Teachers are heroes
Concerning “Teachers protected students” (Open Forum, Nov. 13): As this Open Forum piece shows, teachers are among our nation’s true heroes. Sometimes they do literally risk their lives to help their students, as shown in the devastating Butte County fires and also in accounts of deadly school shootings.
But on a daily basis, teachers always endeavor to shape the minds and morals of our children, this despite being woefully underpaid and constantly criticized by the media. In this reader’s opinion, every day should be Teacher Appreciation Day. Constance Cummings, San Francisco
Vegetable benefits
Regarding “Beefing up for tech” (Business, Nov. 11): Contrary to what is implied, there is plenty of solid scientific evidence for the benefits of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds in the human diet. Antioxidants and healthy gut bacteria are just two.
You are what you eat, and that’s why it may be your breath and body odor that keep some people at a distance if you eat primarily dead flesh (a known side effect). Any positive results are subjective. Clearer thinking and higher energy are the exact same things I experienced when I went primarily vegan!
Carlye Hummel, Ukiah
Overgrown forests
Congratulations to Thomas M. Bonnicksen in “Why California burns — its forests have too many trees” (Open Forum, Nov. 13) for advancing 21st century science against failed 20th century forest policies. We must all accept the fact that our forests are dangerously overgrown and, like comic strip character Pogo said, “we have met the enemy and it is us.”
If the public will accept these new science-based forestry policies, an additional benefit of thinning our forests will be the increased release of water into our creeks and rivers that we so desperately need. Stuart Smith, St. Helena
Firefighting drones
We should start building a fleet of firefighting tanker drones. We could eventually have thousands of them placed strategically throughout the state, full of water and fire retardant ready to go.
Then, when a fire breaks out, hundreds of them could be dispatched to put it out before it gets out of control. Some of them could be designed to just dump their water or retardant, while others could be equipped with hoses to pinpoint hot spots. And, with some intelligence programmed in, they could figure out the best way to fight the fire themselves. I know it would be expensive, but it’s also going to be expensive to rebuild Paradise and Malibu. Brad McMillan, San Francisco
Count all the votes
Regarding “Democracy takes time” (Editorial, Nov. 13): President Trump, who presides over a Republican Party that repeatedly uses gerrymandering and blatant methods to suppress voter turnout, is the last person who should be claiming that only the results on election night should matter. In a democracy, every citizen who has voted is entitled to have his or her vote counted, even though that process has extended beyond Nov. 6.
To reword an insulting comment that Trump made about the late senator and war hero John McCain, “I like election results that aren’t captured through corruption.” Gloria Curazon, Daly City
Civility in leaders
Civility begins at the top. Much has been made about the lack of civility present in our leaders, and that lack is encouraging uncivilized behavior. In many ways, it reminds me of the schools. As an educator and a coach to educators, I have gone into many, many schools. One thing is apparent — when the leaders are caring, compassionate, fair and kind, you see that throughout the building. The tone at the top matters greatly! There are some things I am heartened about. Many of our schools are focusing on social-emotional learning as part of the curriculum — empathy, kindness and perseverance are emphasized. There is research on socialemotional learning, and it shows that schools that promote this also tend to have higher achievement.
It is also important that parents and grandparents can promote civility every day. By emulating kindness, fairness and gratefulness for what we have, parents are making a huge statement. These are lessons always remembered.
Rebecca Wheat, Point Richmond