San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Tear down monuments
Concerning “Decades of inaction led statues to topple” (Heather Knight, Bay
Area, June 28): I have heard more than one person talk about letting the democratic process play out regarding removing offensive and obsolete statues. Was the democratic process followed when they went up? Was there an eager and open dialogue for all members of the community to have an equal say?
I’m sure the African Americans in the South were overjoyed to say Yes! to statues of Robert E. Lee and other traitors, rapists and murderers. Tear them down and forget about the feelings of people who continue to idolize those who should be thrown on the ash heap of history.
Joel Tebbs, Oakland
Remove statues legally
I am a lifelong Democrat, liberal in every sense of the word, and those factors alone give me the right to speak my mind regarding the ripping down of statues. In my mind, the statues never should have been put up in the first place.
Everyone, even decades ago, knew the history of Sir Francis Drake, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Junípero Serra, et al. The passage of time hasn’t changed their dubious history. They always were who they were. There is a legal process in this country that has to be utilized for these removals. I should think in this current climate that it would not take long to get the necessary permits to take the statues down. Do these people really think they are winning the hearts and minds of most Americans by such actions?
Legally and peacefully marching in hordes to right a wrong pretty much ended the Vietnam debacle. Yet, no one tore down statues of Dwight D. Eisenhower or John F. Kennedy in the process. No one has torched the Former President Richard Nixon library. There is a word that aptly describes a horde of people taking such actions into their own hands. It’s called anarchy, and there’s no place for it in this country.
Rethink restrictions
Those who want to reopen the economy quickly point to the severe economic suffering the shutdown caused: businesses dying, lost jobs and savings, hunger and homelessness threatening, our children’s future jeopardized. They raise the specter of a Great Depression, which would itself have public health consequences. Those who want to go slow point to the health hazards of a virus much more infectious and lethal than seasonal flu: hot spots and explosive surges, overwhelmed hospitals, exhausted frontline heroes with posttraumatic stress disorder, many more sick and dying. They raise the specter of an uncontrollable plague, which would itself collapse the economy. All are valid points. But a depression? A plague? Or both.
Already, America is in a deep recession with multiple outbreaks. We rushed to restore an old normal while ignoring phased restrictions designed for a safe reopening. We sail dangerous waters in the dark. We should backtrack to phase two, rethink restrictions, and evaluate economic and health results for each phase before moving on.
A leader like Trump
Concerning “Populist leads, but runoff vote likely” (World, June 29): When I read about a conservative incumbent running for a second term who is backed by a nationalist party called Law and Justice, has denounced the LGBTrights movement as a dangerous “ideology,” and been criticized by the European Union for antiDemocratic values, I was sadly thinking how much Polish President Andrzej Duda, the subject of this news story, resembles U.S. President Trump.