Congress, listen to the public
Of the people, by the people, for the people. It’s time for Congress to take care of the people who elected them instead of pandering to special interests, lobbyists and the National Rifle Association. The NRA contributed more than $54 million in advertising and donations to Republican congressmen last year. If congressmen can’t represent their constituents over special interests, they should be removed from office.
This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. This is a moral issue. It’s tragic that money guides those who have the ability to protect us. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, you are so wrong. Now is the time to discuss these issues and if you can’t see that then its time for you to retire.
Michelle Hammack, Redwood City
Half-told story
Regarding “History abridged” (Editorial, Oct. 4): I wish to raise two points. First, we are very much in favor of commemorating the past, provided it is confirmed by neutral and objective fact finding. The historical mirror should always be flat and unobscured. If a preconceived picture is painted over the surface, how can it serve as a “mirror”?
Second, continuing to build memorials with this degree of specificity in San Francisco will lead to two possible outcomes.
If this city wishes to be consistent and give equal treatment to all cases, there will be no free space left anywhere, or you admit that you are knowingly singling out one particular example — in this case Japan.
From both aspects, this new, somewhat forcibly erected statue is perfectly in line with the older, controversial ones and will eventually face the same fate, however long it may take. “Half-told story suggested by the sculpture,” indeed. Jun Yamada, Consul General of
Japan, San Francisco
Proud of memorial
Thank you for supporting the “comfort women” memorial, calling on the public to “welcome an unblinkered view of the past” despite fierce opposition from the Japanese government and right-wing nationalists that deny Japan’s responsibility. All women should be proud that San Francisco has erected, with great enthusiasm, perhaps the first public memorial honoring untold numbers of ordinary women from the Asia Pacific as opposed to “famous leaders and national turning points.”
The survivors tirelessly fight sex trafficking and sexual slavery, even in their 80s and 90s, and I’m proud we have a memorial that projects their dignity and power to inspire us all.
While inhuman actions are undeniable and shouldn’t be forgotten, silence unfortunately allows denials of this important history to grow. I hope many others will follow your footsteps in declaring their support for remembrance and memorialization of comfort women.
Miho Lee, El Cerrito
Drivers, slow down
Concerning “To walk or not to walk?” (Editorial, Oct. 6): While revised laws about when pedestrians can and cannot walk in crosswalks are helpful, there ought to be more signage warning motorists to reduce their speeds on city streets. As a septuagenarian, I often feel endangered when crossing certain streets.
Not all crosswalks are located at traffic lights, and many drivers roll through stop signs or run red lights due to excessive speed and recklessness. Though there have been fewer pedestrian fatalities in our state in recent years, there are still too many.
The California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement ought to make sure that drivers observe speed limits, and regularly communicate this message to them: Slow down!
Dorothy Van Horne, San Francisco
When to walk
“To walk or not to walk?” (Editorial, Oct. 6) makes no mention of what I thought was the reason for the blinking red hand. It allows pedestrians who started to cross during the “walk” signal to clear the crosswalk in time for a driver who is waiting to make a turn to do so before the signal turns red. Pedestrians who dash across at the last second, while they may make it in time, prevent drivers who are waiting from doing so. Dorrie Dodge, San Anselmo
Distracted drivers
It’s not hard to notice that car ads targeted at Millennials give little to no mention of horsepower, gas mileage, suspension or anything related to vehicle performance.
It’s all about gadgets. Gadgets that make driving more dangerous. Why does a car need to be an entertainment center? It’s bad enough that many already use the car as an office, now it must be a theater too?
Clearly, superficial technology has its place, but is it necessary to be entertained all day, every day by screens and buttons, especially while hurtling down Highway 101 at 80 mph? When does it end? Often it’s in the body shop, hospital or morgue. Of course, those facilities also serve the unfortunate responsible drivers who just happened to interrupt a really good movie.