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Church another example
of S.J. bungling history
Re. “Church’s restoration is on hold after arrest,” Page B1, Feb. 6:
It breaks my heart to see a beautiful building like the First Church of Christ Scientist left to rot by a shady business and mismanagement by the city of San Jose.
There is a very similar building in San Francisco (Second Church of Christ Scientist) that has been beautifully preserved and turned into housing (https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/san-francisco-home-carved-from-a-100-year-old-neoclassical-cathedral-features-30-foot-ceilings-01630503095). With all of the focus on adding housing, you’d think something like that could be done here, but obviously the city of San Jose cares little for its historic heritage.
San Jose has a long history of ignoring both building code violations and historic structures.
Julie Hardin
San Jose
Media can help give
balanced view of cops
Officers showed great restraint in the arrest of a suspect who evaded a traffic stop after firing at officers before his eventual arrest at his home and this only after he shot another officer at the scene. The officers were apparently focused on making an arrest instead of retaliation.
That’s San Jose’s finest doing their finest and should be the model for policing and training everywhere. Professional restraint takes exceptional courage because it often takes greater respect for life on the officer’s part than what may be displayed on the suspect’s part.
The media needs to recognize these officers’ actions to balance public perception against the more publicized culture of excessive force that seems ingrained in some of our community justice systems. SJPD should be commended.
Art Mainfield
San Jose
Prevent children,
don’t abort them
In response to “Abortion issue hurt GOP in 2022. So why double down in 2024?” (Page A6, Feb. 10)because it’s the right thing to do.
I agree 100% with “my body, my choice,” before one becomes pregnant. After that, a choice is being made for more than one person. Today there are so many different means of birth control available, that there has to be one that works for every individual. If you might become pregnant, then use birth control. It’s just that simple. Anything else is irresponsible.
What about the red herring “rape and/or incest?” Those situations constitute fewer than 1% of abortions, and surely there must be some provision for a familiar family physician to appropriately care for his patients.
Irrespective of religious beliefs or lack thereof, abortion is just wrong. It is beyond arrogance to presume that we have the “right” to determine the life or death of a fellow living being.
Prevent — don’t abort.
Geraldine Head
San Jose
Excellent women
have led in Congress
In Northern California, we have been extremely fortunate to have several “old ladies” serving as leaders in the House and the Senate.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi was a physically small octogenarian female who served as a loyal member of the House and was probably the greatest Speaker of the House in American history. She scared Donald T-word to death.
Rep. Barbara Lee was the only member of the House who voted against invading Afghanistan after 9-11. She stood for her beliefs despite cries for retribution.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein had the mayoralty of San Francisco thrust upon her. She became an iconic senator who authored the assault weapons bill that proved that removing such weapons saved many lives.
We have been incredibly fortunate.
George Licina
Santa Rosa
Best candidates don’t
want to be police
Wesley Walker’s letter of Feb. 7 gives a simple answer to a very complicated problem (“Police recruiting is key to ending abuse,” Page A6) – a real chicken and egg question.
How can we recruit better people to build respect for police? How do we build respect for police so we can recruit better people? How do you recruit the people you need for a profession with an unappealing job description? Walker’s second paragraph describes what we need in a police recruit. But who would want the job he describes — high moral standards, mandatory emotional counseling, psychological profiling therapy? I would add — a dangerous work environment little respected by the community.
Community leaders, law enforcement, academics and ordinary people need to face this dilemma head-on together. People need to want better — across all ethnic, racial and economic divisions — before we get better.
Dave Riggs
Aptos
Authoritarians don’t
want us to be ‘woke’
Isn’t “woke” a good thing? The opposite of woke is unaware, not alert, oblivious to what is going on around you.
Which is exactly why Republicans like Gov. Ron Desantis demonize it and boldly ban books, ban history and ban a person’s right to express who they are without fear and harassment.
Using the excuse that somehow White kids are too fragile to learn bad things about their history is ridiculous on its face. Black children are strong enough to put up with all kinds of abuse from authority and are told their history doesn’t matter, but White children are delicate flowers? Give me a break. I give my young White relatives much more credit than that.
Media and Democratic leaders need to call out this “anti-wokeness” for what it is, a desire to instill fear and thereby lull Americans into believing their security lies in the total control of autocratic leaders.
Sharon Jackson
San Jose
Source: www.mercurynews.com