In letters: Dawn Addis’ ethnic studies bill could harm marginalized students | Opinion

Dawn Addis and ethnic studies

I read Dawn Addis’ commentary in The Tribune supporting AB 1468. I agree with what she writes, with the exception of her omission of the Palestinian peoples.

Jews have endured centuries of antisemitism in Europe. Antisemitism exists in the United States and throughout the world. That is a fact Jews face daily, in ways both subtle and explicit.

It is not antisemitic to oppose Israel’s war on Gaza. Many Jews in Israel, the United States and throughout the world oppose Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Given how Israel has treated the Palestinian peoples that were displaced in the creation of Israel, the anger and frustration of Palestinians is understandable.

Their frustration does not excuse the acts of Hamas on Oct. 7-8, 2023. That was an atrocity. The atrocity is not a justification for the destruction of Gaza, the thousands of innocent deaths, the thousands of injuries and the inhumane conditions imposed on all Palestinians living in Gaza.

This will not bring a lasting peace to Israel. Peace will only come when there is mutual respect and cooperation from all parties

Robert Thompson

Arroyo Grande

Lousy leadership

We face the greatest threat to democracy and our Constitution in our lifetime, if not in the history of the republic, and the Democratic “leadership” is zilch!

A coup has usurped the roles of the judicial branch and the legislative branch in addition to the executive branch. Our past presidents are mute. The Senate minority “leader” has gone “Neville Chamberlain” on us. And both parties have been working for the same private interests. No one can say that the Democratic “leadership” didn’t have time to prepare a robust response to this lawless coup. The regime’s blueprint, Project 2025, has been out in the open since 2023. And the coup is following its playbook line for line.

Meanwhile, the DOGE outlaws are hacking our Social Security Administration database, replacing the current operating system with their very own, and are on the verge of crashing the whole operation …all of this with barely a whisper from Congress.

Billionaires don’t need the essential services and protections most of us depend on and government agencies provide. They need only a strong military and an obsequious judicial system to protect their interests.

Donald Archer

Cambria

Defend Social Security

What is happening to our country? Senators and congressmembers, why aren’t you fighting for the American people who voted for you?

This administration is a perfect example of fascism. It lies about so many things. Social Security has a payment record of 99.7%. Administrative costs are only 0.5%. The lowest by far of any large program in the public or private sector. And yet, it’s being gutted!

Untrained DOGE appointees have unprecedented access to sensitive Social Security data. This is only the tip of the iceberg. They are going after our correspondents, our free speech, any judges or lawyers who are trying to fight for the rights of the American people and defend anyone who has stood up for the rule of law.

There are so many illegal and unconstitutional actions being put forward, why is everyone hiding in the corner instead of standing up and saying no. Enough!

The list of destructive actions is getting bigger every day. Please do something now.

Debra Appleby

Atascadero

Lessons from grandma

Bitteschön, my foreign-born grandmother would say. “Why are you running over the wonderful American economy you were handed by the previous administration. You’re taking that old junker (tariffs) you’re trying to get going again and running over all the people that live without millions you have. Don’t you care about anything?

“All those poor people around the world that once respected the U.S. for the medicines and aid we gave to the less fortunate. All those researchers and doctors who find new medicines and procedures to keep us safe. Maybe some things are more important than money, Mr. Trump,” Grandma would say.

My grandmother was a very wise person. I loved her very much and always listened.

Mike Broadhurst

Cambria

Silence equals consent

Many of us watch in horror as our federal government sends masked, plainclothes agents to arrest innocent individuals without warrant or due process.

Some are sent to prisons far from family and denied legal representation. Many are flown to prisons outside the U.S. without court hearings or evidence of criminality. We may think we are safe because we are not immigrants or lawbreakers. It is “other people” who should be afraid.

History is clear: We remain silent about the cruelty and lawless actions of people in power at our own peril. Whether you voted or sat out the election, whether you are aware or close your eyes and ears to “anything political,” please know this: Failure to speak against injustice puts your personal liberty at risk.

Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to vote are all at risk. Read the personal experience essay of a Canadian attempting to renew her visa through legal means (“I’m the Canadian who was detained by ICE for two weeks,” The Guardian, March 20, 2025). She was white, privileged, and incarcerated without explanation. They come for everyone else . . . until they come for you.

Susan Richardson

San Luis Obispo