Send Israel's military aid to Ukraine
If we want to try to keep Benjamin Netanyahu from completely obliterating everyone in the Gaza Strip, especially the civilians, just cut off all funding to Israel.
They already have a huge advantage militarily, so why give them more money to slaughter innocent civilians? The United States could use that money for the war in Ukraine which is more important to world peace than Netanyahu's desire to wipe out the Palestinian people.
Hamas should be punished, but not the civilians who just happen to live there. — John Bingham, San Jose
Rules of engagement need a rewrite
Re: “Israeli troops accidentally shoot, kill 3 Israeli hostages” (Page A4, Dec. 16).
The IDF reports the unintentional killing of three innocent hostages in Gaza. According to reports, three unarmed, shirtless men waving a white flag were shot by soldiers. Two died immediately while the third prisoner, wounded and pleading for help in Hebrew, was killed when he reappeared. According to an IDF spokesman, the soldiers involved “broke the rules of engagement.” They certainly can't claim ignorance. These are the same rules that all 5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have memorized by now, although the rules clearly need updating. — Keith Meehan, Los Gatos
In San Francisco, little hope for accountability
Re: “Bridge protest charges are filed” (Page A1, Dec. 19).
Brooke Jenkins wants to hold the protesters who wreaked havoc on the Bay Bridge accountable. Really? This is San Francisco, where the twin concepts of “no personal responsibility” and “it's society's fault” are paramount. This is San Francisco, where car break-ins (your fault for locking the door), smash-and-grab robberies (your fault for not installing hammerproof glass), and open-air drug use (your fault for not providing safe sites for druggies) are tolerated.
The Bay Bridge protesters fouled up hundreds of people's lives — commuters to work, organ donations headed to hospitals, emergency vehicles unable to proceed, etc. The appropriate sentence for these miscreants is not fines (most of which won't be collected) but jail time … a few weeks or months would be appropriate. Actions have consequences. If Jenkins can inject some backbone into San Francisco, it will be a miracle but hope springs eternal. — Kirch DeMartini, Saratoga
Cortese leads way on animal welfare
In 2023, four key pro-animal bills have been signed into law. And, we can specifically thank one legislator who stood at the forefront of this fight — Sen. Dave Cortese.
Cortese was the lead sponsor of SB 669, a bill that empowers veterinarians to delegate a limited number of their duties related to controlling disease and parasites in pets and reducing public health risks to registered veterinarian technicians. SB 669 was signed into law. Now, more animals will receive the life-saving care they need and deserve. Furthermore, this bill is included in the Humane Society Legislative Fund's 2023 California Humane Scorecard, which grades the pro-animal actions of legislators.
Cortese's stewardship of a pro-animal bill and 100% score on the Humane Society Legislative Fund's scorecard this year highlight his dedication to the cause. Now, I ask you to please join me in thanking him for his work. — Jenny Berg, Humane Society Legislative Fund Sacramento