The giving tree's gone

I feel really sad about the museum’s decision to tear down the only tree that gave me any happiness. That tree stood between me and all the traffic I have to look at now that it’s gone! It was the only beautiful thing I had to look out at from my window where I live. I live off the Avenue near the site. I live in the back side of the building. I have to put up with traffic on all sides of my building. That tree was a delight to look at. I cried when it came down. I thought they were going to just prune it. Well, they cut the whole tree down. Now I have to see not only the traffic on Santa Clara Street, but also on Thompson, and I see the freeway traffic, too. It’s really sad that our city is becoming a tourist trap.

Jenny York, Ventura

The disappearance of iconic places
I’ve lived in Ventura County for 18 years, and having recently moved to Ventura, I’ve noticed how much midtown has changed. Gone are the landmark businesses of Bonnie’s, Economy Upholstery, Nicholby’s (antique store) and now, the Top Hat! I remember when the Ink House tattoo parlor was the only one. Why are there so many tattoo parlors, massage parlors, etc.? This reminds me of the time my mother fought to remove places like these (having grown up in Laguna Beach). Does the city really generate income from all these copycat businesses? Do we really want Main Street to look like Hollywood Boulevard? We are soon going to lose the charm and gain more trash!

Janine Sullivan, Ventura

Fighting childhood cancer
Next month, on the 20th of March, the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser will again take place at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel. One can visit www.stbaldricks.org and, under “Events,” find more details. I participated in last year’s event and will be doing so again this year. In 2009, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation funded more than $12 million in childhood cancer research grants. For me, last year’s event, where I was one of 240 shavees, uncovered a fairly round head with no unexpected indentations or anything.

In participating again, the main reason I will be doing so is this: Children are precious. Every 3 1/2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. Every year there are 160,000 children diagnosed worldwide. Every four hours a child with cancer loses the battle with cancer. Childhood cancer kills more U.S. children than any other disease — more than AIDS, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and congenital anomalies, combined.

Children are precious. Please join in raising awareness and funds to cure kids’ cancer by supporting cancer research and fellowships. We often hear “children are our future” — I would say they are also very much our present. Even someone like me, with no children of my own but with 24 or so nieces and nephews, can recognize and reflect that children are precious.

I look forward to joining others in raising awareness and dollars for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Also, there will be cancer survivors but I see them more as life thrivers. Again this year, my team is Elixir Technologies.

John S. Jones, Ventura

A little Wright Library ditty
Why, oh why, oh why, oh
won’t they tell us what we want to know.
They closed the Wright
and started a fight
but won’t tell us about the saved dough.
They said it’s the money,
sad words dripping honey,
but how much was saved
is the number we’ve craved.
That they won’t say just isn’t funny.
Not to answer is suspect.
Their silence we reject.
We just want the truth.
They are just so uncouth.
That’s why they have lost our respect.

Janice Tieken, Ventura

Free speech is a two-way street
Roger Kroell writes like a typical, bitter, leftist loser (Power to Speak, 2/11). He can’t offer a coherent rebuttal, but he can spout off with revisionist history, inane Charles Dickens references, badmouthing his country, conspiracy theories and, finally, calling anyone who doesn’t agree with him a teabagger (three times).  Mr. Kroell, if the USA is such a horrible place, I will buy you a one-way ticket to Cuba if you renounce your citizenship in writing with a notary present and give me your passport on the way out.

Forrest Mize, Ventura

The left is outFOXed
The VCReporter has published some really loony letters, but the one by Margaret Morris (A dire need to support independent media; Letters, 1/21) really takes the cake.

Previously, Ms. Morris wrote a letter discussing the press freedoms in Venezuela that were granted by President Hugo Chavez. At first I thought her letter was a joke, but she was actually serious. I’m sure your readers are familiar with Mr. Chavez — he’s the guy that, two weeks ago, claimed that the Haiti earthquake was caused by an earthquake machine that Obama invented to use against China, but he wanted to make sure it worked so he tested it on Haiti.

Well, Ms. Morris has outdone even herself with her latest letter to the editor.

Morris starts out with the usual boring critique of Fox News, once again claiming that it distorts the truth (as if MSNBC, PBS and Air America are objective) and then goes on to imply that there is a corporate conspiracy that prevents the American people from getting the clear, objective news that they deserve. She cites as proof the so-called exile of Phil Donahue, supposed Bush Administration lies that were ignored and that led us down the road to war in Iraq, and some crackpot investigation in Britain into the Tony Blair government.

What Morris totally ignores is that the free market is at work with regards to who gets air time and who winds up in the media graveyard that is now occupied by bankrupt Air America radio. Phil Donahue is not exiled, he was given a chance to spew his hatred and he was booted off the air because nobody wanted to listen to him. On the other hand, Bill O’Reilly dominates the news because he is fair, objective and seeks out opposing points of view. What people like Morris really hate about the Fox organization is that it covers both sides of an issue, something that the left despises.

Let’s face it, freedom of the press isn’t exactly the left’s strong suit.

The reality is that most people prefer not to watch news shows that spend all day trashing America. Ms. Morris wants us to watch obscure newscasts like Pacifica Radio, PBS and that clown Bill Moyers, all of which have been around forever and, based on their ratings, defy any logical explanation as to why they exist. If these shows really held any value, they would have the viewership to prove it. Bill O’Reilly has more viewers in Los Angeles than Bill Moyers has nationally.

Personally, I prefer to listen to news that not only covers the major news events but also covers issues not investigated by the liberal media. If not for Fox News, how would we know about the true cost of Obama’s socialized health plan, or the fake science behind global warming and the phonies, like Al Gore and Robert Kennedy Jr., who promote it?

Lastly, I have a request for Ms. Morris. I’ve noticed that she constantly calls everybody a liar that has a view different from hers. Please, Marge, try to at least be fair and balanced with your name-calling. I suggest you start with a close look at your Obama’s promise that unemployment would not exceed 8 percent if his stimulus bill was passed by the Democrat-dominated Congress.

John Andretti , Ventura

Love for the librarian
Daniel reporting in. I have had one hit of interest inquiry. This was surprising because I didn’t expect any interest via online. It is rather risqué since she is an older woman! We will be having lunch this Saturday at the Souplantation in Camarillo. Talk about a safe place for a first meeting. I have already made her a Facebook friend. It’s interesting to note how I have had more spam on my new e-mail address than I’ve had real interest in dating!

Daniel (The Quirky Librarian), Santa Paula