the jumper would change their minds. If not the first, then the second and […]
Posted inOpinion
What should Santa Maria do to curb the graffiti problem?
Greg Watson student “They should put security cameras all over the town.” Steele Asing student “A neighborhood watch kind of thing for all over. But, then again, some graffiti is art.” Chris Parisi student “We should chop off those who break the law’s hands when they are caught, because they can’t graffiti again without hands.” […]
Posted inOpinion
Service, disconnected
Military service should be open to anyone willing and able to do the job
Long ago and far away overseas, while serving in the Army in the early 1960s, I witnessed something in the name of “military justice” that angered me and turned my stomach. It still does. I served in Asmara, Eritrea, on an Army Security Agency post called Kagnew Station and was an Army broadcaster with the […]
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How do you keep in touch online?
Michael Pennington Air Force member “Facebook. I tried it one day and everybody was on it.” Evan Rorabaugh distribution worker “E-mail, and once in a while I use Facebook. I try not to use Facebook too often—it’s like high school, but online.” Jessalyn Brown student “I use Facebook since everyone has it.” Christian Baker golf […]
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Federal library assistance should be increased
Arroyo Grande
President Obama’s new budget proposal calls for a freeze on library funding. Freezing the level of federal funding to public libraries already suffering from budget cuts will severely hurt people in this difficult economy who increasingly depend on them for education, assistance searching for jobs, and for entertainment. It is vital that libraries are able […]
Posted inOpinion
Naysayers want America to fail
San Luis Obispo
The Party of No and the Tea Partiers should be ashamed at how they are dishonoring American values and corrupting the system with their negative, childish behavior. It’s hard for many Americans to fathom why the Party of No and the thoughtless Tea Partiers would rather see America fail than work to create jobs, reform […]
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Service clubs do make a local difference
First vice president, Orcutt Lions Club
Although I appreciate the sentiment of writer Bill Rabenaldt (“What if we took an interest in our own communities?” Feb.11) concerning how and where we expend our charitable resources, I feel that it is important to point out some very pertinent facts regarding those efforts. With little fanfare, charitable organizations and service clubs raise and […]
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I order you to stop listening to Rush
Rosemead
I happened to be passing by Santa Maria recently, and I picked up the Sun along with some real estate brochures. I read the letter by Gary Raine (“Decent people will change the station some day,” Feb. 4) lambasting my hero Rush Limbaugh. Methinks ol’ Gary speaks with a forked tongue! I listen to “Rushbo” […]
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What’s the most cliché Valentine’s Day present, ever?
Shelley Doty homemaker “Red roses, because everyone does it, and they jack the prices up—it’s not fair.” Leticia Ericson data manager “I can’t think of one, because my husband doesn’t get me one.” [image-3] Luis Garcia student “Chocolates. They’re a last-minute thing for people that forget that it’s Valentine’s Day.” [image-4] Tatum Nissen student “Chocolates. […]
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Californians support offshore drilling–and more
Lompoc
The misguided liberal religious cult of environmentalists in California and their political supporters—like Lois Capps, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Pedro Nava, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, et al—do not speak for everyone in California. The majority of Californians support offshore drilling for oil. We also support such drilling in the Florida Everglades, the Gulf of Mexico, ANWR, […]
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Stop bickering and get the point on marriage
San Luis Obispo
I am tired of hearing how gay marriage threatens family life (studies show only a third of families live the two-parent mom/dad model anymore), or how it has “always been this way” (read your damn Bible and early history, already). I am equally tired of seeing LGBT groups fruitlessly bang their heads against a wall […]
