12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 18-24, 2024 www.montereycountyweekly.com War and Peace This is an exemplary article that highlights humanity and respect for human life (“As war in Gaza continues, local leaders look for a way to say yes to life,” Jan. 4-10). Thank you. Safwat Malek | Monterey A tone-deaf article making no mention of the 30,000 Gazan deaths, or all humanitarian organizations calling Israel an apartheid state. Clearly all this says is Palestinian lives and liberation do not matter as much as Israeli lives. Shame on you Sara Rubbish and Monterey County Weekly for this absolute disgrace of journalistic integrity. Sara Khalil | Monterey You said it so well: if we cannot see the humanity in each other, we reduce the other to an enemy. We visited the Baltic states last spring, and saw the success of three peoples who had been downtrodden for eight centuries by German and Russian occupiers, and when the last of them evaporated when the USSR collapsed in 1989-91, those brave people, seeing the humanity in Russians among them, decided the Russians could stay and become Latvian citizens if they applied and then learned rudimentary Latvian. The result has been, until the Russian invasion of their neighbor, peaceful trading relations and calm coexistence. They were kind when the power was theirs; they did not expel and murder in their turn. There is so much we can all learn from that example. Allan Groves | Seaside Like you, I find myself in a minority view. I am neither “pro-Israel” nor “pro-Palestine.” I am pro-children. I would like to see programs (private, UN, or other) that would allow the children from all over Israel and Gaza to remove themselves from the hatred that emanates, the tit-for-tat. I would like to see a program where the children can live in other countries for a 1-year breather while their parents sort it out. Walter Wagner | Salinas I join you in pleading with people to act with consciousness of humanity rather than us-against-them. Barbara Furbush | Monterey Taxing Times Should a billionaire get a big discount on his property taxes because he bought a famous trophy house? (“The Carmel City Council puts the brakes on a property tax break for a wealthy landowner,” Jan. 4-10.) I was under the impression that the Mills Act was to help people who own historic properties maintain them. [Patrice Pastor’s] opportunism and exploitation of Carmel make him the quintessential carpetbagger. The amount that Pastor will be saving if he gets the Mills act contract is small change to him. He should be ashamed to ask for this give-back. Marilyn Ross | Carmel Unit by Unit “...around 30 people showed up and raised concerns about increased traffic, off-site parking and child safety.” (“Concerns have been raised, but there is support for a farmworker housing project in Salinas,” posted Jan. 8.) I really wish cities would stop giving time and attention to people who bring those things up as if they aren’t addressed when the builders come up with these plans and the city reviews them. Those kinds of comments are always cover by NIMBYs and homeowners who want to exclude people from having housing of any sort unless it’s yet another boring McMansion or dreadful single family home that only the well off can afford. John Mercer | Seaside The Oldest Profession Ridiculous (“Seeking to abate a surge in sex work, Salinas officials look to nuisance law,” Jan. 4-10; “City of Salinas approves Red Light Abatement Act ordinance,” posted Jan. 12). The nuisance may be the fact that this sweet, law-abiding, church-going neighborhood is where the sex workers are finding…ahem…work. You don’t like it in your neighborhood? Then maybe your neighbors should stop paying and the workers would find another place. Or you could use this opportunity to teach your church-going children, I don’t know. Mercy? Love? Human kindness? Just a couple of cents to throw in the conversation. Carrie Glenn | via social media Monterey County Weekly, consider that the woman in this picture is likely already being exploited in a variety of ways, and is now being re-exploited by the media posting an exposing picture of her. Molly Lorenzi | via social media Map Maker I received a copy of William H. Brewer’s “Up and Down California” from my deceased father-in-law’s library (“Observations on 19th-century culture and wilderness on the Monterey Peninsula,” Jan. 11-17). It was a delight to read and I recommend it to everyone interested in early California history. What struck me the most about this book is what a kind and compassionate man Brewer was. At an historic time of white arrogance in California he showed compassion toward flora, fauna and humanity regardless of whether they were man or woman, white, native or Hispanic, rich or poor. His observations and reflections are at times poetic. Patricia Woodman | Marina Show Time That was a lot of fun, David Schmalz! Thank you for sharing the link (“When you learn that you made the cut in a hit Korean reality TV show,” posted Jan. 8). So much goodness! Dhana Owens | Monterey Sushi Bar I have lunched at Ichi Riki since maybe 1983 (“Now with new ownership, Ichi Riki is in good – and familiar – hands,” Oct. 12-18). Even though I left the area 20 years ago, I still go there when I’m in Monterey and will do so again this month with a troupe of my friends because it’s one of those timeless Japanese restaurants—not fancy, not pretentious, just authentically good. Another thing I really admire about Ichi Riki is their second chef, a humble man who started as a dishwasher and proved over a quarter-century that he has the right stuff. Ray Kamada | via web Letters • CommentsOPINION Submit letters to the editor to letters@mcweekly.com. Please keep your letter to 150 words or less; subject to editing for space. Please include your full name, contact information and city you live in.
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