Is standing with Israel a stand for justice and peace? That is the question | Opinion

Which God will we serve

A recent statement,“I am standing with Israel,” made me wonder.

When faced with strife and war, the misconception is that we need to choose “sides.” Be it war, police brutality, corrupt officials and landlords etc.

In each case, we are faced with injustice — oppression, prejudice, hatred, and violence — the core of inhumanity.

Therefore, the question should not be whether we stand with Israel or Palestine, the barbaric police or their victim; the homeless person or corrupt landlord? But whether we stand with justice and peace, or with inhumanity.

For Christians, especially the “wannabe Christians,” the question is, “Which God will we stand with, worship and serve?” Is it with the God of violence, vengeance, and hatred of the “chosen people” Israel? Or is it with the kind, just and loving God of the Samaritan who was willing to get involved and stopped his life to help the victim attacked, robbed, and left for dead on the road.

It is a necessary question, but more so, is the answer. My brothers and sisters, there is no better time than now to choose our God as it will determine the kind of person we truly are.

Jovia Harrah, Fresno

Madera housing too expensive

I am writing about the lack of affordable housing in Madera. I have seen the effects firsthand of the inability to find affordable housing here and I know that something needs to change. The pandemic has only made this problem worse, and it is time for the City Council to take action.

Many low-income residents are struggling to find a place to live, and the situation is only getting worse. Rents have been rising dramatically, and a shortage of homes for rent exists in Madera County. The only listings available currently range from $1,100-$3,200, which is a ridiculous amount for most families to afford in our community.

This is hitting low-income residents the hardest, with many of them having to resort to moving back in with their parents, couch surfing or renting rooms from strangers, which can have detrimental negative effects on the safety as well as mental health of themselves and their children.

Opinion

I urge the council to take immediate action to address this crisis. We need more affordable housing options for low-income residents, and we need to ensure that landlords are not taking advantage of the situation by raising rents.

I look forward to hearing back from you about how you plan to address the issues I’ve raised in this letter. I have currently reached out to my council woman here locally and I am waiting for a response. I urge everyone to let their voices be heard on this housing crisis we are facing.

Marissa Gonzalez, Madera

How to get a new street tree

Here is a positive story about Fresno City Hall. Recently we lost a beautiful flowering pear tree in front of our house in the grassy area between the sidewalk and the curb, which the city calls the “park strip.”

A few large branches had already fallen and the disease that had yellowed part of the trunk and branches left the tree vulnerable to high winds. I called the Public Works Department and they sent a crew to remove the tree and the stump at no cost.

Subsequently I learned that the city’s Forestry Program will replace a tree that was removed or even plant one if you have room for it in the park strip, which the city owns.

The Landscape Division sent me a simple permit to request a tree. They included a two-page list of large, medium and small trees with an indication whether the tree was a very low, low or moderate water user.

Unfortunately, my first choice was not available, so I selected another tree. To my delight there is an autumn purple ash staked in my park strip by the forestry program. It is a bare branch now, but I look forward to watching it grow, bud and blossom.

If you would like to take advantage of this program just call 559-621-1330.

Francine M. Farber, Fresno

Humiliating visit to DMV

For years the Dept. of Motor Vehicles had a reputation for brusqueness and unfriendly attitudes. Supposedly it has tried to burnish its image, and in some cases it has done so. But not completely and especially if you are handicapped.

Recently I went over to the Visalia DMV office to obtain a set of handicapped plates and plastic card. The result was one of the most humiliating experiences in my life.

Until a few months ago I was a normally healthy late-70s person. Suddenly I found myself unable to walk, and having to undergo a serious operation. The result has left me only able to walk with a walker and unable to travel without a wheelchair. Thus the visit to the DMV.

In order to obtain the special plates, the DMV requires that you present a three-page form filled out and signed by your doctor. It includes a space which supposedly requires the physician to specify the reason for the plates. I guess the DMV does not recognize the doctor-patient confidentiality relationship.

I suspect that this ignorance of confidentiality is a knee-jerk reaction to the misuse of handicapped parking spaces by some of the lazier, scummier denizens of our community. When I turned the application in to a DMV representative, I was met by not one but two refusals, with the claim that the diagnosis was not sufficient.

I had never felt so degraded. I began to understand how our society ignores the handicapped. What happened to me is only the tip of the iceberg.

Everywhere one travels there are barriers for those in wheelchairs. This includes height problems, barriers on public roadways, even using the toilet. But this reaction by the DMV was totally outrageous. After all, what they were doing was punishing the honest driver.

But there is a good ending to this story. I have an exemplary caregiver. The next day he simply drove over to the smaller DMV office in Tulare. A few hours later he returned — plates and placard in hand.

So shame on the Visalia DMV for putting us through what appears to be unnecessary harassment. Bravo to the folks in Tulare for treating handicapped people like persons, instead of criminals.

Steve Pendleton, Visalia

Poor road work planning

Barstow Ave was just repaved. It was needed. Of course, less than a month later a road crew is tearing a hole into the brand new repaved road.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen this play out in Fresno. Can’t the road crew communicate with the other departments so that this can be planned better? It is really a waste of public funds when a brand new repaved road has to be patched up time and again.

Unfortunately this happens way too often. Come on city of Fresno Public Works Department. Let’s do a little planning next time and quit wasting taxpayer dollars with needless patching of brand new roadways.

Stephen L. Mar, Fresno