One reader defends a local documentary film and says being crazy is nothing special. Other readers take a close look at the occupation of 75 River Street.
No Straw Men
Regarding Eric Johnson's article on Thrive (“Blinded by The Right,” Currents, March 14.html), especially the straw man he created in David Icke, I would like to point out that there are many more on our planet who also have what some would consider similar seeming wacky ideas. Some believe that a man called Jesus walked on water. They also believe that a virgin visited by a spirit (alien?) from the Holy Ghost (1/3 part of another being, creature?) who lives in the heavens above (outer space?) suddenly became pregnant and gave birth to the aforementioned water walker Jesus. In other words, just because our fellow earthlings have some ideas or beliefs that we may think are strange or even weird does not mean that we should discount everything else they may do or say. Let us engage in respectful, civil discourse so that we may come to a better understanding of ourselves and our world in which we live and not create straw men to distract and confuse.
Drew Lewis
Santa Cruz
From The Web
Less Moralism
[RE: “Those Who Trespass,” Currents, April 4.html]: Entering 75 River St was an action similar to donating money to a campaign, an attempt to put forth an idea, to educate and to win minds, to whistle-blow. How can that become a felony? The building was nearby, had been vacant for three years, was a symbol of the banking mess that the country is in.
The intent was speech—squatting in a vacant building merely a means.
How about a less moralistic, more pragmatic resolution? The charges themselves demonstrate the county’s sense of affront. It’s enough. Let’s dismiss all the related charges and cases.
Sylvia Caras
Attack On Activism
A Narrowly-focused story which reiterates more extensive info already published on Indybay.org. [Jacob] Pierce also misses the dire First Amendment implications of the 2 1/2- month late prosecutions which selected 11 out of more than 300 (not 75).
This attack on local activists and journalists is of a piece with prosecutions around the country against Occupy-inspired activism exposing bankster crime, anti-homeless abuses and the privileges of the wealthy.
There is also little or no discussion of the target of the occupation—Wells Fargo Bank—the biggest foreclosure criminal and bailout panhandler in the nation. Nor of its local scams.
Pierce does mention the apparent presence of the Sentinel photographer in the building. But he doesn’t go into the presence of other city officials and other more favored media (Santa Cruz Patch writers).
Wells Fargo fancier D.A. Bob Lee produced no evidence of any vandalism by Bradley and Alex at their Preliminary Hearing, yet even after the judge dismissed felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit vandalism charges, Lee’s hatchet woman Rebekah Young (the D.A. who is arguing these cases) moved to refile these spurious charges.
For more information that goes to the heart of these malicious and bogus charges, go to “Drop the Charges; Bust the Banksters” at www.indybay.org.
Robert Norse
Corrections
In last week’s Gold Awards we got the second-place winner in the Best Bartender category wrong. The winner is Jason Tang of Motiv. Also, we left out one of the winners in the Hardware category: Ace Hardware at 1214 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz (831.457.2222) is one of the first place winners. We regret the errors.
