Hypocritical Trump the ultimate victim The case for Duckworth
I am trying to refresh my memory. Wasn’t the GOP, for so many years, about personal responsibility? Didn’t the Republicans long deride anyone who blamed their bad circumstances in life on bad luck? How did they, and by extension us, end up with leader who is constantly whining about how unfair it is that he — not our country — has been hit with this pandemic, economic downturn, racial unrest?
Trump is the ultimate victim. And, if my memory serves me, Republicans used to blame victims for their lot in life. How did we get here?
Noelle Robbins, Alameda
Open the S.F. Zoo
I am really concerned about the intelligence and capabilities of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. There is no understandable rationale for not reopening the zoo and other outdoor San Francisco attractions where attendance can be closely controlled. All I can imagine is that they completely misunderstand the COVID data and its significance and its implications for our city. Without a reasoned assessment of whether it is reasonable to reopen these attractions, these supervisors should be ashamed. Come on guys; do your job.
Daniel Levitt, San Francisco
Regarding “Biden might pick healer to help bind country’s political wounds” (Front Page, July 10): While Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles might be on the short list to run on the Democratic ticket as Joe Biden’s vice president, and is admirably leading the congressional effort to reform policing, my concern is this: Like another possible Biden pick, Sen. Kamala Harris, Bass is from the reliably blue state of California.
If Biden wants to appeal to a broader swath of this country, especially the socalled flyover states, he should strongly consider choosing Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. This Thai American citizen, who received a Purple Heart for her service in the Iraq War, also became the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office in 2018. She would appeal to minority voters, to veterans and to working moms across America. In this crucial 2020 presidential election, Biden’s pathway to defeating President Trump is by appealing to as many segments of our population as possible. In my opinion, Duckworth would be a stronger candidate than Bass.
Belinda Davis, San Francisco
Worthy recipients
The newest entry on my political wish list is that one of Joe Biden’s first official acts would be to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. If he could also somehow rescind the one that President Trump bestowed on Rush Limbaugh, we would have a National Honor trifecta.
Bob Wieder, El Cerrito
Hold that train
Regarding “Highspeed rail plan for San Jose to S.F. rolls out” (Front Page, July 10). I cannot believe that the rail authority would think that at this time, with pandemic, millions of Californians out of work, and a truly terrible economic recession for our state, that now is the time to ask for more money for this boondoggle!
And on top of that, they can’t even approximate what the possible price that a ticket from San Francisco to Los Angeles would be. We should be planning on how to feed our population, help get our schools back into session, and take care of one another, then planning how much faster it would be to get to Los Angeles via train. Unless they can guarantee that a train ticket will cost less than a flight from SFO to LAX, this is a waste of valuable time and money.
Susan Ruiz, South San Francisco
Just asking ...
So President Trump says his doctors were “very surprised” by his “unbelievable” results on a cognitive test.
What we would all like to know is: Who took the test for him?
Richard Such, Palo Alto
Phased approach
Regarding kids returning to school: Why not prioritize getting K2 or K3 students back to school first? They are the age group who’s least likely to have (or spread) the virus, and they struggle the most with distance learning. For working parents, they’re also the hardest age group to have at home.
Let’s keep our older kids home and let our younger kids get the inperson instruction and socialemotional learning they so desperately need, and utilize the empty classrooms to aid social distancing. And maybe school districts can install new ventilation systems that filter out viruses while they’re at it.
Sarah Bardeen, Berkeley
Mask up, men
While painting on Mission Street, I have noticed more and more men, mostly young but some elderly, either without masks or wearing them, in what seems to be an emerging fashion, with the nose exposed. If our city and state are serious about curbing the spread of this disease they should start citing and fining scofflaws who endanger themselves and the rest of us.
Anthony Holdsworth, San Francisco
Missing his history
DeSean Jackson, what alternative universe do you live in, where Adolf Hitler is merely “a bad person” and Jews blackmail America? Please educate yourself; apparently Cal, your alma mater, did pitifully in that regard.
Abby Margolis, Daly City