Gun control, nuclear power, Yosemite names, etc. | The Sacramento Bee

Proud push for good gun control

Re “House Dems stage sit-in to demand vote on gun controls” (Page 8A, June 23): The Democrats finally grew a spine this week by rebelling against the lack of action on meaningful gun control by Republicans. The Democrats’ proposals are way too modest to be very meaningful but may begin the thaw that will lead to the melting of the chokehold the NRA has on Republican legislators.

I’m proud that the Democrats are passionate, disciplined and on message about this issue. I hope that translates into a more progressive Democratic agenda.

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The future without nuclear power

Re “PG&E makes a wise call to shutter Diablo Canyon” (Editorials, June 22): Well, congratulations to The Sacramento Bee editorial board and all the anti-nuclear tree huggers for finally succeeding in their last battle to shut down every nuclear plant in California as a viable option to cut greenhouse emissions and fight global warming.

I hope that all of your solar panels and wind farms will carry us through our future power needs. Did Diablo Canyon or San Onofre or Rancho Seco ever kill one bird flying into spinning wind turbines? Those who denounce nuclear power should consider going back to riding horse-drawn buggies and living with kerosene lamps.

Park could keep Yosemite’s names

Re “Respect the Park Service’s 100th birthday” (Editorials, June 17): The Bee’s editorial misinformed readers about why Yosemite National Park’s iconic names were changed.

The National Park Service and Aramark refused a royalty-free license from Delaware North to use the trademarked names while our contract dispute is resolved in court. Instead, they changed the names as a PR stunt to put public pressure on us. People should demand the park service restore the names.

Their tactics will not impact the court case, which will determine the fair value of our intellectual property, which Aramark is required to pay us. We had third-party appraisals performed and offered to enter binding arbitration, all of which were rejected.

In 23 years at Yosemite, we served millions of visitors, aided local charities and education programs, and made improvements to visitor facilities. No one should question our respect for Yosemite. Most importantly, we honored our contract. The Park Service and Aramark should do the same.

Choosing a high court justice

Re “Trumpism won’t disappear even when he does” (Viewpoints, Leonard Pitts Jr., June 22): There has been a great deal of discussion about filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court. The Republican position is that this is an inappropriate time to confirm someone because they may not support the Republican positions on Obamacare, abortion and other issues.

In a meeting with a conservative religious group, Donald Trump made it clear that if he is elected to the presidency, his selection would be based on the person’s position on abortion. How can a judge who has predetermined positions on any issues of national concern be chosen? Perhaps Democrats have similar positions, but it is the Republicans who have adopted these positions as precursors to electing a Supreme Court justice?

Keep daylight saving time

Re “Bill to end daylight saving time advances” (Capitol & California, June 14): Please do not end daylight saving time. I can drive more easily in the daylight. When I walk, there is far less of a problem in daylight.

There is a whole segment of the population that is rarely consulted when making important changes because more able people do not recognize that there is a problem. Leave daylight saving time as it is.