Differing views on Biden’s pardon: Ethically wrong, or what any father would do | Opinion
Trump and Biden forsake ethics
Our political leaders (both Democrat and Republican) are morally corrupt. Both Biden and Trump have not only sacrificed their own personal integrity by pardoning family members and political allies, but they have flicked a finger at any law-abiding standards American citizens may have to govern them.
How discouraging it is for us “average” Americans to have any respect for our so-called upstanding leaders when they go above the law to save their kin or close associates.
When our country’s leaders forsake the law, what alternative do we have but lose faith in their ability to lead or be worthy individuals to represent our great country.
Edith Barnette, Clovis
Biden showed his father’s love
Spare me the outrage over President Biden’s pardoning of his son Hunter.
What kind of father would be accusing him if he hadn’t pardoned his son?
Get a life.
Jim Doyle, Fresno
No need to forgive Trump and his minions
I read the op-ep in the Nov. 29 Bee and have issues with Mr. Elwood. He thinks that we on the left, and the Trump cultists on the right, need to try to see the “other side’s” thoughts in a more forgiving way.
I find it hard to see any merit in someone who has hitched himself to a man who is a sexual predator, convicted of 34 felonies, instigated the first attack on our capital since 1814 and stood and watched it on television and did nothing to stop it. By one lie after another he has caused doubt in our elections, and for the first time in our history he tried to overthrow the election in 2020.
He has filled his cabinet with vaccine deniers when we all know that vaccines do work. We don’t see polio, smallpox, tuberculosis, measles, mumps or bubonic plague anymore, do we? Why is that? Vaccines.
He and his minions have called for prosecutions and executions of journalists they don’t agree with. He vows retribution on the men and women who called him out on his crimes. I can’t find common ground with that way of thinking.
The 200-word limit makes me stop now.
Don Hughes, Los Banos
AI forces education system to evolve
The modern education system is no longer fit for our era of infinite information and AI. Built for the Industrial Age, it emphasizes rote memorization and conformity, instead of preparing students to thrive in a world where knowledge is instantly accessible.
Education must evolve to prioritize autodidactic learning — the ability to teach oneself. In a time when AI can synthesize the entirety of human knowledge, students need to learn how to ask questions, explore, and critically evaluate data.
Teachers should transition from being gatekeepers of information to mentors who guide curiosity and foster creativity, ethical reasoning, and wisdom — qualities that machines cannot replicate.
This letter, written by a human using AI as a tool, exemplifies the potential of technology to augment, not replace, human thought. But such tools demand discernment. Students must be taught not just how to access knowledge, but how to navigate its biases and limits.
If we cling to outdated educational models, we risk producing generations incapable of truth-seeking in a sea of data. To thrive in the age of AI, education must empower students to become lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and explorers of the deeper truths that make us human.
Job Emanuel Milton, Fresno
Democrats got what they deserved
Since the election, I have heard numerous people say that the United States is irredeemably sexist and will never elect a woman as president. Nothing could be further from the truth. The U.S. is quite willing to elect a woman president, just not a far-left woman from the most liberal area of the country.
The Democrats forget that most of the U.S. is a center-right-leaning nation that will gladly vote someone like Nikki Halley into the Oval Office, but they keep forcing progressive, ultra-liberal candidates on the country. As long as they do that, they’re going to keep losing.
As to Donald Trump’s situation, the criminal cases against him are falling apart and will probably be thrown out. While I don’t agree with Trump, the Democrats’ lawfare campaign against him failed spectacularly. They kept arguing, “No one is above the law,” then twisted and abused the law for their own political ends.
In the end, the Democrats showed they were by far the bigger threat to democracy with their contempt for the First Amendment and distain for the entire Constitution. The American people grew tired of their sanctimonious hypocrisy and gave them what they deserved on Nov. 5.
Larry Parmeter, Fresno