Forum Letters: Nancy’s forgettable hairdo and Shame on the SCUSD
Nancy’s forgettable hairdo
“Nancy Pelosi’s hairstylist says video of her maskless at California salon was ‘setup’” (sacbee.com, Sept. 3):
The overblown furor over Nancy Pelosi’s admittedly foolish visit to a hair salon is a painful reminder of how much the news cycle’s focus on racial injustice is easily distracted.
Every election cycle has its comical ephemera, but with all that’s going on in regards to Black Lives Matter, it’s important to avoid those distractions this year. The wave of protest in June seems to be ossified already as a chapter in 2020 news coverage. In reality, protests are still going strong, Breonna Taylor’s killers are still at large, police violence hasn’t been reigned in and Trump is inspiring white vigilante violence.
As the saying goes, “It’s a movement, not a moment.” Let’s waste less breath on fluff like hair salon setups and keep our eyes on the prize of racial justice. It’s going to take years to truly attain it.
Nancy’s hairdo will be forgotten by next week.
Marshall Garvey,
Citrus Heights
Poor comparison by police chief
“Sacramento police chief: ‘Tough’ tactics can escalate protest violence. Let’s do better” (sacbee.com, Sept. 3):
It is outrageous and down right scary to hear the chief of a modern police department in California say our community and nation is in a fight between law enforcement of the likes of Bull Connor and a new kind of policing that he champions.
Connor was a racist Democrat from Alabama in the early sixties who opposed the civil rights movement and supported harsh police tactics to suppress it. To suggest this is the law enforcement of today, particularly here, is an insult to every cop who pins on the badge and risks their life to protect and serve.
His words have undermined the law enforcement profession and contributes to the false narrative against the police in our country. He just made it more difficult and dangerous for law enforcement to do their job. This is unforgivable for any chief of police.
He needs to do better.
Don Jones,
Fair Oaks
Shame on the SCUSD
“Sacramento kids returned to school with no plan. What we can do to fix this now” (sacbee.com, Sept. 4):
Credit where credit is due.
Absolutely spot on editorial. Thank you for shedding light on this critical issue, and more importantly requesting a call to action by our community. I did not think I would say this, but maybe it is best if the state takes over.
The kids, particularly students of underserved communities, are obviously severely impacted, but so too are the individual teachers who truly want to teach and care about their students. They sadly get dragged though the mud. The ones who matter most, teachers and students, are the ones who suffer the most, as the district and association engage in their power struggle.
Shame on them.
Brian Manning,
Sacramento
Criticize Trump, not Pelosi
“As COVID-19 death toll mounts, Nancy Pelosi’s salon hypocrisy hands Trump a deadly weapon” (sacbee.com, Sept. 4):
It’s puzzling as to what motivated Gil Duran to write the article he did, but what’s even more puzzling is The Bee’s decision to publish it.
The headline makes an assertion that is without any supporting data. It is inflammatory, rather than informative. Duran suggests that having advised “top California Democrats for over a decade” makes his opinion that Pelosi made a “serious mistake” something more than merely his personal opinion.
At a time when the focus should be on ridding this country of a totally corrupt president, The Bee could have made much better use of its Sunday Forum.
Robert Dell’Agostino,
Sacramento
Confusion starts at the top
“School resumes Tuesday. But Sacramento district, teachers union won’t agree on a schedule” (sacbee.com, Sept. 7):
Superintendent Aguilar has sent me no fewer than three emails contradicting the schedules developed by teachers, generally in consultation with the principals, and has the gall to apologize and say that the anxiety this creates “falls on me” while ALSO sending another wrong schedule at nearly midnight with a link to rat out teachers who use their agreed-upon schedule.
At my school, we developed a schedule that follows ed code and recognizes the fact that in the spring, participation was lowest early in the morning. Our students told us they were caring for younger siblings, so we looked at our feeder school start times. Educational professionals with decades of experience unanimously agreed to our schedule. It is not teachers sowing this confusion. It’s the leader of our district.
Aguilar talks a lot about equity, but if he thinks “equity” means every kid starting at 8:10, he hasn’t done the reading.
Kara Synhorst,
Sacramento
Trump’s disrespect to the military
“How many insults will service members and military veterans take from President Trump?” (sacbee.com, Sept. 9):
I am a veteran of the United States Air Force.
I am distressed about Mr. Trump’s disparaging of the leadership of the military. It is bad for morale as well as discipline. If military personnel cannot trust their leaders to make their safety and well being their highest priority, they would not be able to serve and sacrifice selflessly. They would also be reluctant to follow orders without hesitation which could have dire consequences. Leaders are expected to value and honor those under their purview.
It is a shame that the president does not understand this vital concept, to the detriment of our national security.
Diane Thomas,
Sacramento