Letters: Chance to teach | Gaza ceasefire | Pause aid | Forgotten argument | No ‘Advantage’
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Forgotten argumentfor the time change
Re: “We voted in 2018 to stop changing the clock, but time is still ready to fall back” (Page A1, Nov. 4).
I can’t count how many articles there have been in this newspaper (and on TV) about the detrimental effects of the daylight saving time change.
People complain that it disrupts their routine, interferes with their sleep cycle and may cause potential medical problems. These are not new complaints. However, 50 years ago when people complained about the time change, they were quickly reminded that the major safety benefit was that schoolchildren would be able to go to school in the daylight and come home after school before dark. That ended the discussion.
Today I hardly ever see anyone in the media present that as a worthwhile reason for the time adjustment. What changed?
Jim RoeslerSan Ramon
School board missesa chance to teach
What lesson has the Antioch school board taught by suspending, investigating and ultimately shaming a teacher for free speech that was (probably by children, at least) regarded innocently?
I believe the board has brought the attention of our children to the limits of healthy dialog. In a dangerous period in our country, when history lessons are being taken out of schools, violence is allowed to be perpetrated by groups. The board could have taught love, understanding and sensitivity and had a discussion about intentions, misinterpretations and perspective. The board could have first met with parents, staff and professionals to discuss and learn why blackening one’s face in a costume could be offensive to Black people. Then the board could have had lessons within the schools that attempt to teach sensitivity, respect and regard for all cultural backgrounds.
The board could have had discussions about listening to and hearing each other. Without discussion, a lesson is lost.
Karen Motenko-NealValley Springs
Ceasefire needed tostop cycle of violence
As a proud Jew with a deep family history of contribution and loss, I am distressed by the recent actions in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Israel, unlike Hamas, is expected to show restraint, being a UN member and a developed nation.
But the past month has shown a grim reality in Gaza, where children suffer unimaginably, evidenced by the term “WCNSF” (Wounded Child No Surviving Family) for wounded, orphaned children. The damage to these young lives could fuel a cycle of violence and radicalization.
We must empathize with all victims, including over 1,400 Israeli families harmed by Hamas. Ignoring Palestinian suffering fosters hatred and undermines our humanity. I call for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza, pleading for recognition of the innocent lives at stake, not as a political statement but as a humanitarian plea for the future of these children.
Annalee GouldOakland
Time for U.S. to pauseIsraeli aid as bombs fall
As an American citizen I am equally outraged by the vicious Hamas attack that left over 1,400 people dead and also by the ongoing Israeli destruction of Gaza that at last count has left over 10,000 people dead including over 100 medical personnel.
As Americans we need to acknowledge our complicity in this situation. We uncritically fund Israel, to the tune of $3.4 billion a year in military aid, which no doubt includes the bombs used to kill innocent civilians in Gaza. We also continually block United Nations efforts to oppose the illegal settlements in the occupied territories.
I call upon all citizens to demand of Congress and the president that we lift our blocking of the United Nations resolution condemning these illegal settlements and their immediate removal and also that we suspend aid to Israel while the fighting continues.
Roger WoodFremont