Fresno Tower Theatre protests: Letters to the editor, April 25, 2021

Tower protests are too much fun

I have read how the Fresno PD has increased its presence at the Tower Theater protest site in response to the possibility of greater conflict between the anti-sale protesters and “outside agitators” (Proud Boys and assorted other lowlifes.)

I also understand that the proposed sale of the theater to Adventure Church has been called off.

Now call me naive, but wouldn’t it make sense to put these protests on hiatus pending further developments?

I’m pretty sure that the only reason that the “outside agitators” show up is because the protesters are there. Take away the protesters, and there’s nothing to agitate. Depending on future events, protests can always start up again.

I strongly suspect that for the “agitators” and some protesters, this whole thing is just too much fun.

Who will return Armenian POWs?

Which member of Congress from the Central Valley except Congressman Costa has taken serious, real action to place pressure on the Azeri government to release the Armenian prisoners of war?

Not only are they prisoners contrary to the Geneva Convention, but they are also being mistreated. This is a replay of the 1915 genocide where no one did anything to stop the atrocities.

Some of those who survived made their way to the Central Valley where they were neighbors of Jim Costa's family. He knows, he cares and he takes action, including writing the Azeri ambassador demanding release of the Armenian POWs. Thank you, Congressman Costa.

Transgender sports law is sex abuse

OK, let me see if I’ve got this straight. Florida just passed a bill that hinges on the sexual assault of high school and college athletes. “The bill, HB 1475, means transgender athletes would have to compete on teams that match with the gender they were assigned at birth, rather than the one that aligns with their gender identity.”

On the face of it, that’s OK, I suppose. I don’t agree with it and is very anti-transgender, but whatever, man. The part I can’t and won’t condone is the part that states the sexual gender of a student will be verified by a health-care professional, meaning these children will have to prove they’re a boy or girl by showing some stranger their genitals before they play a sport or compete.

Talk about government overreach! What is wrong with you people that you would resort to the sexual abuse of a child over transgender issues in sports? I mean, really. Get a grip people because this decision is beyond all rationale!

Renewable energy must come faster

I have been a part of Fresno County my entire life and I am no stranger to seeing bright orange skies, bad air quality and overall overuse of fossil fuels. Wildfires coming from the mountains affected where I lived since my city of Sanger is just below said mountains. I would walk outside of my house and couldn’t bear to stay out due to difficulty breathing. Seeing all the health problems people have due to bad air quality, and not to mention the destruction to our atmosphere, should be a wake-up call to encourage others to seek change. Getting rid of fossil fuels that we have used for centuries and transitioning to something that is more beneficial and inspiring is the best thing we should do.

The clearest solution to a healthier atmosphere and county is to not only switch to zero-emission vehicles, but also to 100% renewable sources like solar and wind. This is what I am fighting towards with thousands of other students in the state of California and who have joined Cal Pirg students to call on Gov. Newsom to push California toward 100% renewable energy by 2030 instead of 2040.

For-profit utilities not beneficial

The Bee’s editorial on proposed changes to residential solar credits (April 9) misses a few important points. First, the apparent surplus of solar power at certain times is not a practical problem. Only about 14% of California’s energy is solar. Unused electricity isn’t causing damage and could be used another place or time with better distribution and storage systems. The problem is that the residential solar incentive payments required of the utilities reduce their profits.

Second, California consumers are not caught between corporate profit and a political agenda. Instead, consumers are at the mercy of for-profit monopolies providing an essential public need, regardless of any political agendas we’ve seen. Higher electricity costs are not the devastations of gas pipeline explosions or wildfires, but these all share the same root cause: monopolies whose purpose is profit, and which must by design prioritize private profit over public need.

Our past practice of modest government regulation has not and will not address the root problem of monopolies and the conflict between their profits and the public good (remember Enron?). Another approach is needed. Put it like this: would you want your local fire department or water district to be a for-profit monopoly?

A family’s miracle and gratitude

On Friday night at 5:30 my daughter had a stroke. By 6:05 she was at Clovis Community Hospital. At 10:00 she was at Stanford University Hospital and by 11:05 she was in recovery. She was walking down the halls of the hospital on Sunday morning, home in Clovis Sunday night!

Not enough praise can be given to the Clovis Fire Department, EMT response team and the quick actions of the team at Clovis Community Hospital for the flight scheduling and their quick response. Six hours from start to finish!

Stanford kept us fully informed even prior to her arrival and throughout the procedure and recovery. Our family is eternally grateful and not enough credit and praise is given to these dedicated and caring first responders, so God bless you all.

This story was originally published April 25, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno Tower Theatre protests: Letters to the editor, April 25, 2021."