LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Freedom to me

What freedom means to me:

The freedom to raise my children with my values, not someone else’s.

The freedom to decide what kind of car I can drive.

The freedom to eat what I want.

The freedom to decide how I spend the money I earn.

The freedom the drink what I want.

The freedom to buy the gun that is best suited for me and my self-defense.

The freedom to go to any source of news I choose.

The freedom to control my health-care decisions.

The freedom to say what I want.

The freedom to control my children’s education.

The freedom to decide what light bulbs I buy.

Respect diversity

Every organism and object on this planet plays a unique and vital role in our enduring existence. Likewise, the founders of this country understood that a pluralistic society based on our respectful and collective differences would ultimately give us the strength to build a great nation. Those collective differences could only be achieved through individual freedom.

Freedom will never dictate the clothes you can wear, words you can use, jobs you can have, self worth, social status, how the law applies to you, how the rules apply to you, opportunities you are afforded, special treatment, less treatment, or any other level of differentiation that is not deserved through personal development and responsibility.

And for those who claim America needs to be more a part of the “global community,” you could not be more wrong.

America is the global community. It’s what we strive for. It’s the founders’ idea that a pluralistic society, one based on our collective differences founded in freedom, is what will give us the strength to persevere.

Have we perfected it? Of course not. But our system of government, and our core beliefs in honest debate, have allowed more progress for the cause of global humanity than any other nation in recorded history.

Take one step

Freedom is the fact that I wake up every day so grateful to live in a place that lets me learn all I want, speak my mind and live with choices of my own.

As Americans, we have so many opportunities and much to be proud of. But today, hate and apathy are tearing our nation apart. We need to find the common ground and rebuild our communities.

Instead of asking “What’s in it for me?” ask “What’s in it for us and what can I give?”

Stop making excuses and pointing fingers. Please, take just one step forward to do your part to fulfill our forefathers’ dream of “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Rooftop fireworks

My favorite 4th of July was a long time ago back in the ’60s at my old house in Butler Park when my aunts came over to share it with us.

During this time, the fairgrounds had the annual show and me and my dad would get on the roof via tall wooden ladder and watch it from there.

February fireworks

Do we have a secret water supply to put out potential fires caused by fireworks? Is it patriotic to potentially waste what’s left of our water supply? Due to climate change, that brought the drought, we need to re-think fireworks on July 4. Much of the USA has hot, dry summers and California and the San Joaquin Valley are no exception. We need to change the date of fireworks displays and sales ASAP!

I ask that city, county and state representatives ban fireworks on July 4.

A great patriotic alternative would be to use fireworks on Feb. 22. George Washington was the commanding general of the American Continental Army and, under his command, we won our independence! Without Gen. Washington, there would have been no Fourth of July celebrations!

Since the weather is much cooler in February and less risky for fires, let’s legalize fireworks to celebrate not only our first president but remember him as Gen. Washington, who won our Independence, with fireworks.

Save fireworks

I am frustrated with the annual uproar over legal, safe and sane fireworks on the Fourth of July.

So many people are stating the danger of fire caused by fireworks sold through the local stands as fact. Really? I consider Capt. Michelle Eidam with metro fire, out of the Sacramento area, to be someone with good facts and knowledge of the situation. In a recent TV interview about fireworks and our current drought, she said about safe and sane fireworks sold at booths, “Statistically they haven’t been shown to be the problem with fires. It’s the illegal fireworks and fireworks that are used irresponsibly.”

So, before we start listening to the chatter of random people who aren’t fire prevention professionals, and before we take away the huge fundraising opportunity for so many groups and nonprofits who count on the thousands (yes, thousands) of dollars of profit they earn from these stands, and before we ban the tradition of American families whose celebrations include firework displays … maybe, just maybe, we could garner some actual facts first.

Breathing first

I love fireworks and I love to breathe.

This dilemma will be evident this weekend. Already the baseball stadium and the water parks are having fireworks displays. The booths are open, and people are testing their purchases.

Every time there are fireworks, we are adding pollutants, those nasty PM-2.5 particles. There will be spikes over the weekend and spikes in pollution cause spikes in emergency room and urgent-care visits. It is already difficult for people with allergies, asthma and COPD to get a breath. The media does not seem to get the connection between not only drought and air quality but also fireworks.

Reading the June 28 article in The Bee, I turned the page and found a picture of people watching fireworks and a list of 26 polluting events in the Valley. Then there is the risk of fires, which use scarce water and further pollute the air. We live in a bowl. In the summer, it is a bowl with a lid, which keeps pollution trapped.

This may be “tradition” but it is an extremely costly one. In reality, it is one we can no longer afford. I love fireworks but I love breathing even more.

Thanks, Mr. Mirza

What a pleasure to read the wonderful opinion piece in the June 27 Bee by Rasheed Ahmed Mirza.

In a time when everyone from the president on down is telling us what horrible, racist, bigoted people we are, how wonderful to hear from someone who loves our country.

He sees us as we are and still is happy to call America his home. The majority of our citizens are kind, thoughtful and respectful of others.

I, too, am proud to be an American. I love this country, warts and all. Thank you, Mr. Mirza. God bless America.

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 4:38 PM with the headline "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR."