Opinion

Letters to the editor, Sept. 19

As a lifelong Seattleite and Seahawks fan, it may come as a surprise to you that I actually agree with the writers of "Unsportsmanlike conduct in Seattle" (Letters, Sept. 17).

They wrote, "At a time when the world seems sour, sports give us a place of joy, community and hope, and to have it spoiled is a bigger loss than it seems on the surface."

Well said. I could not agree more. The writers do seem sour, very sour. Sports do give us a place of joy, community and hope. We Seattleites call that place CenturyLink Field - home of "the 12th Man." We are loud because we are proud of our Seattle Seahawks.

The implementation of nonsense rules, in an attempt to silence the passion we have for our team, would spoil our sports experience, which, as the letter pointed out, "is a bigger loss than it seems on the surface."

So, we will continue to yell it, at the top of our lungs - even with our last dying breath: Go Hawks!

And if it's too loud for you, there's always golf.

Chris Miles, Seattle

Cheering in the seats is sporting

Obviously the writers of the letter "Unsportsmanlike conduct in Seattle" have no real concept of home field advantage. To tell fans that they cannot cheer for their team above a certain decibel level is like telling children they can only eat one piece of candy every day after Halloween.

Seattle has a huge fan base, and when there is a team worth cheering, we do. Maybe those writers should watch chess matches if they need quiet to enjoy the game.

Michele Abbott, Seattle

Football noise: Bring it on

In response to the letter "Unsportsmanlike conduct in Seattle," I would first like to say thank you for tuning into the game. And, secondly for caring about the safety of everyone involved because of the decibel level.

As a proud Seattle fan, I sincerely apologize for the level of support our team has and that our fans are loud. We do our best to make our city a happy place by being loud and passionate fans.

Noise at a game is quite different than drugs or concussions for players, as it truly enhances the game and experience for all involved. I invite all 49ers fans to break the record when the Seahawks come to play in San Francisco. While Seattle fans agree the league needs to protect players, quieting fans isn't the way to go. I suggest banning alcohol for the safety of the fans and players as well. Also maybe the weather should be banned, because rain could make everyone wet and/or slip and fall. If any of these suggestions work, I'm sure the 49ers would happily help.

Again thanks for watching the game, Seattle loves you, we really do.

Jacob Landsberg, Mukilteo, Wash.

Undocumented attorneys?

Thank you for shining a light on efforts to allow dedicated Californians to become attorneys, regardless of immigration status. ("Bill would let undocumented immigrants be lawyers," Sept. 15)

Until 1878, women and minorities were prohibited from becoming lawyers in California. As a result, we lost out on the benefit of their talents, ideas and work product. The field of law, and the country, is poorer for it.

Similarly, prohibiting undocumented immigrants from State Bar certification would exclude many brilliant minds from working on behalf of society's most vulnerable. Californians have invested their time and money into the educations of people like Sergio Garcia, who came to the United States as an infant and has stated that his goal as a lawyer is to help those who cannot afford attorneys. Dozens like him are estimated to be studying in California's public law schools.

AB1024, which now sits on the governor's desk, allows them to return the investment. Each year, 25,000 San Franciscans rely on the intelligence, compassion and training of their public defenders. The immigration status of these attorneys has no bearing their ability to fight for their clients.

For the good of Californians, I urge the governor to sign AB1024.

Jeff Adachi, public defender, San Francisco

Floating homes on the bay

Wonderful to read Steve Rubinstein's piece on the "floating homes" of Sausalito in Datebook ("Houseboats aweigh," Sept. 18). Yay! What great writing.

Kirsten Schwartz, Albany

Guns: Whatever works

Thank you for your "Madness, again" editorial (Sept. 17).

It will no doubt elicit many paranoid responses from those worried about "confiscation," "tyranny," "self-defense" and so on, fueled by the profiteering NRA. But in fact, responsible gun owners have nothing to fear from such sensible policies, and while such gun control laws will undoubtedly take years or even decades to have real impact, in the long run they might help our nation decrease the shameful and tragic carnage we now face.

We need to try anything that might work.

Steve Heilig, San Francisco

Is anybody safe from guns?

If a gunman can get into a secure military building and create mayhem, how on earth could the NRA's School Shield program possibly protect a school?

John Neal, San Anselmo