Letters: Offended by Don Bennett's comments

EDITOR: I am writing in rebuttal to a recent piece written by Don Bennett ('Banners and city sign laws,' July 3).

I am working with Joe Noriel, John Cronin and various veteran service organizations throughout the county along with local citizens on the Petaluma Patriot Military Banner Program.

While I appreciate Mr. Bennett's right to voice his opinion, I would ask him to please investigate just a bit before he does his commentary.

There are many misstatements and misconceptions in his writing regarding the Petaluma Patriot Military Banner program that I feel compelled to address.

Mr. Bennett stated, '…our city council was discussing whether or not to allow banners across the downtown streets in praise of returning servicemen.' Many things are wrong about this statement. First, we are looking to put these banners up on fixed light poles on either side of Washington Street between the Golden Eagle Shopping Center and Petaluma Boulevard, and on Sonoma Mountain Parkway.

Second, these banners are to honor active duty men and women serving in all five branches of the military service from Petaluma, as well as the reserves, not 'returning servicemen.'

I must say that reading Mr. Bennett's comment classifying our desire to honor our brave servicemen and women by displaying a banner as 'touchy feely' is insensitive at best.

In closing, I must again quote Mr. Bennett who said, 'a proliferation of banners could be as much an exercise of visual clutter as regular signs, but much bigger,' which is indeed an insult to me as the mother of a U.S. Army soldier. To compare the flying of his banner to yard signs is extremely offensive.

Although I realize that no decision has been reached as of yet, I would like to thank the city manager and the Petaluma City Council for their attention and consideration of our proposal.

Jocelyn Cronin, Petaluma

It's about good parents, not religion

EDITOR: Unlike Joy Metten ('Cheating, religion and the morals of American children,' July 10), I'm dubious about the efficacy of religion in turning out better kids and reducing cheating.

Strong religious belief has been a contributing factor over the ages in war and persecution, and has a way of setting people apart. Every religion's true believers have among them both saints and sinners.

The way to make kind kids who don't cheat is not to teach them about a god that punishes transgressors, but to raise them with love and respect. Spending time with kids, playing with them, teaching them about the world and telling them that all people, gay or straight, black or white, believers or non-believers, are worthy of equal treatment, is the key to making them kind and respectful. They become curious when they understand the world as it is, a mystery, but a mystery that is beautiful and can be partially explained by art and science. They can enjoy and savor the world when they accept it as it is but seek to understand it and change it for the better.

Neal Fishman, Petaluma

Haystack Landing ghosts and Dutra

EDITOR: In 1852 when the site known as Haystack Landing was actually the Petaluma city center, Native Americans considered the land taboo and evil, and a Spanish missionary committed suicide after attempting to bless the area. They also claim that early settlers went crazy and killed several farmers on the site, and that those who built the dock vanished under mysterious circumstances.

Currently, this site is known to be 'the most haunted site in Sonoma County.'

A film company in the 1990s was even planning to make a 'Blair Witch Project' movie on the site, called 'Incident at Haystack Landing.'

In 2004, the old farmhouse burnt down, very suspiciously.

So now the Dutra asphalt plant has purchased this desecrated piece of property off Petaluma Boulevard South.

How ironic that the worst is they will kill the birds at Schollenberger. But maybe we should be so lucky that the ghosts will haunt this asphalt plant forever. Or possibly it is Dutra who is the devil incarnate, here to devastate the Petaluma basin.

Anita Lafollette, Petaluma

Favors military banners

EDITOR: My family and I are totally in favor of the banners to honor our servicemen and women.

It would be a pictorial reminder for the City of Petaluma, to see the faces of our friends, children, siblings and grandchildren who are fighting for our freedom.

Deb Sheridan, Petaluma