Letters for July 31, 2014

Don’t lay all blame on Israel

Re “Holy mess” by Nick Miller (SN&R Editor’s Note, July 17):

Nick Miller writes, “The recent Israeli air assault on the Gaza Strip … will happen again … if the world doesn't convene and engage on meaningful issues such as the blockade, the settlements and the embargoes.” These words clearly lay all of the blame for the recent Middle East conflict on Israel with nary a meaningful mention of Hamas, the internationally recognized terrorist organization that has fired nearly 2,000 missiles into Israel during the past two weeks and more than 14,000 since 2005, when Israel completely withdrew its military and all settlers in the hopes of exchanging land for peace.

Who would Miller blame if rockets were being fired into Sacramento, the Bay Area or Los Angeles, and if the United States acted to defend its citizens? It is Miller's hope that world leaders can “pressure Israel to stop all air attacks and a ground invasion”? My hope is that the same world leaders can pressure Hamas to stop firing rockets into Israel and stop building tunnels with concrete that was supposed to be used to build houses for its citizens. We all hope for a cease-fire and the end to the loss of all lives. Unlike the previously proposed cease-fire, let's hope Hamas will accept the next one.

Barry Broad

president, The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region

K.J. and Nestlé

Re “Nestlé and drought” (SN&R Editorial, July 24):

I could not agree more with your editorial on how insane it is to let an outfit like Nestlé pump out our water (purchased at discounted rates) to sell for profit elsewhere. But how did Nestlé get to bottle hundreds of thousands of gallons of our water in the first place?

It was my first bitter taste of mayoral leadership, Kevin Johnson style. Based solely on my recollection of news stories at the time, he invited Nestlé in under the cover of darkness—without involving the city council or the public at all until the deal was cut. His reason for trading our water for the presence of this company, which had been told to get lost by Redding and other California cities, was reportedly to show that he, K.J., could bring in new businesses, with all the good that it brings, i.e., development and revitalization. I suppose to some that outweighed the fact that he was punting away our resources, with the threat of drought always looming.

I believe responsible city leadership would have made the need to protect our scarce water a top priority, outweighing whatever benefits there might be from having Nestlé here.

Miles D. Wichelns

via email

We need more veteran’s court-style justice

Re “Veteran’s court comes to Sacramento” by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R News, July 10):

Excellent idea. Now let’s expand this perspective to examine the traumatic experiences of all criminals when doling out punishment and/or rehabilitation. How many people who commit violent or drug-related offenses have experienced trauma and abuse emotionally, sexually or physically? Doesn’t this increase the likelihood of behavioral disturbances and deviance across the board, statistically speaking? Or, gee, would that just indicate that criminals are also people with complex stories going through challenging experiences, perhaps with little or no support, and that there may be better ways to alter their behavioral patterns than the “corrections” industry, regardless of whether they’ve survived an overseas battlefield or have merely been battling against poverty, disease, abuse and addiction for most of their lives?

Lee Aykin

Sacramento