Letters: Abusing racehorses | Praise achievements | Trans rights | Child care | Transfer is craven
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We must stop abuseof racehorses
So far this year, five young horses have died at Golden Gate Fields. Two died from colic, a terrible affliction, but mostly preventable if horses aren’t fed hard-to-digest, carbohydrate-loaded feed to boost their energy to race abnormally fast. Another victim collapsed after winning a race and sustained a severe injury, the result of horses being trained and raced before they reach musculoskeletal maturity. She was euthanized immediately. The causes of death of the other two remain undisclosed.
Premature deaths aside, horses are tormented by being kept in 12-by-12-foot stalls 23 hours a day and prodded to race with pain-inflicting instruments. As they become unprofitable, some end up abandoned or in slaughterhouses abroad.
When we realize that horseracing isn’t a sport but a legal betting vehicle, it becomes clear why the industry treats the horses it claims to be well-cared-for athletes so callously, why it’s unreformable, and why we must stop it.
Niloofar ShambayatiBerkeley
Time to praise womenof color’s achievements
In light of the Oscars this past weekend, I believe it is important to note the outstanding accomplishments that were achieved Sunday night.
Michelle Yeoh won best actress as Halle Berry presented the award to her. It was a beautiful moment the two talented women shared as they are the only two women of color to win this award in 95 years. This accomplishment radiates hope for our future women leaders and demonstrates the endless amount of achievement women in our society can do.
It is time for women to be recognized for their skills and intelligence. Too often women are ignored and belittled in workplaces, education, social gatherings, etc., solely because of their gender. As we all know, America was built largely by men, and women are making their way to the top day by day.
Natalie MartinezSan Leandro
GOP seeking to erasetrans people’s rights
Having already repealed Roe v. Wade, Republicans see hatred and fear of people born transgendered as the new vehicle for drawing their extremist Christian base to the polls. They are passing anti-trans laws as fast as they can.
The recent Conservative Political Action Conference, held in Texas, was largely dedicated to demonizing trans people. White Christian Nationalist autocrat Viktor Orban of Hungary, the GOP’s new role model, gave the opening address. Michael Knowles of The Daily Wire said to the cheering crowd, “Transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.”
Clearly, the GOP is emulating fascist Hungary, which denies trans people the right to change their name and gender on official government documents — eradicating them from public life.
As Republicans eliminate Fourteenth Amendment equal protection rights for people born trans, they eliminate democracy for all of us. If given enough power, they will eventually come for you.
Grace ClarkLivermore
Illegal immigrants drivechild care shortage
Re: “Deficit may delay new child-care funding” (Page B1, March 14).
Patricia Moran provides child care for low-income families and is dismayed and disappointed that Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed to delay funding for 20,000 additional much-needed slots for subsidized child care for these families in order to help balance the budget.
And yet, California is deemed a sanctuary state with immigrants flooding into our country illegally from the southern border — almost 3 million in 2022 and still climbing. One wonders if they will find jobs, and if they do, who will take care of their children. There’s something wrong with this picture.
I personally really feel for the families mentioned in this article who have been here for a while and are already having a hard time finding affordable child care.
Kim CrowDanville
McCarthy’s transferof Jan. 6 tapes craven
I am appalled by Kevin McCarthy’s utterly craven behavior. His corrupt promises made in a desperate attempt to obtain the House speakership threaten the very fabric of our democracy.
Secretly granting unrestricted access to view the surveillance tapes of the insurrection of Jan. 6 to Tucker Carlson threatens to interfere with the prosecution and criminal proceedings of those involved in the coup attempt. In addition, the members of Congress who are themselves supporters and instigators of the insurrection are the very people who are supervising access to these highly sensitive tapes.
This is an outrageous transfer of government property to those who would use it to claim innocence and spread further the falsehoods concerning the 2020 election.
Caroline LehmanAlbany