Anxious ahead of election
As we wait together as a community with held breath for this national election on Tuesday, November 6, a dear friend shared a phrase that described my psychic mood about politics perfectly: Are we too anxious (paranoid) or not anxious enough?
Sums me up. The only thing I can do is www.redtobluesf.org.
Good luck to us all. We need it.
Charlie Spiegel
San Francisco
Prop 12 is needed
Regarding the Bay Area Reporter's recommendations on California's ballot measures, I found the comments on Proposition 12 to be baffling ["CA ballot measure endorsements," Editorial, October 25]. Prop 12 is straightforward and much-needed. It would simply require cage-free conditions and a bit more space for millions of chickens, pigs, and calves. This measure will also benefit the people of California because animals who are crammed in tiny cages are more prone to becoming sick with dangerous bacteria. This bacteria often makes its way into the food supply. More than a dozen studies have found that locking hens in cages results in a higher Salmonella risk compared to cage-free farms. I encourage all B.A.R. readers to vote yes on Prop 12 to reduce animal cruelty and foodborne illness.
Jenna Cameron
Oakland, California
Yes on Prop 12
Reasonable arguments can be made for or against several measures on the ballot this year, but Proposition 12 clearly deserves a yes vote. Prop 12 will ban factory farming corporations from locking up mother pigs, baby veal calves, and egg-laying hens in extremely restrictive cages where they can hardly move for their entire life. This practice is cruel and causes enormous suffering. As a registered dietitian with a background in public health, one of the biggest concerns is that caged animals are more likely to become infected with Salmonella and other life-threatening bacteria, contaminating meat and eggs, endangering the lives of California families. Prop 12 is endorsed by the San Francisco SPCA and dozens of other leading animal protection groups, as well as the Center for Food Safety, United Farm Workers, the National Black Farmers Association, National Women's Farming Association, and the Sierra Club.
I urge all California voters to vote yes on Prop 12 for a healthier, more humane food system.
Sahra Pak
Oakland, California
Applauds statue's quick removal
I applaud the swift work of Mayor London Breed in removing the offending portion of the Pioneer Monument in Civic Center. It referenced the treatment of the California Indians in the early days of our state. Passing by this monument, so prominently displayed, brought up uncomfortable conversations, not just for the mother who mentioned it to the city, but for all of us. Of what use is it to bring into our children's lives the suffering and injustices of times past? I share that mother's, and obviously Mayor Breed's, desire to keep things positive, to let the past deal with the past.
We live in a truly blessed city, for which we owe much to the pioneers. I am happy that our memories of those days need no longer be dragged down my echoes of past sins, such as they may be, so that we can move forward with a clear vision of a bright future for all San Franciscans.
Paul Quin
San Francisco