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Contra Costa Times Tuesday letters
Letters from our readers
May 12, 2008
I am shocked that two contributors to the East Bay Voices section could be so ignorant about the life of Pope Benedict XVI!
One claimed outright that "This man was a former member of the Nazi party during his youth" and the other refers to the pope's "fascist background."
The fact is that the former Joseph Ratzinger and his family were vehemently anti-Nazi, which caused them to move frequently to avoid arrest.
His father was a bitter enemy of the Nazi regime and relatives of the pope were persecuted and some were killed.
The pope was 14 when he was forcibly drafted into the anti-aircraft corps and there was nothing he could do about it. He deserted that group within a few months. Neither he nor his family were ever members of the Nazi party.
These two contributors should be ashamed of themselves and their display of such ignorance. This is nothing but slander.
Dawn Muse
Pittsburg
Israeli 'apartheid'
On May 8, Israel celebrated its 60th independence day. Palestinians commemorated the catastrophe of losing their homes and land to the Jewish state.
In 1948, more than 530 Palestinian villages and towns were destroyed, and 750,000 Palestinians were ethnically cleansed. Today, 7 million of the world's 10 million Palestinians are refugees.
They are prevented from returning to their homes and land even though international law and U.N. resolutions demand it.
In the West Bank, Israel has built 133 illegal Israeli settlements and Jewish-only roads. It has turned Gaza into a large prison.
After a visit to the West Bank, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel peace laureate, compared conditions in Palestine to those of South Africa under apartheid.
Israel has no constitution, no democracy for minorities and no recognized borders. Because it lives by the sword, it is the most dangerous place on Earth for Jews.
While Israel celebrates its independence, we must not forget the suffering of the 6 million Palestinians who live under its illegal and brutal occupation without justice or equal human rights.
Nabil Wahbeh
Berkeley
Drastic measures
It is about time our politicians do something regarding the sky-rocketing price of gas.
They should pass a law to prohibit vehicles having V-8 engines, such as vans, cars and trucks, and government cars, off the road once a week. Commercial trucks, police cars and emergency vehicles would be exempted.
It is about time the owners of those gas-guzzling vehicles help reduce our energy consumption before the price per gallon reaches $5. Also, if we reduce the speed limit on our freeways, it can help.
If we don't do something drastic, the oil companies will continue to have a field day at the expense of the consumers.
Ernie Revecho
Pinole
Supports Nunn
I have carefully reviewed the candidates in the District 5 Board of Supervisors race and I have made my decision.
We need someone who will truly stand up for East County's interests and I believe Erik Nunn is that candidate.
Nunn is a former Marine and born leader. He was a reserve police officer in Antioch and also served as a public service officer for Contra Costa County.
Nunn understands that we have a crime problem here in Antioch and that it will take the cooperation of parents, teachers, police and the greater community to address the issue.
Bringing everyone together to solve our problems takes leadership and I believe Nunn is committed and possesses the leadership qualities we want in our next supervisor.
Please join me in supporting Erik Nunn for District 5 supervisor in June, so we can get East County headed in the right direction.
Clinton Davis
Antioch
No magic pill
I'm sick and tired of this nonsense that eliminating SUV use will be the "magic pill" that solves our energy concerns.
Before we all bend and squeeze ourselves into tiny cars with tiny seats, we have to develop a system for transporting food and goods.
Big trucks are the base of our goods delivery system. I do not want my grandbaby in one of those tiny cars blown around by the draft from those big trucks.
I'm really tired of people who live in California demanding that the people of Alaska deny themselves access to their resources.
Most people will never visit Alaska. They will never visit the Alaska national wilderness area, and they have no idea of what the area will actually look like after exploration and drilling.
High gas prices, high food prices and high transportation costs are all exacerbated by the lack of oil development and represent what we will face under global warming plans, like the Kyoto protocols.
The truth is there is no current substitute for oil. I suggest we allow our economy to continue to grow, to provide jobs, education for our kids, adequate health care and encourage entrepreneurs to develop new energy resources.
Marti Gaydish
Vallejo
Copyright 2008
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