Random Letters: 4-29-21

Re: April 15, 2021 “At Length” Column

Your article regarding Safe Encampments is brilliant!

Your definition of “economic refugees,” the possible reasons for being “shelter resistant,” the ridiculous cost of “clean sweeps” and the understanding of the human need to create social networks, all point to your suggested “Safe Camping” sites.

I wonder if there is a legal reason keeping these camps from being formed because it seems like a realistic and humane solution.

Michele Vanderlip, Rancho Palos Verdes

Los Angeles has opened its first government-run homeless encampment, on a parking lot by the 101 freeway in East Hollywood. This comes weeks after officials shut down what was one of the city’s largest encampments at Echo Park Lake, two miles away. The question for Councilman Joe Buscaino is whether he’s going to wait for Judge David O. Carter to issue an order to do the same in CD15?

James Preston Allen, Publisher

California Recall

It’s hard to know where to begin.

Last week, celebrity and television personality Caitlyn Jenner announced she was running as part of the Republican recall effort to unseat Gavin Newsom.

The facts speak for themselves:

Jenner supported Donald Trump when he first ran for President. And before her campaign launch, we learned that Trump’s former campaign manager — someone with direct access to Trump and his donor base — was leading Jenner’s campaign team.

The last thing California needs is a celebrity governor beholden to Donald Trump. Not while we’re getting COVID-19 under control and our economy back on track.

Unlike Donald Trump, Gavin Newsom put science and public health first, and that’s exactly why Trump Republicans are going after him.

Gavin Newsom is up for re-election next year, but Republicans know they can’t win a general election in California, since their policies are so backward and unpopular. Instead, they are wasting millions of taxpayers’ dollars on a recall campaign.

This is a critical moment for our state and we need to defeat the Republican recall efforts against our governor.

Adam Schiff, Congress Representative California’s 28th District

Trump Back On Facebook

We have reason to believe that Mark Zuckerberg, and the Oversight Board he created, will make the wrong decision later this month by allowing Donald Trump back onto Facebook.

Zuckerberg has a well-established pattern of behavior whenever his platform faces public criticism of its record on white supremacy and disinformation. He trots out meaningless actions designed for PR, not for real change. And all of us pay the price.

If Facebook again prioritizes greed over our democracy, safety and health, our movement must be ready to stand up and fight.

The fact is, we have little reason to expect that the Facebook Oversight Board will do what is clearly the right thing. Facebook selected board members and pays them to do their work. Facebook decides what they review and limits the content they can base their decisions on.

No one would respect a climate-change study funded by Exxon Mobil. Or a nutrition report from sugar-industry scientists. A ruling from the Facebook Oversight Board is the same thing, dressed up for the internet age.

Free Press and Free Press Action are nonpartisan organizations fighting for your rights to connect and communicate. Free Press and Free Press Action do not support or oppose any candidate for public office.

Editorial Board of Free Press, Florence, Mass.

Chicago Fighting Cocks

“I hate Illinois Nazis.” — John Belushi

(AKA Jake Blues)

Sweet Home Chicago, do yourselves a favor and make this the final season for the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks. “Blackhawks?” Seriously?

It’s 2021, folks. Don’t be afraid of joining the rest of us in the 21st century already!

Here are my 15 favorite new team name options for Chicago’s NHL franchise. Pick one, if you please, wonderful people of the Windy City:

• Chicago Bike Locks

• Chicago Hard Knocks

• Chicago Chicken Pox

• Chicago Wool Socks

• Chicago Silly Walks

• Chicago Detox

• Chicago Dumb Jocks

• Chicago Crosswalks

• Chicago Jonas Salks

• Chicago Woodstocks