Opinion

Compiled by Steve Bankhead 25 years ago on  Feb. 23, 1996 A 13-member delegation from Watsonville’s sister city Kawakami, Japan began a whirlwind tour here of our lettuce industry. The lettuce industry began in Japan during the U.S. occupation after World War II when a mess...

Letters the Editor, Aug. 2, 2019

There’s an old attorney’s adage that states: “If you have the law on your side, argue the law; if you have the facts, argue the facts; if you have neither, pound the table.” The highly misleading TV editorial by KSBW’s conservative station manager JW Heston, that aired during MLK weekend, is his pounding on the table, but with words I never said.

I recently heard an interview with Hebrew Bible scholar, Dr. Walter Brueggemann. When asked about the atonement—a much discussed and much argued Christian theological concept—Brueggemann replied, “I’m much more interested in the economy than I am in atonement.” He went on to explain that...

Turning onto Bonny Doon Road from Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz, one can expect a number of different sights and smells. Wildflowers flank the paved road at first, pushing out onto the pavement persistently. Then there are damp, cool redwood groves. After

“ called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” (Mark 8:34) What does that really mean anyway? I can tell you what it...

For most elected bodies, the new year brings newly appointed Presidents and Vice-Presidents—or board chairs and vice-chairs. This seldom controversial move is a way to end the year and begin with new leadership. The first meeting of the new year is usually the first time...

President Donald Trump continues to “gaslight” the country about the effects of his ever shifting tariff policies. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation designed to intentionally mislead someone. When used over a considerable amount of time, we begin to doubt ourselves, believe an...

It is widely accepted that our dependency on automobiles is a potent contributor to the climate crisis. What is not so well understood is how auto dependency initiated a new phenomenon: transportation poverty.  Prior to the automobile revolution, walking was how both rich and poor...

On New Year’s Eve my neighbor Jan invited me to join her and a bunch of our neighbors for a bonfire in her front yard to help close out 2019 and usher in a warm beginning to 2020. By 7 p.m. she had an...