Fresno Bee letters: On possible Trump pardon for Jan. 6 rioters, redistricting map, renaming Fresno County town

On Trump pardon for Jan. 6 rioters

I very nearly did a primal scream when I read that the former president said that if re-elected, he would consider pardons for the traitors who assaulted the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021. A planned, violent attack on the Capitol, Speaker Pelosi and his own vice president, in-order to press his “stolen election” fantasy, a fantasy dismissed in more than 60 court cases by judges of every philosophical stripe.

Donald Trump assuredly had a nefarious hand in the planning of the assault as more and more records are beginning to show. It is only a matter of time before his Neolithic troglodytes fall in line and support his demented fantasy that traitors can or should be pardoned.

I urge, in the strongest possible terms, please vote for Democrats, centrist Republicans, Independents, Greens, please come together and help bring this nation back together. Do not allow this adulterous, conniving, dishonest, lying, Russian-loving former president to go anywhere near any elected office. Do it for those peace officers who gave their lives in defense of liberty. Do it for your love of the United States of America.

Hear him out on name change

I am a resident of Squaw Valley and over the past few months I have been getting to know Roman Rain Tree, a leader of the effort to change the name here because of its racist, misogynistic connotations.

I am deeply impressed with this man. He’s intelligent, gentle, well-informed and humble. He grew up in this area and his ancestral roots here go back 10,000 years. He knows the history of this area better than anyone I’ve met.

Amazingly, despite the pain the name of this valley causes his family and his community, Roman Rain Tree manages to make the case for a name change without acrimony or rancor.

He deserves to be heard.

Bad call on COVID exemption

I am writing in response to new, recently announced California Department of Public Health guidelines allowing asymptomatic health-care workers who test positive for COVID, or who have been exposed, to return to work immediately without isolation or testing. This is dangerous for fellow health-care workers and patients alike.

I take immune-suppressing drugs for a rare lung disease and I am especially vulnerable to COVID since my response to the vaccine is less than optimum. Furthermore, fully vaccinated immunosuppressed individuals have accounted for 40% to 44% of breakthrough infections requiring hospitalization.

Many other people share my predicament who are being treated for cancer, lymphoma, have had solid organ transplants, suffer from autoimmune disease or have severe arthritis treated with immunosuppressants. Do I need to worry that when I remove my mask to have my teeth cleaned, get my eyes checked or get a lab test, my medical provider has been allowed to return to work prematurely and possibly expose me to this virus?

The call to protect the most vulnerable in our society has been completely ignored with this new CDHD guidance. It seems poor judgement to loosen standards during a record breaking surge of COVID.

State Center board acted in good faith

Mr. Manfredi’s comments regarding the State Center Community College District redistricting ignored the public comments supporting the community’s proposed Map 5.

The SCCCD’s mandate is to hold public meetings, listen to constituents, and act in the interests of the constituents as expressed at the meetings. Whether or not the trustees disagree with the public on the issue, the public decides the option they want implemented, and the trustees should act upon the majority’s preference. Isn’t that the point of having public meetings in an open forum that allows for public comment?

Manfredi calls the approved map “gerrymandering.” In reality, the minority opposition to the community map is the real problem here. “Gerrymandering” is a code word for status quo. Communities are dynamic and progress is not made by ignoring changes in population and other relevant indicators, but by recognizing that services must change to meet the changing needs of the residents.

State Center got its new map right

State Center Community College District’s maps gerrymandered? Really? What do you think the previous map was (referencing Ron Manfredi op-ed of Jan. 23)?

It is not 1990 anymore. And we need to stop acting like the Central Valley is Idaho. We have a diverse population that for far too long has been cut off at the knees through partisan redistricting.

Yes, the current board is diverse, but that is no thanks to the previous redistricting. It is thanks to the hard work of candidates, labor and education groups that put in the time and effort to better serve communities.

BIPOC communities should not be penalized for those successful efforts.

Bonds, Ortiz, and Hall of Fame

New rule: You have to know three things to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame:

1. What to kiss

2. Whose to kiss, and

3. When to kiss it.

David Ortiz, who tested positive for steroids gets in, but Barry Bonds, who tested clean, doesn’t, then the Hall of Fame is just a joke. If money didn’t ruin this game, the sports writers just did.

Another horrible idea by PG&E

First PG&E decides to discourage rooftop solar. Now PG&E is proposing nine battery storage yards to keep the lights on at night. https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article257823758.html

Batteries are fine for portable applications, but are a terrible idea for utility-grade storage.

Like the (now mostly idle) natural gas fired power plants that were hastily constructed a few years ago to deal with brown-outs, these battery yards are a quick and dirty work around to the ongoing problem of keeping the lights on at night. Batteries need to be built, maintained and periodically replaced, creating enormous amounts of toxic waste along the way,

Rooftop solar and gravity storage is the way to go; cleaner, cheaper and sustainable. See https://www.gravitypower.net/technology-gravity-power-energy-storage/ and https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/what-on-earth-energy-storage-1.5936749

This story was originally published February 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno Bee letters: On possible Trump pardon for Jan. 6 rioters, redistricting map, renaming Fresno County town."