Public Comment

Letters

Saturday September 17, 2011 - 10:05:00 AM

MOCHA and Eaton -more-


Richmond Council Fails to Pass Sustainable Marijuana Ordinance

By Tom Butt, Richmond City Council
Saturday September 17, 2011 - 09:26:00 AM

There are clearly different shades of green on the Richmond City Council.

There are those greens who believe global climate change is truly a crisis that we must address at every level of government – and quickly. Then there are those for whom the green of cannabis eclipses the more global meaning of green. And finally, there is the green of money – lots of it – including tens of thousands of dollars from the cannabis industry that has found its way into some council members’ campaign coffers.

Failing to pass the sustainable marijuana ordinance was a disappointment for me. The Richmond City Council has been “high” on marijuana for some time, paving the way for three licenses that are now in the application stage. At least a couple of Council members want to increase that to four, on the theory that if three is good, four is better. At least one councilmember touts marijuana dispensaries as veritable police substations, making areas of Richmond in the vicinity of a dispensary the safest of all.

Now, I really don’t care who smokes weed or why they do it, other than minors, but I remain skeptical about the hypocritical institutionalizing of an industry that characterizes itself as the epitome of healthy living and natural holistic medicine when it is really mostly about money – lots of it.

I introduced the “green” marijuana ordinance after reading a paper, “Energy Up in Smoke, The Carbon Footprint of Indoor Cannabis Production,” (April 5, 2011) by Evan Mills, Ph.D. a long-time energy analyst and Staff Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California. -more-


Editorial

Tough Talk from President Obama is Too Little Too Late

By Becky O'Malley
Wednesday September 14, 2011 - 08:50:00 AM

The headline on The Economist’s story a couple of weeks ago said it all:
The administration hands a victory to America’s polluters.-more-


The Editor's Back Fence

A New Schedule: PLEASE READ

By Becky O'Malley
Saturday September 17, 2011 - 08:50:00 AM

A bonus contribution from regular columnist Conn Hallinan has inspired us to move to a new form of daily publication. Instead of doing a weekly roundup issue on Wednesdays, as we've done for about a year, we're going to create a new "issue" as soon as we have something new to post, including comments of all kinds. If you only check out the Planet infrequently, you'll be able to see what you've missed since your last visit by clicking the "Previous Issue" button at the top of the page as many times as you need to get back to what you last saw. To comment on this change or on anything else, just write us by clicking on opinion@berkeleydailyplanet.com. -more-


Columns

On Mental Illness: Permission to Be Happy

By Jack Bragen
Saturday September 17, 2011 - 10:01:00 AM

The truism: “life is what happens while you’re waiting,” is very applicable to people who are struggling to recover from mental illness. Frequently, people are unhappy because they believe they should not be happy. A lot of people believe that before they can be happy they need to fix their perceived adverse life circumstances. This is not always true. This partial erroneous belief is present in the minds of people at large and not just those who have a mental illness. Abe Lincoln said: “Most people are about as happy as they make up their mind to be.” -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Tough Talk from President Obama is Too Little Too Late 09-14-2011

The Editor's Back Fence

A New Schedule: PLEASE READ 09-17-2011

A New Schedule: PLEASE READ 09-16-2011

New: Opposition to MOCHA Ban on Palestinian Kids' Art Grows 09-14-2011

Cartoons

Cartoon Page: Odd Bodkins, BOUNCE 09-14-2011

Public Comment

Letters 09-17-2011

Richmond Council Fails to Pass Sustainable Marijuana Ordinance By Tom Butt, Richmond City Council 09-17-2011

Letters 09-17-2011

Oakland Children's Art Museum's Ban on Palestinian Works is Futile By Joanna Graham 09-16-2011

Richmond Council Fails to Pass Marijuana Ordinance By Tom Butt, Richmond City Councilmember 09-17-2011

Letters 09-14-2011

New: Sign National Letter to Protest Closing of Gaza Children's Art Exhibition in Oakland Forwarded by Lorie Brillinger 09-14-2011

New: Oakland Children's Art Museum's Ban on Palestinian Works is Futile By Joanna Graham 09-14-2011

Finally, a Liberal Hawk Repents By Ruth Rosen 09-12-2011

Obama's Proposal: Mainly Smoke and Mirrors By Harry Brill 09-12-2011

News

WikiCable: Did ‘creepy’ Russian put the arm on Cal? By Richard Brenneman 09-12-2011

State Department Following Reports that Iran May Free Berkeley Hikers By Jeff Shuttleworth (BCN) 09-13-2011

Press Release: Citizens Create a Grant Fund for South and West Berkeley from Library Lawsuit Settlement From Susan Brandt-Hawley and Dr. Judith Epstein 09-12-2011

New Women's Vote Exhibit Opens This Sunday By Steven Finacom 09-14-2011

Party Shuts Down Telegraph for Two Hours Sunday By Ted Friedman 09-14-2011

Battle for People's Park Heats Up at Telegraph Property Owners Meeting By Ted Friedman 09-14-2011

Who Felled People's Park Fallen Angel? By Ted Friedman 09-14-2011

Flags and Cranes Memorialize 9-11 at UC Berkeley By Steven Finacom 09-14-2011

Solano Stroll Crowds in Evidence Sunday By Steven Finacom 09-14-2011

In Memory of Eva S. Goodwin By Leah Goodwin 09-14-2011

Columns

On Mental Illness: Permission to Be Happy By Jack Bragen 09-17-2011

Dispatches From the Edge: Of Kabul & Tet & Generals By Conn Hallinan 09-16-2011

Dispatches From The Edge: The New Scramble for Africa By Conn Hallinan 09-14-2011

The Public Eye: Will Obama Control the Jobs Message? By Bob Burnett 09-12-2011

Senior Power … ’goin to the dogs By Helen Rippier Wheeler 09-12-2011

Eclectic Rant: Corporate Personhood By Ralph E. Stone 09-12-2011

Wild Neighbors: The Hummingbird Dive Chirp Revisited By Joe Eaton 09-14-2011

On Mental Illness: Episodes of Fear and Anger By Jack Bragen 09-12-2011

Arts & Events

Theater Review: Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance at the Aurora By Ken Bullock 09-14-2011

Around and About Music: Toledo, Morris, Philharmonia By Ken Bullock 09-14-2011

Around & About Theater--Golden Thread Productions' Latest Middle Eastern Play; James Keller's Poor Players ... By Ken Bullock 09-14-2011