Breeze:

I always find it amusing that Christians try to claim a more just value system because it is “external” and “independent.” I suggest that anyone making this claim read up on the Council of Nicaea and the Apocrypha. The former was a group of men that decided that Jesus was divine and equal to God the father, creating the modern idea of the trinity. The latter is a group of biblical books thrown out of the official biblical canon. Independent indeed. The Islamic State also claims an independent and external source of values that makes it moral to wage Jihad.

If the Christians are going to claim an external source, they better get serious about following it to the letter. In the same book of the bible banning homosexuality, the following are also banned: Shaving facial hair, divorce, uncovered heads while worshiping, prayer in public, eating raw steak, and eating various types of seafood. Where are the protests over surf and turf and barber shops?

As an Atheist I have heard that I should be able to “rape and murder all I want.” The fact is that I do rape and murder all I want, and that amount is zero. The amount most people want is zero. Humans have evolved a value system to get along with each other, and groups not familiar with the bible are getting along just fine.

Joey Waltz, Ventura

Breeze:

I am very concerned for the residents that walk the bike path in the morning. They are mainly young women with babies in strollers and retired folks like me. Having all these lowlifes hanging around the promenade/bike path to me is a real problem. Something has to be done to clean up the beach front. There is simply no excuse.

Murray Robertson (A retired old folk)
A Very Concerned Ventura Resident

Opinions:

I refer to Jill Foreman’s article about “Maria’s” story which appeared in your July 22 edition. Ms. Foreman is board member of “Ventura Homeless Prevention, Inc.,” or HPF. While I was genuinely moved by and it’s “feel good” ending, sadly, there are many of us whose interaction with HPF in the face of impending catastrophe was surpassingly unhelpful and callous. I should know. My own experience is one of those.

I am a married 62 year-old-man with a disabling heart condition and severe arteriosclerosis disease. My income is limited to Social Security Disability benefits only. In July, I found myself one-month behind in my rent and facing imminent eviction. I reached out to HPF for $1100 in one-time rental assistance to pay the amount and stop the eviction. I had no other resources or recourse. HPF was for us a measure of last resort, really of final resort. It’s the last stop before the streets, literally, as it was for us.

Unlike Maria, when I showed up at HPF’s downtown offices at the Ventura Salvation Army complex on 155 S Oak Street, I was treated in a humiliating way. I waited for an HPF person behind locked, wrought iron bars. When an HPF intake person finally came out, I stated my very personal business from the street behind the bars. I tried to state my need but was cut off almost immediately. The HPF person rudely interrupted me and said: “I have no money for you.” Stunned and nonplussed, the most I could say was “okay.” She then turned her back to me and re-entered her office. Nobody asked for my telephone number or address. My interaction with HPF was profoundly disturbing.

Bobby H

Opinions:

All I hear about is that we have a water drought problem. The solution is to not to use water!!!. Is that really a solution? If we had a health problem would a solution be to isolate everyone from each other? The solution would be to find a way to solve the problem. The solution to the drought problem is to produce rain. Now how can we produce rain? Easy, by cloud seeding !!!. Precipitation enchancement, commonly called “cloud seeding articially stimulates clouds to produce more rainfall or snow-fall, California has done cloud seeding in the 1950 through 1980’s. A report written in the California State Water Plan Update 2005 Volume 2, Chapter 14 Title Precipitation Enhancement indicates the benefits from cloud seeding. It is cheap to do, Costs for cloud seeding generally would be less than $20 per acre-foot per year. Safe It is environmental safe, The projects use silver iodide as the active cloud seeding agent, supplemented by dry ice if aerial seeding is done The potential for eventual toxic effects of silver has not been shown to be a problem, We have plenty of clouds over California so I ask why are we not cloud seeding??

