Nunes leaving Congress for Trump: Letters to the editor, Dec. 12, 2021

No Nunes is surely good Nunes

The headline of the Bee on Dec. 7 announced Devin Nunes’ retirement from Congress. Mr. Nunes will be joining the staff of his lord and master, Donald Trump.

I cannot think of any other congressperson who kow-towed to Trump more in every way on every possible issue.

“Devin understands that we must stop the liberal media and Big Tech from destroying the freedoms that make America great,” said Trump in this oxymoron. Trump and his lackey Nunes were and are for freedom to die from the COVID virus, freedom to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, freedom to gerrymander to restrict voters rights, freedom to lie thousands of times, etc.

The battlecry “No Nunes is Good Nunes” was sounded and heard by Valley voters.That’s why he’s not running for re-election in his district. May he be succeeded by a Democrat.

Nothing but udder contempt for move

Goodbye and good riddance, Devin. Now that you are hopping from lily pad to lily pad in the Washington swamp, be warned. There are voracious crocodiles waiting to consume you if you displease the boss of bosses. But then, being a pond denizen does suit you.

In your new job, you might want to consider an appropriate name for the service. Since the idea seems to be to spread propaganda unfettered by rules, maybe the new service should be called Pravda. That does refer to truth, Bolshevik style. Too bad you can’t airbrush unpleasant facts.

Maybe a more suitable name could be the Real Poop. That’s an indication of the quality of the comments we are liable to hear.

However, I think the most suitable moniker should simply be Udder. It suits your agricultural heritage, and really represents the feelings I have about this venture — as in udder contempt.

Fresno acts like one cold city

Fresno is one cold city. Since I arrived two months ago, I called 311 to help homeless children; they refused. When I called 311 for several blocks of streetlights out near a busy section of town, they told me to call PG&E to investigate. I’ve moved two dead cats out of the road that others were running over even as a woman screamed at me to leave one cat alone.

Recently inside some downtown restaurants where they shut off the water fountains to keep away people experiencing homelessness, a man pooped on a bench because he’d also been forbidden to use the bathroom. Embarrassed for my fellow nurses that a woman I stopped to help, who was hallucinating under a bridge, had just been discharged from the hospital, but her head was full of lice, suggesting nursing neglect.

The library — whose stated mission is to help residents overcome barriers and have equitable access — has all its electrical outlets covered and padlocked. But electricity allows people to apply for jobs and apartments. People without homes are still people.

Biblical scholars say we should treat them like Jesus instead of trying to make them vanish. Bakersfield has ended homelessness, why can’t Fresno?

Wins, losses and real lessons of life

The Dec. 2 Bee reports that a winning Clovis High football coach is being let go. Apparently, three conference titles, three semifinals and a section final are not winning enough. “Bar is set extremely high at Clovis Unified...”

There will continue to be endless discussions about the place of sports in schools. Maybe I missed something really important in never being on a section final team. I don’t remember my cross country or basketball team records, nor the records of our daughters’ soccer, baseball, track, tennis, cross-country, and football teams. But I do remember the teammates, the coaches, the qualities of the people involved. I remember the hard work and sportsmanship, the team effort.

What should schools hire coaches for? Records are easy to measure, but those numbers are not what truly endure or sustain us through life.

Time to go back to the ranch

Regarding the Fresno County supervisors’ selection of a new redistricting map, Supervisor Buddy Mendes was observed to take offense at some residents accusing him of not representing his small rural district.

He is quoted as saying, “I live in an unincorporated community. A poor one. I don’t live out the the country on one of my ranches.” Really? “I don’t live out in the country on one of my ranches.” Wow, sounds like the poor constituents in his rural district are right about him.

Oil supply doesn’t amount to much

The current administration is being touted for releasing 50 million barrels of oil from America’s strategic reserve to ease fuel prices.

Being that America consumes 22.6 million barrels of oil per day, that should amount to about 2 1/2 days worth. Don’t spend all that savings in one place.

Letter revealed white privilege view

Donald Slinkard’s letter, “Fresno school trustees should keep Polk name on campus” on Nov.28 was racially prejudiced and culturally insensitive. He demonstrates a good amount of knowledge of the watered-down public relations version of history his generation and mine grew up with, and a total ignorance of any other viewpoint.

“Manifest Destiny” has always been a justification and cover up for the racism toward and genocide of indigenous peoples.

While Slinkard may be aware (or not) that natives were slaughtered, herded up in corrals like cattle and driven like cattle, had their scalps traded for money alongside the pelts of coyotes, wolves, bobcats etc., he obviously is obtuse to the symbolic significance of those actions. American Indians were viewed as wild animals, varmints to be shot on sight. Using them today as mascots alongside wolverines, bears, coyotes says Americans today are still equating and seeing indigenous peoples as inferior wild animals. The first Americans are human beings, not animals. Why is it so difficult for those growing up knowing only white privilege to get that?

This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Nunes leaving Congress for Trump: Letters to the editor, Dec. 12, 2021."