Require masks for all in Fresno: Letters to the editor, Oct. 3, 2021

Mask mandate in Fresno city, county

In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, the mayor, the Fresno City Council and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors need to show leadership and institute a universal mask mandate now. A vaccine mandate for Fresno City employees will decrease hospitalizations and deaths by only a small amount in the long run. Vaccines take more time to act than having everyone wear masks now.

The only measure we have that will slow the spread of COVID now is a universal mask mandate. Studies show masks slow the spread of COVID-19. In June and July, under the state mask mandate, Fresno County had a 1.5% positivity rate for COVID. The state mask mandate was terminated June 15, 2021. Since Aug. 9, we have had a positivity rate of 9-12% which indicates widespread disease in Fresno County.

A mask mandate would immediately decrease the number of new cases per day and stop the spread of COVID-19. A mask mandate would immediately make hospital beds available. A mask mandate would immediately decrease the number of people dying.

In order to save lives the leaders of our city and county need to show true leadership and institute a universal mask mandate now.

Texas, a neofascist state in America

It seems Texas is a rather difficult place to live if your social status fits into a couple of specific categories. The state Legislature has set up voting roadblocks detrimental to people of darker skin color. Another group is being exposed for having an abortion by a citizen who can sue and make $10,000. Thus, snitching for profit!

This sounds familiar. In Central Europe in the 1930s and ‘40s, people had their rights to vote removed. Also, snitching on your fellow citizens was encouraged by the government.

Denial of rights and being exposed by another citizens ... what could possibly go wrong? There is a term for this type of governing: neofascism.

The Supreme Court seems to think this is fine.

Write off Diablo Canyon for power

We agree that the transgressive corporate felons at PG&E and their state enablers deserve no leeway in their grab for ratepayer dollars.

Regardless of inexcusable California Public Utilities Commission delays and inaction on replacement energy, and the current energy supply woes, Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant won’t be resurrected beyond its NRC license expiration dates in 2024/25.

PG&E is adamant about the retirement, and no bona fide “purchase” offers have been made.

PG&E formally withdrew its NRC relicensing application, and restarting from scratch would face years of studies, state and federal permitting, contentious hearings and no guarantees of success.

Unit 2’s expensive main generator replacement failed repeatedly in 2020, working only 30% of that year, and costly repairs of aging systems are likely to increase.

PG&E estimates that Diablo cost ratepayers $1.25 billion in annual above-market costs in 2020. Over a decade, that’d be $12.5 billion available for genuine long-term solutions like renewable energy and storage.

While there is much planning and evaluation needed to secure California’s emissions-free electricity future, nuclear power from Diablo Canyon will not be in that mix.

Personal rights above all else

The CDC says we should get vaccinated and mask up indoors around other people, but we have our rights.

Yes, I know there’s a surge in hospitalizations and hospitals are overwhelmed, but we have our rights. Yes, I know that many more young people are catching the virus and even dying, but we have our rights. Yes, I watch the news and see that many a husband or wife has lost an unvaccinated spouse and lifelong companion, and, yes, it’s sad, but we have our rights.

Yes, I know the statistics that most of those who are hospitalized or who die from the virus are unvaccinated. So, we have our rights. I know, too, that almost no one dies from the vaccinations, but die from being unvaccinated. Well, we have our rights.

Yes, yes, I know that we managed to virtually stamp out smallpox and polio by getting the vaccinations, but we still have our rights.

OK, many people are suffering from the diminished economy, but, then, we have our rights.

I’ve attended many rallies and functions without a mask, because we have rights.

I’m not feeling so well, but we do have our rights!

Congress must find citizenship pathway

I am thankful for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program because it enabled me to follow my dreams and study politics in my home state of California. While DACA changed my life, it was never a permanent solution, and undocumented youth are in dire need of a pathway to citizenship in the country we have spent the majority of our lives in.

We have endured enough; it is time to move forward.

As a university student in Fresno, I am extremely grateful for the support of congressional leaders like Rep. (Jim) Costa in working to pass a pathway to citizenship through the budget reconciliation process. Citizenship for undocumented workers is critical to America’s economic recovery – it is estimated that a pathway to citizenship would boost GDP by $1.5 trillion over the next decade.

Afghanistan failure is on the U.S.

Don’t be so fast to criticize Biden for the Afghanistan debacle.

The truth is that the collapse was the result of 20 years of lies — by the U.S. military, Bush, Obama and Trump.

It boiled down to our thugs vs. their thugs. The Afghan people have simply got tired of yet another failed attempt to reshape their so-called country. They have been victims of mission creep. Once Bin Laden had gone, there was no reason to stay. Yes, the Taliban are ruthless thugs, but our so-called allies were little better. It should be no surprise that the national army collapsed and our allies fled.

Now we are faced with yet another diaspora caused by U.S. lies. As a nation we need to ensure these people are treated fairly and without racism. After all, they gave up everything to work for America.

I am no lover of Biden. But let’s be fair. Maybe members of Congress should revisit some of their own actions regading Afghanistan.

Climate change a health threat

Recently Fresno County’s chief health officer discussed the dangers to health posed by climate change. As The Bee reported, Dr. Rais Vohra compared the challenges posed by climate change and COVID-19 and said: "Instead of one infectious agent that is now preventable with the vaccine, we will be dealing with dozens of hazards at once and many of them without easy solutions.”

Speaking at a press conference with the California Climate and Agriculture Network, Dr. Vohra expressed his hope that congressman Jim Costa will continue to support President Biden's Build Back Better Act, which will bring benefits to our area such as aid to public health departments, incentives to replace polluting farm equipment, and more renewable energy projects.

Regional programs like these will be an important part of the solution. However, it is also important to put a price on carbon, which will ensure that carbon emissions are reduced as fossil fuels are replaced by clean, renewable sources of energy. People can learn more about carbon pricing at this website: cclusa.org/white-house.

They can also easily send a message asking President Biden and their representative to support carbon pricing in the congressional budget reconciliation package now under consideration.

This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Require masks for all in Fresno: Letters to the editor, Oct. 3, 2021."