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Don’t let Congress
weaken Prop. 12
As a voter and a passionate animal advocate, I am deeply concerned about efforts to overturn Proposition 12 through the Farm Bill.
Special interests in the pork industry are pushing to dismantle this measure, passed by California voters in 2018, which sets essential standards for animal welfare and food safety. Overturning it would disregard voter intent and undermine our progress in humane animal treatment. Additionally, the proposed Farm Bill language could not only dismantle Proposition 12 but also invalidate other state laws protecting public health.
I am urging Congress to oppose any efforts to weaken Proposition 12 and to ensure that the final Farm Bill does not undermine state animal welfare and agriculture laws. The well-being of animals and public health is at stake.
Katherine Alvarez
San Francisco
U.S. needs functional
president right now
Re: “There is still a Biden scandal to address” (Page A7, Aug. 13) and “What exactly was Democrats’ big lie?” (Page A6, Aug. 14).
In his letter, Mr. Peterson asks plaintively, “What was the big lie” told by President Biden’s handlers who concealed the extent of his cognitive decline until his disastrous debate performance. Did Mr. Peterson read Ross Douthat’s op-ed?
Biden had not held a full cabinet meeting since October. Biden was only capable of reading scripted answers to pre-approved questions on a teleprompter. Biden resisted desperate pleas not to run for reelection.
But how can Biden handle the multiplying crises he faces now if he is not fully capable? An out-of-control Benjamin Netanyahu provokes Iran, threatening to drag us into a Middle East cataclysm. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has started a fire on the grounds of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. We need a fully functional president right now.
Michael Dunlap
Oakland
Botswana wins honor
spirit of the Olympics
The Olympics were splendid.
Let’s give a shout-out to Botswana’s track team. Botswana is the size of Texas in the middle of southern Africa. When it achieved independence in 1966, it was one of the poorest countries in the world.
Without the high-tech and extensive coaching that we have in the United States and many other countries, Botswana sent 11 athletes to the Olympics and won two medals. Surprisingly, Letsile Tebogo, who started off training without shoes, won a Gold Medal in the men’s 200 meters. To celebrate, the president gave everyone Friday afternoon off. Four Botswana runners took the silver in the 4 x 400 relay.
This is an amazing accomplishment. Pula (national motto meaning rain and good fortune) to Botswana Olympians and Botswana.
Larry Bieber
Castro Valley