Marin IJ Readers’ Forum for Aug. 7, 2023
First aid from anonymous hiker was appreciated
If anyone is doubting the kindness of strangers, doubt no more.
On July 22, I fainted while hiking with a friend on Mount Tamalpais. I bashed my head badly and was a bloody mess. A young man stopped to administer first aid while his friend hiked back up the hill to summon paramedics.
As we waited, every hiker who passed us stopped to offer help. But this young man was so accomplished in first aid, no additional help was needed.
I regret I cannot recall his name to thank him properly. I will continue to find ways to pay his kindness forward.
— Camille Johnson, Mill Valley
People riding e-bikes should get a license
I’m astounded that it’s taken so long to get people alerted to the fact that some electric-assist bicycles are dangerous. I consider them to be motorcycles in a new, shiny guise.
Parents are abrogating responsibilities by turning children loose on these machines. I suspect that some of these same parents “helicoptered” over their children when they were small. What changed? Why would anyone in their right mind turn a young teen loose on an e-bike?
The state Legislature and the Department of Motor Vehicles needs to step in more firmly. I’m hoping that, eventually, kids will have to study a book and take a field test — just like 16-year-olds do to get their driver’s licenses.
Most teens study and practice for a full year in preparation for the momentous occasion of being licensed to drive a car. E-bikes should have the same standard. Lives are at stake.
Tech companies like to “disrupt” the world by dropping “improvements” all over the place. But sometimes they don’t land well.
Having rental scooters all over San Francisco, making a mess of a city already in disarray, is one example. I’ve seen rude people drop them on sidewalks like a discarded coffee cup.
Along with the tech industry, e-bikes are a disruption that needs to be regulated. Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as Marin Assemblymember Damon Connolly and state Sen. Mike McGuire should get involved.
— Diane Lynch, Tiburon
Radio reports delivered news on bridge emergency
In his recently published letter, Barry Phegan wrote that he was lacking information while stuck in traffic during the emergency that closed eastbound lanes of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge on July 21.
If Phegan had turned on KCBS radio (740 AM and 106.9 FM) he would have heard traffic information every 10 minutes during commute time. I listened to KCBS that day and immediately heard about the closure, then heard follow-up reports about the lack of progress. I was glad I wasn’t there.
Having AM radio in cars could change, depending on what Congress decides about a bill to stop vehicle manufacturers from eliminating AM from car radios. If manufacturers are allowed to do this, I suspect there will be a strong objection.
Not all important AM news stations broadcast on an FM frequency like KCBS.
— Gladys C. Gilliland, San Rafael
Indictments of Trump are politically motivated
In a recently published letter to the editor, Charles Kelly wondered why Republican Party voters completely ignore the “dozens of felony charges hanging over (Donald Trump’s) head.”
The answer is blindingly obvious. It is because they believe that the charges are an attempt to suppress his right to run for president. As the saying goes, “you can indict a ham sandwich” with enough dishonesty. This is the result of corruption in the Department of Justice.
I consider President Joe Biden to be part of what amounts to an organized crime family. It appears Biden has allies among some members of the media who are willing to run whatever he comes up with. Biden seems to be primarily committed to keeping the money flowing to the military industrial complex, Big Pharma and to other Democratic Party grifters.
They do not believe Democrats want an honest discussion with the American people. Why? Because Democrats lose on every single point.
Democrats have a history of lying to the American people to remain in power. That is the party’s glaring weakness.
— Tim Peterson, San Anselmo