Letters to the Editor 11/10

Thank the police

I would like to commend Sgt. Kimberly Munley for her bravery at Ft. Hood. She stared danger in the face and without hesitation did what she was trained to do — protect and serve.

With so much going on lately, it’s easy to overlook the contribution that the men and women of our police forces make every day to ensure our way of life in this country.

Put yourself in their shoes for a moment and try to imagine the immense challenges they face every day. We honor our soldiers for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan; let’s not forget to take the time to thank our “soldiers” in law enforcement right here at home.

George Walter

Atascadero

Pinnipeds and sharks

The last sentence of your article on sharks (Nov. 4) is the most important: “These animals are coming in so close to shore because that’s where the pinnipeds are.”

Pinnipeds are seals and sea lions. Historically these animals were rare onshore due to other predators, like wolves and bears, for example. This isolated the pinniped population to islands and wash rocks, keeping their population in check.

Since 1972, seals and sea lions have been fully protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Pinniped populations have exploded and thousands of these animals now occupy the shoreline and harbors. The law to protect seals, sea lions and sea otters has now altered the marine ecology of the ocean, inviting sharks in to prey near bathing beaches.

I began diving along our coast in 1956. There are many locations now where I would never think of going in the water.

Steven L. Rebuck

San Luis Obispo

Blatant inefficiency

I misread a recent Tribune headline. I thought it said, “County opposes new fee.” Reading with my glasses, it suddenly made sense, “County proposes new fee.”

To break even on the cost of county staff administering a tobacco program, the county said it needs a higher fee because there were fewer tobacco vendors to spread the cost among. Why wasn’t the first reaction to reduce staff, given that there are fewer vendors to oversee?

It is difficult for taxpayers to support tax increases when they see blatant inefficiency like this in a nonessential program.

Mitch Rust

Arroyo Grande

Decline to sign

The Tribune article (Nov. 5) about Merry Susan Hyatt’s effort to mandate Christmas music in California’s public schools ends with Hyatt stating, “I don’t think I’ve ever had a Jewish child in one of my classes. If so, they never said anything.”

I am not surprised that Jewish children (and other non-Christians) did not feel comfortable being vocal about their identities in Hyatt’s classroom. That is exactly why many are concerned about issues like Christmas music in tax-funded public schools. Children of every faith and culture should be protected from the many pressures that come with being members of a minority.

Christmas music is always possible in churches and homes and, as I’ve seen many times, in certain school situations. Let’s be content with those freedoms, decline to sign this petition for a ballot initiative and focus on truly important issues during these challenging times.

Jon Clarke

San Luis Obispo