Nice to read something different for a change

It was refreshing to read something in The Californian (“NICK STROBEL: Searching for another Earth,” Nov. 22) to take my mind away from the coronavirus and the latest antics of President Donald Trump.

I had known that several thousand exoplanets had been discovered and that several appeared to be earth-like and possible settings for intelligent life. And I was more or less aware that our galaxy, the Milky Way, was one of two trillion galaxies, and that our galaxy alone had 250 billion stars (or suns). I had also heard that the stars in the universe numbered more than all the grains of sand on the beaches of the earth.

But it took Nick Strobel to tell me the most staggering of all these statistics: that NASA’s Kepler planet-hunter mission had discovered “at least 300 million” earth-like planets in our galaxy alone. That tells me the odds of other habitable planets existing somewhere in the universe is astronomically high, and that their number is probably measurable in the trillions. Wow!

Is there some vast mind and power that has brought all this life into existence, or did it somehow emerge on its own beginning with the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago?

I would love to hear Nick’s answer to this question. In the meantime, I want to thank him for all the columns he’s written for The Californian down through the years. We are remarkably lucky to have him living among us.

— Stafford Betty, Bakersfield

LET PEOPLE HAVE CHICKENS

This is in regard to recent articles about backyard chickens (“Bakersfield City Council votes to allow backyard hens for most homeowners,” Sept. 24 and “Lawsuit prompts Bakersfield City Council to halt implementation of backyard hen ordinance,” Nov. 18).

Being a Future Farmers of America alum, I believe that this law should be implemented into our local law. This law would allow for students to rightfully own chickens and learn about agriculture. Agriculture is vital to us and affects us all, especially us in Bakersfield, which has a strong history in agriculture and is a part of the most prolific agriculture area in the United States. We must continue to promote agriculture in our city to create more educated consumers. Allowing homeowners to raise chickens to be used to allow those who do not have access to farms or ranches, to experience and gain knowledge about raising livestock.

I am in favor of this law to allow homeowners to raise chickens within the city limits. Having some knowledge about agriculture is essential for us all. I hope people become more a part of the agricultural industry that surrounds this city and grow an appreciation for those who work in the industry as I have.

— Mason Rankins, Bakersfield

POINTLESS RESTRICTIONS

The curfew that was instated by Gov. Gavin Newsom has had nothing but negative feedback. Many people do not agree with the curfew and realize it will not contribute to decreasing the spread of COVID-19. The Kern County Sheriff’s Office released a statement that it would not be responding to calls that are related to the curfew. If law enforcement is not going to be monitoring people who violate the curfew, what is the purpose of it? If there are no consequences to violating it, then people are still going to go out as they please.

Newsom blames indoor activities for the spread of this disease. This was his way of indirectly shutting down businesses. He creates these restrictions that force businesses to close and it is hurting them. He provides no relief to them. Newsom needs to reevaluate his plan to reduce the spread of COVID-19, because what he is doing is clearly not working. His restrictions are useless and many people disregard them, like the curfew. Limiting where we can go, who can be in our homes and what times we can leave our home is unlawful. Gov. Newsom has overreached his power. COVID-19 is still as infectious as it is during the day and at night, whether it is inside or outside.

— Shiann Herron, Bakersfield

WHY ARE WE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW ORDERS?

For the past week, our Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a 10 p.m. curfew for the 41 counties in California’s purple tier. This means that all gatherings or non-essential work is to be shut down between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. This has many Californians angry, especially since Thanksgiving was right around the corner.

Previously, before this order was put into place, Newsom still enforced the normal COVID-19 regulations like the stay-at-home order or not to gather with people when there are three or more separate families included. On Nov. 6, however, Newsom attended his friend’s birthday party with a dozen people. Even though Gov. Newsom apologized and admitted he should not have attended the birthday party, he can not expect people to follow his orders when he doesn’t follow them himself.

— Emily Lostetter, Bakersfield

WILL SHUTDOWNS AND CURFEWS HELP AT ALL?

Gov. Gavin Newsom has considered Kern County a more restrictive county. Kern County is one of the many counties that have moved backward and back into the purple tier.

This being said, many businesses have to move their services outside or shut down again. Restaurants will be moved outside and movie theaters and museums will be shut down. There is also a curfew now. It is expected that individuals will be home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. to help slow the rate of COVID-19.

