Make the connection, man

Regarding "Dark Green" (Nov. 29), until this herb is legalized, it behooves everyone who uses it to make a quality connection with the grower, by whatever mean available, and verify if the marijuana is indeed OOO (only outdoor organic). Anything else is a rip-off and a sham (and a shame).

T. S. Force, Ukiah

Poor Humor

I am very offended by the "Slice O' Life" cartoon in your Dec. 6 issue (print edition only). Since when are frugality and recycling considered subjects worthy of ridicule? Is your arrogant and ignorant cartoonist--and your editors--so deeply immersed in the culture of consumerism that he believes wastefulness is some sort of virtue, and that spending money unnecessarily is to be encouraged? Sure, extreme cheapskateness may be an apt target for joking, but some of the activities dumped on in these panels make perfect sense to me, as well as to many of your readers who happen to be at the shorter end of the disposable-income spectrum. Basically, cartoonist Crespo sounds like the kind of fool that the corporate puppet masters drool over, with values so skewered and self-destructive that he's allowed himself to be convinced that handing over as much of his cash as possible to the economy is the noble, honorable, socially responsible and somehow cool way to behave. I find the cartoon not funny, but sadly sick and shameful in the message it sends; placing it in such a prominent site makes your paper look ridiculous, too.

Walter Loniak, Sebastopol

Dearest Walter: Ouch! We'd write back to you privately via post, but did you know that stamps recently went up to 39 cents--each? It may also surprise you to learn that the massive editorial staff here at the Boho (five of us show up if there's free food) are not exactly awash in the kind of heady dosh one always hears about alt journalists pulling down (and rolling naked in before banking). The cartoon, by virtue of its genre, was a poke, fillip, a sweet, a savory, a slice of life. Sorry that you didn't find it funny.

A modest proposal

Upon reading recently that it's almost a certainty Saddam will hang, a thought occurred to me: Why not allow this man to partially redeem himself by helping to pay reparations to a few of the victims of his crimes? Can you imagine HBO showing Saddam's moment of departure live on pay-per-view? This indeed would be a big-ticket attraction guaranteed to earn hundreds of millions of dollars, which could be fairly distributed (by an ethical, impartial committee) among victims of his crimes.

Of course it would have to be handled impeccably, with the utmost reverence and respect, and as the important historical event it is. (But I wouldn't want to miss Jon Stewart and Leno after it happens.) I know the likelihood of this happening is less than miniscule, but to me, chronicling (and marketing) an inevitable event for the benefit of people who have suffered directly as a result of the crimes Saddam is being hanged for makes good sense.

Stephen D. Gross, Monte Rio

Mary's immaculate conception?

It was noted in the paper the same day that the Iraq Study Group's report came out that Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Mary was pregnant. As I have been unemployed for a while now, I have way too much spare time to come up with questions like the following: If, God forbid, after the baby is born, something were to happen to Mary Cheney, who would get custody? Mary's partner Heather Poe, a lesbian living in a state that does not recognize gay marriage or civil unions, let alone gay adoptions? Or grandparents Dick and Lynne Cheney, the former a pathological liar and torture advocate well known for being careless with firearms, and the latter, an unapologetic author of pornographic literature?

What would be "in the best interests of the child?" as the so-called right-to-lifers are always asking?

Rich Jones, Monte Rio

Send a letter to the editor about this story.