Is that being responsible?
Dear editor,
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent, troublesome priest?”
King Henry II, in 1170, was having conflicts with the church and said, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent, troublesome priest?” Just days later Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, King Henry’s adversary, was murdered. Did King Henry murder Becket? No. Was King Henry responsible for Becket’s murder? Yes.
Last week the Catalina Islanded published a paid ad, a letter addressed to [an individual], a Catalina Island Conservancy employee who is involved with the Catalina deer controversy. The closing line in the letter which was addressed to [the individual], said “And yes, by all means, shoot the messenger.” (Meaning them)
Yesterday I gave [the individual], a ride up our hill to their home. I asked how it was going with the deer issue.
“Lots of grief?” I asked.
“Yes, lots, I have received death threats.” And they showed me the paid ad in the newspaper.
[The individual], was rattled.
If [the individual], were killed or injured by a third party after reading the Islander, The Islander who accepted money for promoting harm, the author of the letter and a third person, all could be found responsible for any ill consequences resulting from the paid ad.
Ted Apodaca wrote me and said “Hi Charlie, I can’t comment on the ad. Editorial doesn’t have any control over ads and we don’t see them until the paper is printed.”
Charlie Canby
Avalon
Re vacation rentals
In response to the recent letter from Ms. Janice Hall, who identifies herself as “removed from planning commission” which raises a question of her position herein.
Ms. Hall does not acknowledge the real world here. The majority of the people working in Avalon today are minimum wage earners. California’s minimum wage is currently $15.50 per hour. If you worked three or four jobs at minimum wage, you could not support yourself, much less, your family, regardless of where you lived.
There are dozens of jobs advertised in the Islander, each week. These ads have been running for two years. What has happened in Avalon is, you have more tourists than the service people you need to support the tourism you already have. It’s a proverbial Catch-22.
It is a lofty goal to want to improve the quality of life for the local working population. Restricting or further governing vacation rentals is not going to do this. Ms. Hall asks people to be patient with the process. The process so far, appears to be flawed.
Claire J Bourke
Cypress, CA
