Letters to the Editor, March 3, 2019 | Support for law to require doctors to help abortion survivors

Infanticide must not be tolerated

I have frequently criticized those who are against abortion but don’t seem to care about thousands of immigrants who died trying to cross our southern border. There are also those who genuinely care about immigrants but are in favor of abortion. That is a flagrant contradiction. We cannot pick and choose which lives are worth saving and which are not. We are either for life or against it. We must be consistent. Being pro-life means respecting all life.

I was horrified when I found out that if a baby is born alive after a “botched” abortion, the baby could be left to die. That is simply cruel and inhumane. It is clearly infanticide. There are many arguments for terminating the life of an unborn human being, but I can not comprehend any argument for ending the life of an innocent baby who escaped the claws of death.

So many people were rightly appalled at the cruel separation of children from their parents at the border. What’s the difference between those children and babies being left to die after an abortion? Call your senators and ask them to support the Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S 311)

How will Harder do in a real test?

As a former sales professional, I am familiar with the concept of “drip mailers,” a form of marketing that keeps one’s name in front of clients. The Josh Harder campaign, and now his constituents, seem to adhere to this philosophy – using Modbee letters as their platform. Every day it seems we get two anecdotal stories of our hero, Josh the Listener, Josh the Kind, Josh the Gentle. Oh, and remember he took No Corporate Money, they will invariably mention.

Good for them to be that organized. But for this newspaper reader, redundancy is boring!

The real test will be when Rep. Harder is faced with a difficult bill and K Street influence is breathing down his neck. Money talks in Washington. Will all this good-natured hometown chatter mean much then?

Harder keeping his bipartisan promise

As a nation, we are struggling with many issues including partisan politics. One individual is bucking that trend and getting to work with people on both sides of the proverbial aisle. Josh Harder, in his first 60 days in office, has hit the ground running. He led a bipartisan effort to provide free child care to veterans suffering from mental health emergencies. He invited a local Republican walnut farmer to the State of the Union speech to discuss water, agriculture and job creation in the Valley. He is keeping his promise to voters to focus on healthcare.

We need to celebrate individuals like Josh, who not only promise change but deliver it. From his work on the campaign trail to his work in Washington, there has been no wavering on his commitment to accessibility and transparency.

I am proud of our choice to elect such a hard-working, intelligent person to lead the way in Washington.

These letters were just propaganda

Wow, the Sunday, Feb. 24 letters to the editor section was oozing right-wing propaganda (letters and and From the claim in “Classless socialists ruining America” that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she’d “f--- up” Donald Trump (a lie), and the writer of “Green Dream is a nightmare” made the outrageous claim that the Green New Deal would “eliminate all aircraft in 10 years.” In “How can anyone vote Democratic?” the writer claims she “used to be Democrat” and cannot understand why California constituents still vote for Democrats. Her rambling, baseless criticism of California begs the question, “Why do you stay?”

Perhaps The Bee’s editors should use more discretion when deciding to print letters that contain obvious lies intended only to add to the divisive and dangerous climate we are experiencing under the current administration in D.C. We know the Trump administration has done nothing to curtail Russia’s interference in our elections and their efforts to sew discord throughout the American population. Letters like these are feeding that discord, and the ideas therein are most likely coming directly from them.

As our democracy is under serious threat, we need to see ourselves, and our neighbors, as Americans first. Not Democrats, Republicans or any other political party.

Women don’t need to be members

My husband was a member of the Oakdale Gun Club when we first moved here in 1963. It is a wonderful organization with some of the best organizers, shooters and great cooks. I had the pleasure of shooting on the first women’s trap team. Shortly after I started, more women started shooting and some more or less demanded they should be allowed to be members. I always thought, “don’t ruin a good thing. Let the guys do the work but let us enjoy it.”

If gals want a sports club, let them start their own, build the building, put in the trap and shooting fields, do the upkeep and hard labor themselves. Enjoy the fact this is a wonderful organization in itself that we also get to enjoy.

City’s big heart helped him make it

Thank you to the good-hearted people of Modesto. After becoming disabled, separated from my spouse and homeless, I returned to the area I love. I had no idea about the homeless problem in the area as I stayed in hotels and slept in my car far away from others. As a veteran, I was taken in by the HUD-VASH program and after only a few months had a place to live. I have since been approved for Social Security, “early retirement” and I have found a more suitable place near Sacramento.

I might not have made it if not for the dedicated and caring people of this wonderful city. I thank all of Modesto’s citizens, and those who work for the many agencies that help those in need, for their patience, forbearance and love of humanity. George Medina of the Veterans Administration put it best, “We are here to give you a hand up, not a handout.” Those words made it easier for me to accept the help I so desperately needed.

This story was originally published February 27, 2019 at 4:19 PM.