Sunday's Letters to the Editor

<p class="bold allcaps">Please immunize</p> <p>EDITOR: I write to all the parents who choose not to have their children immunized. I am in the fourth of possibly 12 weeks of a case of whooping cough, and I am here to say that this disease is horrendous.</p><p>It is a mystery how, as a healthy 54-year-old woman, I contracted this disease, but I did, and now I know firsthand how and why children die from pertussis. My own daughter had to witness some terrifying moments when I could not breathe, standing by helplessly as I gasped for air. When I turn that table in my mind, I cannot bear the thought of what it would be like as her mother to see her suffering in that same agonizing manner.</p><p>As an adult, I am lucky; I have the emotional experience and physical strength to get through this; children do not. It is worse for them, and many die.</p><p>Please: Raise your children to lead healthy lifestyles, to be kind to others and to become responsible citizens. But allow modern medicine to protect them and the community at large from the horrors of serious diseases such as pertussis. Immunize your children.</p><p>SARAH MONIZE</p><p>Petaluma</p><h3>Minimum wage</h3> <p>EDITOR: Just a thought and probably not a new one: If California legislators can't or won't do their job (i.e., pass a balanced budget), perhaps it is they who should work at minimum wage until they can. And while he's at it, the governor could try living on minimum wage for a few months, too.</p><p>ANN HEBLER</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Woolsey's war vote</h3> <p>EDITOR: Rep. Lynn Woolsey had better watch out. She is now destined to go down in history for reasons that shall shine upon her descendents a light most bright and proud (“Mounting evidence against this war,” Close to Home, Wednesday). But she will be on a lonesome train; not many of her congressional colleagues will be with her. They will be traveling on a different train, going in a different direction.</p><p>JOHN DINWIDDIE</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Billboard overload</h3> <p>EDITOR: I strongly object to enlarging the already distasteful electronic sign on Highway 101 in Rohnert Park (“Roadside sign in RP may get supersized,” Thursday). It may be “an exciting” way to raise revenue, but at what cost to the larger community?</p><p>The faulty logic in the argument that “bigger is safer because it's easier to read” assumes that I want to read it. Yes, the bigger and brighter the sign, the more your eye will be drawn to it. Is that what we want to experience as we drive along the highway — more distractive advertising?</p><p>In Washington, there is a town on the interstate with multiple large electronic digital signs. Flashing images during the daytime are so distracting that you have to force your eyes to stay on the road. Driving through the area at night is akin to driving through a carnival midway.</p><p>I'm already feeling overburdened with unsolicited advertising: telemarketing calls, junk mail, computer pop-up ads and spam, fliers on my car and driveway. Sonoma County has many billboards littering the 101 corridor from Cloverdale to Petaluma.</p><p>I don't understand why we are so complacent about this assault by advertisers in our daily lives. It feels like the city is pimping itself out with this latest scheme.</p><p>KAREN WAGNER</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Nuclear safety</h3> <p>EDITOR: Contrary to the speculation in Bob Herbert's column (“Unprepared for a nuclear blowout,” July 22), the nation's nuclear energy facilities are well prepared to protect public health and safety. The nuclear energy industry operates under the premise that things can go wrong. It designs its plants and trains personnel to respond safely and effectively to unlikely scenarios such as major system malfunctions and security threats.</p><p>Additionally, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires the industry to be prepared to protect public health and safety during worst-case events. Every U.S. nuclear plant is required to have emergency plans, procedures and notification systems at the ready 24/7. Every plant also is required to regularly perform emergency and security drills that the NRC grades.</p><p>The column ignored the “defense-in-depth” safety design built into nuclear plant structures and operating systems, which protected public health even when the Three Mile Island accident occurred. Likewise, the many subsequent improvements in personnel training and operational practices that have made nuclear energy such a reliable contributor to the nation's economic well-being were not mentioned.</p><p>The hundreds of companies engaged in the industry stake their success and reputation on one another's commitment to safety.</p><p>MARVIN FERTEL</p><p>President and CEO,</p><p>Nuclear Energy Institute</p><p>Washington</p><h3>Shoddy paving</h3> <p>EDITOR: Over objections of many citizens and at great cost to the taxpayers, the north side of the trail running along Santa Rosa Creek between Fulton and Willowside roads was recently paved over, presumably to allow cyclists to ride at higher speeds. The work was completed over several months, and the trail reopened in early July. Already there are huge cracks in the surface. Did we get an extended warranty on this shoddy work?</p><p>SHEILA McQUILLEN</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>War crimes</h3> <p>EDITOR: Since WikiLeaks released the documents pertaining to the Afghan war, there has been an avalanche of grandstanding by various members of Congress calling for punishment of Pfc. Bradley Manning for allegedly divulging classified information. I have seen nothing about prosecuting any of the crimes revealed in these documents and videos.</p><p>If the United States wants to be a major world player, we need to win the hearts of the rest of the world. This is done in part by showing them that we respect the rules of law and justice. This is done by showing them that we are better than our enemies. We have to show them that even in war we respect law and justice. Otherwise, we are no better than our enemies, and there is no good reason to prefer our side.</p><p>We need to forget about WikiLeaks and Manning and get serious about holding our own armed forces, and those who give them orders, to the rules of law, justice and common decency.</p><p>MIKE ROSEN</p><p>Healdsburg</p><h3>Obama and Palin</h3> <p>EDITOR: In 2007, David Brooks, a conservative columnist for the New York Times, interviewed Barack Obama and asked him about his interest in Reinhold Niebuhr, the famous theologian and philosopher. Obama responded with a cogent, completely extemporaneous exposition of Nieb-uhr's thought that left Brooks (by his own admission) stunned. Now imagine asking Sarah Palin about Reinhold Niebuhr. Her likely response would be, “I shop there all the time.”</p><p>STEVEN SMITH</p><p>Windsor</p><h3>Big labor</h3> <p>EDITOR: In response to G. Anthony Phillips' letter (“Fair's stage hands,” Thursday), I have to interject on behalf of the Sonoma County Fair.</p><p>I used to work for an exposition company in Las Vegas and stagehands were typically paid $40 an hour before overtime. Union regulations often doubled their pay simply for working on a Sunday. How many people in Sonoma County would feel blessed to work for that base pay any day of the week?</p><p>Unions used to serve a noble purpose. Now it seems that their only purpose is to line their pockets and malign any who oppose them. Cheers to the fair for standing up to big labor.</p><p>JEFF MARTIN</p><p>Santa Rosa</p>