Despoiling Alaska
Re "Alaska's fork in the river," Sept. 1
I am dismayed to read the plans of the mining companies to decimate a prime piece of America. I have flown over that area in Alaska and fished it. All the gold and riches in the world are not worth the devastation that mining on the scale proposed would cause there.
The existing natural beauty and balance of resources can benefit everyone. The mining will create some jobs and make a few people very rich, but at what cost? The scale and far-reaching effects of the mining will potentially destroy a large part of one of the few wild places left in the U.S., endanger several sustainable industries and negatively change the lives of many indigenous Americans.
John Hocking
Alta Loma
It is obvious that the environmental impact of this massive project will be considerable. What will be the additional impact of moving 12 billion tons of earth? The atmospheric pollution will be significant, as will the increased oil requirements on this country's dependency on imported oil. There also will be the ongoing energy requirements for the mining operations. I vote no.
Stan Hunter
Banning
A new, shiny apple hangs from that tree in the garden -- and this time the serpent is named "Greed." There is no justification for ruining one of the most significant salmon runs in the world for temporary, temporal riches. What is the worth of a million years of wild sockeye salmon?
This insanity must be stopped.
Paul R. Cooley
Culver City
'Brazen' ploy or more democratic?Re "Brazen GOP operatives seek to rig presidential race," column, Sept. 3
It's fun to watch as politicians and political pundits talk out of both sides of their mouths, still bemoaning the fact that George W. Bush won the presidency in 2000 despite losing the popular vote. Many people say we should eliminate the electoral college and settle the race democratically by the majority of the popular vote.
Fast forward to this article. The Republicans are proposing that California's electoral vote be divided according to congressional districts. Based on our recent redistricting, the proposal would almost ensure that 20 of California's electoral votes would go to the GOP. Whereas with the winner-take-all rules currently operative, the Democrats would get all 55.
