Letters for Saturday, April 15, 2023

The solution? Bigger guns

One Republican legislator in Tennessee says he would put a tank in every school if that would protect kids from active shooters. Since Republicans won’t allow regulation of AR-15s, maybe he’s right. The solution is bigger guns for everybody.

Republicans are the same way about their money. They say it is illegal, unethical, unconstitutional, evil and preposterous to even talk about raising personal income tax rates for the wealthy, even though the wealthy used to pay double what they do now.

Republicans can see, feel, almost touch the promised land where guns and money rule over everything else in America.

Ronald Reagan gave Republicans the idea of the sacredness of the gold of the wealthy. The Citizens United court decision gave unlimited corporate campaign donations to the party’s candidates. Donald Trump gave Republicans the green light to govern using outrageous tyrannical methods.

Now pretty boy Ronny DeSantis gives them the hope they can finally complete the transition of America the Beautiful into a hellish place ruled by ignorant billionaire snobs who do and say whatever they want.

Let’s tip one to our ancestors, who are glad they left this place before having to see what it has turned into.

Kimball Shinkoskey

Woods Cross, Utah

It’s all up to us

The major malfunction in “the land of the free and the home of the brave” is our system of profits at all costs. What it has cost us all is flavor and nutrition in our food, a decent place to live because we can’t afford the rent, bankruptcy because we can’t afford the medications we need to keep us alive. Now the NRA and the Supreme Court want us to sacrifice our children so they can buy fancy suits and take lavish vacations. Maybe it is time that “We the People” have something to say about it. The Republicans are the problem, voting them out is the only solution.

Brian Kendall

Republic, Washington

Rwanda’s tragic history made for impressive transformation

In Kinyarwanda, the primary language used in Rwanda, Kwibuka means “to remember.” This week Rwanda does just that as they commemorate the 29th anniversary of the Genocide Against the Tutsi, where in just 100 days in 1994, an estimated 800,000 men, women and children were brutally murdered.

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda, this is a somber time to share with my friends, colleagues and neighbors. I can never know the horrors that many of them witnessed and their stories are not mine to share. What I can do however, is to help others become aware of their history and just as importantly, their strength and incredible will to recover.

It’s crucial to remember that Rwanda is not defined by this period of its history. The transformation in the 29 years since the Genocide Against the Tutsi has been nothing short of astonishing. Rwanda is now consistently ranked as one of the safest and cleanest countries in Africa. Rwanda has the highest percentage of women in parliament of any country in the world. The health center I serve at regularly gets urgent medical deliveries from autonomous drones. All of this would not be possible if it weren’t for the unwavering strength of so many Rwandans and their ability to reconcile with their tragic past.

Living in Rwanda and witnessing this resiliency every day is a privilege I don’t take for granted. I hope others will take the time to learn and celebrate it as well.

Cameron Marsh

Rathdrum

UFO drip feed?

UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) or “UFOs” have been in the world spotlight due to an explosive news article, “Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money.’ The Pentagon’s Mysterious UFO Program” (New York Times, Dec. 16, 2017). No longer is there a laugh when someone says “UFO” during a national press briefing.

Bipartisan UFO bills have been passed by our U.S. Congress the last three years by attaching these UFO bills into the annual defense bill.

In 2021, the UFO bill signed into law forced the Pentagon to give UFO reports to Congress and to the public, yearly going forward.

In 2022, the UFO bill required the Pentagon to tell Congress about everyone that has ill health effects due to UFOs.

In 2023, the UFO bill gives whistleblower immunity to people coming forward wanting to talk about UFO’s to Congress, expands the yearly public report to include the whole Department of Defense and allows whistleblowers the ability to sue the government or a private business if they are retaliated against for coming forward to Congress about UFOs.

It is crystal clear that the U.S. Congress wants to figure out the UFO topic by stating in the 2023 bill that Congress wants reports on UFOs that are in space, air and the sea.

Is the world being drip fed UFO information that will lead to some sort of disclosure? 2023 might be the year … don’t think aliens, think UFOs (or UAP).

Mike Sweeney

Medical Lake

Pass act to prevent wildfires

Daffodils are blooming as spring sets in, which brings plans for barbecues, graduation parties and summer fun in the sun. However, we must also face the realities of canceled sports and family events due to the imminent wildfire smoke that now plague our summers in the Pacific Northwest. Thankfully, there is a unique federal-state partnership underway in Washington called the Good Neighbor Authority that could be a model for the rest of the country to implement best practices for effective forest management and preventing catastrophic wildfires and the smoke that comes with them.

GNA was authorized by Congress in the 2014 Farm Bill to equip state agencies and local entities with the ability to enter into agreements with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. In Northeast Washington, a group of public and private partners in the Colville National Forest is making use of the GNA by allowing timber contractors to bear the costs of the environmental analysis required for such projects, in exchange for a contract with federal agencies to perform the harvesting and restoration work.

Projects to reduce wildfire risk such as mechanical forest thinning and controlled burns are at the heart of what makes this project beneficial to all Washingtonians. Therefore, we should build upon the GNA to accomplish a variety of important forest restoration projects on national forestlands. Congress should pass the Root and Steam Project Authorization Act to aid the health of our environment and our communities.

Jordan Hansen

Ephrata

Vote for those who support stricter gun laws

Gun violence and mass shootings have become a norm with a very high price. The question is always the same. Why are we not passing stricter gun laws?

Voters, you need to do your homework. It’s very easy to see who votes for and against stricter gun laws. Every voter has the power to enforce stricter gun laws. Voters, you need to vote in people that support stricter gun laws. Vote against the politicians that vote against stricter gun laws.

Cathy and many of her party will not vote for stricter gun laws. The NRA heavily supports the Republican party. The NRA contributes very large sums of money to their campaigns so they are elected again. The Republicans don’t want to lose that money from the NRA.

If you don’t vote for change, then you need to shut up and stop complaining. Elections are coming up.

Debbey Rainey

Spokane