Dr. Roland Handy

Answer In A Breeze

The Time Warner Co. is digging Telegraph and Dunning to connect St. Bonaventure High to fiber optic networks. They say they already serve the church and presumably the hospital. The presence and absence of the fiber optics in various neighborhoods can affect the decision by an employer to locate there. It would be an interesting read to find out more and about where it is and isn’t in town.

Regards,

Kioren Moss, MAI

A: We really don’t have any plans for future fiber optic lines that are pursed by the city and public funding since this is mostly generated by private companies. Therefore, we just react to requests from communication companies regarding impacts to public streets and right of way to put these facilities in. From a pure business standpoint in our City, I’ve heard there is a need for faster internet service that fiber optics can provide.

So if you want to discuss how the City works with these companies to facilitate their infrastructure with the least impact on the community, then please contact me. If you want to discuss how the City would encourage enhanced internet service for our business community, you should probably contact our Economic Development Manager, Leigh Eisen.

Rick Raives ([email protected])
Public Works Director City of Ventura

If you have a question you would like answered send it to [email protected] and we will try to get an answer for you.

Dear Sheldon,

Thanks for staying with the philosophical discussion that readers are interested in thinking about…that’s the start.  But I would like to suggest that the world’s biggest problem (the elephant in the room) is “overpopulation”… too many people on the planet.   Or is our earth too small for the needs or wants of the human species?

Suzanna Ballmer

Response to Letter by Vaughn

I appreciate Robert Vaughn’s response to my letter citing statistics for atheists in prison and asking who is more moral an atheist who does good because he perceives it right or someone who believes in God and does right to avoid going to hell.  The statistics cited are misleading since are based on tabulations of categories such as “atheist” by itself but exclude categories such as “refuses to state”, “other”, etc. A more meaningful comparison would be based on defining those whose actions are directly influenced by their beliefs.   I certainly believe an atheist can be as good a person as a believer in God. The point that I was making was that a person who believes in God has independent documentation outside himself which defines what is right and wrong. An atheist does not have an external guide to right and wrong. When Mr. Vaughn cites he is doing “good”, I would ask where does he go to define what is good besides the penal code. My original letter was written in rebuttal to the suggestion that Supreme Court Justices be atheists because the atheist lacks an external source of guidance of right and wrong(morality)  independent of himself.

John Ferritto

Breeze

Hopefully, my letter to the editor (in previous Breeze)ref “beach open spaces” will stir some interest….that and my weekly email harassment of the City and VPD related to the state of affairs on the beachfront (especially the promenade).  My photos paint a pretty ugly picture of what tourists see when they come of our fair city.  Actually the Harbor, Keys and Pierpont are greatly improved but the promenade not only has vagrants but some pretty sketchy lowlife gangsters.  I am still waiting for the City and Kevin Clerici to get serious about the promenade.  I have talked to the Manager and Events Coordinator at the Crown Plaza, they have nothing good to say about the City’s handling of the promenade.  They and their customers probably suffer the most from this lack of attention.

George Robertson-Pierpont

Hello,

I am a frequent letter writer to newspapers, but have had only 6 published in the Ventura Star.  It seems as if they won’t print anything criticizing the City or Government.

On or about July 2010, the Ventura County Medical Center was nominated as the Trauma Center for the West County.  St. John’s Hospital was the other applicant.  Notwithstanding the need for a Trauma Center, I can see no references regarding the environmental impact of ambulance noise. I have not been able to obtain the Minutes of any City or County Meetings about this decision. I also saw no calls for Public Comment.

The noise generated by the sirens is unbearable to many residents who live on telegraph Road, and nearby for 2 to 3 blocks from these streets. I am routinely woken up after 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. by the noise. I have counted houses close to these streets, and I estimate that over 100 homes are affected. This means at least 300 citizens. The route via Seaward Avenue is much shorter and exposes fewer homes to the noise. Furthermore the value of my home is impacted.

I have not seen or heard of any discussions relating to this. The choice of St. John’s Hospital would have been by far the best choice.

