Letters for April 14, 2022

Save the salmon

I’m writing in response to Justin Hayes’ guest opinion on April 3 titled, “Speak the truth about salmon.” We must breach the four lower Snake River dams and save these fish. It’s just four dams too many.

This complex issue is too difficult for Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dan Newhouse so instead they cling to disinformation. What a shame. I encourage Gov. Inslee and Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray to continue to be champions for our salmon.

These dams cost more to operate than they produce in electrical revenue. Because of the great reduction in barge traffic due to increased rail shipment of grain, and advances in solar and wind power generation, we can do without these costly dams.

The pristine tributaries of the Snake River are the ancient home of these fish. Imagine the Salmon River teeming with salmon again and Redfish Lake once again harboring red fish. Let’s honor our treaties with the tribes. Let’s not say, “Sorry, Salmon” let’s say “Go Salmon!”

Cindy Bunnell

Spokane

All wars entail crimes

So much talk is happening about war crimes. Every war has plenty of international war crimes to go around. Charge Russia with war crimes in Ukraine. Charge the U.S. with war crimes in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. In most wars, innocent civilians are by far the highest casualties. Intention hardly matters with the weapons and technology used today.

The most abhorrent crimes are the building, stockpiling, testing, and the possibility of using nuclear weapons. The U.S. and Russia have 90% of the approximate 13,080 nuclear weapons in the world today. The U.S. is the only country to have used nuclear weapons. The billions of dollars spent on nuclear and other weapons of war directly take away from the real basic needs of humanity. There is plenty of blame to go around.

Any war and preparations for war are a crime.

There will always be conflicts in our world. But can we prepare for peaceful resolutions and effective diplomacy as intensely as we prepare for war? Our future depends on it.

Teresa McCann

Spokane

Trump compromised national security

Every person is responsible for, among many other things, keeping our nation and its national secrets safe.

If you or I worked for any governmental entity or as a contractor to the government and decided to take home any classified documents (electronic or paper form) which includes top secret and above, what would happen to us if law enforcement found out? How many more years would one be able to enjoy a comfy bed instead of a concrete slab?

I believe you get my point.

There are zero exceptions. None.

It has been discovered that Trump took 15 boxes of records with him to Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Classified documents were found within those records. Some documents were so sensitive that they may not be publicly described in an unclassified inventory. Those documents are top secret.

Forget about violating the Presidential Records Act (which he did also) and focus just on this crime he committed.

There are no excuses, no shrugging off responsibility here. Saying, “I didn’t know” or “It’s not my fault” just doesn’t cut it.

Trump is NOT the victim here.

He compromised national security.

High ranking people within our government can sometimes retain their security clearance so they can be brought into a discussion about a top secret matter. But they cannot have any top secret documents at their house.

Jason Ernsting

Nine Mile Falls

Some perspective

Dana Milbank’s column on April 10 (“Too many Republicans fit profile of fraud, fear, fascism”) was definitely from a left point of view, which is expected. However, his “fraud, fear, fascism” view of Republicans was summed up for me by his relating the “Don’t say Gay” legislation (his words) in Florida.

He obviously was touting left views and hadn’t read the legislation. It says nothing about “don’t say …” It does ban teaching gender identity to elementary kids in grades K-3, which I as a retired educator support fully. Children are at an early developmental stage (child development was definitely a part of my education at UW) and are learning to read, do math, etc. The legislation prohibits any teaching of gender matters as we now recognize them in our society, and yes, that includes any “straight” sexual orientation.

I almost laughed when he referred to some Republicans “cavorting with white nationalists” and his “not all Republicans think this way” statements. Inflammatory statements in lieu of facts are getting tiresome!

Judy LaMont

Colbert