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DA Rosen has duty
to seek death penalty
District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s announcement that his office will no longer ask for the death sentence, was “welcome news” to the Mercury News Editorial Board (“District attorney’s end of death penalty is welcome news,” July 24). Even Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would follow the voters’ will expressed in Proposition 17, if reluctantly. But despite his oath of office, Rosen has no such qualms.
Since Prop. 17 passed in 1972 there have been hundreds of capital convictions with “special circumstances” (a euphemism for particularly depraved murders) and 13 executions. If a district attorney refuses to vigorously prosecute crime, I believe it is, at least, nonfeasance but more likely arrogance. Let the jury decide.
If the California polity wants to eliminate capital punishment, let’s see the Judicial Reform Act or an approved propostion. Until then I call on Rosen to do his job. If he believes that specific circumstances justify withholding a capital charge, let him make his case to the public he is pledged to serve and protect.
Ty Greaves
San Jose
Compassionate churches
follow coronavirus rules
As the rate of COVID-19 infections spikes around the country, the rate of irrational response also appears to be ascendant. This moment calls for thoughtful leadership.
So it distresses me to see church communities viewing the shelter-in-place ordinances as an affront to religious liberty. It is irresponsible for religious institutions to proclaim that we should be exempted from rational precaution. Our watchword ought to be compassion. Compassion for our constituents, compassion for all others, not simply insisting on being able to do as we wish.
First Congregational Church of San Jose, the community I serve, has made the sacrificial determination to remain exclusively a virtual community through the end of the year. We refuse to endanger our membership or the community at large. As difficult as it may be to face, we think this is the most compassionate response we can make.
Rev. Tom Gough
First Congregational Church of San Jose
Feds should assume
liability responsibility
The next phase of stimulus money being negotiated by Democrats and Republicans to help the states pay for COVID-related deficits seems to be stuck on who is going to pay for anyone infected at any businesses.
Republicans want to provide blanket liability to businesses and shift it to the employees and customers. Democrats are not agreeing to this concept and they want protection for them.
A quick way to resolve this is to let the federal government assume liability and help with treatment costs and compensate for loss of income.
Mohan Raj
San Jose
Rise in cases begs
for effective response
For the people trying their hardest to keep those around them safe during this pandemic, watching irresponsible people putting everyone at risk as we try our hardest destroys our spirits.
When the shelter-in-place happened in March for the Bay Area, I believe many of us were under the impression that a coordinated, timely response to COVID-19 could get it under control. For two weeks, we cracked open saving accounts to take pandemic precautions. Sanitizer and masks were expensive, but it was in hopes that infection rates would flatten out and we’d develop a way to resume business in a sustainably safe way. But the country’s incredibly botched and uncoordinated response disheartens all of us who did our part.
Now, California’s infection rates continue to climb and many emergency funds dwindle. For everyone’s sake, I hope California implements an effective response to get our cases under control.
Jeffrey Ko
Fremont
Despite past, Muir’s
good works endure
The idiocy continues in “Sierra Club calls out founder John Muir for ‘racist’ remarks.” (July 23rd)
Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, must have never made a mistake, uttered a harsh word or stereotyped anyone. John Muir has been dead for over 100 years and his good works still live to beautify our land.
Michael Brune’s virtue signaling is pathetic, ridiculous and disgusting. There must be more important news to put on the front page.
Robert Faulhaber
Sunnyvale
Artful reminders could
help stem COVID cases
With San Jose’s COVID-19 cases rising (“San Jose among 12 cities feds are tracking for worrisome COVID-19 uptick,” July 23) it seems that more and better reminders about wearing face masks would be helpful and beneficial to all.
How about the city of San Jose (and county of Santa Clara) allocate some of their emergency funding for our local artists to make eye-catching signs in different languages, reminding people to wear masks? The signs should be spread throughout San Jose with this striking and effective reminder.
It is a win for the community: We get noticeable signage reminders, local artists get a bit of work, and (hopefully) more people get on the mask bandwagon so we can lessen the rising cases. C’mon San Jose, we can do this!
Tina Morrill
San Jose
