Letters to the editor | Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020: Readers react to presidential election

It’s time to heal our country

I am so sick of hearing President Donald Trump and his toadies go on and on about “voter fraud.” There could have been a few minor instances, but no evidence of a widespread conspiracy to defraud.

And if there are some fraudulent votes out there, why is the presumption that they would all be for President-elect Joe Biden? Does anyone truly believe that no GOP voter would ever cast a fraudulent vote? If they do, then they are proper grist for this mill of lies that the Republicans are so quick to promote. Talk about your fraud.

Biden won, fair and square. Now let’s buckle down and get to work healing our country.

Gary McNett, Modesto

Voting is essential to democracy

To all of you who voted in this election: Thank you. Voting is the joy and privilege of a democracy and the only way we can maintain it.

Kymn McGrath, Turlock

Riddle me this

Which story is true, and which is a myth?

1. Did Nero fiddle while Rome burned?

2. Did President Donald Trump play golf while hundreds of people were dying from COVID-19?

1. Myth. A fire did ravage Rome in July of 64 A.D., but the fiddle was not developed until the 11th Century. Also, Nero was 35 miles away from Rome when the fire broke out. Historically, Nero has been described as a sadistic leader and ineffectual in a time of crisis.

2. True. On Nov. 7, over 1,000 COVID deaths were reported in the U.S. as Trump golfed while continuing to claim without evidence that the election was a fraud. Like Nero, Trump has been an ineffectual leader in a time of crisis.

The good news: Ding dong, the witch is gone. As Calvin said in the final Calvin and Hobbes comic strip by Bill Watterson on Dec. 31, 1995, we have reached “a new year, a fresh clean start.”

As President-elect Joe Biden has said, Americans need to unite to overcome the acute challenges of COVID, systemic racism, social injustice, and climate change. We must begin these efforts today.

Steven Murov, Hughson

Leave the battles behind

Time to bury the hatchet. And not in each other, as we have been doing.

Jack Heinsius, Modesto

Better days are just ahead

If I believed in gods and devils, I would be thanking God for delivering us from evil. Thank you, fellow Democrats — and Republicans who voted Democratic for the first time in their lives. Now we may begin to mend the damage President Donald Trump and his sycophants have done to our democracy and our environment. The rest of the nations in the world will have even more respect for the concept of democracy.

Ken Garst, Turlock

Biden’s win was not decisive

Re “State’s Republicans must accept Biden’s victory, Trump’s loss” (Page 6A, Nov. 10): How can you speak of what is disgraceful in others when you begin your editorial by deriding three legislators? You should be ashamed of saying that no one would mistake them as geniuses.

There are a number of others things in this article that show bias. For instance, not many are saying President-elect Joe Biden’s win was decisive, even though he has been clearly elected by the people to this office. If you are going to speak of being united as a nation maybe you ought to begin by practicing this yourself.

It would have been nice if the Democrats would have accepted the vote of the people four years ago like you suggest we do with this election. If the Republicans repeat their behavior it is going to be another long four years.

Joel Richards, Modesto

Originalism is far-fetched

It’s ludicrous to think that those who originally wrote the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, were so omniscient as to create a document that could address issues unique to a society over 230 years in the future. They were not visionary seers; they were simply politicians not unlike the politicians of our day, no better and no worse. And so what they created was a document that addressed the issues of the age in which they lived, just as we today create laws to address the issues of our times.

They did, however, recognize that the document they created might have to be modified over the course of years, and so they included in it the means by which it could be changed to address future concerns. Hence, Article V. It’s a specious idea that the Constitution can be and should be interpreted to conform to the morals of the society the Founding Fathers could not even begin to imagine.

Lance Bernard, Turlock

My meeting with Alex Trebek

It was a cool, fall day in October 2003, at the Sunrise Mall up in Citrus Heights. It was the second of my five Jeopardy! tryouts (Needless to say, I still haven’t made it on the show). The line was long with hundreds of us waiting for what seemed like an eternity just to audition for the program.

Suddenly, I could hear people several yards ahead of me gasping. I looked and saw a gray-haired man in jeans and a leather jacket going down the line and shaking hands those who’d been waiting. When he got closer, I recognized him .. it was Alex Trebek! I couldn’t believe it! The audition announcement didn’t mention him being there so it was a complete surprise.

As he approached, I braced myself. I told my father to get his camera ready. When Alex got to me, I turned starstruck. He looked me straight in the eye, grinned, and gave me a firm handshake as if to say “Good luck; thanks for being here.” All I could do was smile right back, completely speechless. What a really neat guy Alex was. May God bless him and rest his merry soul.

Alex Paul Kiehl, Turlock

A thank you from candidate

Thank you to all my constituents for your votes to continue as Stanislaus County Office of Education District 3 board member.

I am happy for the privilege of continuing my work supporting the students and families of our community through SCOE’s renowned life-changing programs.

I also give thanks to our elections office personnel for their dedication to helping candidates through the nomination process and great professionalism, consideration and patience during the election process.

Kimberly Gerber Spina, Area 3 Board Member, Stanislaus County Board of Education, Modesto

Republicans trying to sow doubt

Many people are wondering why Donald Trump would overhaul the leadership of the Pentagon at this time, putting Trump loyalists in control. I think it logically fits with the Republican strategy of trying to sow doubt in the voting and delaying certification of votes in key states with Republican legislatures. Those legislatures would step in and overturn the votes and elect their own slates of electors for Trump.

The Constitution lets state legislatures choose the method of selecting electors and states have let voters determine them for over 150 years. To take the decision away from voters would be undemocratic and an abuse of their responsibility to the voters. An illegitimately reelected president would feel the need to use the military to put down the massive protests that would erupt around the country.

Dwight Horning, Modesto