Letters to the editor | Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022: Raid on Trump was inexcusable
Trump raid was inexcusable
The (leftists) have gone too far now. The attorney general and FBI director should step down or be forced to resign, along with most of the Biden cabinet. The Democratic party should be removed from all federal offices. We need to vote against every Democratic candidate running this November. If you vote for a Dem for Congress, in my admittedly biased opinion you are not a real American and have my strong advice to leave my country. The actions of the present Department of (In)Justice are an embarrassment for this nation.
Tom Simms, Hughson
Answering abortion rebuttal
Regarding my column defending a woman’s right to abortion, one respondent declared that a fertilized egg “has its own DNA and chromosomes. That’s a person.” By this standard, everything from sardines and squirrels to begonias and bananas qualifies.
Master of Theology Elton Nelson offers a rebuttal that deserves more attention. I’ll forgive the assertions that I’m opening the door to infanticide, or believe someone in a coma is no longer a person. The fact that I don’t define the moment when a fertilized human ovum permanently achieves personhood only reflects my plea for sensible people to jettison their parochial beliefs and determine a threshold before which abortion remains legal. And I’ll admit: I am unapologetically pro-life. The evolution of life from a seemingly mechanized universe is worthy of all the praise world religions lavish on its source. But “life” also includes the living conditions of a single mother who can’t afford another baby, or the suffering forced on a teenage rape victim.
Finally, using “the unborn” to equate a 15-week-old fetus with a toddler gleefully taking her first steps amounts to linguistic subversion. It must not distract us from enacting abortion laws that reflect common sense and science, not religion.
Mark Haskett, Modesto
In the name of corporate profit
It’s time to take new Save Mart management to task.
The takeover was full of promises to continue as a customer friendly business while valuing their employees. So, they take away (some of) employees’ retirement benefits and stop remote grocery delivery. Now, they are selling their pharmacy to Walgreens. The pharmacists at Save Mart were personable and highly professional. Once again the customers lose in the name of corporate profits. Prices have increased as well, just affirming this new ownership cares nothing about customers.
Tom Freeman, Modesto
Praising Downey culinary course
Educators in the Modesto Teachers Association wish to recognize and thank students enrolled in the Downey Culinary Program. MTA members started their school year with our annual breakfast. The students not only prepared a fantastic meal, they created a wonderful environment in the school’s cafeteria for teachers to enjoy. Student participants were courteous and executed their duties professionally. Ernesto Sanchez, who instructs and leads these fine students, should be immensely proud of their group effort. Our community is better served when Career Technical Education courses are available for student engagement.
Bravo Downey Culinary Program!
Chris Peterson, Modesto
Never Trumpers wear blinders
So you 40% who think this president is (fine) don’t want him to seal the border? It doesn’t bother you that unvetted people are just walking in? It doesn’t bother you that literally tons of drugs are coming in, causing massive decay in this society? Or that the cartels are making untold millions of dollars ruining this country? Or that illegal guns are freely coming in and women are being sold?
So what does bother you? Oh yeah — that Donald Trump guy. You people are arguing over how to arrange the deck chairs on a ship that’s going down.
Richard Oliver, Modesto
Restoring righteous values
In August 1945, atomic bombs detonated over Japan fulfilling FDR’s promise from his Dec. 8, 1941 speech that America will use its “righteous might” to win World War II. At the time, “righteous” referred to standing up for democracy, human rights and respect in a world turning to autocracy by force.
Compared to 1941, America is closer to respect and equality today, but we’re conflicted on democracy. It seems a minority believes the majority has gone too far into the future, a place where the values of the minority are disparaged, a place where democracy holds no hope of restoring those values.
Today the majority believes in peace, science, freedom of religion, freedom from religion, the rule of law, and equality. The minority seems to believe religion over science, the law is unjust, and in the inherent inferiority of non-whites. They seem willing to impose those values on the majority the way the Taliban enforces radical Islam.
FDR’s “righteous might” in 1941 was also a promise to the world that the U.S. would grow from the rowdy adolescent it was into a righteous adult leading the world away from ignorance, greed and hatred toward peace, freedom and prosperity.
J. Jason Gale, Riverbank
What democracy is all about
No matter what side you support, we are all Americans who love our country and want America to be the best example of government by the people, for the people that exists on our Earth. Today we find ourselves wondering where we are going as a nation. The conservative viewpoint is that we are becoming too socialist and allowing citizens to overstep their needs because our government is too liberal with citizens’ programs and that they are taking advantage of the system and causing devastating and costly abuse. The liberal viewpoint is that our government is not doing enough to help citizens in need.
Let me offer a compromise. What if we decided that instead of arguing we all decide to become independent of any political party and elect politicians who are middle-of-the-road on issues. Let them argue and debate and reach a compromise, which is what democracy is all about. This is what I truly believe our forefathers thought would happen when they created our government.
Let us not lose our precious democracy over trying to prove which viewpoint is right.
Rick Panto, Modesto
Honoring a music great
When I attended Downey High School and played Lancelot in Eleanor McKnight Haines’ production of Camelot, I never dreamed that this week I’d be asked to comment on the passing of one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Having earned my musical sea legs in Modesto, I’ve had the privilege of producing musicals on big stages with great artists, one of whom was the celebrated Motown writer Lamont Dozier who passed away Monday night. Lamont was a musical force, an artist who grabbed ideas and melodies straight from heaven. He was playful, lighthearted, and loved making and shaping music.
When I was developing my first Broadway musical, “First Wives Club,” I turned to the acclaimed Motown trio of Holland-Dozier-Holland to produce the score for the show. They wrote 22 new songs for it; their last collaboration together. I got to see first-hand how they worked together – Lamont with his amazing grooves and rhythms, Brian with his melodies and spectacular chord progressions, and Eddie with his genius lyrics. When they got together in the room without distractions, it was like magic in a bottle.
Lamont will be sorely missed, but his legacy in memory and music will live on forever.
Paul Lambert, San Rafael