Tsunami Landing was a blessing, and so is my handicap placard

Tsunami Landing is a complete blessing in my life, as is my handicap placard.

Every winter I use Tsunami Landing to walk to the Coast Central Credit Union to escape the downpour of our local rains. We park our van in the back parking lot so I have easy access to the outdoor covering of Tsunami Landing. I have multiple sclerosis and I can’t walk like normal people do anymore.

My balance is greatly affected so I have learned to walk twice as slow as I used to. Tsunami Landing has been a wonderful blessing for me during the winter months because it keeps me from getting soaking wet, allowing me to walk safely in the rain and still keep my slow pace.

City Council made rash decision to demolish Tsunami Landing

The destruction of Tsunami landing, a landmark from the 1964 tsunami has started. Your City Council has elected to tear down Tsunami Landing, not repair it, but to tear it down and destroy a useful structure that is used by many for shelter and protection from the rain, lighting for security, and flood control and drainage for the area.

No one from the city ever took the time to talk to the businesses that are in the area, the people that frequent the mall, the seniors and the disabled that reside at the Surf Hotel, or any of the property owners that have property that is contiguous to the landing.

Warrior old-timers know what the name Peterson has meant to Crescent City sports history. All summer long baseball is being played at Peterson Park, a local sports facility named for former Del Norte Warrior standout Rocky Peterson, who had his athletic career cut short when he died on the Battleship Arizona during the Pearl Harbor attack in December of 1941. The youngest brother of Rocky also contributed a lot to local sports history. Lyle “Bunky” Peterson, a 1952 graduate, left his mark on the local baseball and basketball arenas.

My first experience with Bunky goes back to my eighth grade year at Crescent Elk. We had a basketball team that was coached by Ed Fraser. Ed had recently retired after a 20-year tour as the head coach at Del Norte High School. The starting five on that team consisted of four eighth-graders and one seventh-grader. The lone seventh-grader was Bunky Peterson. Bunky was the point guard on that team and really helped us be successful.

Regarding the many objectors and angry people against the inmate hunger strike, such individuals are partly why the prison system is dysfunctional and violating human and constitutional rights.

Linda Sutter’s July 2 letter (“No sympathy for well-fed inmates at Pelican Bay”) vented much anger toward inmates. Imagine her then with those feelings working at Pelican Bay State Prison; you can see how CDCR got into its correct predicament and the conditions that inmates are complaining about. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Mike Stern’s July 5 letter (“Has no sympathy for prisoners that take part in hunger strike”) said, “Try to find someone else who has some sympathy for you.” He seems to think everyone in prison (the Secure Housing Unit) has killed someone to get there! Oddly enough, killing someone only amounts to no more than four years in the SHU, while being accused of gang activity with no factual proof will give you at least six years in the SHU.

The Daily Triplicate/Michele Thomas

 Not even knowing borage was an herb, I purchased my first two plants last summer. Rick and I were leaving the Arcata Saturday market when we passed a vendor with gallon pots of robust plants with fuzzy green leaves and brilliant sapphire flowers. I didn’t recognize them but I knew I had to have one, or, better yet, two. The vendor was busy and mumbled, “Borage,” when I asked her what it was. Borage?

 Without bothering to look up its attributes or requirements in my Western Garden Book, I stuck my borage in the ground near the entrance to our garden, next to the Shasta daisies and across from the strawberry bed. The plants didn’t do much last fall and then died off rather quickly come winter.

Bush’s ability to run country into the ground in 8 years takes talent

Thank you Sybil Saxelby for your Aug. 5 Costal Voices piece, “Deficit can be traced to Pres. Bush.”

Your statements reflect what we have seen and questioned all through the Bush years. To take a well-running country and bring it to the edge of ruin in eight short years takes special talent.

 Norbert Beising

Hiouchi

“The show ended two minutes ago; from here on out we’re going to jam.”

So said Curtis Salgado before launching into some of the best harmonica-playing to ever blow through the North Coast. He played one-handed, the other holding close a special microphone that lent a sound both haunting and overpowering.

If this was jamming, to hell with the planned stuff.

Salgado and his bluesy band absolutely rocked a full house at the new Tolowa Events Center on Saturday night. It was an auspicious coming-out party for the Smith River concert venue. Great music at a reasonable price — what’s not to like about that?

Demolishing ‘port in the storm’ doesn’t strike me as progress

Looking out my office window I have to wonder if this is progress. A truck is backed up to the covered walkway at Tsunami Landing. The demolition has started.

Spending five days a week here, I have a very different point of view on the structure. I see the homeless and retirees relax and sit on a bench to watch the fountain and enjoy the outdoors with a protective cover over their head

I see employees take smoke breaks under the covered walkway. I watch people eat lunch and enjoy conversations while sitting and relaxing on a bench. Tourists often stop here after checking their emails at the library.

This has been a “port in the storm” for many who wish to get some fresh air on a rainy day. It’s a place to enjoy a little outdoor time without getting soaked. The activity is continuous. I have come to know some of the frequent consumers of the area and they are mostly delightful.

It seems only logical that impartial citizens, not vested public officials, should be responsible for redistricting, the once-a-decade redrawing of political district boundaries.

Politically motivated redistricting is what gave us the term “gerrymandering” — the creation of often contorted districts designed to ensure the success of certain parties or candidates, often guaranteeing the re-election of incumbents. It’s inherently fairer to let independent citizens draw the lines, and that’s the process voters chose when they approved the Voters First Act in 2008.

Still, the California Citizens Redistricting Commission hasn’t exactly done Del Norte County any favors. If its proposed new maps stand, a Republican-leaning county will find itself in Democratic-leaning legislative districts. We’ll lose GOP state Sen. Doug LaMalfa, a frequent visitor to the North Coast who has made a real effort to understand our issues.

Handicapped parking may be abused at times, but don’t leap to conclusions

In regard to George Burr’s July 29 letter (“Some who use handicapped licenses don’t seem to need them”), Mr. Burr, not all handicapped people are crippled.

Some have handicaps that aren’t visible. Some have lung and heart disease. With those diseases you cannot breathe well or walk long distances.

If someone gets out of their car without a limp, cane, crutches, etc., don’t assume they have no disability and have no right to a handicapped license.

Do not judge. I do agree with you about the abuse of these special parking places by thoughtless people.

Carol Antes

Crescent City