Nunes’ ads are lies | Letters to the editor, Oct. 3, 2018

Nunes resorts to lying in his ads

I’m voting for Andrew Janz to represent Congressional District 22 . A close race brings out a candidate’s true nature. Nunes has taken to telling desperate lies in his attacks ads, while Janz has continued to maintain integrity, truthfulness and ethics in his campaign.

Negative attack ads are what a candidate does when he has no significant legislative accomplishments after 15 years in Congress. Negative attack ads are what a candidate does when his votes have been harmful to the majority of people in your district. Nunes’ negative attack ads were filled with so many lies attacking not only Janz, but the integrity of our law enforcement agencies that the Republican Fresno County District Attorney, Lisa Smittcamp, had to come out to defend her office’s policy by calling out the lies in the Nunes ads.

On Sept 19, 2018, DA Smittcamp told The Bee that Nunes had requested Janz’s time sheets. Nunes knew the negative attack ads were lies when he put out the ads and that Janz was following the rules. This is yet another example of the lack of integrity and ethics by Nunes. I am voting for Janz, a man of truth, integrity and ethics.

Ump was right to penalize Williams

A recent letter-writer to The Bee scolded tennis umpire Carlos Ramos for sanctioning Serena Williams in the U.S. Open women’s final.

I respectfully disagree.

As a longtime tennis player and former high school coach (of both males and females), I love watching the best players in the world at the most important tournaments.

I especially love watching Serena Williams, the most dominant female player of her generation. Her power, skill and determination are a role model for all players, male and female.

The recent letter to The Bee got some things right and some things wrong. The letter writer was correct that Serena Williams should be congratulated on balancing her career, her businesses and motherhood. That is a genuine measure of her character. The writer was wrong, however, in her assertion that Williams was “robbed” in the U.S. Open final.

In fact, Carlos Ramos was following tennis rules regarding code of conduct. The rules are spelled out; code violations (like technical fouls in basketball) are listed and the punishment is the same for every player: First violation in a match, warning; second, point penalty, third, game penalty.

Ramos did what tennis umpires (and basketball refs and football officials) sometimes do when a player protests too much — he gave her a “verbal abuse” citation that cost Serena Williams a game.

To claim that such a foul should not be called in a U.S. Open final is to say technical fouls should never be given in the NBA finals. But the rule book does not make that distinction.

Stop paying care for undocumented

As a California and a Valley resident who gets taxes ripped out of my check every other week, I do not support financially funding undocumented criminals in prison or in mental health facilities. If it were my choice, I would get them deported to their own country. I understand that there could be a possibility of illegal re-entry into the U.S. or they may commit crimes back in their country. I would rather use my money that feeds those criminals instead put toward a hard working border patrol agent who is protecting us and rightfully deserves their funding. There are right ways to use our money and wrong ways. I would rather choose the path for my money.

No peaceful protests held

A recent Bee letter called protests at the Gaza-Israel border peaceful. Since when are fire bombings launched by Hamas against Israel peaceful? Flaming helium balloons and arson kites, some with time fuses, have ignited more than 400 fires in Israel and burned thousands of acres of crops while endangering civilians. In May, at least 200 rockets and mortar shells were fired into Israel. How many nations would accept this? Hamas is sacrificing Palestinian children and women, putting them in harm’s way by pushing against border fences. They are using their deaths and injuries for propaganda purposes to sway public opinion.

Any call for peace should focus on negotiations without preconditions.