Letters to the Editor
Opinion
Published: January 18, 2013
Re: Blaming Guns, by Manuel Bouvet, Jr. in the VC Star
To the Editor:
Maybe the mainstream media can’t fully control the narrative of the current “War on Gun Owners” by the Democrat Party. I read Bouvet’s article and completely agree with every point he made but I was surprised it was actually published by the VC Star.
I also sent a comment to the VC Star but it was probably judged as being too harsh for the liberals/progressives to tolerate. Every dictator he named, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and Mao Tse Tung absolutely understood and implemented “people control” by the use of government gun control.
Bouvet’s article is very rational by naming the real factors that incite violence which the perpetrator justifies himself/herself in the commission of his or hers crime. Drugs, greed, unemployment, bigotry, depression, mental illness, etc. to name of few are the real causes of these episodes.
Yes, demagogues like Barack Obama will always take advantage of a crisis. Their own people have coined an expression of “not letting a crisis go to waste”! However, it is not the conservatives of this country, and probably most of the RINO Republicans that are pursuing further limits on gun owners but it is Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and it is fair to say most of the Democrats or at least whichever ones are not subject to re-election in 2014. So yes NRA members and gun owners at large, elections do have consequences!
Andrew F. Castaneda
Santa Paula
Briggs School Day of Kindness
To the Editor:
I was recently involved in organizing the Briggs School Day of Kindness that was held on Friday, January 11th. Principal Brandon Gallagher decided to suspend all academic curriculum for one day and spend the time with the children in a different way.
Representatives from Cal State Northridge Pride Center, Channel Islands Multi-Cultural Center, Interface, Girl Scouts, SPHS Interact and SP Rotary came out and spoke to the students about topics such as acceptance, volunteerism and civic pride, bullying, mentoring and diversity. Tommy Frutos of Briggs School held sessions on mentoring and Principal Gallagher himself held two sessions on social media and cyber awareness, one for the students and one for the parents. SPPD Sergeant Jimmy Fogata took the time to talk to the kids about good behavior and citizenship and was even mobbed for autographs at the end of the day!
All of the speakers were well received and the students learned so much that day. My daughter Kelly enjoyed it immensely.
I would like to thank Sergeant Fogata for coming out to the event, as well as Rotarians Ginger Gherardi and Michelle Johns. I would also like to thank Panda Express and Domino’s Pizza for providing food for the adults and students. Your generosity is much appreciated! I would also like to thank Bob Allen of KADY for covering the event.
Last but not least I would like to thank Principal Gallagher for making kindness, awareness and citizenship a priority in a world where the best way to halt social decay is to stop it before it starts! Well done to all. I was very proud to be a part of this wonderful day.
Barbara Kroon
Briggs School Parent
In praise of our two newest museums
To the Editor:
Have you heard about the once a month museum chats at the Agriculture and Art Museums? Definitely worth going to! London has its pub crawls, but I like our museum talks and strolls.
I caught the first one and it was a winner. Curator John Nichols led us through the work of mounting the Art About Agriculture exhibit and gave a history of how art and agriculture became an annual affair here thanks to the collaboration of artists and their crafts. At the Santa Paula Art Museum, Andrea Vargas-Mendoza, curator, guided us through much of the De Colores exhibit, also providing a history of how it all began almost two decades ago thanks to the creativity, energy, and vision of Javier Montes.
One particular work stood out for me: Trabajadores, a group of four-foot statues sculpted of warm-toned Kansas limestone representing actual field workers who, like many of the workers in our fields in the Santa Clara Valley, migrated to this country to make a better life for themselves. They and their stories are right there in the center of the museum in sight right after you enter. One has the head of a coyote, so we know immediately that these actual people are undocumented, a powerful reminder of lives we too often ignore but are so necessary to the work that makes this valley so bountiful and beautiful.
It’s refreshing to see art so directly relating to life as we see it, perhaps even when we do not want to see it. We can be proud of both of these exhibits and the museums that house them. Next Gallery Talks will be Thursday February 14. I’ll be there.
Audrey Vincent
Santa Paula
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