Letters to the editor | Wednesday, March 18, 2020: `This coronavirus is getting scary’

Coronavirus too shall pass

From Pearl Harbor to VJ Day, for roughly 44 months, our American way of life was turned upside down fighting a World War on multiple fronts. On the backside of the Great Depression, we made even greater sacrifices to survive and ultimately prevail over that existential crisis. The news of the war wasn’t instantaneous like today, but it was nevertheless grim when received. And many Americans died.

Thanks be to God, today we are not at war with other nations. Rather, we are battling a virus pandemic that is dangerous to our elderly and those with compromised immunity. Our way of life has changed drastically and suddenly, the stock market is taking a beating, and people are afraid.

As with World War II, we will come together as a country and the best of our national character will rise. After all, we are Americans. This too shall pass, and probably soon. In the meantime, we are well served to remember the immortal and still incredibly relevant words of President Franklin Roosevelt: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

Protect teachers and students

We should be shocked at the school districts in our community. This coronavirus is getting scary. It has surfaced within a couple miles of my house, at Downey High School. You know that the affected students have had contact with dozens of others. They may have eaten in the cafeteria. How are the kids and teachers being protected?

I am the father of four teachers. Most of them are hesitant to go to work. They are married and have children they want to protect. They are afraid of bringing the virus from their school home.

I want to know how the schools are protecting the individual classrooms on a day-to-day basis. I hope it’s more than putting a bottle of hand sanitizer on the teacher’s desk.

No proof supporting claims

Re “Howze won’t be intimidated” (Letters, March 11): The recent accusation in Letters to the Editor by a Ted Howze supporter that the re-elect Harder for Congress campaign vandalized and downed Howze signs is completely unfounded and irresponsible. Harder signs get injured, too, but no one in the Harder camp would stoop so low as to accuse without proof.

Unsubstantiated claims seems to be a pattern of the Howze campaign. The public still waits for evidence that supports Howze’s claim that Democrats engaged in campaign fraud in the D10 congressional campaign of 2018. Howze made the claim as a guest columnist in the Ceres Courier entitled “How Democrats stole the election for Josh Harder.” Howze’s speculative assertions of voter fraud were supposed to be supported by an intensive investigation, yet there has been nothing additional offered to back up these dramatic claims.

I can’t help but wonder if these accusations come from the same playbook as people like Nunes, Trump, Barr and Giuliani, who frequently claim there will soon be proven revelations that will be damaging to their opponents, yet the proof never arrives.

I encourage voters to have good memories and hold their political leaders accountable.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Letters to the editor | Wednesday, March 18, 2020: `This coronavirus is getting scary’."