Letters for August 22, 2019

Obstructionists always

Re: “Bad PR” (Second & Flume, by Melissa Daugherty, Aug. 15):

The university is not going to provide you with information. That’s not what those people are about. They’re about firing John Gardner, and when a CIA agent is appointed as university president, they actually put up with it. They invite to speak a sieg heiler like William Shockley, and then won’t let anybody talk to him. Then there’s Robert Fredenburg, the human mole, who would only agree to be interviewed in the dark. After they broke the occupation of the administration building, which began in what was then known as the Free Speech Area, they went out and uprooted the sign reading Free Speech Area, replacing it with one reading Open Discussion Area. That’s who these people are. Hopeless.

Kevin Jeys

Paradise

Oblivious establishment

Re “Good people and an unrecognizable America” (Guest comment, by Dean Carrier, Aug. 15):

Mr. Carrier, you and others saw what you wanted to see in America.

Angry, cynical Americans elected a sleazy, racist president, and few people, especially Democrats, have objectively asked why. The status quo protecting establishment Democrats quickly manipulated the mindset of shocked Democrats to blame Russia.

In the American economy, only the top 10 percent have been thriving, though thriving better are the top 1 percent, and thriving most supremely are the top 0.1 percent, who take in 188 times more than the bottom 90 percent.

Obama bailed out the banks, but most Americans suffered, while the top 1 percent took the gains.

Obama was too cowardly to prosecute any bankers, or to have a commission to look into the lies that promoted the Iraq War that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and added trillions to the national debt only to make the U.S. less safe. Obama was too cowardly to prosecute anybody for the U.S. torture programs.

Obama was a decent person with a great smile, and fine oratory, but he had little vision and no courage.

The establishment was oblivious, while America deteriorated.

Good leaders are rare, but America desperately needs a president with vision and courage.

Lucy Cooke

Butte Valley

Cannabis is helpful

Re “Ignoring the science” (Letters, by Steve Simpson, Aug. 15):

The “science” has proven the positive effectiveness of cannabis compounds on so many levels; the list is long and readily available to the public from many reputable sources, so I won’t go into them here.

Let’s channel our energy and efforts toward real science like climate change instead of threatening to take medicine away from children, the elderly and others who don’t want to treat their disorders with pharmaceuticals that come with many unwanted side effects and are so costly that too many cannot even afford them.

Steve, you seem to be passionate. Why not direct that passion to a truth that will help many, rather than focusing on misinformation that denies your fellow humans their only relief from what ails them?

Lisa McSmith

Chico

GDP down, deficit bigger

I was scoffed at by right-wing letter writers for insinuating that President Trump “has ridiculous depression causing policies.” I’m just curious if these same Trump lackeys still disagree with my clairvoyant letter dated eight months ago (Dec. 27, 2018) in light of last week’s 800-point stock market crash? The gross domestic product growth rate in 2018 (after Trump’s so-called tax cuts went into effect) was 2.85 percent with a $779 billion deficit, while in 2015 the GDP came in at 2.88 percent with a $439 billion deficit.

The Congressional Budget Office projects a deficit of $896 billion for 2019. Remember the right-wing letter writers that complained about Obama taking his family to Hawaii for Christmas vacations while he was president? Just more examples of GOP hypocrisy.

Ray Estes

Redding

McConnell stalls bills

Boy, school has started and that brought back a lot of memories for me. I remember being nervous about new kids, teachers, schedules, and whether I would make friends and so on. I’m sure it’s the same for today’s kids, and on top of all that, they have all this new technology and what else? Oh yeah, today’s kids are being taught how to react in cases of an active shooter act of terrorism.

Meanwhile, our new Democratic- (not Democrat) led House of Representatives passed not one but two gun legislation bills, including background checks in February of this year! Do-nothing Congress? Only on the Republic—excuse me—I mean the Republican side of the aisle. What happened to these bills? Moscow Mitch McConnell won’t bring them to the floor for a vote. Who is he representing?

Ed Pitman

Chico

Calling for respect

As I was leaving a local grocery store, I was stopped by a male employee and told I must open my purse and show him everything. He said a customer had observed me stealing.

As he and two other male employees watched, I emptied my purse onto the cement, feeling humiliated and offended, falsely accused and helpless. By the time I got to my car, I was crying.

I decided I would never again show my face there, though I have been a customer since 1980 and like many of the workers.

Then I had another thought. I am a 72-year-old white woman, but had I been a person of color, this likely would not have been the first time I experienced such demeaning treatment. It was a visceral reminder of the harassment our brothers and sisters endure without recourse.

I overcame my embarrassment and called the store to describe what happened and how it made me feel. To his credit, the young man called me back and apologized profusely. He said he would handle things differently in the future.

Now I must recommit myself to advocating for respectful and fair dealings by those in positions of power. I hope you join me.

Kathryn McCreary

Orland

Speaking of which

I’m an African-American male who was pulled over in Chico for expired tags. In the process, police searched me and racially profiled me. I have never been to jail, nor have I ever even gotten a ticket. I’m a husband and father of five kids!

They treated me with no respect, refused to answer my questions, illegally searched me, and then towed my car. The four officers had their hands on guns the whole time. Even after searching and learning I had no record, they still treated me like a criminal. I felt hopeless and judged by the color of my skin.

Another time, they pulled me over but never said why. They asked where was I going. Did I have any weapons? Can I search your car? I told them no and asked about the probable cause. When they realized my 3-year-old son was in the back seat, the officers stopped everything, got in their cars and drove away.

But the other incident was confirmation that I was being targeted as a black man. I didn’t sleep that night because of the anxiety. I was scared for my life thinking that they were going to shoot me. That was their attitude, that was their aggression.

Niehla Bryant

Chico

Correction

In last week’s The Goods column (“History, music and connection,” by Meredith J. Cooper), the date of the Jonesville Hotel fundraiser dinner was incorrect. It’s this Saturday (Aug. 24). The error has been corrected online. —ed.