Racism, Bad Bunny, morals, and rock ‘n’ roll
Dear editor:
Are you or anybody else a racist simply because they chose not to watch a halftime show? Webster’s II New Collage Dictionary defines racism as, “The notion that one’s own ethnic stock is superior.” “Racist: Prejudice or discrimination based on racism.”
At 4:10 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday I turned on my TV to watch this entertainer, of whom I knew nothing about, called Bad Bunny. What appeared on my screen was a chorus line of scantily clad females wiggling their asses at me. I immediately changed the channel. I turned into the alternative halftime show sponsored by Turning Point USA. I was equally disappointed by the music, the performer, and the lighting. I changed the channel again.
What I was hoping to see, for all America to see, and for the world see was a Kate Smith belting out “God bless America,” or Aretha Franklin or Marian Anderson singing some great old-fashioned spiritual gospel. Ghosts from my past. I remember my father saying he did not like nor understand rock ‘n’ roll. Have I become my father?
Call me old-fashioned, call me a prude, call me a racist, but I believe my moral standards are superior to those I saw on TV. Living in America, I have the freedom to choose, and what I choose is usually based upon my social economical upbringing and life experiences. Even people who contribute to this Readers’ Comments seem to have an “air of superiority.” Me included.
It is great to live in America. Praise God.
David Stedman
Claremont

On respect for the office
Dear editor:
The president of the United States should be respected, not feared.
Opanyi Nasiali 
Claremont

Where have you gone, Walter Cronkite?
Dear editor:
I’ve gotten burned out by the 24/7 news cycle: left-wing, right-wing, center, doesn’t matter. We’ve seen nonstop coverage of the Nancy Guthrie disappearance, the Epstein files, Pam Bondi screaming at Congress, Kristi Noem and ICE, Trump being Trump, and so on.
I get a respite from all this by watching my favorite backyard visitors: squirrels and birds. They get three squares a day in feeders we have outside, and I can’t help but think how innocent they are. They don’t lie, cheat, steal, invest in crypto, create conspiracy theories, post selfies on Facebook, murder indiscriminately. (In fairness, of course, they don’t write symphonies, make great films or discover life-saving medicines. Nothing is perfect, I guess.) With them it’s pure survival instinct. Sure, they may end up a meal for some larger animal, but aren’t we, metaphorically speaking, the “meals” for assorted politicians, con artists, cyber-criminals, etc.? Scams-a-plenty these days.
So when people comment that “it’s a jungle out there,” they’re not far off base. I do miss the days of newsmen like Walter Cronkite when the news wasn’t a profit center overseen by talking heads rehashing the same events ad nauseam and putting an editorial spin on most stories. Just important info broadcast a few times a day. Sadly, that ship has sailed and it’s not coming back.
Don Linde
La Verne

CUSD anti-ICE walkout was performative, not productive
Dear editor:
I stand in strong solidarity with Alex Pilz’s February 13 letter [“Students’ anti-ICE protest was a waste of time”] calling the Claremont students’ anti-ICE walkout a waste of time.
I’m the son of an immigrant. As a 19-year-old who graduated from Claremont High last spring, and as a member of Gen Z, I think about his story often. Securing our borders and reforming our systems to extend real opportunity to immigrants who make our country great aren’t mutually exclusive — America is strongest when we pursue both.
With that said, the February 4 CHS walkout felt performative. Thanks to Pilz for calling this out: Profanity-laced signs, shouts of “f**k ICE,” climbing traffic signals, and ditching class aren’t advocacy — they’re acts of disruption. Cardboard signs and slogans turn immigrants’ real stories into mere sound bites, reducing these complex issues to fleeting gestures.
If protesters truly cared, they’d channel that energy productively: perhaps get a job and donate to organizations making tangible differences without looking performative — RAICES (legal aid and bond for detained families), Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (free defense in detention), or places like Newcomers Access Center in Claremont (connecting refugees to resources), and Claremont Canopy.
The immigration debate demands nuance and sustained effort — not a hall pass or a viral post. When calls for “justice” evaporate the moment the social media aesthetic runs dry or the street corner selfie session ends, it’s time to ask: Do you actually care enough?
Lucas Grannis
Claremont