Letter to The Beach Reporter by Mike Robbins

Published in The Beach Reporter on Thursday, July 23, 2015.

Bird eggs and babies

I read with concern the tree trimming troubles letter (July 16, The Beach Reporter). Elizabeth Courtenay wrote, “It is a violation of state and federal law to trim or cut trees or shrubs while night herons and great blue herons are nesting, but there are regular violations of these laws in the South Bay.”

My concern was not with people exercising their right to choose to trim their trees, but with laws that place greater value on bird nests and eggs than on unborn human babies with heartbeats and brainwaves — the vital signs used to determine whether a born person is alive or dead.

Americans have killed (aborted) 57 million little human beings dehumanized as “indistinguishable tissue masses” since 1973. Even when small enough to fit on a quarter coin (e.g., at 8 weeks), they have little arms and legs, fingers and toes, and a head with identifiable but still forming eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

The only difference between unprotected unborn persons and protected born persons is their size, location, level of development and capability for independent living. It is illegal to kill born persons, young and old, based on these criteria, but not to gruesomely and painfully dismember and kill unborn persons. Yet it is a serious state and federal crime to disturb a bird nest.

America’s moral compass is broken.

The AbortionNO.org website has graphic but educational photos showing the level of development of unborn persons at 7 to 26 weeks (AbortionNO.org/abortion-photos). Learn the truth, if you dare.

Mike Robbins
El Segundo

The above Letter to the Editor was a response to the Letter to the Editor below.

Letter to The Beach Reporter by Elizabeth Courtenay

Published in The Beach Reporter on Thursday, July 16, 2015.

Tree trimming troubles

It is a violation of state and federal law to trim or cut trees or shrubs while night herons and great blue herons are nesting, but there are regular violations of these laws in the South Bay. Two years ago, palms on the Esplanade were “trimmed” drastically after the night herons had nested. Young herons not yet able to fly fell to the ground and were killed by cars or dogs within a day or two. A few herons returned to the Esplanade last year. More arrived this year. I am concerned that the “trimming” will begin again soon.

There has also been illegal trimming of palms in Portofino and King Harbor while the great blue herons are nesting. After the first trimming in Portofino this year, one pair of herons relocated to palms closer to the ocean. After a few weeks, these palms and only these palms were trimmed. It is clear then that the herons were being targeted. Last week, in King Harbor, three adjacent palms in which a pair of great blue herons was nesting were cut drastically.

So who trimmed the trees? The city of Redondo Beach? King Harbor? The homeowners on the Esplanade? It would be good to know so they can be advised not to do so again during nesting season. If the problem is bird poop on cars, then put up signs advising drivers that they may want to use car covers as coastal birds nest here.

Elizabeth Courtenay
Manhattan Beach