{"id":4154,"date":"2026-07-09T23:39:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154"},"modified":"2026-07-09T23:39:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T23:39:35","slug":"letters-americas-promise-seen-in-the-victories-of-the-vulnerable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154","title":{"rendered":"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Victories by the weak show America\u2019s promise<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cU.S. celebrates 250th as country\u201d (Page A1, July 5).<\/p>\n

The article inspired me. Reporter Steven Sloan wrote, \u201cVice President JD Vance said small but loud voices would speak on America\u2019s birthday about its imperfections instead of its greatness.\u201d Sloan quoted Vance: \u201cThey will tell you that America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Letters: Meaningful regulation must catch up with Waymo<\/a><\/p>\n

America is strong because its weak sometimes win against the strong and lessen our national imperfections. The weak sometimes restore the Declaration of Independence\u2019s \u201clife, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness\u201d rights usurped by the strong. The end of slavery and the rise of workers\u2019 rights, women\u2019s rights and civil rights are examples.<\/p>\n

The quotation from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a call to action: \u201cThose ideals upon which our nation was built \u2014 they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim Driggers<\/strong>
\nConcord<\/em><\/p>\n

Article unnecessarily retraumatizes family<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cMan who drove off cliff won\u2019t face jail\u201d (Page A1, July 8).<\/p>\n

I cannot fathom how the dismissal of criminal charges against the radiologist who, more than three years ago, drove with his family off a cliff, warranted front-page status in the Monday (July 7) East Bay Times \u2014 complete with a 2023 mugshot and a revisiting of details about his wife and children.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

It is enough that their lives were upended by such a horrific event and all the inevitable publicity. Trauma never really ends for survivors, and I read nothing in the current story that warranted re-exposing them to such a degree. It seemed sensational.<\/p>\n

John Doggett<\/strong>
\nDanville<\/em><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s \u2018golden touch\u2019 dooms the USMNT<\/h4>\n

I was really disappointed by the loss of the U.S. Men\u2019s National Team in the World Cup.<\/p>\n

However, as the news came out about how Donald Trump interfered\u00a0in FIFA\u2019s decision about Folarin Balogun\u2019s red card suspension, it struck me as funny. The \u201cTrump Curse\u201d was also seen at the New York Knicks\u2019 only loss in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Throw in things like the ruined reflecting pool, the East Wing-into-ballroom shambles, and even the debacle in Iran, and it\u2019s clear that Trump must have the opposite of the \u201cMidas touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Heffernan<\/strong>
\nHayward<\/em><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s energy policy is taking us backwards<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cSolar cold storage helps African farmers cut losses\u201d (Page C7, July 6).<\/p>\n

I was fascinated by the article on the use of solar power in parts of Africa to create electricity to power the coolers that help preserve produce and other crops from spoilage prior to selling.<\/p>\n

This is in contrast to the Trump administration\u2019s effort to reduce the use of solar power in favor of going back to fossil fuels to generate electricity. While it appears people in Africa are embracing modern technology, the Trump administration wants us to go backwards. What is wrong with this picture?<\/p>\n

Read more Dine Downtown San Jose: 45 restaurants, 11 days of deals<\/a><\/p>\n

Roger Wood<\/strong>
\nFremont<\/em><\/p>\n

Rein in college costs so students succeed<\/h4>\n

As a college student, I believe the rising cost of higher education continues to put unnecessary stress on students.<\/p>\n

Tuition, textbooks, housing and everyday expenses have become so expensive that many students must work long hours while trying to keep up with their classes. This can make it difficult to succeed academically and take advantage of internships or campus opportunities that help prepare us for our careers. Education should be an investment in our future, not a financial burden that follows students for years.<\/p>\n

I hope colleges and state leaders continue looking for ways to make higher education more affordable so that students can focus on learning instead of worrying about how they will pay their next bill.<\/p>\n

Rylie Keegan<\/strong>
\nTracy<\/em><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s mining road desecrates tribal land<\/h4>\n

It is an outrage that President Trump wants to build a road\u00a0that will go through the sacred lands of indigenous people in Alaska.<\/p>\n

The land features caribou migration and food systems that they rely on. Indigenous people\u2019s way of life should be preserved and should not be desecrated in favor of corporate industries.<\/p>\n

Billy Trice Jr.<\/strong>
\nOakland<\/em><\/p>\n

Regulation needs to catch up with Waymo<\/h4>\n

Re: \u201cWaymo car delivers misbehaving teen passengers to San Mateo police\u201d (July 7).<\/p>\n

I am writing to discuss the safety and policies surrounding self-driving ride-sharing services.<\/p>\n

In the United States, you need to be at least 16 years old to have a driver\u2019s license, and even after you get your license at 16, there are still restrictions, so why are there no restrictions when a driver is not present? If a person couldn\u2019t manually stop the car to prevent harm such as a crash, they shouldn\u2019t be in a self-driving vehicle.<\/p>\n

Technology may be advancing at an incredible rate with each passing day, but that does not mean it is immune to mistakes. As with AI, self-driving cars and their services are advancing faster than laws can be made, and they are in desperate need of regulation.<\/p>\n

Read more Kurtenbach: Five under-the-radar moves that could loom large for the 2026 49ers<\/a><\/p>\n

Ginnette Hamelin<\/strong>
\nMarina<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Also: Retraumatizing family | ‘Golden touch’ | Energy policy | College costs | Mining road | Regulate Waymo. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for July 10, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nLetters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Also: Retraumatizing family | 'Golden touch' | Energy policy | College costs | Mining road | Regulate Waymo. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for July 10, 2026.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-09T23:39:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T23:39:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154\"},\"wordCount\":891,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154\",\"name\":\"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-09T23:39:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=4154#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable - Next City Digest","og_description":"Also: Retraumatizing family | 'Golden touch' | Energy policy | College costs | Mining road | Regulate Waymo. East Bay Times reader letters to the editor for July 10, 2026.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-07-09T23:39:35+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable","datePublished":"2026-07-09T23:39:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154"},"wordCount":891,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp","articleSection":["Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154","name":"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-09T23:39:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5f1722b70b7721b49fd9f06e8bdefb36.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4154#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Letters: America’s promise seen in the victories of the vulnerable"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}