Letters to the Editor

Chavez family engaged in questionable

non-profit practices

Camille Chavez, a speaker at the recent conference for progressives, claimed that one of the philosophies of the farmworker movement is an oath of poverty.

Poverty for whom? Apparently for the farmworkers themselves, because the Huerta and Chavez families are employed by the “non-profit” charities that they run.

I guess it’s “all in the family,” as they say (see: “Linked Charities Bank on the Chavez Name” in Sept. 13 Los Angeles Times).

I wonder if Camille mentioned that Cesar Chavez opposed illegal immigration? It was sad to recently see people, including a Fresno State professor, invoking his name in support of illegal immigration.

Cesar Chavez knew quite well that illegal immigration pushed down wages for citizen and legal foreign farmworkers, and fought hard for border control to raise the standard of living for these hardworking people.

The UFW, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and other so-called “progressive” organizations, get large amounts of money from tax-payer funded government grants to subsidize their organizations.

This is true of other issue-oriented groups as well. Poor government oversight makes fraud , waste, and supplanting of normal revenues almost a given.

Thomas Jefferson said, “...to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.”

Stop the tyranny!

Lori Nakaguchi
Junior, economics/history major

Influenza awareness critical for students

As the Valley’s climate begins to shift from summer to fall students should be aware of the sickness lingering at the door.
Already, coughs and sniffles can be heard throughout classrooms and in workplaces and the temperature has not even dropped below 90 degrees during the day.
The amount of absences and half-day workers are also being noticed. Students need to prepare themselves for the winter now.
As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Students and staff can do this by getting flu shots as soon as they are available and becoming aware of what they eat and what their daily habits are.
Flu shots are vitally important to the fight against the common flu and possibly the fight against Avian Flu.
Health officials across the nation are warning of an impending influenza pandemic.
The Collegian has the responsibility to inform Fresno State students when and where to obtain a flu shot and how to stay healthy this winter.

Matthew Feryan
Sophomore, community heath major

Lack of sensitivity in literacy column

Even though he seems to think he’s terribly clever, I do not appreciate Mr. Gomes’s sense of humor in “Anti-literacy movement: A worthy cause?”

My father came from a family with a long history in agriculture. He worked as a farmer as a young man, did not attend school frequently, and never fully learned to read until his mid-thirties.

I remember the night that my dad finished his first book, we all waited to eat dinner late so he could finish.

He celebrated that night by taking us all out to dinner and then to ice cream. We all were so proud of him, especially my mother, who hugged and kissed him with tears in her eyes.

This is probably the greatest memory I have from my childhood, we were all so happy.

Even if he was being sarcastic, I think Mr. Gomes should have treated this subject with a little more respect.

Jennifer Bradley
Freshman, business major

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