Tuesday’s Letters to the Editor

Meet refugee families

EDITOR: Some of you may have read the article about Mohammad Zahir Qaderi, who escaped from the Taliban and is living in Petaluma (“Plight after fleeing Taliban,” Oct. 18). This past year I have gotten to know another Afghan family who had to flee Afghanistan and settled in Petaluma. This family has been adapting to life in California with their three adorable young children, the youngest a U.S. citizen, born in America after they arrived.

This family worries about a parent in failing health back home, the Taliban and a teenage sister now unable to get an education in her country, along with dealing with many stressors in America, navigating the immigration system, finding affordable housing, current health issues and loss of employment.

On Saturday, the community has an opportunity to meet and talk with several Afghan families the Afghan Allies Project is helping. The event will be 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 40 Fifth St., Petaluma. There will be light refreshments and a silent auction, with money raised to help these families meet expenses. For additional information, email allies.sjecp@gmail.com

PHYLLIS TAJII

Petaluma

One-sided headline

EDITOR: Perhaps you should reassign your headline writer to the editorial page, since their political leanings were more than evident in the above-the-fold headline on the Nation World page on Nov. 18: “Attack dogs line up to aid Biden.”

The story reports that, as planned and promised, the razor-thin Republican majority in the House will launch investigations into Hunter Biden, Anthony Fauci, Merrick Garland and other potential targets, perhaps building to an impeachment of President Joe Biden, while various groups allied with the Democrats are lining up to defend against those investigations. Essentially the same story by the same reporters appeared in the New York Times under the more balanced headline, “Republicans Lay Out Biden Investigations, but Democrat-Aligned Groups Promise Counteroffensive.”

Your headline painting the groups organizing to defend Biden and his administration as “attack dogs” while failing to mention the multi-front Republican offensive may not be The Press Democrat’s finest example of journalistic balance.

ROBERT ADLER

Santa Rosa

An educated society

EDITOR: Reading Gary McClernan’s letter reminded me of Ronald Reagan abusing the term “welfare queen” (“Loan forgiveness,” Nov. 21). He talks about “underwater basket weaving” as a class not worthy of loan forgiveness (as if such a class exists). McClernan thinks that if you choose a “good paying” career, you could pay back your loans, but those who study things like “environmental social governance” basically wasted their time because they couldn’t afford to pay back their loans.

I would remind him that in the 1960s taking a typing class was for secretaries, although those who knew how to type were better armed for the computer age. An education is more than the subject you study; it is about exposure to different walks of life, different types of thinking and cross-fertilization (figuratively and literally).

An educated society is an advanced society and those who coined the term “wokeism” do not understand this. Welfare queens and college slackers are right-wing boogey men and are simply anecdotal. Sure, they exist — but don’t judge the bulk of either population by this simplistic picture drawn by people who don’t understand the need for an educated, thus enlightened society.

GERRY LAZZARESCHI

Healdsburg

Midterm takeaway

EDITOR: Here is the obvious Republican dilemma as I see it: A Republican candidate for president will need the Trump base to win the nomination in 2024, yet a 2020 election denier will never win a general election for president in 2024. That is one crucial takeaway from the recent midterms (see governor’s races in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and New York, among others). To paraphrase Oliver Hardy, half of the iconic Laurel and Hardy team from 1926-1957: Well, Donald, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.

MITCH STOGNER

Santa Rosa

Election-deniers in office

EDITOR: The anticipated red wave did not come to pass, and for that we can be grateful. However, by the last count I have seen, 127 election-deniers have been elected to office. These are people who have told us in word and deed that they will suppress, deny, change and ignore votes for Democrats in violation of law and over 225 years of American history. They have the support of millions of Republicans who assert that the 2020 election was fraudulent, many of whom are in positions of influence and able to affect future elections. Now is not the time to relax with an apparent electoral success. The anti-democratic forces of repression remain strong, active and well financed. Thomas Jefferson is (misquoted) as having said that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” The thought is particularly appropriate today.

PATRICK COYLE

Santa Rosa

You can send letters to the editor to letters@pressdemocrat.com.