Shocking Conditions

Recently, I visited what some might call a “concentration camp.” Conditions in the facility shocked me: residents were crowded in, and the smell of dirty diapers and soiled clothing/bedding and urine from shared restrooms permeated the air. Language barriers between staff and residents created other issues. Many residents appeared listless, surrounded by institutional-beige walls, bedding and floors. Was I at a border facility housing illegal immigrants? No, I was at one of Marin’s skilled nursing facilities that’s home to hundreds of elderly and disabled poor.

Terry Graham

Mill Valley

Options

Now that we’ve elected our first openly fascist president, a socialist (Bernie), an upstart (Harris), a Stanford man (Booker), a gay mayor (Buttigieg) and an old-school hack (Biden) don’t look half bad. Heck, I’d even take a religious reprobate (Pence) over Donito Trumppolini. I read that Pence might follow the rule of law on occasion. Give democracy a chance. Bring on 2020!

Craig Corsini

San Rafael

We Need Trees

Trees sequester carbon dioxide. Trees release oxygen into the air. Trees are a part of the solution to global warming. We must plant trees, prune trees and, of course, avoid killing trees. They are here to help us. Honor them. By doing so we avoid the intense fires that are part of global warming.

Theresa Roach Melia

Graton

Good To See

The recent “Seeing Is Believing” article (July 3, 2019) is a timely counterpoint to the rah, rah, rah about the supposed widespread benefits that artificial intelligence will bring to us all.

For more on problematic aspects of artificial intelligence, I alert readers to an upcoming talk by Nicanor Perlas on Tuesday July 16, 7pm in Sophia Hall, at the Summerfield Waldorf School and Farm in Santa Rosa. Nicanor has recently published his views in Humanity’s Last Stand: The Challenge of Artificial Intelligence: A Spiritual Scientific Response.

Sean Casey

Santa Rosa