It would be extremely difficult to serve a class action suit against the County, with enormous legal fees. However, I will attempt to deliver a complaint to the County, hopefully signed by over 100 citizens. The County has a history of ignoring home owners. For example building a 6 story building on the campus.

Sincerely,
Jeff Smith

Jeff: Now you have had one published in the Ventura Breeze. Five more to go.

Sir

A ship of fools America is not, but when money is allowed to tether a skipper’s hands from talking with an independent wisdom the gales of corruption and not the set of sails will take the vessel to more Iraq’s. There may be time yet to put our ship of state in order and on the course of its designed purpose. When our Congress hasn’t the character and integrity to purge the crippling political money buying evil, however, be prepared to kiss America’s experiment in democracy goodbye.

Sincerely,
John A. Whelan

Bill Green
In the last issue you had a cartoon with Jewish Pirate saying “Ahoy Vay”. I don’t get it.
Stan Davis

Stan:
In  Yiddish “oy vey” (I spelled it vay so folks like you would pronounce it correctly)is short for “Oy vey iz mir,” Oh, woe is me! You need to get more Jewish friends.
Bill

Sheldon:
Regarding your comments on our drought I think that you have been hit too many times in the head by a tennis ball so are not thinking correctly. You ignore all of the evidence that there is a drought.
John Griffin

John: The only time I am hit playing tennis is when I hit my shin sometimes when serving. Maybe I think with my shins so you might be correct.

Editor:
Obama Care Supreme Court Ruling. Had this been an insurance contract matter, Don’t think for a moment, that that it would not have been “rescinded” (made null and void) for mis-representation.   I sincerely hope we can come up with something better.
Mike Merewether

Mike: Do you mean something better than the Supreme Court?

Breeze:

I agree with what Council Member Weir has said all along…fill the open spaces with wholesome activities and the lowlifes (my word not hers) will go elsewhere.  And she is right on target.   Ventura’s greatest asset is its beachfront.  And we should keep it free of undesirables so that tourists will want to come here.  To me this requires, the VPD patrolling the beachfront from the harbor to the Ventura RV Beach Resort on bikes (like I do).  Plus the City and tourist bureau should go out of its way to promote healthy family oriented events.  Additionally, Ventura should think about drawing more volleyball players to our beaches.  Setting up the courts is a minor expense (only a few thousand dollars) and volleyball is being played in the schools throughout Ventura County by both boys and girls.  Note that the South Bay has volleyball courts stretching from the Pacific Palisades to Palos Verdes plus the Santa Barbara beaches are filled with them.  Why is Ventura missing the boat?

George Robertson-Ventura

Sheldon

Kudos on your suggestion for NASA; great idea. How about posting the actual income and expenses of the Valero Energy Corp? I do hope county of Los Angeles $275,000 program works if so it could be a precursor for the rest of us. Hard to imagine it could work , but one has to try something.

Jude in Oak View

Ventura Breeze

In your last issue you had a letter from John Ferritto regarding atheists that said, in part “I hope there is a God because without one there is no absolute hope, truth, and goodness.” So I researched Federal prison inmates and found that 99.05% believe in god and .05% are atheists, just thought that everyone should know that .

And who is more moral someone who does good because they know it is right or someone who does good because they are afraid of going to hell?

Robert Vaughn-Ventura

Dear Sheldon:

Imagine my surprise when I went shopping for a waterless car wash product (e.g. Eco Green, and there are other brands) to get my car clean and avoid wasting water and found none!  Not one auto supply store carries such items, nor do the automotive departments in stores like Target, Wal-Mart, et al.  What’s wrong with this picture?  In California, we need our cars, want to keep them reasonably clean, and yet we do not have access to the products that can help us.  I urge your readers to rally round this problem and help bring waterless car wash products into stores in Ventura. Perhaps this issue warrants its own awareness-raising article in your fine publication.

Many thanks, and regards to Scamp.

Judy Cohen
Ventura