Opinion

I would like to publicly call on the City of Scotts Valley, in organizing this year's Fourth of July fireworks, to tone down the noise level very significantly. Last year's fireworks show was beautiful, but SO loud that I ended up going inside before the show was over, it was so awful. I felt really sad about that, as I enjoy sitting on my front porch to watch the show. A number of friends shared the same experience, and also related stories about animals getting freaked out by the noise level, including one tale of a small herd of deer getting hit while fleeing in a panic. Such decibels have a negative effect on mammals' nervous systems, triggering the sequence of fight/flight responses in the body. Some people have grown to associate this with a sense of power. When we face a true threat, and our body is flooded with adrenaline, it IS powerful, and we are able to do incredible things to save ourselves and others. I have experienced this personally, so I have a real appreciation for it. However, when there is no actual threat, it is highly detrimental to our physical, emotional, and mental health to have this physiological sequence triggered; and in those instances, it is a false sense of power. Also, excitement triggers the dopamine pathway in the brain, which is integral to the processes of addiction and depression, rather than actual happiness. This is too complicated to explain in the space of this letter, yet it is a neurological reality. Moderate levels of excitement are great, yet decibel levels like what was heard in last year's fireworks show are extreme, and any pleasure that some may derive only serves to trigger unhealthy neurological processes. Thank you for considering my request.

EDITOR,

Development and quarrying has already taken a severe toll on sandhills and parkland sandhills, out of what few are left, but invasive species is currently the biggest threat on the Olympia wellfield. I am opposed to the ban that was passed by the new SLVWD board last Thursday because it was passed without a feasible, science based alternative plan for ensuring the protection of these sandhills against invasive species. The few alternatives that I have heard about aren’t even based in reality.

Letter: Failure of Measure N is a major loss for Lompico community

I'm grateful to know the Banner staff did not write it, but I would like to point out some gross factual inaccuracies from the "Christmas tidbits" section in the December 4 paper. Jesus was not born in a shepherds' cave and they did not help Mary find shelter. The gospel of Luke actually says, "So they [shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” Luke 2:16 NIV