Today's twofer
Letters in the Daily Pilot and Stu News Laguna
Appreciating Apodaca
Online now … I applaud columnist Patrice Apodaca for her insightful commentary about the recent tragedy at Fashion Island (Daily Pilot & TimesOC, July 14). Despite mass shootings in Laguna Woods and San Bernardino, far too many people believed gun violence would never make its way to Newport. Sadly, that view simply isn’t true any longer.
Alarmed by mass shootings at Sandy Hook, Parkland, Uvalde and scores of other schools, 50 of my Laguna Beach neighbors and I co-signed an open letter last summer urging President Biden to convene a gun safety summit at Camp David. When we posted the letter online, 1,000 people coast to coast quickly added their names.
The next time the Surgeon General issues a public health warning about gun violence, my friends and I hope he will encourage the president to take a page out of Jimmy Carter’s 1978 playbook, when the former president hosted Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel for two weeks at Camp David until they forged a peace agreement.
Imagine what could happen if Biden invited representatives from the National Rifle Assn., 2nd Amendment proponents, national law enforcement officials and family members of shooting victims to Camp David. I am a realist, so I am sure their initial discussions would be raw and discouraging; still, I am equally certain that in the end they will be able to agree on several new gun safety measures Congress can approve.
America’s killing fields are littered with victims of gun violence. This now includes Newport. The time has come for a summit at Camp David.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
Red flags help pedestrians cross streets safely
I've just returned from a weekend in Seattle where I saw something new. At least, it was new to me. Modeled after other cities like Bridgeport, CT and Salt Lake City, Seattle has placed red flags in baskets on opposite sides of streets to help pedestrians cross both ways safely. Waving my flag as I walked across a busy intersection, I couldn't help but think about Laguna's busy streets. Could red flags help prevent mishaps at the intersection of Forest and Ocean near City Hall? Could red flags help pedestrians cross Glenneyre at Mermaid near the library? Or, could red flags alert motorists that people were crossing PCH on their way to or from the beach? Public safety is a key goal of city council members or would-be members. Salt Lake reports each flag costs 50 cents. If you ask me, this seems like a cost-effective way to help protect pedestrians crossing Laguna's streets safely.
Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach
I like the 'Red flag' idea - it's been implemeted in Spokane as well as Seattle, and probably in other large Washington cities - Olympia, Bellingham, etc.. Of course, we also have a lot of pedestrian-auto conflagrations at intersections up here, and too few traffic cops to monitor speeders.
I, personally, would like to see Biden call a Camp David Summit with his doctors, Democratic Party leaders, Senators and Congresspersons to address his electability. As much as I credit him for his good work and very successful presidency, I worry that he has reached the end of his ability to effectively campaign - or function as President. The 2nd Amendment issue is not going to be resolved unless a dramatic change happens in congress (both houses) and the Supreme Court, and that is going to happen at the ballot box, not at Camp David.
Biden's continued insistence that he will only step down if God tells him to (maybe) or his doctors tell him to (doubtful) is only delaying the inevitable. He could pass the torch now, with dignity and honor, or be defeated in November. There are several democrats in the wings who would - or DO - poll better than Biden: Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Gavin Newsome to name 3, and I bet Denny has another handful in mind. If the Biden cult keeps him in the race, then his legacy will be the election of Donald Trump and the undoing of everything Biden's administration has accomplished, and the rapid dismantling of America's experiment in democracy.
I supported him early on, when I thought his detractors were simply playing the age card. But after the debate, and two live interviews (Holt & Stephanopoulis) showed him to be unable to complete sentences or maintain focus through an entire thought, it became clear that his Whitehouse Team had been keeping a dark secret. He's quite adept at reading the telepromter, but thinking on his feet and communicating his thoughts effectively? Not so much.
Now that we know, we must circle the wagons around democracy, not Biden, and make winning this election the goal of democrats, progressives, liberals, fence-sitters, middle-of-the-roaders, the undecided, the youth, the Hispanic and Black voters, and everyone else that will listen.
The Great American Idea depends on it.