Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Saturday November 26, 2011 - 09:43:00 AM

Eids; Why the Super Committee Was Doomed; U.C. Berkeley Police;Resignation Vs. Moratorium;The Super Commitee's Failure; A Thought about Needed Change 

Eids
In the 'decline of Telegraph' article, Eids electronics was listed as closed. I haven't been to Tele in months, but find no obits for the store online. It also just occurred to me that the magnet stores for Telegraph were Blake's, Cody's and Moe's. With 2 out of 3 down, Tele's decline isn't surprising. The demise of the book business + crime levels did Tele.
Fred Albrecht
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Why the Super Committee Was Doomed
The deficit-cutting super committee was merely a charade to show the public that Congress was doing something about the deficit. It was doomed to fail. The October 2011 Rasmussen survey found that just nine percent of likely U.S. voters rate the job Congress is doing as good or excellent. Sixty-three percent view Congress’ job performance as poor. To the public, the failure of the super committee to compromise is just another symbol of a failed government. Its failure may result in another downgrade of the U.S. credit rating, possible double-dip recession, increased market instability, a lost decade of economic growth, and a 10 percent cut in defense and non-defense spending. Who is at fault? The voters will let us know at the next election.
Ralph E. Stone 

 

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U.C. Berkeley Police 

 

U.C. Berkeley campus police procedures are vetted by UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau.
UCPD reports to and takes direction from UC Berkeley office of the Chancellor.
Words come cheap: apologies and excuses.
Deeds count.
Sack, fire, oust UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau

Milan Moravec 

 

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Resignation Vs. Moratorium 

If all the University of California chancellors resigned simultaneously, that would still leave pepper (OC) spray, carotid holds, hog-tying, and blunt-end baton strikes available for the next bored police officer who loses patience with student protests.

If 75,000 petitioners have called for the resignation of Chancellor Linda Katehi, then surely 75,000 would sign a petition for a moratorium on the use of pepper spray on non-violent student protesters, a more effective course.

Special Agent Thomas W. W. Ward, the head of the FBI's Less-Than-Lethal Weapons Program at the time of the 1991 study authorizing pepper spray's FBI use was fired for taking bribes from a peppergas manufacturer. Even the compromised 1991 study concluded that pepper spray can cause "[m]utagenic effects, carcinogenic effects, sensitization, cardiovascular and pulmonary toxicity, neurotoxicity, as well as possible human fatalities. There is a risk in using this product on a large and varied population".

Apologies and resignations are not the point. The point would seem to be to get toxic materials out of the hands of those who would use them for sport.

Carol Denney 

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The Super Commitee's Failure 

The Congressional Supercommittee failed to reach an agreement last week,but the deficit that George Bush gave us has to be put under control to save our social security net!

We are lucky to have three strong Federal advocates who have Berkeley within their spheres.

Although as a retired scholar and a journalist whose concerns include reasonable threats from the Third World, (Note: The word "reasonable" comes into my vocabulary here.) the United States is over-armed for the threat out there externally, but, at the same time, the political stance found in our community itself is askew.

Definitely the Defense Department should be on the negotiation table in order to preserve our governmental entitlements.

Geoffrey Cook 

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A Thought about Needed Change 

Can we have a Thanksgiving for the nation as a whole where all who have means will give their best day's earnings to those who have nothing? How strong our indifference must be when our unfortunate neighbor goes hungry and we look the other way! How can we enjoy ten main dishes topped with five varieties of pies and cakes while our neighbor eats beans and white bread? We are born with empathy, but we can be trained by our political party or by our ideology not to follow our heart. On the other hand, when we share without expectation of return a light goes on in our spirit.

We are all travelers upon the earth, passing through. Let us use opportunities like Thanksgiving Day to make the lot of less fortunate travelers a little easier. 


Romila khanna 

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