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Bill aims to stifle
speech in classrooms
Re: “California must make schools safer for Jews” (Page A8, Sept. 7).
Daniel Klein claims AB 715 will make California public schools safer for Jewish students. But this harmful bill, being considered by the state Senate, will instead censor discussion of Palestine in our state’s schools.
Every student deserves full and equal protection from racism and bullying, but AB 715 requires a statewide “Antisemitism Coordinator” to enforce it, with no coordinator to protect Islamic, Palestinian, Black, Latino, Native American, Asian-Pacific Islander, female or LGBTQ students.
Klein claims that California’s Jewish community overwhelmingly supports AB 715. As a Jewish Voice for Peace member, I know this isn’t true. Our thousands of members oppose AB 715, as do many other Jewish organizations, including the California Teachers’ Association, led by a Jewish president and vice-president. Urge your state senator to vote no on AB 715.
Judy MacLean
Berkeley
Trump is unqualified
for Nobel Peace Prize
You know, it would be very cool if I were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Have I ever done anything in my life to deserve such an elevated honor? No. Not even close.
Perhaps I do have one qualification for that prestigious award. I have lived a more ethical life than Donald Trump, who states repeatedly that he is entitled to the prize. I am not at the head of a government for which cruelty to vulnerable people is the point.
I know that there are many heroes around the globe bravely confronting danger and oppression that are beyond my experience. I hope to learn about them in early October when the Nobel Prizes are awarded. The only thing I have going for me is that I am more qualified than our current president.
Elizabeth Preston
Oakland
Troops in D.C. a step
toward militarization
Re: “Safety without democracy is not a bargain” (Page A6, Sept. 5).
While Friday’s column by Debra Gittler was interesting and well worth reading, she missed one critical difference.
Unlike the situation in El Salvador in 2022, Donald Trump did not deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., for the purpose of getting crime under control. As has been pointed out, Republican led cities such as Memphis, Tennessee, have a higher crime rate than Washington, D.C.
No, it was simply a show of force and the first step toward normalizing the presence of armed forces in American cities.
Mark Gabin
Concord
Birth rates aren’t
in favor of liberals
Most East Bay Times readers likely already know that overall birth rates are falling and are now lower than the “replacement” rate in the United States and in most developed countries around the world.
A fascinating article in the Financial Times of London, however, broke down U.S. Census data from 1980 through 2024 in a different way, and it discovered that birth rates among women self-identifying as “conservative” are above replacement rate, while birth rates among women identifying as “progressive” are below replacement rate. This split in birth rates is true not only for the U.S. but in most European countries as well.
In other words, it’s mainly liberal women who aren’t with the baby program. If these trends continue, progressives will become an endangered species.
Mike Heller
Walnut Creek
Ditch factory farming
for animals, Earth
Mass inhumane farming is where animals are raised and killed in cruel and unsustainable ways.
The problem is that factory farming causes animal suffering, environmental harm and health risks; and to solve it, we need consumers and lawmakers to support humane farms and encourage ethical hunting. Billions of animals are trapped in cages or barns, often killed painfully, just to produce cheap meat. According to the United Nations, factory farming also produces about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making it a major driver of climate change. It pollutes water, destroys forests and harms nearby communities.
I care about this because it hurts both animals and the planet. A solution is to buy from humane farms or hunt responsibly, which promotes independence, fitness and pride.
Andres Cruz
Hayward
DeSaulnier is leading
against nuclear arms
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, has co-sponsored House Resolution 317 after meeting with Livermore nonprofit Tri-Valley CAREs.
H.Res. 317 lays out the common-sense steps needed to reduce nuclear risks and move toward a world free of nuclear weapons. The resolution is titled, “Urging the United States to lead the world back from the brink of nuclear war and halt and reverse the nuclear arms race.” It also opposes nuclear testing, supports the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to address the legacy of harm caused by nuclear weapons, prioritizes a just economic transition for the nuclear labor force and seeks to eliminate the president’s sole authority to launch a nuclear first strike. DeSaulnier joins 29 other co-sponsors, six of those being from California.
If you are a constituent of Rep. DeSaulnier’s district, send a thank you message to his office.
Tanvi Kardile
Pleasanton