America, the beautiful, free and brave: Letters to the editor, Jan. 24, 2020

America: beautiful, free, brave

I sobbed my way through the inauguration ceremonies for President Biden and Vice President Harris. It wasn’t only the power of his straight-talking, honest and heartfelt speech. Nor was it only the equal power of the written and spoken words by our charming and youngest first Black national poet laureate.

Most of my tears were the result of suddenly being released from four years of stress induced by rage, disdain and distrust caused by lies, distortion and manipulation.

As our three most patriotic works express, let’s get back to America the Beautiful, the land of the free and the home of the brave, with liberty and justice for all.

Let’s choose wise responses

2020 truthfully tested the very fabric of our society. We saw the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw the U.S. economy plummet. We saw thousands of Americans take to the streets in peaceful protests over systemic injustice. Lastly, we experienced a U.S. election that greatly divided this nation. Many lost jobs, loved ones, homes and much more. Reflecting on last year, so much happened that was out of our control. Yet, there is a lesson to learn from this.

In 2021, I implore you to focus on how you as an individual will take control over your response to what is yet to come. Focus on how you will treat others, and how in the face of hardships you will do what is best for the greater community. Our ability to decide how to respond, has been and always will be in our control. There’s much uncertainty that lays ahead, however when we focus on what’s in our control, we regain power that’s lost in these larger tragedies.

Blame speeders and red-light runners

With regard to the reported crash at Bullard and Palm that killed four people, although the police are still trying to ascertain the circumstances of the collision, there is no doubt in my mind what caused it: Some knucklehead was racing along Bullard late at night and decided that it was OK for him to run through the red light.

I hear this stuff on a nightly basis on Clinton, and I'm sure it's happening all over town. It seems to be a more and more common occurrence lately, and I have to wonder if part of the reason is lack of traffic enforcement late at night by the PD.

My heart goes out to the poor folks who were hit, but I have no sympathy at all for the light runner. As unChristian as this sounds, as far as I'm concerned, the human gene pool was just improved.

Police dog handler a real thug

To quote Gov. Cuomo of New York, “A bad cop is a good cop’s worst nightmare!” So true, and all good cops everywhere should be incensed at that thug in uniform in Vacaville, sitting on his police dog, and hitting him over and over. A glaring example of a thug in uniform. He should be fired immediately, and charged with animal abuse, and sentenced to the maximum.

Vaccine clinic worked well

I want to offer my thanks and complements to all the people involved with the Fresno Fairgrounds Vaccine Clinic.

I recently was able to recieve my first dose of the Covid vaccine and the experience was very impressive.

Everyone working there, from those stationed in the parking lot, to those in check-in, vaccine administration, recovery, and check-out were unfailingly friendly, helpful, and competent. The process is very well organized and the venue is both, safe and easy to navigate. In summary, the Vaccine Clinic at the Fairgrounds is an operation all Fresno County residents can be proud of and thankful for.

This story was originally published January 24, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "America, the beautiful, free and brave: Letters to the editor, Jan. 24, 2020."