Berkeley brain vs. Nunes numbness | Letters to the editor, Sept. 14, 2018 | Fresno Bee

Having Berkeley brain a good thing

I’d like to thank letter-writer Scott Alston of Tulare who wrote (Sept. 1) what he thought was a response to pro-Andrew Janz/anti-Devin Nunes letters to The Bee. A) Thanks for the morning chuckle about Planned Parenthood practicing eugenics. It kept me in good humor all day whenever I thought about it. B) And thanks for reinforcing my decision to vote for Andrew Janz. Alston was curious why people outside of our district support Janz. Easy. Nunes’ play-acting the role of Trump “spy” impacts the entire country, indeed the world. Not only does he do a poor job of it, it is the antithesis of why he was sent to Congress. Also, Nunes spends more time outside of his district than in it. Alston also attempted to diminish the intellect of Janz supporters by claiming they have Berkeley brain. From the sound of it, he thinks it’s something bad. If Alston were at all familiar with UC Berkeley, he would know it is a campus of enormous diversity and worldwide respected curriculum, which is a good thing. In conclusion, I’d rather have a case of Berkeley brain than Nunes numbness.

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Fresno police officer acts with kindness

I would like to give a shout out to the Fresno Police Dept. A recent morning while driving in the left-turn lane at First Street and Bullard Avenue, a car was stalled at the light. Traffic was backed up! A motorcycle policeman managed to cross over the median and get behind the stalled car. He parked his cycle, took off his helmet, and pushed the vehicle through the intersection, returning to his cycle.

He then went to the stalled vehicle, which was sitting in the filling station driveway. Thank you to the FPD for your act of kindness.

Fines for water use not the answer

California’s water crisis has been a sensitive topic for residents in recent years with drought conditions and poor snow and rainfall almost every season. I agree with the state government that we need to come up with a more permanent solution to the problem rather than limit water usage only in dry years; however I don’t feel limiting water usage per person is practical. Gov. Brown’s plan to limit each person to 55 gallons of water a day is a means of government control. The restrictions will force people to choose between washing laundry or doing dishes and taking a shower. It will limit the ability to provide adequate care for our animals and prevent people from growing their own fruits and vegetables, which some families will no longer be able to afford to buy in the stores because the limited water for farmers will cause the price of produce to go up. The restrictions in the Central Valley will in turn affect the entire agricultural industry across the country. There has to be something else the state can do besides drastically limiting water usage and fining anyone who violates it.

Mental illness calls for compassion

Why does mental illness continue to get ignored in everyday life? People still fail to realize the constant toll mental health takes on an individual. Sure, medicine to help cope with a mental illness is provided, but where is the actual support? People need more than a prescription in order to finally overcome and conquer their illness. All the prescription does is stabilize people for short-term results, but it doesn’t really help them in the long run. Once they’re off the pills, their mental illness creeps right back in, and in more than half the cases, it’s even worse at that point. People need, and eventually should learn, to want to seek out therapy or support from anyone that is able to give that to them. We tend to forget how much we, as humans, value and rely on that love and support. This is bigger than just writing a prescription and calling it a day; this is about these individuals’ constant battle dealing with their illness from day to day. We need to look deeper into this and be kinder, be mindful, and be more aware of these situations.