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Draft could heal
our nation’s divisions
Re: “The perilous Black-Jewish rift over Gaza” (Page A9, Feb. 11).
As I watch the shouters who lead the marches, I am reminded of my days as a high school biology teacher, dealing with the challenges of adolescent peer pressure and the vision of newly-discovered “solutions” to the world’s social problems.
I sympathized with the need to learn from a fully explored history and change as guided by its lessons. I was comforted by the belief that our melting pot mentality would be an integral part of that change. Today, I see the abandonment of the lessons history has taught us about ethnocentrism and racism. Elite ideologues have co-opted gullible students to abandon their American heritage.
It took two years at Walter Reed, meeting soldiers who joined to accelerate their citizenship, and wounded veterans, to convince me that every American male be drafted. Common suffering for the defense of our nation will force self-centered youth to learn to work together for a greater cause.
Howard Winet
Berkeley
Continuing campaign
justified by Hamas
Re: “Justice of war in Gaza depends on how it ends” (Page A6, March 6).
Ross Douthat said we don’t know if Israel can crush Hamas, and we don’t know what will happen if it does. But we do know what will happen if Israel does not crush Hamas.
Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, vowed in a televised interview that Hamas will repeat the October 7 massacre of Israel multiple times until Israel is annihilated. Does Douthat believe the misappropriation of international aid by Hamas to build a terror tunnel network reflects “being just”?
Israel’s response to the bestial Hamas invasion is a war that is both justifiable and just, because it is existential. Israel’s plans for the governance of Gaza will reflect the reality that, like battle plans, Gazans will influence a likely changing governance of Gaza. Israel must respond to circumstances as they present themselves.
Julia Lutch
Davis
Candidates set, let
real campaign begin
Now that the key primaries are over, and the people have made their choices, like most Americans, I look forward to the traditional debates between President Joe Biden and candidate Donald Trump. Each candidate will be able to cite his accomplishments and plans for the future.
In a democracy, it is the voters who are supposed to evaluate truth, lies and accomplishments, and who are supposed to decide who will be their next commander in chief.
Chris Kniel
Orinda
Demand funding for
global health, nutrition
Friday marks International Women’s Day. Although we are far from perfect in the United States regarding the social and institutional disparities between males and females, the situation is much more dire in many other countries. It is especially disconcerting when these disparities undermine the health and education of girls, and are completely avoidable.
Our government has consistently been a strong partner in global anti-poverty funding for programs such as Global Maternal and Child Health and Global Nutrition. Our members of Congress must provide bold funding levels in their fiscal year 2025 spending bill. Let’s make it more than a day for the women of the world.
Ricardo Narvaez
Concord
Ensure all access
to legal, social care
I’m concerned about the federal Family First Prevention Services Act‘s impact on vulnerable families in our community. While it aims to reform child welfare by focusing on family preservation, there are limitations, including funding cuts and concerns for marginalized communities, particularly communities of color.
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It’s crucial to ensure culturally responsive and accessible prevention services for all families, regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. By prioritizing equity and inclusion in service delivery and addressing these concerns, we can create a child welfare system that truly supports and strengthens families in our community.
Offering free legal services can prevent children in kinship families from entering foster care by securing their legal status within families and preserving cultural/community connections. Integrating preventive legal services into prevention efforts and assessing referral mechanisms and support systems can help more children stay in their familial environment.
Griselda Ayala
Sacramento
