Tuesday's Letters to the Editor

<p class="bold allcaps">Stand up to banks</p> <p>EDITOR: Kudos to the Hynes family (“Protesting mortgage woes”, Aug. 23). It takes courage to stand against big banks and the American citizens' judgment.</p><p>People who purchased their home before the peak of the market are often unaware that the choice for the home buyer at that time was either to hop on the homeownership train for ludicrous amounts before prices skyrocketed higher or miss the American Dream entirely.</p><p>The Hyneses weren't seeking a mansion or a luxurious lifestyle but merely an 1,100-square-foot home for their family.</p><p>How many families in Sonoma County have lost their homes to date due to foreclosure, and how many millions of families in the United States?</p><p>Hardworking American families should have the right to a modest living, yet they are struggling against unethical lending practices, a government at the grips of corporate power, a collapsed economy and a serious growing inequality.</p><p>I stand with the Hyneses, the Haydens and all families who have lost their homes in this financial meltdown.</p><p>SUZANNE SHERMAN</p><p>Petaluma</p><h3>Better spent</h3> <p>EDITOR: A question to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman (“Here's something that's rich,” Thursday): Would it be better to give $68 billion a year to 120,000 taxpayers who might, just might hire gardeners, cooks, maids and chauffeurs, buy automobiles and so forth, or give it to 535 Washington politicians to spend on their wish lists? Politicians' wish lists have very little to do with us poor folks.</p><p>JOHN SPILLANE</p><p>Sebastopol</p><h3>No mosque</h3> <p>EDITOR: Bigot, racist, Islamaphobe. We've heard it all before, from that broken liberal vintage 1960s record player.</p><p>Building a mosque on private property may be permissible, however, it is not appropriate at Ground Zero. The loudmouths on the left defend the mosque with their typical tolerance and inclusion agenda. Why is it Americans must be the tolerant ones? Why can't Muslims exercise some tolerance (and respect) for once?</p><p>Interesting how these inclusive liberals defend a religion that in itself is exclusive (i.e., no non-Muslims in certain mosques, disdain for women and gays, and the list goes on). The mosque is nothing more than a slap-in-your-face symbol of conquest.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Obama administration continues to support the renovation and restoration of overseas mosques with U.S. taxpayer money. If it were any other situation, the same liberals would predictably be screaming separation of church and state and government endorsement of a religion. Hello, ACLU, are you listening? No, it's too busy suing Arizona, Christian crosses and nativity scenes. November can't come soon enough.</p><p>ROD MILLER</p><p>Rohnert Park</p><h3>Eyesore art</h3> <p>EDITOR: I wonder if our city managers run their own households the same way that they are running this city? Doubtful. Here we face countless fiscal problems, and what do I see? The Leaning Tower of Bike Art on Santa Rosa Avenue in front of the Nissan dealership (“Spire inspires,” Friday).</p><p>Come to find out that the city required Nissan to fund the $30,000 project. What? Our city pools and senior center are on the brink of closure, and the city wants eyesore art instead of saving a pool? Why not take the $30,000 and put it toward something useful?</p><p>Here's an analogy. Let's say you are saving money for a kitchen remodel. You've managed to save all the money and are ready to buy. Then your car is stolen and must be replaced. With no money saved for a car, the fiscally responsible thing to do is to take the cash saved for the remodel and buy a car.</p><p>Our city managers are spending money as if there are no negative consequences.</p><p>MIKE PETERSON</p><p>Santa Rosa</p><h3>Stating the obvious</h3> <p>EDITOR: Monday's front page headline “U.S. wasted billions in Iraq” is worthy of some kind of award. I say we should all emit a loud “duh” to honor it.</p><p>Join me in this if you're one of the millions of citizens who have yet to hear one valid reason for the U.S. invasion of Iraq seven years ago. If you are one of those who somehow believes that Iraq was involved in 9/11, or if you believe the Iraqi regime in 2003 was the only inhumane dictatorship on the planet, then you need not “duh” with the rest of us. </p><p>The U.S. wasted billions of dollars, for sure, and many thousands of human lives.</p><p>BILL BALDEWICZ</p><p>Sebastopol</p><h3>A role for Bush</h3> <p>EDITOR: Like millions of others, I was inspired by the movie “Invictus,” about Nelson Mandela coming out of prison to campaign for the presidency of his country and then, in that role, using radical progressive strategies to reduce the anger and tension separating the blacks and whites of South Africa.</p><p>I have a nominee in mind to play the Mandela reconciliation role today in reducing tensions over the mischaracterized Ground Zero mosque — George W. Bush.</p><p>Shortly after 9/11, in his role as president, he broadcast to Americans and to the world some enlightened, toleration-promoting things about the need to distinguish between al-Qaida terrorists and peace-loving Muslims. He should say them again — loud and clear.</p><p>Yes, I know he would risk alienating tea partiers, Glenn Beck, John Boehner, Sarah Palin and other rabble-rousing Republicans. But, hey, he should understand that I'm running the same risk with my many progressive Democrat friends by saying something nice about Bush.</p><p>MORGAN LAMBERT</p><p>The Sea Ranch</p><h3>Civil disobedience</h3> <p>EDITOR: Of course, she is guilty, and so were Harriet Tubman, Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, et. al. Now we can add Jane Spahr's name to the long list of women who have been judged guilty of flouting the laws our culture has imposed over the millennia (“Church rebukes minister,” Saturday).</p><p>Once it was illegal for any one to help a slave run away. Once it was illegal for women to vote. Once it was illegal for blacks to marry whites. Now it is illegal for same-sex couples to have the same civil right to marry as heterosexual couples.</p><p>Spahr is guilty of striving to raise the social conscience by acts of civil disobedience. She should be proud of the list she has joined.</p><p>JERRIE PATTERSON</p><p>Petaluma</p>