In letters: SLO Hanukkah event should have acknowledged Palestinian suffering | Opinion
Flawed celebration
At 5 p.m. on Dec. 26, I attended the annual Hanukkah Menorah Candle Lighting at Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo. The plaza was beautifully lit with blue lights and it was filled with Jews, as well as a diverse and friendly crowd. Three public officials offered inspirational thoughts and Rabbi Micah Hyman led us in prayer, candle lighting and song.
After each person spoke, my despair and anger grew. The rabbi affirmed the importance of freeing the Israeli hostages. However, no one spoke even one word of the suffering of the Palestinian people. Thousands of displaced people, including young children, are starving, in need of medical care and living in constant fear of bombs. What happened to “never again?!”
I am a Jew and I am disgusted. I know I am not alone. Yes, we all want peace in the Middle East (and Ukraine and all countries at war) but not at this price! Israel cannot bomb its way to peace. We must not ignore this suffering and we must not tolerate our leadership ignoring it either.
Marcia Goldner Alter
Arroyo Grande
Mistaken impression
I am writing to address a misrepresentation in your article about Meals That Connect. It implied that the Atascadero Senior Center’s all-volunteer board is unwilling to fund raise.
This is not true. In fact, it is a necessity, and an essential part of what we do, along with grant writing. These efforts are critical to sustaining the valuable services, activities and resources we provide for local seniors. Fundraising does present challenges for our members, though, as all of us are seniors. The majority are over 70 years old, and many face physical limitations that make organizing and executing fundraising events difficult.
Despite these obstacles, we remain committed to this important work and are deeply grateful for the generosity of our donors, most of whom are members of the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce. For those who wish to support our efforts, donations can be made at atascaderoseniorcenter.org.
We also welcome new members of all ages. Annual dues are just $10 and can be paid online, by mail or in person. Contributions beyond this amount are greatly appreciated and help us advance our mission. We extend heartfelt thanks to our members and donors for their ongoing support.
Vickie Rabourn, co-president
Atascadero Senior Center
Clean energy
On Dec. 19, the Tribune highlighted the $100 billion in the federal budget for aid to communities devastated by hurricanes and other disasters, including $21 billion for farmers.
This massive aid package is no surprise to the many people who have been following the subject. Climate-related disasters are costing the country $150 billion each year. The National Centers for Climate Information details the increasing frequency of billion-dollar disasters over the last four decades, so we can expect this to continue worsening unless we work together to stop climate change.
If we fail to act, our economy will be dragged down by worsening hurricanes, floods, fires and droughts. About half of the country could end up sweltering under summers hotter than present day India and Egypt, with all the adverse health effects and loss of productivity that brings.
The overwhelming bulk of the evidence points to carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, much of it from the generation of electricity, as the cause. We have the technology to fix this. In fact, currently there are approximately 1,480 gigawatts of proposed zero-carbon energy waiting for connection to our energy grid.
Add to that the proposed 1,030 gigawatts of energy storage also waiting for connection, and we could add double our current generating capacity, all with new renewable energy. Many of these projects are being held up by cumbersome and inefficient permitting processes, and an antiquated electrical grid of limited capacity. All that’s needed is for us to streamline our permitting processes and upgrade and increase our transmission lines. We can eliminate our contribution to climate change, save our economy and prevent the catastrophes that are looming over our children’s and grandchildren’s lives. Let’s demand streamlined permitting and upgraded transmission lines, and embrace a carbon-free future for our energy.
Dr. George Hansen
Arroyo Grande