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By skirting rule, S.J.
council fails everyone
Re: “Israel-Hamas cease-fire gets council support” (Page A1, Jan. 18).
San Jose’s City Council used a letter to finesse its own bylaw forbidding resolutions on foreign policy. This approach still took the council well outside its remit and satisfied no one.
The letter’s declaration of “support for the release of hostages and prisoners on both sides” is particularly troubling. This formulation equates captured Hamas fighters — who began this war by invading Israeli farming villages in a rampage of mass murder, mass rape, and kidnapping — with those same kidnapped hostages.
Since taking over Gaza in a bloody 2007 coup, Hamas has started wars with Israel about every three years. Its leaders hide below Gaza’s civilians in a labyrinth of tunnels while promising to repeat their attack of Oct. 7 “again and again.” There can be no escape from war while Hamas remains in power.
Alan Fisher
Atherton
We must push to
end Gaza violence
After the Oct. 7 attacks, we had a number of folks set up remembrance photos of those taken hostage in Gaza. I thought it was one of our town’s finest hours.
Then I realized that we had signed onto the directive that all water, food, medicine and other necessities of life were being cut off to them and all 2.3 million inhabitants of the area. In addition, the places that would most likely be where the hostages would shelter were being bombed. That should have been a red line. How could we say we support the hostages and then basically condemn them to death?
As we just celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, I can’t believe he would not be among all those municipalities calling for a cease-fire and negotiations to resolve this crisis. We need more MLK and far less Genghis Khan.
Mike Caggiano
San Mateo
Federal pressure could
control CPUC, PG&E
Re: “Make the CPUC board elected positions” (Page A6, Jan. 10).
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPCU) has failed miserably to regulate PG&E. As Michael McWalters has suggested in a previous letter to the editor, CPUC members should be elected, not appointed by the governor.
PG&E ratepayers have another way to force the CPUC to rein in PG&E. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) prohibits energy market manipulation by investor-owned public utilities, such as PG&E. Contact your Congress members and urge them to take action to stop excessive rate increases by PG&E.
Michael Ulwelling
Scotts Valley
Southerners internalize
Civil War misinformation
Re: “GOP should get over it — South lost the Civil War” (Page A9, Jan. 7).
Hearing Nikki Haley’s answer to what caused the Civil War brought back a very painful memory.
As a White 11-year-old in fifth grade in Virginia in 1956, I had the audacity to challenge my fifth-grade teacher when she claimed that the Civil War was fought over states’ rights. She was adamant and didn’t even mention the word slavery. She was also very mad and berated me with other teachers present.
As a result, my teacher convinced my parents that I was too immature to go on to sixth grade and I was held back to repeat my fifth year. I am sure that Nikki Haley must have had the same Southern education that influenced her answers to the Civil War question.
My fear is that these opinions will forever be ingrained in Southerners unable to accept the losing side.
Rick Varley
Campbell
Congress should reverse
‘Citizens United’ ruling
Sunday was the 14th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s infamous “Citizens United” decision, giving personhood to corporations and equating money as speech. The impact on our democracy has been traumatic.
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The court, in a history of questionable interpretations of our Constitution, has refused to recognize the humanity of Black slaves or the rights of women. However, during this same historic period, the court made a series of decisions which culminated in the personhood of corporations. Their decision effectively equated money to speech, allowing the spending of unlimited amounts of money for political purposes.
To remedy this injustice requires a constitutional amendment. Congress has proposed House Joint Resolution 54, stating that corporations are not citizens and money is not speech.
Please show your support for this amendment to the Constitution by notifying your congressional members and rallying your friends and organizations to add their support.
Bill Wallace
San Jose
