Letters for July 12, 2018

Convenient quotes

It always amazes me how many of our outspoken clergy (and particularly politicians) can locate obscure elements buried deep in the Bible to satisfy their immediate personal, social and moral dogmas, while ignoring those more notable ones that may be in deference to their biases.

Such was evident when the U.S. attorney general quoted Paul in Romans 13 regarding citizens always submitting to governments as “the authorities that exist have been established by God.” Using this as a justification, one has to accept that the atrocities of Stalin, Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Hussein, Assad and others as being blessed by God.

What bothers me most in our evolving political climate is the out-and-out ignorance of Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you ….” This “Golden Rule,” along with the indisputable requirement of honesty and truthfulness, was a primary focus of my father’s stern lessons to me as a child. But today, one can claim anything or accuse anyone, no matter its lack of factual value.

I fear Trump’s actions when he finds in Deuteronomy 7:6 that God favors the Israelites exclusively (and then sent them out to murder everyone else). Will he then convert to Judaism?

Dean Carrier

Paradise

On the flip-side

Next time we have a Democratic White House and Congress, we’ll have Rachel Maddow as communications chief. The guy our reality-TV president appointed, former Fox News executive Bill Shine, protected Roger Ailes against way too many sexual harassment lawsuits.

So, we’ll replace sleaze with intelligent reporting and honest communication. Also, Chris Hayes could be chief of staff. Paul Krugman as financial adviser, to make sure the president doesn’t give away the farm or tax farmers out of business with dumb trade wars.

Al Gore could be head of the EPA instead of the oil/gas or coal industry (i.e., Scott Pruitt or the next guy, the coal industry lobbyist). Adam Schiff could be head of the Justice Department. Schiff could lock up President Reality Star Trump and throw away the key for kidnapping children at the border, and then deporting their parents back home without the kids. Isn’t it a felony to steal children?

Lynn Hansen

Paradise

On staying focused

While Scott Pruitt’s resignation is a good thing, stay focused on what the Trump administration’s policies have been, and will continue to be. As The Who sang in 1971, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” The new boss is Andrew Wheeler, the No. 2 at the EPA, a career resident of the Washington swamp.

Nothing is going to change; the dismantling of environmental safeguards will continue, the Republicans will have one less political scandal to contend with, and their agenda of appeasing the fossil fuel industry will continue. A former lobbyist for coal company Murray Energy, Wheeler was schooled by Sen. Jim Inhofe in the art of denying the science of climate change.

We can no longer look to the party of Teddy Roosevelt to safeguard our planet. The average turnout for midterm elections is 40 percent. The Democratic Party needs to double that come November if serious inroads are to be achieved in reversing the environmental damage the EPA has done since Trump took office.

A start is to vote Doug LaMalfa out of office. His climate change denial has no merit. Time for Doug to move on. There is no future if we don’t act now. Vote this November.

Roger Beadle

Chico

Views on SCOTUS

Brett Kavanaugh is a major insult to our democracy. He believes presidents should be above the law. Was that the main reason he was nominated? Is that the main reason GOPers–like Doug LaMalfa, Jim Nielsen, James Gallagher and Doug Teeter—will support him?

But, if that’s not bad enough, Kavanaugh also believes in denying women control over their own bodies. If your birth control fails, if you ovulate off schedule, if your daughter is raped, or your younger sister becomes pregnant by creepy Uncle Doug, Kavanaugh believes you must carry the resulting fetus to term (forced pregnancy!), even if it kills you and leaves your children orphans.

Kavanaugh believes only the well-to-do should have health care. He believes my son (who has cerebral palsy) and others with “pre-existing conditions” shouldn’t be able to buy health insurance at anything approximating affordable rates.

Seven Republican senators went to Russia on the Fourth of July. While there, they made no mention of Putin’s sabotaging of our elections. They received no criticism from the party of Trump, who apparently believes it’s OK if Putin messes with our elections so long as he just keeps doing it to elect Republicans. Let’s show these Trump enablers the door in November.

Karen Duncanwood

Paradise

The Supreme Court is in the news daily. One of the duties of any president is to fill any vacancy on this nine-member court.

President Trump has promised the country he will appoint strong constitutionalist judges to any vacancies on the court. Now comes the craziness: Roe v. Wade has allowed millions of unborn babies to be killed. Those who want to keep it are fearful it will be overturned. Those who believe this practice is wrong want to overturn it.

My question for anyone worried about this judgment: If a strict constitutionalist is appointed, and if the law is constitutional, then why is anyone worried? Shouldn’t the Constitution be followed, not changed to fit any judges’ “feelings”?

I’m not a lawyer, but it seems to me that the three equal branches of government should stay balanced. When any one branch oversteps its constitutional powers, the other two are there to step in and right the balance. If Roe v. Wade needs to go back to the states (where the Constitution says every other power resides), then the fear of those opposed to President Trump’s choices should not be worried.

Elections have consequences. Trust our Constitution, not any single man.

Loretta Ann Torres

Chico

That a Supreme Court justice should retire or resign so abruptly is indeed an alarming surprise. But when revelations surface that the mighty judge’s son, Justin Kennedy, former head of global real estate markets for Deutsche Bank, secured for the once-aspiring president an estimated billion dollars in loans, then it becomes suspicious. Not conspiratorial. Perhaps coincidental. Robert Mueller’s methodical investigation is getting more exciting each bright new summer day.

