Letters to the editor | Sunday, July 11, 2021: Unvaxxed blindly hurt themselves

Unvaxxed blindly hurt themselves

Like many fellow Americans, I do not trust the government, nor do I trustingly believe anything I get through the mainstream media. In the case of COVID-19, I have independently done my due diligence and widely researched reputable scientific sources. The facts are clear: if you are fully vaccinated there is only a tiny chance you will develop a serious COVID infection, and almost no chance you will die as a result. In round numbers, if you do not get vaccinated you are 100 times more likely to become seriously ill and 10,000 times more likely to die (these are approximations, since individual data sources vary widely over time).

Don’t be an idiot. Get your shots.

However, this is a free country. If you choose to be foolish, I for one am not going to stop you. Go ahead, join the ranks of previous Darwin Awards winners and remove yourself from the human gene pool by choosing not to get your jabs. I don’t care. No more begging, no more arguing, no more incentives. I am done with COVID-19. Goodbye.

Douglas N. Brower, Ballico

Car museum big plus for Modesto

One of the most interesting privately financed projects introduced into Modesto is the Classic Car Museum on Ninth Street in the former Warden’s Office warehouse. This project, as I understand it, is the brain-child of local businessman Chris Murphy and the vision, should it come to fruition, is nothing but positive for our city.

One of the most quaint and wholesome aspects of our city is the American Graffiti culture of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Having a museum that dramatically preserves this heartbeat of Modesto is a real gem. It will add to the attractiveness of our city for outside visitors and conventions. It will employ people and have interactive aspects that all can be proud of and enjoy.

And most importantly, it will give our children a chance to learn and smile at the colorful past that makes up the fabric of this Central Valley city. I was disappointed that The Modesto Bee editorial implied that this project was somehow lacking in interest for our youth. Maybe they should take another look and apologize.

Gary Nelson, Modesto

Fireworks could wake the dead

July 4 is a time for celebrating our nation’s independence. But it’s not a time for celebrating noise. I appreciate, as others do, the beauty and color of the fireworks. But the noise is disturbing. The celebrating with the fireworks lasted till 10 p.m. Please finish them earlier. Some want to sleep.

There is a guy in northwest Modesto who enjoys setting off his illegal firework explosives not only on the holidays, but on other days also. I have reported this without police stopping him. Not only is this behavior irritating to people, but animals are extremely disturbed.

David Shirk, Modesto

It’s like a war zone out there

Well, City Council, you have a major problem with fireworks out of control. Had to be home before dark to make sure my house didn’t burn down. Standing on my front porch, I told my wife this is what the battle of Quan Loi in ‘69 Vietnam sounded like, went on till 2 a.m.

Paul Gissible, Modesto

Parade should unite Americans

It was great to have the Fourth of July parade back. Congratulations to all who worked to put it on.

The political participation, however, was very disappointing. The Josh Harder campaign would have won the least entertaining award. At least throw some candies to the kids. Anything! But what was really disgusting was the Republican Party where they bellowed out divisive messages such as “Recall Newsom.” Such divisive content should not be allowed at a Fourth of July parade that is meant to unify, not divide. The Republican Party should be banned from next year’s parade.

Let’s hope for a more unifying, uplifting parade next year.

Derek Castle, Modesto

Deputies’ lack of empathy killed man

When two deputies responded to a burglar alarm (it ended up a false alarm), they were surprised when a man said, “Hey, what’s up guys?” So, it was only natural for them to draw their weapons and begin shouting commands at him, right?

The deputies were aggressive from the very beginning. They observed he was homeless, living in a cardboard shanty. He told them his dad was a senator, and then he said his dad was the building owner. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to ascertain this poor soul was homeless and mentally dysfunctional.

Instead of empathy, compassion and concern, the two deputies called in eight more and pursued an even more aggressive approach. The man never endangered the deputies. But when attacked by their police dog, he pulled a hatchet from his belongings and tried to defend himself. And with that act of self-defense against a dog, he was shot and killed.

“The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.” — Philosopher Hannah Arendt

Linda Mayo, Modesto

Electric vehicles unfairly favored

I just read Stephanie Finucane’s column on the lamentations of charging her electric vehicle. I do have some issues with electric vehicles:

• EV owners pay a small road tax, yet road taxes are generously loaded into the price of gasoline. EV owners use the same roads as we fossil-fuelers who happily pay for those roads. Don’t EVs also cause wear and tear on the roads?

• Aren’t EVs disproportionally located in larger urban areas, needing more road tax money there than where we Valley gas-eaters live, drive and fund that tax source?

• Low-income earners who drive cannot afford EVs, even when subsidized, yet the purchasers of EVs are recipients of a monetary incentive that low-income drivers still cannot afford. The higher cost of gas hurts us all to fund these projects, but that tax is levied by use and not incremental to income. I’m guessing, too, that low-income earners do not own a garage, much less are able to afford installing a home charger. I doubt that low-income apartments will provide them.

• Caltrans provides free charging? I am unaware of free gas for anyone. Why do predominately higher-income EV users get free energy?

• What are the recycling issues of these batteries? Will we need costly and subsidized recycling facilities?

I welcome clean air, but EVs need to pay their way.

Bruce Campbell, Escalon

Riverbank greedy for growth

Re “Riverbank proposes to add 2,400 homes out to McHenry Avenue” (Front Page, June 20): The article certainly rings a strange bell. Why does the city of Riverbank need to annex this land “on behalf of the landowners”? Shouldn’t Riverbank stay busy taking care of the existing land inside its current sphere of influence? If you read the Master Services Review document they prepared and presented to LAFCo in 2016, figures and tables explain how they really have all the land they need for future build-out right now.

This project encompasses some of the best farmland in the world. No wonder there are predictions for a world food shortage in about 20 years. We’ll have this whole valley paved over by then.

And the comment about how the city of Modesto does not yet have a position on how the area should be used — how about using it for growing food, not buildings?

Lori Wolf, Modesto

Results always trump dignity

Re “Trump helped himself, not conservatives” (Letters, July 4): Your letter is very telling. You wanted dignity in your president, not results. Dignity is defined as “a composed or serious manner or style.” You wanted another actor in the White House. Someone with a style.

And the results? For the four-year term of this stylist, a steady stream of people are stealing the American dream over the border, and this will not stop. Many estimates are 4-to-5 million people will just walk in, contrary to the law, making the honorable people who sign up in their country, pay a fee, and wait in a line to come in look stupid.

Combine all of that with skyrocketing crime and an economic storm on the horizon, and there you are, sir. I’ll take results over dignity any day.

Richard Oliver, Modesto