Send in supply drops for Puerto Rico
I’m sorry, I don’t get it. Every night at dinner in the 1960s until 1975, I watched military helicopters drop into the jungle and deposit troops, food and materials.
Every time we have a forest fire, we watch planes and helicopters drop water and chemicals and firefighters go into the action. Why are we not sending large military helicopters above Puerto Rico dropping water and food to help the people survive? Is this really so difficult? Does anyone at the White House have a clue?
Terry Braye, San Francisco
Hurricane survival
If Hurricane Maria-type storms are to become more commonplace and Puerto Rico is reconstructed along conventional lines, what’s the point? Can homes, buildings and other infrastructure be rebuilt to survive such events and, if not, is the island even habitable?
And, of course, this question applies to all of the Caribbean islands. Interestingly, nature seems to have equipped the common palm tree with this capability. Can we hope to emulate such an event? Frank Locke, Walnut Creek
BART’s traveling circus
On a recent BART ride from Berkeley to Colma, I was “entertained” by the breakdancers who turned their music up to full volume and then performed in the doorway, by two panhandlers walking the aisle, the skateboarder who seemed to think we’d reached the Embarcadero already and was showing his stuff, four people sleeping across two or more seats, a pizza box (and its contents) spilled on the floor and the two large dogs (and their masters, without any obvious service dog markings).
Having used public transportation all over the world, I can state that I never see such things outside our wonderful Bay Area. I don’t need more noise and dirt on the trains, and I certainly don’t need the chaos, however colorful it might be. I also can’t imagine what a visitor to the area might think about this scene. BART needs to pick up its game and give us a safe, clean and orderly transportation system. Let’s leave the circus for somewhere else please. Bruce Klafter, San Mateo
Listen to community
Regarding “Don’t Let Kap’s message be distorted” (Last Word, Sept. 28): I agree with Spencer Whitney that the real issue in the national anthem protest is racial injustice, particularly in our criminal justice system. President Trump’s despicable remarks about the protest masquerade as patriotism, but are in fact the crass distractions of a demagogue. Now Trump wants an NFL rule to bar players from kneeling during the national anthem. He tweets that this is the “only way out.” Actually, the real “way out” is for political leaders to engage the African American community in order to address racial injustice. Since Trump is incapable of doing so, Congress and our cities and states should step up to address racial injustice by listening to the grievances of the African American community and then making specific proposals for change. That’s how democracy works. That’s how freedoms are won.
Bob Ryan, San Francisco
Protect the children
Regarding “Tough spot for trafficking bill” (Sept. 20): It’s ironic that the tech industry, which prides itself on innovation and impact, is so resistant to changing a 21-year-old law that is the basis of much harm. The proposed legislation to hold Internet companies liable for third-party content is long overdue. The repeated inability of prosecutors to hold sites like Backpage accountable even with ample proof of their role in sex trafficking cases due to immunity under the Communications Decency Act is unacceptable. The Internet as a platform for free speech is sacred, we can all agree on that.
But why does free speech have to come at the cost of a child’s innocence or anyone else’s? It seems that the tech industry is reacting to a fear of the unknown, of what could happen. However, this legislation is reacting to years of devastating human rights violations that are already known and have been happening. If the bill is too broad, then tweak it. I do not want to belong to a society where business trumps the value of human life. Maria Tourtchaninova, Oakland
Don’t reduce space
Caltrain is planning to reduce space for bikes on its new trains. Those of us who commute to work via bicycle and Caltrain rely on getting on the train. Being told “no more bikes, take the next train” just doesn’t cut it — especially since the next train may not be for another hour and may be just as full. Have you noticed global warming yet? Getting people out of cars and onto trains and onto bikes is an environmental imperative. We bike commuters are doing a service to the community.
Yet, we can’t do it if we can’t rely on getting on the train. Please stop treating us bike commuters like secondclass citizens! We pay taxes, too! (And we buy tickets, too! And we don’t get refunds when we are turned away from Caltrain!) We deserve to get on the train, too, with our bikes and to be able to sit near our bikes and to get to work on time. More and more bikes on trains is the trend of the future. Let’s not go backward. Please increase, not decrease, the bicycle space on Caltrain! Lois Kellerman, Mountain View