Pot shops and cartels: Letters to the editor, June 27, 2021

Cannabis, money and corruption

I like pot as much as most folks, but the city of Fresno is making a mistake by allowing loads of dispensaries. It’s a cash business, which creates new and improved opportunities for corrupt governance. Who will audit the stores, who will do background checks on the operators, who will ensure that all these storefronts aren’t stocked by black marketers?

Other jurisdictions in California have seen an increase in cannabis activity by the cartels. More, not less. Do you really trust your government to adequately monitor and audit these businesses, many of which will be operated by anonymous limited partnerships or folks with decades of experience running clandestine grows seemingly invisible to well-oiled law enforcement agencies?

I recently moved from Monterey County, where the feds are investigating serious allegations of cash contributions to political campaigns. A similar investigation is farther along in Santa Barbara County. If you think Fresno-area politicians aren’t susceptible to the type of influence that cash buys, you don’t know your local history. Cannabis may mean quick cash to help balance budgets, but what will your elected and appointed leaders do when the fancy dispensaries demand lower taxes and reduced scrutiny?

Palestinans need to stop attacks

In a letter dated June 6, 2021 Stephen Sacks unfortunately endorses the latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas. Mr. Sacks rhetorically asks: “While sending rockets into Israel is certainly objectionable, what peaceful recourse do they have?”

Let me offer a few suggestions.

How about if Hamas begins by renouncing their 1988 “Covenant” which provides in Article 13: “There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are a waste of time and a farce.”

Or if that is too much, how about Hamas dedicating themselves to improving the lives of Gazans instead of oppressing them for fanatical purposes and building tunnels to house rockets and weapons.

Or how about if Hamas made efforts to promote trade and cultural exchanges instead of engaging in periodic episodes of violence the latest being firing over 4,000 rockets into Israel. Israel, of course, unconditionally vacated Gaza in 2005 and has endured attacks ever since.

Peace may be elusive, but we need to keep trying in the face of serious historic disagreements and grievances. Conversely, it is not constructive to resort to violence and apologize for those who do.

U.S. military and climate change

Climate change is routinely treated as, at best, a “liberal” issue, and at worst derided as a hoax by many lawmakers and a not-small percentage of the public.

Ironically, those same people tend to speak highly of the military. The U.S. Department of Defense, as well as similar military organizations in other nations, have long pointed to the dangers posed by climate change. As the most recent example, the International Military Council on Climate and Security (a group composed of military officers, including a number of U.S. officers, and civilian experts, and led by current and former military officials), recently released a report identifying a number of ways in which climate change poses a threat to military readiness and response. That ranges from increased conflict over less water supplies to the effects of flooding on coastal military facilities.

If politicians and media are being honest about their positive views of the military, then they will pay attention to this — armies and navies are not bastions of “liberal propaganda” and don’t tend to fall for hoaxes very easily. If they are taking this seriously, then we are well past time for lawmakers to do so.

Capitalist hypocrites’ attack

The Republican Washington ultra right-wing unhinged rhetoric messaging and nativist talking points are emerging, not surprisingly, in the Central Valley, exemplified by the June 11 Bee article by Thaddeus Miller.

The smearing attack by holier-than-thou activists leading a recall to oust Kingsburg leader Jewel Hurtado smells of knee jerk, “witch hunting,” when elected people, not unlike people, to wit, a Mexican-American such as Ms. Hurtado, whom concern for the poor, are vilified as Marxist with socialist agendas. The pitchfork carrying probably mostly white capitalists who basically dream of “winner take all” economics, channel modern day corporate robber barons who shamefully worship greed as an anthem for America.

All the while these hypocrites wait for the day they can cash in their Social Security and Medicare benefits.

These capitalist darlings, bourgeoisie anti-poor, anti-human-rights Trumpers obviously need a new Corvette for their college-bound kid.

Of guns and parallel universes

On a recent Sunday afternoon, my wife pointed out to me something I completely missed that day in the print edition of The Fresno Bee: The astounding placement of a news item about a recent mass shooting in Austin, Texas, right next to an ad for an upcoming Fresno gun show.

Sadly, she correctly proclaimed that gun violence in our society has been normalized, and the evidence was right in front of us. Nevermind the unknown motivation of the shooter(s), and the choice of firearm. The proliferation of firearms in this country, the weapon of choice for many to settle a score, shielded by the Second Amendment of the Constitution — written in the days when it took one full minute to load a musket — is deplorable beyond description.

Days prior, a federal judge in California struck down our state’s assault rifle ban, comparing the weapon to a Swiss Army knife. Maybe physicists are correct: There are parallel universes.

Imagine the novel Philip K. Dick could write today, if he were still alive. There would be no lack of source material.

Pride flag and Bee columnist

It`s no secret that Mr. (Marek) Warszawski dislikes our Mayor Dyer. But his article about the Pride flag flip-flop was really a disgrace.

He wrote, “No doubt some on Dyer’s side of the political aisle, or folks he shares an isle with at Sunday services, won’t see it that way”. Really! Why did he have to bring in Mr. Dyer’s church or the people who attend there into his article?

Then he says, “can’t wait to see what the Fresno county GOP cooks up.” Again Mr. Warszawski attacks a political party.

The LGBTQ were given the idea of declaring the rainbow colors to a newly created “Unity Park” in Eaton Plaza, but they declined. I don’t understand why every activist group cemands that all our citizens have to adhere to their demands. No compromising on their end. Of this Valley of a million people, not everyone wants our city and nation’s flags to fly with every group that protests their rights.

The only ones hurting their cause are them with all their demands. This will create all the other groups demanding they fly their banners.

And Mr.Warszawski mentions, “I can’t help but wonder if those who are resistant to the LGBTQ cause feel the way they do because they’ve never taken the time to listen.” I don’t feel like we have been resistant, just overwhelmed every day with protesting.

Enough is enough.

This story was originally published June 27, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Pot shops and cartels: Letters to the editor, June 27, 2021."