Contra Costa Times March 6 Letters from our readers

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Mar 6, 2009 | by Anonymous

Concerning the civilian population of Gaza, those who attempt to shift the responsibility for their suffering to Israel are mistaken.

A recent letter writer is appalled at the "hypocrisy" of a previous writer who said, "There are no civilians in Gaza, only terrorists," and "If they're not Hamas, then they would leave Gaza." He mockingly asks, "How would they leave?"

The answer is: Let us suppose the women, children and old men of Gaza chose to march en masse toward Israel, across no man's land, carrying white flags with their hands raised in surrender. Would the Israeli soldiers shoot them down, as the Nazis would have done to the Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto? Absolutely not!

Israel, with its high ethical and humanitarian values, would set up temporary refugee camps along the border and supply the refugees with all their basic needs.

But why is this scenario impossible? Because the Hamas terrorists, in their ruthlessness, would shoot their compatriots in the back. So who, then, is to blame for the suffering of the hapless Palestinian civilians? Those who blame Israel should stop denying reality.

Aaron Blumenfeld

Richmond

Stim funds priority

Regarding the immense amount of sewage spilled into the Bay and the damage it is doing in a multitude of ways, I would think fixing the deteriorating sewage system would rank No. 1 for use of stimulus funds.

Evelyn Botti

El Sobrante

Wrong track

In January, Israel ended its aggression against Gaza, after killing and injuring thousands of Palestinians, including women and children, and generating more hatred and misery.

Israel has failed to achieve its goals. Hamas is still in charge and more popular and stronger than before. The Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, is still a prisoner in Gaza and the rockets continue falling on southern Israel.

On Feb. 10, the Israelis elected a right-wing majority to the Knesset. The right-wing agenda is: No more peace negotiations with the Palestinians, no sovereign Palestinian state, build more settlements in the West Bank and destroy Hamas, the democratically elected Palestinian government. This means more bloodshed.

An Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement without Hamas will not be possible, because Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas have no credibility among the Palestinians due to their corruption and collaboration with Israel and the United States.

Hamas is not going away. Israel must engage Hamas in the political process. Moshe Dayan said: "If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies."

Nabil Wahbeh

Berkeley

Obama's change

We have an administration that sees no harm in having a treasury secretary who, if it were not for his exalted contacts, would be prosecuted for tax evasion. Other appointees were in similar circumstances.

We have a new attorney general who was an assistant attorney general in the Clinton administration and vetted pardons for Clinton, but raised no flags and/or saw no harm in pardoning a wealthy man who, if he had set foot in the United States, would have been arrested.

We have a bill signed without being read that indebts our nation for generations as well as advocating and supporting socialistic policies

Is this President Barack Obama's change? Is he eliminating the free market and changing our way of life? Future generations may never know our freedoms, espoused by our Founders and fought for by our people.

D.C. Rentz

Walnut Creek

More control

A reader offered this logic: Universal health means doctors decide what treatments patients receive.

Would government bureaucrats telling doctors what to do and not do be better than competing insurance company bureaucrats?

As sole payer, government will have more control over your health decisions, not less. Essentially a government employee, your doctor will greet you: "Hi, I'm from the government and I am here to help."

This line usually produces laughter. Oh, I see the logic now -- laughter is good for your health.

Erich P Kellner

Walnut Creek

Unethical doctor

The California Medical Board should investigate and take action against Dr. Michael Kamarava, or Dr. Frankenstein as Bill O'Reilly calls him. I feel it's a violation of medical standards and common sense for a doctor to use in vitro fertilization to help a 33-year- old, unemployed single woman with no health insurance give birth to 14 children.

Kamarava also helped a 49-year-old woman with no health insurance have quadruplets. This doctor is risking the lives of women and creating underweight babies who may have serious health issues for the rest of their lives. We taxpayers will have to pay their bills for years to come.

It's time for the California Medical Board to tell Kamarava his greed, power and control over women has ended.

Al Paltin

Orinda