Readers Write: Israel-Hamas war, home security, online safety, the Twins

Opinion editor’s note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

We are all bystanders. The world is on the curb watching Gaza as our tax money squeezes the life out of the place, the same way it was squeezed out of George Floyd. Instead of a large man, however, the lives being tortured and snuffed are mostly women and children. And it could be stopped.

Like Derek Chauvin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accustomed to acting with impunity. The large tax-armed line of the United States is behind him. So too is the huge wealth related to fossil fuels. U.S. officials have long highlighted the importance of the special relationship with Israel because of its location in the oil region.

Our Minnesota National Guard troops are now being sent into harm’s way in Kuwait (”550 Guard troops deploy to Middle East,” Feb. 2). They are in danger of the reciprocal escalating violence. And our troops also are being sent to potential permanent moral injury, required to defend those committing genocide. Plausible evidence indicates that Israel intends to force Palestinians off the land — by death or despair — and replace them with Israelis.

It’s time for a better world security system, one not dominated by wealthy, cruel bullies. The humanitarian forces in the U.S. prevailed in establishing mechanisms for the world to remain at peace after World War II. We, the American people, who care about others, must reclaim our foreign policy to promote peacemaking instead of arms-manufacturing profits and death by fossil fuels. Time’s up for Americans to stop the death spiral.

Amy A. Blumenshine, Minneapolis

•••

The terrorist attack on Tower 22 in Jordan demonstrates that historical lessons must be learned again. The ongoing appeasement of the Obama and Biden administrations fostered an attitude of boldness that now has resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers and the wounding of some 34 additional troops. Attempting to buy cooperation with billions of dollars along with ignoring our oil sanctions have emboldened Iran. Back in October, when it appeared Iran was going to sponsor some proxy incursions after the Hamas attack, Biden said: “Don’t, don’t, don’t.” This was apparently his “red line,” which did nothing but encourage attacks that now number some 160. This is the continuation of Biden foreign policy failures that began with the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Some 19,000 ships carrying over a $1 trillion in goods and materials traverse the Suez Canal annually. Because of Houthi attacks coming from Yemen, international shipping has been diverted from the Red Sea going around Africa. This adds about three weeks and millions of dollars in delays and expense. Minor pinpricks against Houthi outposts have done nothing but encourage continued attacks.

Because of a weak initial response starting with the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, violence in the region has escalated to additional countries. The U.S. must now reclaim its standing in the region. Reversing course on Trumps’s oil sanctions has allowed Iran to reap billions to their economic benefit and to supply arms to their proxies. Biden’s foreign policy of “peace through appeasement” must be replaced with “peace through strength” — something a previous president knew all too well.

Joe Polunc, Waconia

The writer of the opinion piece on security cameras claims that such cameras have a minimal effect on reducing crime (”The whole world is watching, and that’s got to stop,” Opinion Exchange, Feb. 5). This may be true, but there is so much more that these cameras do that the writer was unaware of — or chose to ignore. How many thousands of criminal offenders have been identified and later caught by reviewing their actions caught on camera? How often has video evidence been used in a trial to prove somebody’s guilt or innocence? How many videos of traffic accidents have been reviewed to determine who was in the wrong?

Personally, we depend heavily on our Ring doorbell, which, in five years, has never revealed a suspicious person at our front door. Instead, when we are not home, we use our Ring doorbell to communicate with delivery people, talk to neighbors who may stop by, or even let us know when our cleaning person is done so we can return home and not be in her way. No, sorry, security cameras are not all about preventing crime.

Richard Engebretson, Wayzata

I am submitting my letter to your editor in response to a letter from Feb. 2, “Protection or control?”

In 2020, my son Devin died after taking a pill he bought off Snapchat. He believed it was a Percocet for his tooth pain and had no idea it was laced with fentanyl. I have since made it my mission to keep Devin’s memory alive and protect other families from this same fate by advocating for better protections for our kids on social media. Sen. Amy Klobuchar has been a key ally in this fight, consistently pushing for legislation to support families and kids as they grapple with the threats posed by these platforms. A recent letter to the editor about one of these bills, the Kids Online Safety Act, was misinformed.

The bipartisan bill does not infringe on free speech — it’s simply common sense. The legislation would prevent the illegal sale of dangerous drugs like fentanyl on social media platforms by requiring these companies to take steps to ensure kids are not exposed to design features or algorithms that promote the sale of illegal drugs, suicide or sexual exploitation. This bill will make platforms think twice before they push dangerous and addictive content. It’s endorsed by more than 200 organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

This bill, along with others like the Cooper Davis Act, which will give law enforcement tools to crack down on drug dealers on these sites, are critical to protecting our kids. I have seen Klobuchar’s tireless work on behalf of children like Devin firsthand, and I cannot think of a stronger champion to keep all of our kids safe online.

Bridgette Norring, Hastings

The writer is founder, Devin J. Norring Foundation.

I was shocked and beyond disappointed to read the sports page and to see that the Twins have once again locked a huge number of fans out of watching games on TV for another season (”Game on: New deal for Twins, BSN in ‘24,” Feb. 3). I felt my enthusiasm for the start of the season slowly drain, as I read they had reached another deal with Bally without a direct-to-consumer streaming option — which they had said they would create. This is such a letdown and seems to be so tone-deaf. This affects so many fans, potential fans and particularly younger fans, as streaming is becoming (if it’s not already) the norm. My adult kids no longer watch, and there is no opportunity to watch with and teach my young grandchildren to enjoy baseball and turn them into future Twins fans. We are all otherwise happy with our TV services, and specifically arranged some of the packages to include channels that were then broadcasting the Twins — then they pulled the switch on all of us. No one can go to all of the games, and it makes the whole experience more fun when you can watch on TV in between live games. We have considered some type of season ticket option for several years, but we will never do this as long as we are thoughtlessly locked out of watching at home — until there is more respect and consideration given to so many of us as fans.

This is really above-and-beyond bad. Maybe we’ll have to move to Kansas City and become Royals fans. They figured it out!

Cindy Smith, Edina