Letters

Editor,

I support the recall of Sheriff Munks. In fact, I support the recall of any elected officials unopposed in the last election. Greg Munks, unopposed in the last election, should support the recall as a means to validate his election.

Countywide elections in San Mateo County leave much to be desired. We need a "none of the above” choice in county elections, as well as "instant runoff voting”.

Assembly Bill 1294, authored by Mullin, passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. This bill would allow general law cities and counties to use Instant Runoff Voting or Choice Voting to elect local officials. If approved, voters would have the opportunity to rank their candidates in order of preference. Mullin should add "none of the above” to AB 1294.

Election by district should replace the current countywide system in effect for Supervisor, Community College District and Harbor District. Property taxes, including debt service on bonded indebtedness, provide much of the support for those agencies. Rich districts as well as poor districts should have representation.

Would Supervisor Rich Gordon have been reelected without out-of-district votes? Not likely.

If County DA Jim Fox or Supervisor Jerry Hill had to run against "none of the above”, would they win? I think not. Let’s include them in any recall election. Consolidating the elections would be cost effective.

Recall them all.

Jack Hickey

Emerald Hills

What happens in Vegas cannot be outsourced

Editor,

Michelle Durand’s amusing column "Hedonism will evade Americans” in the May 16 edition of the Daily Journal about where Americans would love to vacation discreetly overseas and perhaps live out their fun golden years or R&R fantasies cannot be outsourced to "foreign” soil like Guam.

First, Guam incidentally is a small U.S. isle-possession with U.S. citizen-residents and a strong Roman Catholic Church in control. Thus, it cannot be a foreign nation. Our U.S. federal laws apply. Nor can Guam easily accept hedonistic sin-like activities that abound in sin cities like Las Vegas, Tijuana, etc. since its culture is conservative. The island made news a decade ago when its legislature outlawed Roe v. Wade and abortion. It later was overturned by our U.S. Supreme Court.

I do not believe the U.S. Department of Defense would allow a Vegas-like "What Happens in Guam Stays in Guam” hedonistic paradise to exist on an island preparing to receive 35,000 transplanted U.S. Marine Corps soldiers from Okinawa next year with their attached American families, adding almost 70,000 inhabitants to an island territory 225 square miles in area. This island is small enough that tourists will bump into one another and their digital video cameras. Who wants to be seen on YouTube.com all over the world engaged in illicit activities?

So we are back to the dry desert Las Vegas town where Americans and the rest of the fun seekers of the planet still love to gamble and spend tens of billions of dollars on hedonistic pleasures of games of chance, libations and discreet escapades. With potential terrorist threats and anti-Americanism in many foreign nations, high cost of travel to places like Hawaii and Europe, Americans will stay close to home.

Therefore, whatever happens still stays in Vegas because casino and resort investors love to make money and people love to spend money on pleasures and life’s joys before people kick the bucket.

Anthony Fel Amistad

San Mateo

Not a word

Editor,

My mother always told me, "If you can’t think of anything good to say about a person who has passed away, then just don’t say anything at all.” Therefore, I won’t say a word about the passing of the Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Donald Havis

San Mateo

This letter writer is a

member of the steering committee of the San Francisco Atheists.

Rev. Falwell was never

the proximate harm

Editor,

The Rev. Jerry Falwell was never the proximate harm to anyone, but helped shape the national debate from religion, politics and social issues. That "ancient task” throughout history alone is what made the debate by our founding fathers and the United States a power toward idealism within an imperfect society. If people and other special interests feel harm, then they have closed off the national debate in an open society, but it should have no affect on what you value. You should stick with your beliefs, but the debate continues with or without you until we all know what is the truth.

Jack Kirkpatrick

Redwood City

There are no easy answers when pets are suffering

Editor,

I read Dana Yates’ article "Dog deaths caused by ugly divorce” in the May 11 edition of the Daily Journal with sadness and empathy, but also with indignation by the intimation that the Peninsula Humane Society was somehow negligent or at fault. I recently faced the painful decision to bring my beloved dog Zak to PHS to be euthanized.

After 11 years of good health, he suddenly became violently ill and was suffering greatly. My partner, Zak’s co-owner, was out of town and had the even harder decision of having to forego saying goodbye in order so that Zak wouldn’t have to continue to suffer. The PHS staff members were respectful of my feelings and gentle when handling my dog. They made the process as tolerable for me as it could possibly have been.

Had the Humane Society demanded to confirm my decision to put my dog to sleep with my partner, and kept me "on hold” with my suffering dog, I would have been devastated. In such situations, there is no easy fix. Any change in protocol to address extenuating private circumstances between divorcing couples would be a slippery slope and have a disastrous and painful impact on far more people like me who simply wanted a humane ending for a suffering, loved pet. No one should expect the Humane Society to pry into a couples’ relationship any more than we would go to a couples’ counselor for veterinary care.

DJ Dull-MacKenzie

Millbrae

Way to go Mr. Cologne

Editor,

I thoroughly enjoyed the background piece highlighting Omar Cologne’s "Best Barber” achievement ("A cut above the rest” in the May 17 edition of the Daily Journal). Mr. Cologne certainly is a role model and primed for great success. It’s always refreshing to see a publication lead with a story of personal triumph. Congrats to author Dana Yates and her editor for publicly recognizing this significant small business achievement. Just being real, it’s local small businesses that regularly extend themselves and genuinely care about our community. They are the ones who we rely upon for knowledgeable, competent service. Lastly, way to go Mr. Cologne! I’d be your newest customer ... that’s if I had any hair.

Eddie Alexander

San Mateo