Letters to the editor | Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021: RIP, ex-Modesto Mayor Carol Whiteside
Remembering Carol Whiteside
Carol Whiteside was a champion for Modesto in many ways. During the time she was mayor, the urban forestry division planted thousands of trees and developed a tree maintenance program that was nationally recognized. Carol was also a strong supporter of the Greater Modesto Tree Foundation. When I called her office asking for a lunch meeting, she readily agreed; I was pleasantly surprised she would meet with this tree guy. Carol gave the foundation suggestions and encouraged the planting of trees.
Years later I co-chaired a tree conference and we asked her to be the keynote speaker. After the talk on tree planting and the benefits of trees, the president of a tree organization covering several states told me, “Now I know why Modesto’s tree program is second to none.” When Carol and her husband, Judge Whiteside, attended the conference banquet I seated my granddaughter next to the judge. He made my teenage granddaughter feel comfortable; they chatted like old friends. Yes, Carol Whiteside and the judge were the salt of the earth and were exemplary leaders in our community.
Charles Gilstrap, Modesto
This just isn’t socialism
In the runup to the election there was a lot of noise about health care. As the county slowly pulls out of the COVID crisis the debates will start on health care reform. Time to clarify the misuse of the term “socialism” in relation to health care.
Socialism is an economic and political system in which things produced are publicly owned and controlled by the state. Medicare is an insurance program like Blue Cross or Aetna. There is a trust fund and when a person is old enough to qualify they can sign up to be covered.
Delivery of medical services is provided in the capitalistic private sector — think Kaiser, Sutter, Doctors Medical Center and your private physician’s office. In contrast, our Modesto police and fire departments are owned and operated solely by the government — fitting perfectly the definition of socialism. Yes, there are government-owned and -operated medical facilities like VA hospitals and public health. Most people are OK with these socialist medical institutions.
So it is time to stop the fear mongering. Proposed plans to increase availability of affordable health care for all citizens (so-called Medicare for all) are just forms of expanding access for medical insurance. The actual delivery of health care will use private (capitalistic) delivery systems, just like today. The exact opposite of socialism.
Robert LeFevre, Modesto
Down on Nancy Pelosi
As so many conservatives are grieving the loss of our Rush Limbaugh, I’m reminded of the night when Rush was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. There she was, Nancy Pelosi, fiddling around with her paperwork at the State of the Union. None of us can forget her greatest performance on the same evening, tearing up her copy of the State of the Union address. What an embarrassing, classless and despicable individual and a U.S. representative from the state of California. She is the perfect example of why we need term limits.
Arlene M. Avila, Turlock
Beware white supremacy
Feb. 13, 2021 was a dark day for American democracy that will live in infamy. The party that claimed to support law and order really only wants justice to weigh on the backs of the poor and people of color. Forty-three GOP senators were willing to exonerate the grand master of the insurrection of Jan. 6, the man who waited hours before sending help to the men and women in blue defending the lives of our Congressional representatives trying to exercise their duty to our Constitution. Apparently these members of the Republican Party don’t really think blue lives matter.
Imagine how these senators would have voted if President Obama had behaved the way Trump did up to and after the election, and especially on Jan. 6. These 43 senators have given the go-ahead to white supremacists to attack our democracy again. The world is watching. America weeps.
Patricia Egenberger, Modesto
Where was their loyalty?
Over several days I have been calling and emailing U.S. senators who did not honor their oath of office to protect the U.S. Constitution and voted to acquit Trump for inciting the riots on Jan. 6. Only seven Republican senators had the courage to do what was right. They should be commended for their honesty and actions.
Trump is not only corrupt and incompetent but also dangerous. I fear that not voting to convict Trump for inciting the riot will come back to haunt our grandchildren in the future. I hope another nut job like Trump never gets voted into an office as powerful as president of the United States.
I used to vote for the candidate I thought would do the best job regardless of political party. In the future I am very doubtful I will ever vote for another Republican, as they do not take their oath of office seriously. They have shown it is more important to vote party over country. Republicans are now the party of the mob that attacked the Capitol and killed a police officer.
Tom Tyler, Modesto
A few brave GOP senators
On Feb. 13 seven patriots separated themselves from the “Trumpicans”: Richard Burr, Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Toomey and Ben Sasse. They joined Democrats in the U.S. Senate to find the former president guilty of incitement of insurrection. Although the vote failed the two-thirds threshold, these seven risked their political futures with their vote. They now risk censure from their own party and the possibility of being targets in their future re-elections. Their bravery should not go unnoticed. They rose up and voted their conscience.
And what about the Trumpicans? Well, it is now painfully apparent to everyone that they are now irrelevant. No one needs to hear from any of them again. It will be interesting to watch what happens to the GOP. They have now devolved into a white nationalist party. Let their future be determined by their voters back home.
Dennis Thomas, Modesto
White privilege satire
The Republican acquittal of king Donald was a true blessing. His acquittal reconfirmed my rightful place in the judicial system. The outcome means that the fundamental two-tier justice system remains firmly in place. As a middle-class, educated Caucasian, I am, at least for the time being, atop the heap. Granted, my position would be greatly enhanced if I was a wealthy, law-and-order conservative, yet I continue to feel superior to all people of color who obviously do not enjoy this benefit. I remain much less likely to be executed for selling contraband cigarettes, or walking home after dark with my hoodie pulled over my head, or being shot in the comfort of my own bed.
The recent insurrection attempt in Washington clearly confirmed that the rioters enjoyed that top-tier privilege since they were predominantly white folk. If the Black Lives Matter demonstration had been the least bit lawless those folks would have met with a justified violent bloodbath from law enforcement.
The sanctity of whites remains intact thanks to those Republican visionaries. I rest easy and secure in my privileged position.
Tim Buchanan, Modesto
We could be better prepared
Since COVID-19 hit Stanislaus County, small businesses have closed, farmers are struggling, hospitals are full, and health is lying in the balance. If Congress had a plan in place in the event of pandemics reaching our shores, this could have been prevented.
Widespread infectious diseases disrupt trade and tourism, totaling about 18% of the global economy. In a small farming community like our own where trade is essential, Congress must act now to avoid the consequences epidemics and pandemics can create. With the Global Health Security Act, U.S. global health security will be enshrined in statute and help prevent communities like our own from the economic difficulties we have faced.
I am urging Rep. Josh Harder to cosponsor the Global Health Security Act to help strengthen multisectoral engagement to resolve challenges and ensure that we are never caught off guard if and when another infectious disease emerges. If we act as one, we can help make sure events like these never occur again.
Taylor Morasci, Modesto
Reflections on peace
Shackled around the wrist of our right hand is the chain of our violence; our left hand chained down by our wars. It is hard to stand as a human being when we have never truly been free. We are a prisoner of our own choosing and it is only by our choice will we gain our freedom.
There is a key in our hand called peace. Humanity has held this key for thousands of generations as we struggled and fought our way through life. It is time to use this key. It will take the combined strength, courage, compassion and wisdom of every person across the world to use this key called peace, but it can be done, it must be done.
Look into your heart and the sparkle in each other’s eyes to see the oneness of our soul and the ability to achieve our peace, to set ourselves free.
Danny Dean, Manteca