Pain relief
Re: “Legalize it all” (6/21/2018): I don’t have enough space to detail all the things wrong with me that cause me to live in a world of chronic, sometimes severe, pain. I just want to thank Michael Cummins for being one of the very few writers who have advocated for helping chronic pain sufferers by legalizing marijuana. Due to the draconian laws passed by the clueless Neanderthals in our state Legislature, I have even less access to the pain medication I could use to help me get through the day without resorting to sitting and screaming with pain. News flash: The laws passed in the last few years to try to stop the opioid epidemic will not help with that problem and only hurt people like me who just want to make it through the day with less pain. I hate to say this, but maybe if those less-than-sympathetic state legislators spent a day or two in pain, they might be more willing to legalize marijuana.
— Eileen Mislove, via email
Bar talk
Re: “History of a hangout” (6/14/2018): Wow. What memories. I didn’t hang out there until the 1970s. I spent most of the time at the pinball machines by the front door. Besides the great crowd that hung out there, it took me awhile to realize what was different about the 602 — there was no jukebox, so you could actually have a conversation.
— Bruce Malm, via Facebook
To love learning
Re: “Making summer school fun?” (6/21/2018): This sounds fantastic. I remember how much I loved school when I was a little kid. Having kids stay engaged over summer will help prevent them losing what they learned during the school year, and holding classes in fun topics like robotics will open them up to new things and help them love learning.
— Laurel Fletcher, via Facebook
A biting rebuke
Re: “Biters be Gone” (6/7/2018): [This article] was essentially an infomercial for pesticide sprayers. Is this the level of journalistic integrity Isthmus has now? It misrepresents the dangers of pyrethroid chemicals on the environment. I have a neighbor who had his house sprayed with these pesticides, and every insect died for months, not just mosquitoes! They are dangerous chemicals and they disrupt ecosystems of the soil and the myriad of pollinators. Instead of mentioning how everything will die, the article implies that since pyrethroid insecticides originated from chrysanthemums that they are somehow safe. Many highly toxic chemicals have their origins in nature... that doesn’t mean they are good to spray on our garden ecosystems. Raise your standards and do a proper article on the very real dangers of spraying synthetic pesticides around your home just so you can avoid pesky mosquitoes.
— Joe Fischer, via email