Poem

Morning Song

with every business How many mornings did we break fast, together?decision. Particularly, More than I can count in the rest of my days.decisions a ecting And how many lessons did you teach me?sta , editorials and More than I can ever realize. advertising. Frankly, I How many times did you share your wisdom,was appalled to see Teach me to dance on your feet while holding my hands,a full-page adver- Share your adventures as you traveled the world,tisement for smokes. Fished your buddy’s hat from the South China Sea?On the other hand, I could be equally put Show me your dance,o by sta ’s choice to Sing your song —carry ads for gasoline I can hear it now — and diesel-powered Oh, what a beautiful morning ...vehicles in the face of Your last words to me: climate change and air The spirit in me honors the spirit in you.pollution. But I’m not. I am gladNot long ago, ads for You are my daughter ...marijuana paraphernalia (turkey bags) raised How many lessons will I remember,eyebrows, but not As you soar in the heavens,now. Full-page ads for Embrace your departed,Humboldt produced And be held in so many hearts?spirits with its health More than I can see for the rest of my days.warning could o end How grateful I amsome. The same for That you were my father.ads that promote gambling. Rest now, Papa, with the words I told you,

It’s tough to thread Before you began this next journey:the social compact I love you.between print media and its readership. — Lori Cole Challenging times call for di cult decisions. There are many local businesses that used to grace the pages of the North Coast Journal with ads before the pandemic. I hope they will be able to resume their practice before too long. But I also want the Journal to continue publishing. Ad revenue is critical. My wife and I also make donations, but not enough to o set ad revenue. I happen to believe that cigarettes are unhealthy. The Journal has written plenty of articles about local no-smoking ordinances. But, as I say, these Carol Moné, Trinidad are challenging times.

I don’t particularly like the ad, but I Editor: wouldn’t cancel a subscription over it. Please stop the tobacco advertising. It’s an However, I do hope it is dropped when ethical choice to stop supporting canother advertisers pick up the slack, or cer-causing products. I expect NCJ to do when readers step up their donation levels the right thing as soon as possible. to demonstrate their appreciation for this Christina Hu , Garberville local news journal.

Stephen Avis, Ferndale

Editor:

I’m sorry. As a member of a nonprofit that just ponied up for a half-page ad encouraging folks to sign a healthcare petition to Gov. Newsom — www.petition. healthcare — it was disappointing to see yet another full-page ad for Lucky Strikes. The cost of a color advert of this size is significant for local businesses and organizations (more than $1,500), but mere chump change for Lucky Strike, a subsidiary of BAT, which, based on net sales, is the largest tobacco company in the world. One has to wonder why they are targeting us for their advertising.

Realizing that this ad sponsored one of the better NCJ issues in a while, I guess the major worry is that if you consort with the devil, watch out, your kids may have horns and tails.

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