Summer school may be the wise choice
While our state and local elected officials wrangle over how to reopen schools during the pandemic, President Biden last week commented at his televised town hall that school districts might push to open schools all summer, particularly for children in grades K8. Of course, summer school this year could help students compensate for learning loss since last year, especially if plans include inperson instruction.
So, the San Francisco school board should consider the idea of summer school this year while it addresses reopening schools. And Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature should also consider adopting the idea in their school reopening plans.
Summer school — ideally for all schoolage children K12 under public health guidance — may well be in the best interest of these children this year.
Bob Ryan, San Francisco
Abolish the filibuster
I support abolishing the filibuster. More than half of the United States population lives in nine states; therefore, over half of the population has a mere 18% Senate representation. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell represents a slender 3% of the U.S. population, yet he ensured that the Senate did the bidding of the minority of the U.S. population while he was Majority Leader of the Senate.
He engineered a GOP majority of the federal judiciary, the branch of government that determines the constitutionality of the laws written and passed by Congress. Retention of the filibuster ensures that the minority of the population will continue to exercise a bloated control of governmental processes. Abolish this abusive and contrived Senate tradition.
Susan Yardley, Oakland
Subverting the debate
Regarding “Rethink the response” (Letters, Feb. 24): The term “cancel culture,” like the term “politically correct,” has been adopted by the political right to subvert and cancel important historical debate. The naming and monument controversy (including San Francisco schools) is important, though actually unresolvable, for what is not being said. A letter writer claims that we “are all saints and sinners,” but that assertion obscures how naming relates to broader cultural understanding in our country today.
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson didn’t just own slaves or hold slaves as concubines. Most importantly, they created the Constitution and framework we still live with when they legalized and institutionalized slavery and gave extra power to slaveowners. Naming things after them wouldn’t be so bad if it reflected a harmonious recognition that the distorted racist legal system and narratives of our present nation derive from their dehumanizing of Africans.
Instead, patriotic naming served to cancel out the extent to which our America today is still guided by their damnable mischief. Such cancellation culture now comes round as: Trump won in 2020 and that insurrectionist white supremacists are patriots.
Marc Sapir, Berkeley
A path to peace
Regarding “Tehran imposes curbs on U.N nuclear inspections” (Feb. 24): The onus is on the United States to take some goodfaith steps toward reentering serious diplomacy with Iran. We have much to do to restore our credibility as a negotiating partner after the previous administration’s unilateral rejection of the negotiated nuclear agreement (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), despite Iran’s full compliance with its obligations to that point. I am grateful to Sen. Dianne Feinstein for cosponsoring the Iran Diplomacy Act, introduced into the Senate by Sen. Edward J. Markey this week, which calls on all parties, including the U.S. and Iran, to return to full compliance with the JCPOA and return to negotiations on longerterm issues. For the U.S., full compliance means immediately lifting some sanctions to demonstrate that we are committed to defusing conflict and finding a peaceful way forward in the Middle East.
Martha Winnacker, Berkeley
Weaponized symbols
Regarding “Reclaiming the flag” (Letters, Feb. 20): I appreciate the letter about reclaiming our flag and would include the values formerly represented by the religious symbols of Christianity. Up here in Placer County, lots of people fly the stars and stripes and a lot still have their Donald Trump flag with it. I used to try to engage with some of them, but it became more and more fruitless, and Trump put an end to any reasonable meeting of minds. The symbols which used to stand for tolerance and freedom have been weaponized to serve an ideology which is the antithesis of what can weave a social fabric worthy of the Constitution that was a framework that could include all people of good will. Personality cults belong to another age. Nationalism is a paradoxical thing in America and can’t work if we don’t respect each other as free individuals.
The “don’t tread on me” flag usually is flown by people only too willing to cancel your rights in service to their own ambitions. Maybe we need a constitutional convention to modernize the mechanism of government and settle some of the most vexing issues. Oligarchy doesn’t get it.
Joe Polansky, Auburn
Change district attorney
Regarding “S.F. commits to new focus on repeat offenders” (Feb. 25): I dug into this article with glee and high expectations. Offenders with records as long as my arm might not be released to commit more crimes.
I thought that maybe, at long last, and miraculously overnight, San Francisco was gifted with a new and functional district attorney. Maybe one with a different theme song than “Born Free.” Time’s up, District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
Mary Nuckols, San Francisco
Build Ferlinghetti statue
San Francisco should replace the recently removed statue of Christopher Columbus with a statue of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Ferlinghetti was an ItalianAmerican, a political progressive and an internationally recognized champion of free speech and free expression. He was also a longtime resident of North Beach who lived for decades at the foot of Telegraph Hill. He deserves the recognition of the city to which he contributed so much.
David Plank, San Francisco