Letters: Military banners aren't advertising

EDITOR: In response to Don Bennett’s commentary (“Banners and city sign laws,” July 3) and with the hope that City Manager John Brown is reading this, I have this to say.

For years, there have been banners strung across Petaluma’s streets to advertise, sandwich boards on sidewalks and real estate signs blocking drivers’ views as they enter a street from a parking lot. These are all advertising.

Your information regarding the proposed Military Banners Program is wrong. They are not advertising anything. They are not promoting any kind of “free speech.” They are photos of our military members that should be proudly displayed in our town.

I noticed the other day the Purple Heart sign by Walnut Park. There hasn’t been an issue with those signs at all.

I suggest you take a field trip to Rohnert Park or Windsor to see what these banners look like; I do believe you will be impressed. They are very tastefully done. Two cities within Sonoma County proudly display them, and Santa Rosa has it in the works.

When I saw them displayed in Rohnert Park, I went up and down the expressway four times looking at the banners and silently thanking those service members for their service.

Over the years, people have stood on street corners yelling about whatever they believe in. The families of military service persons do not do this. They are a proud and quiet group.

It’s time for some of these city leaders and those who write commentary pieces to pull their heads out of the sand and take a good, hard look at what this simple choice is.

If these banners are not approved, I will personally see that all outdoor advertising ceases to exist.

So before this is completely denied, take a ride eight minutes north to Rohnert Park. I think you’ll like what you see.

Barbara Dunaway, Petaluma

'Facts' lacking in Bennett’s column

EDITOR: The power of the press has always been the awe of most, and maybe all.

What happens when that power is misused or abused? What recourse do the “regular Joes” have when you know a regular contributor to a local newspaper misstates “facts” without research?

I know Mr. Don Bennett misstates “facts” and did little to no research on his piece (“Banners and city sign laws,” July 3), because my wife, Jocelyn Cronin, is the impetus behind the Petaluma Military Banner Program. I know there was no research done because the person who wrote those comments for your newspaper never contacted her. At worst, it is an abuse of power or, at best, laziness.

Furthermore, to invite someone to write for your paper who refers to banners for those who protect this country at time of war as “visual clutter,” is reprehensible.

I invite Mr. Bennett, or a more legitimate keeper of the Fourth Estate, to contact my wife and I to collect the true “facts.”

John Cronin, Petaluma

Supporting the military isn’t political

EDITOR: In his recent column (“Banners and city sign laws,” July 3), Don Bennett refers to the banners honoring our active duty servicemen (guess he forgot that women are serving as well) as an expression of opinion.

Fortunately, Steve Kemmerle’s guest commentary on the same page expressed the support many of us share for those in the military. Patriotism is not an opinion, it is the love and support of our country, and the proposed banners honoring military men and women conveys that love and support.

Somehow politics seem to have stymied the good deeds but, in the case of the banners, the issue is not political.

To the servicemen and women serving, I salute you. And that’s not an opinion; it’s a fact.

Rose Kostiuk Nowak, Petaluma

Supporting the military should be simple

Supporting the men and women currently serving our country in the military is all that is being proposed by the Petaluma Military Banner Program.

Hanging a banner in their hometown seems like a small act of respect and appreciation for their immense commitment. In this great nation, we have been afforded the right of freedom of speech, at whatever cost - it’s what makes us a great nation. There are so many voices and so many causes these days, and there will never be 100 percent agreement. People are different, their allegiance is different. But, for those serving their country, there should be no question as to why should support be given or displayed.

Petaluma is a small, close-knit town, each citizen not only implements ideas but facilitates them. It’s called community; and this community is in favor of hanging banners throughout this small community to and honor locals serving in the military.

We are not asking to hang pictures of criminals or infringe on people’s rights, we are asking to recognize those who are honorable. Whatever your beliefs, stand up for those who are standing up for you.

How about city lawmakers take each situation individually, look at the reason why and decide based on the meaning behind the request? They are banners with military faces on them, it is just that simple. Let’s not make this more complicated than it needs to be. We are a proud community, and we are proud of those serving - it’s that simple.

Danyea Tylman, Petaluma