Kenneth B. Keith

Los Molinos

More on the Constitution

With the election of Devil Trump, we now live in an evil and bizarre world—where wrong is right; where free press is repressed press; where desperate and persecuted children and refugees are treated and talked to like animals of infestation; where evil reigns over righteousness; lies over truth and hate over love.

No wonder this town and America are so full of darkness and evil. When “leaders” like Rep. Doug LaMalfa, all the way up to All the President’s Demons, embrace darkness and hide the light, print hate and lies, instead of truth, you have immoral people cowardly abusing their power to subdue and quiet the minority opinion. When you lose your country, your heart, your compassion, your courage to tell the truth, you have become a tool in destroying our community, our First Amendment, our Constitution and country.

North State Republicans and welfare/rich farmer Congressman LaMalfa, who openly supports Trump’s destruction of America, are responsible for higher tariffs, higher prices, less demand. When agriculture takes an endless nose dive into the pit with Trump, maybe then they will wake up from their cult-like dream and realize they have been used by the man of lawlessness.

Pat Johnston

Red Bluff

Candidate’s preference

Re “Eight in council race” (Downstroke, July 5):

Thank you for including me in your list of candidates for the November Chico City Council election. Please allow me to correct the description of my occupation. I am a former business owner, having been one of the original owners and manager of Reddengray Pub from 1984-1987, and I am a former independent contractor, having served as a real estate agent from 1995-2010. Given my many former careers, when asked, I prefer the description: all-around OK guy.

Scott Huber

Chico

Another ballot blunder

Re “No ballot” (Letters, by Nelson Kaiser, July 5):

As a vote-by-mail voter, similar to Nelson Kaiser, I, too, didn’t receive a timely ballot from Butte County in the recent election. It arrived either on Election Day or perhaps one day before the election, too late for me to use it to vote. Why did the Butte County Clerk-Recorder’s Office fail in its duty to deliver timely ballots by mail?

Stan Kane

Cohasset

Support the library

Re “Rough road ahead” (Newslines, by Ashiah Scharaga, June 28):

Dear Butte County supervisors: They add hours, then you cut hours again for the Chico branch of the Butte County Library. It does not make sense. I remember when the Chico branch had a harvest fundraiser put on by the Friends of Library, but stopped doing it for some reason. I hope they bring it back—it was a great way to support the library. It might help if the county and the city joined forces. It might help if they put a library tax on the ballot so that some money will go toward the library.

Eric Matlock

Chico

Missed the nuance

Re “Immigration good, Americans say” (Sifter, June 28):

I read the immigration Gallup poll report and feel your leading sentence is misleading. Nowhere in the poll were respondents asked about illegal immigration. Half of the surveys were asked about immigration. The other half were asked about legal immigration.

In fact, Gallup’s leading paragraphs about the study discussed the reasons for the questionnaire’s wording. It was up to the respondents to interpret the word “immigration.”

Rose Kelley

Chico

Food for thought

This summer’s questions: Should it be “Facts don’t care about your feelings” or “Facts don’t care about your beliefs” and is there a difference?

Rich Meyers

Oroville

POC anthem

“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” has become the national anthem for people of color living in white America. And live-streaming those encounters is the only sense of false protection one has when confronted by an army of KKKops with guns drawn ready to shoot to kill.

The Phillips family has been repeatedly harassed and disrespected by the Chico Police Department since the murder of Desmond on March 17, 2017. On Sunday, June 24, 2018, a live video uploaded via Facebook of David Phillips being harassed by Chico Police Department has reached over 40,000 viewers.

As David left Little Caesars restaurant on Highway 32 with several pizzas in hand to feed the homeless, he instantly became surrounded by more than six police officers and six to seven squad cars. There was not a weapon present, report of abuse or altercation or 911 call made.

Councilman Karl Ory submitted a request to City Council to review a revenue measure to increase police staffing in late June. I almost vomited in my mouth from disgust and rage. We do not need more police. We need less of our citizens harassed and murdered by police, more implicit bias training for officers, and better de-escalation practices.

Kat Lee

Chico

More Trump talk

Help! I’m lost! In the game of “Follow Our Leader,” the goal line keeps moving and expanding. Clinton, all things Obama, Mueller, Democrats, fake news, Mexico, China, all of South America, witch hunts, pro-lifers, oversized women, LGBTQ, gold-star families, the disabled—all bad! Very bad! But now I’m asked to add H.W. Bush, John McCain, Michael Cohen, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, NATO, NAFTA, EU, TPP, FBI, all former presidents, blacks (especially sports figures), immigrant children, immigrants in the armed forces, breast feeding—so many bad, bad, really bad! On the other hand, I’m to like Duterte (the Philippines president who called God “stupid”), “nice” Kim Jong Un, and “talented” Vladimir Putin—all good! Very good! Help! I’m lost!

Lynn Elliott

Chico

After winning the Nevada primary in the 2016 election Donald Trump boasted of loving his “poorly educated supporters.” I’m sure there were a few local first-time voter hicks singing his praise in the audience.

Fast-forward to 2018. Trump continually slams Rep. Maxine Waters for having a “low IQ.” What is it, comrade Trump? Do you want to continue going forward with your emblazoned “poorly educated” supporters, or would you rather continue making a complete fool of yourself attacking Rep. Waters?

It seems you should welcome the congresswoman into your deplorable tribe of followers with open arms?

Ray Estes

Redding