Letters: The fires this time and the Second Amendment

The problem – that of clearing fuel in the national forest – is huge. It requires the skills of the logging industry in its many forms. It requires the U.S. Forest Service to clear away millions of tons of trees, brush and assorted growth to prevent the fires we are experiencing now.

The job has once again been thwarted by a judge who is clueless in San Francisco. He has gone beyond logic to prevent the Forest Service and the Quincy Library Group from clearing hazardous fuel accumulation in the Plumas National Forest and other forests ablaze today.

- Dennis M. Cokor, Quincy

A portent of worse to come?

A beautiful orange horizon fills the Sacramento Valley, but this toxic mosaic of smoke is not something that people want to inhale for any measure of time. The June 24 article by Maddalena Jackson and Dorothy Korber, "Area reduced to a bowl of smoke," reports two alarming statements by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The first, that "Fire season, the way we have known it in the past, is pretty much gone," and the second, "It is now fire season all year round, and I think the key thing for us is to prepare for that and to create more resources as quickly as possible."

These statements are disturbing because they indicate drastic changes in California's environment. What has caused these changes? How are they being dealt with? The overall issues here are not only California's forests, but also the rest of California's environment.

We need a strong governor who will fight for California's people and its environment. We as residents of this great state need to call on our governor to undertake environmental action because whether people believe in global warming or not, these incidents may be signs of worse things to come.

- Ruben Arredondo, Sacramento

Fire from heaven?

Do you remember when same-sex marriage was front-page news? Less than a week later, California was burning.

Legal same-sex marriage licenses began to be issued after Monday, June 16. As of June 25, statistics from www.fire.ca.gov show there are 1,026 fires in California. Furthermore, on the same day, the Associated Press reported, "In less than a day, an electrical storm unleashed nearly 8,000 lightning strikes that set more than 800 wildfires across Northern California – a rare example of 'dry lightning.' "

The city of Sodom was destroyed by fire from heaven for the sin of sodomy (Holy Bible, Genesis 19). The word "Sodom" means "to scorch" or "burnt" (Strong's Bible Concordance, entry No. 5467). Could there be a link between these events?

- Roland Meyer, Nevada City

High court's good call on guns

Re "Gun ban reversal has limited reach," June 27: It is gratifying to see that the Supreme Court saw fit to uphold the Second Amendment. We all do not have the luxury of living in gated communities with security guards or drive around in a limo, like some anti-gun legislators do.

Some even have the right to carry a concealed weapon but want to prevent citizens from having that right.

Laws only affect honest people, and criminals will continue to ignore them.

I believe everyone has the right to defend themselves, their homes and loved ones. No one should be able to interpret the Constitution to suit their liberal views. Our founding fathers knew exactly what they were doing, and it should stay that way.

- Harry Kennedy, Sacramento