Residents as a whole are being punished with shutdowns. I completely understand the fear of getting COVID-19 and the risk it has on the elderly, however, how does a 10 p.m. curfew and closing indoor activities help? People are still taking the chance of catching COVID-19 while grocery shopping or even going to work.

— Gloria Diaz Martinez, Bakersfield

REPARATIONS

In our current political climate, I have noticed a shift in mood concerning financial policies established for the American people. Policies that once guaranteed protection for some of our most vulnerable populations are being questioned by groups who already hold power in our society. Financial policies are also being criticized for seeming to benefit wealthy corporations instead of hard-working American families.

According to We the People, “Minorities, women, and children are disproportionately poor. Much of this poverty is the result of disadvantages rooted in the position of these groups in the labor market.” The history of the labor market for Black Americans has a much more complex past, which has negatively affected their ability to build generational wealth.

In our past, at least three groups have received reparations from the American government. In 1988, the United States government granted the Japanese reparations from their imprisonment in internment camps during World War

II. After WWII, President Truman

created the Indian Claims Commission Act, which would award $1.3 billion in reparations to Native Americans. Most noteworthy of all, the American government passed the District of Columbia Emancipation Act in 1862 that paid slave owners reparations for their losses.

So, when it comes to reparations, why is it so difficult for people to see that Blacks have also experienced centuries of domestic terrorism, been victims of medical and scientific experimentation and were completely separated from their land, language, religions and history? Where is all lives matter in that?

— Jacob Bookout, Bakersfield

WEARING A MASK COULD HELP

This was the first year I was able to vote. It was also the first time I cared for the election. Not because I was finally able to vote, but because of who our current president was and the possible outcome that could be if he lost.

Living in Rosedale during election week was a very interesting experience. You could not drive down a single road without seeing a Trump flag being pulled behind a lifted truck. You could not drive down a neighborhood without seeing some form of a Trump flag or sign being proudly presented on someone’s property. This side of town is proudly Republican and stood strong for Trump. This was all expected until I began to see many individuals holding rallies at intersections.

Normally I would not have a problem with any of these things as it excites me to see how we as Americans are blessed with the right to choose who we name as our leader and are able to campaign for whoever we like. Unfortunately, we are in the middle of a pandemic that is the leading cause for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of American lives. Even the simple use of a mask could help the cause drastically, making these gatherings a bit more tolerant. Furthermore, much violence began to break out. On the corner of Rosedale Highway and Coffee Road, there was a consistent group of Trump supporters with posters and signs selling Trump merchandise.

— Alex Figueora, Bakersfield

TRUMP MUST CONCEDE

President Donald Trump has lost the election and is now trying to undermine our democratic process. I believe President Trump’s goal is to take the election result to the Supreme Court, where he has a chance to silence the people’s will.

During his term President Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices. Now the reason why a president can appoint justices is for the reason of checks and balances. The president can change the direction of the court. This way the judiciary branch doesn’t have too much power. However, I believe the president is trying to take advantage of this and have the Supreme Court give him a second term.

By claiming fraud and saying that the election was unconstitutional, President Trump can take this case all the way to the Supreme Court where the court can “repay” the president for his appointments and invalidate the election. Whether this is his plan or not, the president’s actions are concerning because he is putting unnecessary fear into the minds of Americans. He is creating doubt in our election process, which has been secure for almost two and a half centuries. For the good of the nation, President Trump must concede. — Jonathan Arenas, Bakersfield

PRESERVE OUR HISTORY

Reading the article about the history of the old Sinaloa restaurant (“ROBERT PRICE: City might preserve more historic buildings if property owners had this simple, common incentive,” Nov. 22) and looking at the photo in The Californian, it occurred to me that Bakersfield is missing a bet that the old Sinaloa sign would be a great addition to Pioneer Village. It is a great old sign and certainly needs to be restored.

We have some great memories eating there with some of the best Mexican food anywhere at the time. It is certainly a Bakersfield icon and the sign needs to be preserved. At this time, we have no idea what’s going to happen to the building. I’m thrilled that finally the citizens of Kern County are starting to take interest in the preservation of historical treasures. It’s about time since so many have been lost over the decades. Personally I would love that the building could also be preserved and possibly repurposed to preserve our history.