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Laws would assist
codify hate crimes
Re: “Invoice goals to bolster hate-crime costs” (Web page B1, April 2).
I perceive the aim of the California Public Defenders Affiliation’s opposition to additional clarification of hate crime standards that tackle prosecution issues primarily based on accused perpetrators’ motivations. It’s presently too troublesome for the DA to determine a case a jury pertains to and can perceive as against the law.
Hate has develop into normative in our society. So has hate-motivated habits, and this impacts juries.
This laws (AB 1064) nevertheless will make clear for arresting officers, investigators, DAs and CPDAs that a sample of focused hate behaviors establishes a hate crime motivation. The invoice may assist to truly set up, in follow, an understanding of those patterns, as unlawful examples for investigators throughout future case growth.
Individuals who have by no means skilled a hate crime or witnessed one have a tough time understanding “hate in motion,” absent expertise. This must be made clearer to juries.
Delorme MckeeStovall
San Jose
Rejoice reps who
struggle for constituents
Thanks Rep. Ro Khanna for standing up to your constituents.
Rep. Khanna signed the congressional letter from Reps. Brendan Boyle, Pramila Jayapal and Annie Kuster calling for a clear vote to keep away from a default on our money owed and opposing any cuts to Social Safety, Medicare and different packages our neighborhood depends on.
Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy and fellow Republicans are threatening to drive the USA to default on our money owed in the event that they don’t get their method. Their purpose is to slash Social Safety, Medicare, Medicaid and different important packages. Cuts to Social Safety, Medicare and Medicaid pull the rug out from beneath those that have paid into the packages — to not point out the dangers of a recession and job losses if Republicans power the federal government to default on its debt.
When our representatives get up for the folks, fairly than company pursuits or their very own pockets, we prosper.
Rebecca Elliot
San Jose
Maintain staff accountable
for poor sportsmanship
Re: “Purple reign” (Web page C1, April 3).
I used to be appalled by the picture on the entrance web page of the sports activities part exhibiting an LSU participant “mocking” an Iowa participant. Upon studying the article I noticed she discovered this show of poor sportsmanship from her coach, who's quoted laughingly saying, “A lot for preaching protection and rebounding.”
I hope LSU and the NCAA reprimand each of them for his or her actions and feedback. And statements of contrition ought to be a situation for a White Home go to.
Erik Haselbach
Foster Metropolis
Encourage faculties
to pursue range
Re: “Transgender youth: ‘Compelled outing’ payments make faculties unsafe” (Web page A3, March 23).
Studying that Al Stone-Gebhardt was prohibited from utilizing the self-given identify within the diploma, I noticed the problem of constructing cheap boundaries between college and people in gender identification.
There's an pressing want to offer sufficient training to youngsters about gender diversities, respect towards friends and self-acceptance in addition to to colleges about help and respect. Imagining if the schools can worth the vulnerability of the kids of their self-identity, the college might be a safer place for college students to precise, talk and share.
Each college wants to consider its plans for pursuing range. This course of wants long-term cultivation and endurance, requiring the involvement of analysis in regards to the psychology of kids’s growth, self-identity and psychological well being; ethics of academics; fashions of wholesome communities, and many others. Colleges additionally must hearken to recommendation from completely different teams, starting from mother and father to teenagers, from heterosexual folks to gay folks.
Peitong He
San Jose
When leaders lie,
maintain them accountable
Re: “As Iraq Conflict confirmed, consensus in overseas coverage may be harmful” (Web page A7, March 28).
Elizabeth Shackelford writes, “It’s tempting to put blame on people.” The implication is that we, ourselves, are culpable for blindly following our leaders of their folly.
True sufficient, we had been responsible of forgetting to make use of vital considering abilities to evaluate the probability of a trailer within the desert being a producing plant for WMD in addition to questioning how Saddam Hussein, despicable as he was, had something to do with Osama bin Laden.
I might say, nevertheless, that President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Protection Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and others, led an enormous marketing campaign to push the narrative resulting in warfare. Solely Rep. Barbara Lee didn't succumb to the blitz.
We must always heed Shackelford’s recommendation to be extra cautious and self-aware sooner or later, however when our elected leaders deceive us to advertise such an ill-advised coverage, we should maintain them accountable.
William Rosenberg
Kings Mountain
Correction
An editorial Sunday misstated that Senate Invoice 541 would make condoms obtainable to college students in grades 7-12. The invoice applies to grades 9-12.