Pence’s demagoguery: Letters to the editor, March 24, 2019

Be alert to demagoguery

During the last week, it has been reported that the president of the U.S. said: “abortion is murder.” In 2007 Pence voted against people based on sexual orientation an governor of Indiana, as reported by Will Drabold for Time magazine. Pence said: “The law wages war on freedom and religion in the workplace.” (Mike Pence is vice president of the United States)

The harshness of these pronouncements allows for no debate on these social issues; they allow for no balance or equilibrium to exist in human societies. They are demagoguery statements and have no place in a democratic system of government.

One is reminded of a question asked by Nobel Laureate George Seferis in 1945 at the end of World War II, when people sacrificed so much to defeat Nazi fascism: “What should an intellectual do in face of the religious fanaticisms unleashed by the political orthodoxies of the time?”

To save freedom, justice and human dignity, part of the answer to Seferis’ question must be that we must emphasize the “We” (the communal mind) and not the “I” (a politician’s opinion).

No equal grading at school

Piggybacking on the letter, “School unfairness goes back years,” (The Bee, March 22), brought back memories. I too experienced my handmade school project “missions of California” vs. my classmates’ professionally made mission.

I attended Our Lady of Fatima school in Norwalk, in 1959. My mission project was made of cardboard, laundry soap, etc. I was embarrassed at how my project looked, but I handed it in. My classmates handed in beautiful missions made with sugar cubes for the walls. I know the Indians and Father Junipero Serra’s missions were not made from sugar cubes or from a craft store.

I would challenge the teachers of today to have their students use nonstore-bought items for any of their yearly class projects. A DIY could help in using things around the students’ homes; wouldn’t this would work for students interested in environmental issues. See the letter, “Good kids protest climate change,” maybe a class category for a winner entitled “best environmental usage.”

I am sure there is unfairness in all schools, at all levels, but it takes “a village” to conquer.

Let electeds try living on streets

I see now we are wanting to ban begging. We have already forbidden the homeless from camping on private or public property, peeing in public or sleeping in dumpsters.

I would like to see the sponsors of these “we wish the homeless would just go away” ordinances spend a month on the streets to see what it is like. Maybe they could come up with some more creative solutions.