East Bay Times Letters to the Editor for May 12, 2024
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Re: “Oakland Airport to be renamed ‘San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport’ after commission vote” (May 9).
Oakland is resilient despite transportation hits. Oakland International Airport doesn’t need “San Francisco” in its name. Edward Chainey’s suggestion in his letter to the editor is excellent.
The Oakland International Airport on San Francisco Bay name change can appear in bold type with a geographic bay background visual and be presented in multi-language brochures that include a map of identifying freeways, useful AC Transit routes, bridges and greater Bay Area counties identified by name. Brochure distribution can happen via taxis, BART, AC Transit buses, information desks at Oakland, San Francisco and other major California airports, train depots and major city libraries statewide. Brochures can promote Oakland‘s museum, zoo, and other entities and events.
Oakland could throw a party, a parade or both and invite the mayor and the governor.
Jo Liana King
Albany
Re: “Calls for universities to divest from Israel impeded by state law” (Page A1, April 28).
The article on student encampments and divestment demands does a disservice to the students in California and around the country who are leading on the issue of Palestine.
Students at more than 120 colleges and universities across 33 states have set up Gaza solidarity encampments. They are offering a master class in moral courage, and their movement is growing. Mega-pop artist Macklemore just released a song titled “Hind’s Hall,” inspired by student protesters at Columbia University.
Nelson Mandela cited the student campaigns to get U.S. universities to divest from South Africa as a significant factor contributing to the dismantlement of apartheid. It doesn’t matter whether today’s students know the ins and outs of Assembly Bill 2844. They are forcing everyone to talk about divestment from Israel, which is a win in itself.
As an older millennial, I am both humbled and inspired by these student protestors. The kids are alright.
Hilda Poulson
Alameda
What does Russia’s Vladimir Putin have on Donald Trump?
Remember how Putin helped Trump get elected in 2016? Russia hijacked Hillary’s emails. Putin’s Russia is again working to elect Trump. Meanwhile, Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for president in 2016, whose votes lost Hillary at least two states and probably the election, had been helped by Moscow. Stein and several other third-party candidates are running again. They can’t win. But they can hurt Joe Biden’s chances in the fall.
Donald Trump’s good friend Vladimir Putin, who has spent the last two years trying to erase a nation of more than 50 million people from the map, whose enemies seem to fall out of second-story windows with startling regularity or die in mysterious plane crashes, is once again helping Trump. Why? It isn’t to “Make America Great Again.”
Michael Steinberg
Berkeley
