Yosemite names, Sacramento homeless, Ted Cruz and legalizing pot

Name changes in Yosemite are a travesty

Re “Bring back the Ahwahnee – literally” (Editorials, Jan. 17): I thank The Sacramento Bee for its editorial regarding the National Park Service being forced to change iconic names in the Yosemite National Park that so many of us love. I have spent my life enjoying the splendor of this beautiful park – camping, hiking, backpacking, supporting the Yosemite Conservancy and working with nonprofits to beautify and restore this well-loved park.

Simply put, what the concession company, Delaware North, is forcing the Park Service to do is extortion, and it needs to be stopped. Boycott their properties and holdings, write the company and show your displeasure, show your Yosemite support, and shame Delaware North into stopping this nonsense before the park we all love is changed forever.

Yes, the rocks, trees, animals and the splendor of the park will remain, but the names that we hold dear – Ahwahnee, Wawona, Curry – are an integral part of the park, and they should not be changed by a self-serving, money-hungry conglomerate.

Find safe homes for all

Re “Protest distracts city from action” (Editorials, Jan. 17): For more than 100 years, the Audubon Society has conducted Christmas bird counts to track changes in bird species. For the past few years during Sacramento’s count, we have encountered many homeless camps, many homeless campers and a great deal of debris in the area between Cal Expo and Discovery Park.

While most of the people we have encountered have been friendly, last year we were confronted by two pit bulls who charged us. Fortunately, we were not attacked.

The American River Parkway should be a safe place for everyone in Sacramento and a sanctuary for birds and wildlife. The city and county need to find safe places for people without homes.

Why should city deal with homeless?

Why are we spending time on the homeless? If there are laws regarding issues, enforce them. Why do the police have to contend with cleaning up after these people? Have them clean it up themselves. Why do we have to burden the city with it?

Cruz is eligible for White House

Re “Ted Cruz is not eligible to become president” (Forum, Another View, Jan. 17): Tony Quinn should have consulted with a U.S. statute passed March 26, 1790 (1 Stat. 103,104) in President George Washington’s first term, which provided in part: “the children of citizens of the United States, that may be born beyond the Sea, or out of the limits of the United States, or out of the limits of the United States, shall be considered as natural born Citizens.”

Apparently, Washington, who signed that statute, would agree with Cruz.

The value of newspaper journalists

Re “Sean Penn is a fine actor but no journalist” (Forum, Joyce Terhaar, Jan. 17): We recently saw the film “Spotlight,” as did The Sacramento Bee’s Executive Editor Joyce Terhaar. Throughout the film, the Boston Globe investigative journalists were caught between exposing a powerful church and wrestling with traditional newspaper journalistic standards about double-sourcing and confirmation.

Re-interviewing, provocative confrontations, newsroom anger – it was fascinating and frustrating to watch.

It is frustrating to hear otherwise smart people say they depend on television news or biased websites that merely confirm their own prejudices. I get The Bee, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time and several other magazines, and I still don’t believe I am as informed as I should be.

Newspaper journalists live by objective standards we should all recognize. Be grateful.

Eschew seduction of big marijuana

Re “Don’t bogart that beta blocker” (Forum, Jan. 17): Thank you to Jack Ohman for raising concerns about retail marijuana legalization in Oregon and the implications for California. In this debate, California must be vigilant against the seduction of Silicon Valley investors, big marijuana business interests and a new tax revenue source.

California must not ignore the potential for unintended public health and safety consequences. Louis Pasteur’s “chance favors the mind” – coupled with the precautionary principle – should be standards that guide California. Issues that voters and regulatory agencies need to quickly become knowledgeable about include the public health implications associated with teen marijuana use and use by individuals predisposed to certain mental health conditions, the toxicity of marijuana secondhand smoke, poisonings from edibles, driving under the influence, pesticide contamination and water use.

Action and public education must be based on credible science that is unbiased by big business interests. We must also learn from Colorado, Washington and Oregon.

This story was originally published January 23, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Yosemite names, Sacramento homeless, Ted Cruz and legalizing pot."