Letters: Renewed empathy could heal country’s divisions
Submit your letter to the editor via this form Read more Letters to the Editor Renewed empathy could heal division To all those who are demanding empathy for Charlie Kirk and his followers let me remind you of his own words I think empathy is a made-up new age term that it does a lot of damage He was wrong about empathy and a lot of other things but you are right in crying out for compassion as we see our practices divided by terror and inhumanity We all need to practice more understanding especially toward those who think look and speak differently than we do Related Articles Letters Put fire safety focus on neighborhoods not backcountry Letters Front-page story didn t capture full measure of Charlie Kirk Letters In the current context how can nation increase kindness Letters Overly broad bill is bad for campus free speech Letters Criticizing Israeli framework isn t antisemitism Early in our lives wise people taught us to treat others the way we want to be treated In current times media personalities mock that idea as woke But it s the basis of human freedom Whether or not we agree with each other we owe each other kindness and forbearance free of judgment and bigotry That s one thing we all want and deserve Joel Swett Brentwood Pied Piper was apt comparison for Kirk Re Story ignored full measure of Kirk Page A Sept In the Sept letters to the editor a man from Antioch was disappointed with coverage of Charlie Kirk not being adoring enough and accused the paper of having a left-leaning narrative He goes on to call Charlie Kirk the Pied Piper of the conservative movement While I do not think the author intended it as such in his doting the Pied Piper comparison he made was surprisingly appropriate Remember the Pied Piper was not a hero but rather a villain When someone is called a Pied Piper it suggests they are a charismatic but ultimately untrustworthy leader who uses their allure to draw followers into a potentially harmful situation they don t fully understand In calling Charlie Kirk the Pied Piper of the conservative movement the author inadvertently hit the nail on the head by describing how a great number of of the working-class conservatives have been duped into voting against their own interests Jimee Welte Martinez Bill is central step in protecting water Re Newsom must kick plastics out of water Page A Sept Gov Newsom has a chance to take a simple but powerful step to protect Californians soundness and drinking water sign AB Microplastics are no longer an abstract concern They are in our rivers reservoirs and even our bodies linked to cancers reproductive harm and developmental issues in babies Yet we continue to allow unnecessary plastic microbeads in cleaners and cosmetics despite safer alternatives like shells sand and mica The bill doesn t ban exfoliants or glitter It entirely requires that they be safe This is common sense preventing toxicity at the source rather than forcing water agencies and ultimately ratepayers to pay billions for costly clean-up California has led before successfully banning microbeads in rinse-off products It can lead again by keeping microplastics out of our water supply and safeguarding residents wellbeing for future generations Arav Mestry Fremont We need legislative explanation for newcomers My name is Vidushi and I m a graduating senior at American High School I ve lived in the U S the greater part of my life on an H- visa yet my future is in jeopardy Despite being raised and educated here I am forced to apply to colleges as an international scholar This means I m not eligible for federal aid or in-state tuition My family pays taxes yet we must pay thousands more for my coaching an American training This financial burden is a direct outcome of our broken immigration system which prevents my family from getting a green card due to decades-long backlogs I am a Documented Dreamer and my life has been shaped by American values Don t make me leave the only home I ve ever known It s time to pass rule that protects young people like me Vidushi Agrawal Fremont Trump s untruths are undermining democracy American democracy is in serious trouble Too several voters accept whatever Donald Trump says so long as the story sounds good His states often begin with a kernel of truth but rapidly become a cover for imposing his will Trump has targeted immigrants denying legal rights and detaining thousands An estimated of those held had not been charged with crimes multiple were here legally and following immigration rules The the bulk shocking development came over Labor Day weekend at a m when children awaiting release to relatives were put on a plane to Guatemala until a judge stopped it In the name of fighting drug smuggling Trump went further appointing himself judge jury and executioner by ordering the military to sink a boat miles away killing people he claimed were an immediate threat Demonizing coercing exceeding his authority and bypassing the law Trump s tactics put democracy itself in peril Larry Bieber Castro Valley Recapture integrity by opposing Trump Re Honesty integrity could make America great Page A Sept Regarding Tim Brown s letter to the editor on Donald Trump s Make America Great Again being a good slogan it wasn t Trump s idea Ronald Reagan used this motto in his campaign But I must agree with the thesis of Tim Brown s letter Yes we need to reclaim our country s honesty and integrity by standing up against Trump s lies and policies of revenge and hatred Elizabeth Pentacoff Pleasant Hill
