Most polls show Republicans Chad Bianco (left) and Steve Hilton as the leading candidates for governor in the June primary. Both are supporters of President Donald Trump.
Eric Thayer/Getty, Kyle Grillot/For the S.F. Chronicle
Regarding “Give GOP a chance” (Letters to the Editor, April 7): The letter writer wonders why Californians wouldn’t want a Republican governor. Let me tell you.
I remember when there were Rockefeller Republicans, who were intelligent, moderate and willing to reach across the aisle to make a good deal for the country. These were good, intelligent people who, in a pinch, you could vote for.
The Republican Party started going downhill and became extremist, starting with Richard Nixon and continuing through Ronald Reagan. It died with Donald Trump.
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There is no longer a decent, intelligent Republican Party, but a Trump party that is ignorant, biased and doing a big grift on the country.
If Trump is the example, a governor like him is the last thing California needs. We have enough of them in other states to contend with — people who don’t care about the country and only what they can get out of it.
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Democrats in California can use a shake-up. But please, the risk is too great to experiment.
I will vote Democratic at least until the Republican Party radically changes and offers an empathetic, unbiased, intelligent, decent alternative.
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Reminder of Earth’s place
Regarding “A vision of Earth from afar” (Page A1, April 8): Thank you for the stunning image of Earth setting behind the moon taken by the Artemis II crew on the front page of Wednesday’s print edition.
Just as Apollo and Artemis were twin children of Zeus in Greek mythology, their namesake spacecraft have proved to be a matched set as well.
In 1968, when orbiting the moon in preparation for the first lunar landing the following year, Apollo 8 gave us the iconic “Earthrise” photo. The stirring image brought home that Earth is a tiny, fragile island in the vast, wine-dark sea of space.
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Now, Artemis II, which is flying around the moon as part of plans for a return mission to the lunar surface, has provided us with a similarly stunning photo, nicknamed “Earthset.”
Time will tell if it will have the same impact as its predecessor.
Stephen A. Silver, San Francisco
What about Israel’s nukes?
There appears to be an agreement on the part of U.S. media — the Chronicle included — to never mention that Israel is estimated to possess at least 90 nuclear warheads. Without this knowledge, it is not possible to understand what is driving the war with Iran.
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The war has nothing to do with the oppressive Iranian regime. During his first term, President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council and ended American funding to it. Trump has never complained about the mistreatment of the citizens of Russia, North Korea, Egypt or any other of his favorite authoritarian regimes.
Attacking Iran was sold to Trump by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a report in the New York Times, and, is not about preventing a nuclear attack on the U.S. — something Iran lacks the means to do.
The war is about Israel’s fear of losing its nuclear monopoly. So long as Israel remains the only nuclear power in the Mideast, no opponent can dare threaten it. This leaves Israel free to occupy Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese land and to assassinate the leaders of opposing countries.
Matthew Hallinan, Berkeley
Get kids off social media
Regarding “With Meta and YouTube verdicts, Silicon Valley is having its big tobacco moment” (Open Forum, SFChronicle.com, April 8): The Open Forum about the legal environment surrounding social media is a description of the problem but doesn’t offer a prescription.
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The evidence is clear, social media as constituted is a danger to kids. The solution is keeping them off social media.
Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.
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Effectively keeping kids off social media requires that every internet user be officially identified. How that squares with the ease of use and anonymity that is a feature, not bug, of the internet is a huge issue.
Let’s hear ideas about that.