Letters: Allowing free speech at Berkeley is better than a brawl

Submit your letter to the editor via this form Read more Letters to the Editor Allowing free speech is better than a brawl Re Cal serves up red meat for Turning Point Page A Nov In his column Max Taves seems to be blaming the casualties i e the organizers and attendees of a Turning Point USA open political forum at UC Berkeley for the menacing at times violent harassment which they experienced from left-wing protesters while they were required to wait in a line to enter the building Related Articles Letters Turning Point fracas at Cal bodes ill for free speech Letters The classroom is no place for teachers politics Letters UC Berkeley offers too little defense at conservative event Letters S J leaders must keep downtown construction rolling Letters Waste and fraud have ruined the SNAP project It is particularly poignant that at the birthplace of the landmark s Free Speech Movement people cannot peacefully engage in political discussions at a prominent American university without being heckled at and harassed by protesters who claim to be opposed to fascism Aren t free speech and fascism polar opposites Gov Newsom who is ultimately responsible for the UC system must do much more to defend peaceful political discourse in that system before our state sadly becomes a national embarrassment of hypocrisy injustice and chaos John Haggerty Santa Clara By failing students we assure need of H- B Re Raising cost of skilled talent will hurt startups innovation Page A Nov As a nation we have failed in the backing and sustenance of quality tuition to the current and future generations We continue to depend heavily on foreign sources to build our technological prowess It is sad that people like the author of the above opinion piece seem to cry wolf anytime there is a discussion on H- B issues What seems to be happening is an overriding corporate interest in keeping the status quo rather than looking for real solutions that elevate the national interest We lag behind multiple other nations in educating our students leading to a poorly trained populace There should be a joint effort from both the state and the industry in STEM training at schools and colleges thereby providing the needed manpower to the industry Such efforts sincerely implemented would eventually obviate the need for foreign information Mouli Chandramouli Saratoga Mayor should do more for businesses than talk Re Owner ceding sites in Japantown Page B Nov In reading Mayor Mahan s comments that We should be doing everything we can to help business owners and that he believes the city can do more to bolster the endeavors of business and property owners it all sounds like that s the way it goes My assumption is this issue is not a surprise to Mahan and his staff so why did this happen And why isn t he directly doing something about this particular situation These are good people trying to do good for the public Mahan necessities to do something besides saying he feels bad for them Jim Pollock Los Gatos BBC cut disingenuous part of Jan speech Re BBC issues apology to Trump over misleading edit asserts there s no basis for defamation claim Nov The basis of Donald Trump s lawsuit against the BBC is that it failed to include in its coverage of Donald Trump s speech on Jan that he commented to go peacefully and patriotically Could it be that the BBC thought it disingenuous since Trump who saw what was going on for almost three hours on TV really didn t mean to go peacefully and patriotically otherwise he would have forthwith gone to Congress to try to stop them Had he done so police officers would not have been injured and MAGA supporter Ashli Babbitt would not have been killed Jerry Zanzinger Santa Cruz Diet change could mitigate environment change Setting scientists continue warning that animal agriculture is a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions yet national weather plans still tiptoe around reducing meat consumption We cannot meaningfully address surroundings change while ignoring one of its largest contributors Relying on efficient production or methane-reducing additives will not solve a systemic trouble We must confront the reality raising animals for food requires vast land water and feed guidance and generates more emissions than the bulk of us realize A shift toward plant-based diets is one of the majority effective tools we have forthwith available scientifically supported and healthier for our communities The longer we delay the higher the cost to future generations Eric Slovan San Jose Nation must claw back democratic principles I am disgusted by the extent to which our country has deviated from its democratic ideals No person whether they are a citizen or not should have to go through this experience and live in constant fear Unwarranted arrests tear gas and smoke grenades don t make our district a safe place This administration is influenced by Silicon Valley executives and they must keep using their influence to resist laws that violate fundamental rights and criminalize innocent individuals Imagine a life where the Bay Area doesn t have to worry about ICE knocking on their door at night ICE showing up to their workplace even children s schools The terror and distrust this brings to individuals must be stopped Only if we take action now will that dream be realized I encourage both political and corporate leaders to stand up for the principles that characterize our democracy Anjali Bhela Milpitas