Letters to the editor | Sunday, June 19, 2022: Keep politics out of Graffiti events
Keep politics out of Graffiti
I appreciated all of the people and volunteers who worked to put on the 2022 Modesto Graffiti event. The parade was fantastic as always. The show at MJC was also, for the most part, great.
One area I feel the leadership fell short was in the vendor area. I am not against political booths, but the signage and displays at one were not only vulgar and disrespectful but completely inappropriate for what is supposed to be a family friendly community event. “Let’s go Brandon,” “FJB” and “F Joe Biden” is not appropriate for a family event or an event that should bring the community together, regardless of your politics.
Maybe the sponsors feel comfortable explaining to their grandkids exactly what this means if they are old enough to understand the meaning. But I don’t want to have to explain it to mine.
James Arnett, Modesto
Senate will block gun control
A well regulated militia — an amendment enacted before the invention of the six-shooter, before we had professional soldiers, when an automatic weapon with an extended cartridge would seem like science fiction, which, incidentally, also hadn’t been invented yet.
Despite the House passage of a bill upping the age for purchase of weapons, no way will it ever pass the Senate. Too entrenched, too profitable. How the NRA can afford to buy influence after nearly going bankrupt so recently is beside the point.
What this means, depending on state laws, is that any yahoo, any undiagnosed mental defective, anyone with a grudge, can get his hands on a weapon that has no function but to maim and kill humans, and do so efficiently.
Ghost guns, speed loaders, assault weapons gotta go. It should be law that only licensed, reputable gun dealers can be trusted to trade any weapon, to require background checks and honor the waiting period. This is not a lemonade stand business. Children are dying every day.
To quote Walt Kelly of “Pogo” fame, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
Cheryl Wolford, Oakdale
Don’t be fooled by sham bill
A bipartisan group of senators has supposedly achieved consensus on gun control. This cynical ploy to deflect action on real gun control is absurd. They are only trying to make it look like they are responsible. Unless AK-47s and similar guns and large magazines are outlawed, their proposed gun control is laughable, an insult to the American people.
Dave Tucker, Riverbank
Don’t they have better things to do?
Young people are worried about their futures. Every day brings new headlines about some disaster or policy that will make life harder. It’s critical that elected officials prioritize issues that voters care about, not get caught up in distractions.
As a student working in tech, the anti-tech sentiment in Congress bothers me for multiple reasons. First, stopping Amazon Prime is not a high priority. Representatives should be looking for policy solutions that will make a difference in our communities. The role that tech plays in our lives is critical. We rely on services like Google maps and search to survive every day, and on companies like Amazon and Apple to create jobs. The influence of these giant corporations is an important topic, but I don’t understand why some legislators are making this a priority right now.
We have plenty of real problems. Legislators need to stay focused on issues that really matter.
Mark Coggins, Turlock
Everyone relies on tech
I keep reading about legislation to make life harder for big tech companies. While I understand wanting to punish huge corporations with billionaire founders, this seems counterproductive to me. Companies like Amazon create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Millions of people use Amazon Prime – like me – and it would hurt my budget and my shopping choices if that was no longer available.
This seems a strange thing for Congress to prioritize when it is doing nothing about inflation or gas prices or any of the real serious issues our country faces. It makes no sense to me, and I hope legislators like Josh Harder will think hard before voting for it.
Devany Nichols, Modesto
Reward solar investors
I am strongly opposed to the latest CPUC proposal regarding rooftop solar in California. They want to tax solar panels, an investment we made because we thought California wanted to be a leader in clean energy. The valley we live in is filled with polluted air. Our rooftop systems help protect the lungs of inhabitants.
The solar panel industry creates paying jobs. We deliver extra energy right here in our community. You underestimate the cost of building and maintaining long-distance power lines to ship energy from solar farms to our homes. We signed good-faith agreements. We pay our fair share in the monthly charge for being on the grid. Local rooftop solar with battery backup can help us avoid power outages that can be life-threatening for many of us.
We must transition quickly from reliance on fossil fuels. The health of our planet depends on this. Please do not destroy one of the best tools we have for saving the only planet we have.
Patricia A. Egenberger, Modesto
Bring on Buster hugs
Wouldn’t it be praiseworthy if the San Francisco Giants continued honoring Buster Posey by placing huge posters of the “Buster Hug” with time, date, and event around Oracle Park?
Nothing epitomized what baseball should and can be than future Hall of Famer Posey. Having him as a Giant for 10 years was a true blessing.
Put those posters up. If you are at Oracle Park and feeling a bit down, just find the nearest Buster Hug poster. It will brighten your mood and remind you what the joy of baseball is all about.
Brooks Judd, Turlock
Hypocrisy of oil industry
The fossil fuel industry admits to funding organizations that deny there is a serious risk of their product warming the climate and destabilizing the world our children will inhabit. They also publicly acknowledge that their own research points to very real and significant risks.
Is there some kind of social permit they buy allowing them to know one thing and espouse another? Do they have a moral shortcut they take when lobbying Congress to sidetrack common-sense legislation?
Des Orsinelli, Ripon
Finding path to peace
There are a million reasons that life sucks for the majority of people in the world. When you look at life though as one, you begin to see that life is really fair and good. The terrible times that we are facing as individuals and as a people are the direct results and consequences of our past thoughts and actions. In other words, the people of the world are exactly where we have chosen to be. We have gotten ourselves into the mess we are in, and we are the only ones who can get us out.
Dig down deep into your heart to find the soul of humanity. Connect yourself to the oneness of life to discover the good parts of your soul. We are a good people. We have kind hearts.
Do everything in your power to do right in this world. Look at each other in the eyes and see the sparkle of life inside us all. Believe in your unique perspective in this world and the contributions you make to life. Believe that by working together as a people we can fix our troubles and move forward on the path to our peace.
Danny Dean, Manteca