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Fewer abortions take
place under Democrats
Re: “More abortions are bad for the United States” (Page A6, Sept. 10).
In response to Mr. Burke, statistics prove that there are actually fewer abortions when the Democrats are in charge. When we invest in programs that provide education, health care, paid family leave and child care, abortions decrease.
Thinking people do research.
Margaret Mayfield
San Jose
Siebels should consider
redirecting support
Re: “Trump returning to Bay Area on Friday for campaign fundraiser” (Page B3, Sept. 10).
Tom and Stacey Siebel have already given many millions of dollars to PACs in this election. After Citizens United, corporations are controlling elections in America. Donald Trump clearly has no plans for the economy in America (he doesn’t even understand what a tariff is), wants Ukraine to fail and supports Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s lack of empathy for women should also alarm the Siebels. The best gift to the nation would be for the Siebels to withdraw their invitation to Trump and support democracy both here in the USA as well as in Ukraine and elsewhere.
Alice Schaffer Smith
Palo Alto
Harris makes strong
case against Trump
During the debate, Kamala Harris did an admirable job of combating Donald Trump’s lies. There were three “untruths,” though, that I thought she let slide.
One was Trump’s lie that “I had nothing to do with Jan. 6, it was all Pelosi’s fault.” Two was his fabrication that everyone on both sides wanted the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade so the states could vote on the abortion issue. And three was his bragging that he had the courage to fire several appointees for doing a bad job when in effect he fired them because they refused to let loyalty to him interfere with doing their job honestly. By the way, an equal number of his appointees quit for the same reason.
We’ve been warned by many who served Trump that he can’t be allowed back in the White House, and I thought Harris made a really good case for just that.
Bob Parker
San Jose
Country should unite
against Trump’s deceit
What a debate. The opponent of Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly refused to admit that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden despite evidence to the contrary.
Yet, this man who lives in a fantasy world where immigrants are eating cats and dogs and where illegal immigrants are receiving sex change operations in prison is the man Republicans have chosen to represent their party in the 2024 presidential election.
I really don’t know whether to feel sorry for the former president or to be disgusted by his lies. What I do know is that we all must come together to make sure we defeat this racist bully who is bent on destroying all that is good and decent to ensure that democracy survives in this great nation.
Myokyaw Myint
San Jose
Trump is ill-prepared
to fight climate change
Re: “Candidates spar on economy and abortion in tense debate” (Page A3, Sept. 11).
I asked a friend if she watched the debate, and she said she did. She and her husband feel that high gasoline prices are due to the Biden administration’s reducing domestic supplies of crude oil. Further, they believe that high gasoline prices are causing inflation for food and other commodities.
I suspect that many Americans share this view. So, I did some fact checking myself on this position. In fact, domestic oil production has increased during the Biden years. Would it increase more under a Trump administration like he claims? Maybe, but most economists say gasoline prices are mostly affected by worldwide crude oil prices and less affected by domestic supply.
This understanding is important, because climate change is a serious, worsening problem that the next administration must address. I hope all American voters will consider climate change when they go to the polls in November.
Rob Hogue
Menlo Park
Readers’ misuse of
‘genocide’ maligns Israel
Re: “Netanyahu’s approach is growing protests” (Page A6, Sept. 11).
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Some of your readers are intentionally misusing the term “genocide” to malign Israel’s war against the Islamic resistance movement known as Hamas. Webster defines genocide as “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group.”
Of the approximately 41,000 Gazans killed in this war, the Israeli military says over 17,000 were Hamas or other combatants. Many others were killed because Hamas members were hiding among them as they were being used as human shields.
These numbers do not equate to genocide but more to the brutality of war.
On the other hand, calls by Hamas, Iran and others to destroy Israel is a call for genocide. That is their goal and they mean it.
Gilbert Stein
Aptos