You get what you tolerate

"I wanted to reconnect with the human aspect of law. Speaking up for victims who have been bullied is satisfying.” — Judge Craig Van Rooyen (speaking as a prosecutor in 2011)

I have to ask the obvious questions.

Doesn't drugging and raping women indicate a pattern of behavior?

How is that not relevant to a case that involves a rape and murder charge?

Where are the adults? For over 25 years Paul Flores has allegedly been drugging and raping women, and there were warning signs all over the place, as early as his high school days.

Why is the Los Angeles County DA not prosecuting Paul Flores for rape in Los Angeles County?

Why is Robert Sanger and his daughter representing someone that enjoys drugging and raping women so much he video tapes himself doing it?

Why is Van Rooyen prohibiting evidence that shows a clear pattern of behavior?

Why are family members enabling Flores to rape women?

Why aren't the victims being heard in a court of law?

You get what you tolerate. That's true for communities too. If we tolerate, enable, cover up and excuse this type of behavior it will continue.

Pascoe Bowen


Advocating for civility

I will admit at the onset that I am not a frequent reader of the editorial section, but on July 15, I came upon a contribution to the section that made me feel very uncomfortable.

This particular submission was from, I am told, a frequent contributor. The contribution contained seven paragraphs, each paragraph contained an insult targeting a large percentage of our local population. In total there were 19 individual insults contained within these seven paragraphs.

Of further concern, this individual seemed to believe that through insulting his audience, he could then argue his case without providing any facts, having beaten his audience into submission. In the corporate world, this behavior is typically met with counseling, a reprimand or even termination. In our youth, this was the behavior attributed to the schoolyard bully.

I hope as we come out of the most trying time our community has experienced in several decades, we can all work together, communicate civilly and allow for the free exchange of information and ideas. There is little to be gained from listening to or being a schoolyard bully.

Dominick Barry


Wake up before it's too late

When will people wake up? Will it be too late to save democracy, our American way of life, and/or our health, now in the pandemic of the unvaccinated?

How can any educated American believe the "Big Lie?" It just shows lack of understanding of the election system which is bi-partisan, with protections, at local, state and national levels. But Republicans are attacking our voting system with laws suppressing the minority vote and taking political control of results. Look up the reality in places besides the Fox News cable channel.

How can Christians support Trump's hate, divide, lies, and attacks on our American people, institutions, values and especially, democracy? What Christian value does Trump practice? Those who believe in a power greater than Trump, especially evangelicals and church leaders, know they will be held accountable.

Trumpists are not conservative, rather reminiscent of populist nationalists in Germany in the 1930s. Look it up. There are very few real conservatives left, just hypocrites.

Please wake up before it's too late!

Don Jones

Santa Maria

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