Fresno Bee letters: On who runs Fresno State, Russia’s war, political endorsements, race and politics

On who really runs Fresno State

This is in response to the front-page article authored by Marek Warszawski in the April 17 edition of The Bee. I attended Fresno State, earning three degrees, and eventually worked there for over 35 years as a lecturer, professor, dean and interim provost. During that time, I had the opportunity to work with many campus leaders, managers, faculty and staff, including time spent working with many of those identified as being a part of the Castro-Lamas controversy,including Dr. (Joseph) Castro and Vice President (Debbie) Adishian-Astone.

The assertion that Adishian-Astone runs the university is patently false. In the 25 years I worked with her, I never noted any behavior or action by her that would support that narrative. The president of the university, no matter who has held the office over the past30 years, has run the university. While the position of Vice President for Administration does cover a wide range of campus responsibilities, that division is allocated a small fraction of the university’s budget. The university president leads the campus and makes the final decision on all critical issues except when directed by officials of the Chancellor’s Office. No settlement agreement is approved or offered without the final approval of the Office of General Council (Chancellor’s Office legal arm).

The statement that current President Saul Sandoval-Jimenez needs ‘cover’ to move past the Castro/Lamas debacle invites speculation regarding his intent and alludes to collusion in the process. This is untrue. He has continued to lead with confidence and commitment while navigating a difficult environment in the wake of the Castro/Lamas controversy.

Mr. Warszawski states that “Skilled Administrators always know how to absolve themselves of blame, while also making sure to absolve their hand-picked subordinates. It’s how they survive.” Perhaps he might consider a ‘glass is half-full’ approach to evaluating leaders of public institutions rather than promote the falsehood that all managers are out for their own good. If you cast doubt regarding the honesty and integrity of any official, hopefully you hold documentation to back up such accusations

From my experience, I can assure you that faculty, staff and administrators at Fresno State work every day to ensure that students are successful. Let’s work to treat the wound rather than ripping the scab off every day. Make a commitment to take action and participate in the process to make Fresno State better.

Fiala got it wrong over Russia’s war

In the April 10 Bee, Andrew Fiala asserts “the human toll of this (Ukraine war) stalemate is terrible,” and then attempts to justify this quandary: “Stalemates happen everywhere…No one wins. But no one loses.”

This poor argument can be shut down by pure logic. So the child who lost a parent in the war didn’t lose? The wife who lost a soldier husband — on either side — didn’t lose? And if, say, Fiala had a close friend killed in the fighting, both of them didn’t lose?

While Fiala masquerades as all-purpose humanist, as most ethicists do, he contradicts himself gravely. To champion stalemates in the abstract, in a situation where hair-raising tragedy abounds, is to be no humanist at all. Instead, like Vladimir Putin himself, doing whatever he thinks necessary to defend, protect and aggrandize Mother Russia, he’s become the worst kind of moral relativist.

Orwell, who was never hoodwinked by the Fialas of the world, once said: “To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle.” The problem with Fresno’s philosopher-king is that he regards that struggle as unimportant. For that reason, his ill-chosen words will end up thankfully forgotten.

No to stalemate idea for Ukraine

Regarding the Fiala column on a stalemate as an “all right” solution to the war in the Ukraine, I am sure Professor Fiala is a good man, but I could not disagree with him more on this issue.

A stalemate now is the same as a Putin victory. It leaves war criminals unpunished, it leaves significant Ukrainian territory in Putin’s hands, it allows Putin and his cronies to go on as if nothing happened, and it rewards Putin for his aggression — meaning he is likely to do it again.

Dr. Fiala, this is not a family feud or the Cold War redux — it is criminal behavior on a scale we have not seen in over 70 years. Unfortunately, the Russian people — who are largely innocent — will pay the price for sanctions; we need to continue to supply Ukraine with war material until they prevail. Otherwise, get ready for the next wave of violence — it will come.

Sad to say, no to stalemate.

Imposing religious views not OK

Passing legislation that removes LBGT rights violates the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Those who support such legislation are more aligned with the Taliban and their rigid religiousness than freedom-loving Americans.

Passing legislation that restricts voting rights and voting opportunities violates the sanctity of our American Constitution that guarantees each citizen the right to vote and, it’s clear, those who support such voting restrictions are not interested in fair and free elections, they’re only interested in keeping power, regardless of the method or means.

Passing legislation that bans the right of a woman to decide whether to have an abortion violates the woman’s constitutional right to choose, and those who support such legislation do so to impose their religious views on others. That’s not religious freedom, that’s religious tyranny. Further, those that support such legislation also seem to be willing to destroy our American democracy and constitutional rights and replace our American freedoms with a white nationalist Christian theocracy that supports imposing religious beliefs on everyone else.

Was it race, or politics at work?

The opinion page of April 11 printed an article from the Los Angeles Times captioned “Finally, a Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.” In the article it stated that confirming a Black woman was groundbreaking. The article also stated that 47 Republicans were “despicable “ in the treatment of Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The Supreme Court could have had the first black woman in 2005, except that in 2003 when George W. Bush nominated Janice Rogers Brown, who was Black, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, then Sen. Joe Biden filibustered and voted against her.

In a July 3, 2005 interview on “Face the Nation,” Biden said that if Bush picked Janice Rogers Brown as a Supreme Court nominee, “I can assure you that it would be a very, very, very difficult fight and she would probably be filibustered.”

What was it the Democrats see as the difference between the two judges that made 47 Republicans despicable? It seems that Janice Rogers Brown was a conservitive and Katanji Brown Jackson was a liberal.

Mims’ endorsement is not worthwhile

I find it disgusting that some people running to replace Sheriff Mims for Fresno County are parading her endorsement. Mims was not exactly the friend to minorities, especially undocumented people who were arrested as people of color.

As a matter of fact, Mims endorsed the despicable Trump and actually took the trouble to travel to the Beltway so as to ask for more assurance that people of color are kept in their place in the county. Her, “law and order” policies were reminiscent of Bull Conner, the legendary segregationist sheriff.

Yes, we need law and order, but on an equal playing field … we don’t need more extreme right-wing attitudes and double standards employed by Trumper cops spewing anti-immigrant rhetoric in the guise of “law and order.”

Her choice to attend the Trump meeting of law enforcement representing an area of California, with a tremendous contribution of Hispanic demographics, demonstrates only her distain and not appreciation of Latinos. Proven by her eagerness to hand them to ICE when the law actually prohibited it.

Make oil a consumer choice

I was reading the story asking if (Marek) Warszawski has stopped driving, heating, or cooling his home. That is really not the question —we all have to do those things to survive. And most of us want to survive, and do it well.

The fact is that through the course of time ingenuity and progress have moved forward by humans creating a new and better product. Not stopping or discouraging what product we have available, but by creating new and innovative projects that the consumers “choose” to use.

Now the fact is that the United States has more than enough oil to supply the country for hundreds of years, but with permits and discouragement making it harder and more expensive to use. The government needs to relax the permitting, exploration, and refining of crude oil. And let the people who are smart enough to make alternatives replace it in a manner the consumer chooses. Do not suppress it, so people don’t have a choice.

And on top of that, have the government come in and regulate it. They already regulate everything we do. Computers weren’t suppressed, social media wasn’t suppressed. Just outdated due to people choosing better technology and means. So make oil available, which we have plenty of, an affordable commodity and let the consumer decide what to use.

This story was originally published May 1, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Fresno Bee letters: On who runs Fresno State, Russia’s war, political endorsements, race and politics."