B Street historic buildings in San Rafael looking good I have worked on historic preservation in downtown San Rafael for many years, first on the Cultural Affairs Commission (no longer in existence) and the Planning Commission. I had a wonderful experience recently. It happened when I turned off Fourth Street onto B Street.
I was delighted to observe the historic buildings looking so beautiful with new coats of paint and current repairs. Congratulations and thank you on a job well done to the building owners along B Street. — Ann Batman, Greenbrae United States should aspire to get rid of guns Too many people in the U.
S. die by gun fire. No other country comes close to our numbers.
I suspect people in other countries think we’re nuts or that we don’t give a damn about our children or other loved ones. What would a sane country do? The answer is simple. Get rid of the guns.
You say that’s impossible. I disagree. Yes, it will be difficult, but there are many possible approaches.
Australia’s radical gun law approved in 1996 is a good example of strict gun control paying off. First, we must make it extremely hard to get a gun. Believing the Second Amendment is nonsense.
The Founding Fathers certainly didn’t want every “Tom, Dick and Harry” to have the type of weapons we have today. Second, we need an extensive buyback procedure. Third, we must penalize those who try to keep their weapons.
There should be a stringent system for approving those who could justify owning a gun and, of course, the penalties for not following the rules must become more painful as time goes by. Finally, we should give rewards for reporting anyone who secretly keeps an unauthorized weapon. The reward would get bigger as time goes by.
A big reward would incentivize people to turn in bad actors intent on keeping their guns. I had a motorcycle years ago. I was, as many others were, furious that the government could force me to wear a helmet.
Then, the government told me I had to wear a seat belt in the car. That was just as outrageous (at the time). Now, no one thinks twice about either law.
— Ted Janko, San Anselmo More than one way to compare current conflicts In his recently published letter to the editor, it is my belief that Jeff Saperstein overlooked the real similarity between Israel, Russia, Ukraine and Palestine. It is actually Ukraine and the West Bank/Gaza region that are similar. Russia and Israel both have annexed neighboring land — Russian President Vladimir Putin did it with Crimea and Israel did so with the Golan Heights.
Both are attempting to annex more neighboring land with various reasons like historical ownership and secure buffer zones. Putin claims Ukraine should become part of Russia again because historically it was at times. The threat of NATO in other neighboring lands has also been mentioned.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters claim the West Bank and Gaza should be annexed for the same reasons, history and security. I do not believe past annexations or planned future ones have or will bring security and peace. The next U.
S. presidential administration should become a real peace broker instead of the arms broker past administrations have been. It is time to stop supplying the tools of war and insist on a brokered peace tied to any economic aid.
Northern Ireland and South Africa are examples of how seemingly endless terrorism and retaliation can stop. — Carolyn Shadan, Tiburon Trump’s credentials as ‘friend of military’ dubious In his recent letter to the editor, James Quigley makes the case that former President Donald Trump is a better ally for members of the U.S.
military than Vice President Kamala Harris among the two candidates campaigning for the White House. However, I have read many reports about Trump slighting veterans or those who died in action. During his time in office, he also vetoed a military spending bill.
Right now, Trump’s Republican Party has the majority in Congress, but I have seen no reports of it doing anything to help the military during the last session. Quigley ended his letter by writing, “Despite what some here say, a career in the military is important and worthwhile.” His son, who he said is serving in the armed forces, is making that sacrifice for our country.
I say thank you to that young man for believing in our country. — Gladys C. Gilliland, San Rafael.
