Letters for Feb. 22, 2023

Cut Timme some slack

So it’s all Timme’s fault that Gonzaga lost a couple of games by one point because he missed a free throw? Never mind that he is shooting over 50% of his free throws and more recently had five of six from the line. What do you need, 100% in addition to frequently scoring 20 to over 30 points per game, even with two to three defenders hanging on him most of the time? Give him a break.

I guess his silly commercials are also bothering you? Have you seen the Charmin Ultra ones with the bears highlighting their bathroom activities? Or the very high-class Haribo candies? Nevermind that he is constantly Player of the Week and an all-around nice guy.

All I can say is “so what?” Miss a few free throws every now and then.

Dorothy De Mers

Liberty Lake

Erasure of history

It appears that Ron DeSantis and a few other Republican governors are working on promoting “fake history.” DeSantis is currently banning particular books that depict Black civil rights movements in the not too distant past. Rosa Parks’ story in book form is one of the many books now banned.

This “snowflake” attitude (can’t handle real history) is dangerous for our democracy. It is in fact, a strong fascist ideology component.

Other examples of some Republican representatives attempting to rewrite history would be: Jan. 6 riots being legitimate discourse, widespread voter fraud in 2020 and “critical race theory” (people of color taking over white America).

We the people have always been a grand mix of cultures and colors. Our diversity is a big strength of ours.

If enough Americans fail to embrace the truth in our affairs, our democracy will fail. I hope we will become a nation of truth-seekers.

Gary Kavanagh

Spokane

Blaming Biden for fentanyl crisis

I wondered how long it would take our MAGA culture warrior to show herself. Aha, there she is! That’s our representative, Commander Cathy McMorris Rodgers zooming into McAllen, Texas, with her Clown Car Caucus.

This “mission” is just another gaudy display of fact-free, strategically deceptive attacks on Joe Biden and Democrats. Leading her squad of Trump irregulars, Cathy’s the first to squeeze out of the clown car. That’s her, deliberately spewing nonsense she hopes will stick to her base voters’ limited attention spans like a virus. Attack! Attack! Attack … everything but the real problem! It’s a sad, sad formula for chaos and erosion of voters’ faith in government. Perhaps that is her objective.

Culture War Cathy wants us all to believe that desperate asylum seekers are in league with Mexican drug cartels, smuggling fentanyl across our southern border. Meanwhile, Victor Manjarrez who retired as the Tucson sector chief after 20 years with the Border Patrol, points out that almost all of the fentanyl crossing the southern border is smuggled in vehicles crossing at legal points of entries. It’s not in the backpacks of migrants. That charge makes no sense says Manjarrez, since most migrants are crossing the border specifically to turn themselves in to Border Patrol. It’s how they start the asylum process. Facts are stubborn things, but like shingles, Cathy doesn’t care, she just wants to spread the painful rash of disinformation on the body politic. Are you as tired of this nonsense as I am?

Jim Wavada

Spokane

I don’t get it

I am feeling very concerned about the confusing directions our country is taking with respect to our relationship with the rest of the world.

We have been increasing our military budgets, without accountability for spending and expanding the number of military bases throughout the world almost as if we have a goal for world domination. We use military force to resist force by others and at the same time use military force to achieve our own objectives militarily, politically and economically, often at the expense of the people and places we presume to protect. We have a history of occupying other countries or supporting regime changes, seemingly for our own benefit, as if we are building a worldwide empire.

I don’t understand how we can operate this way and meet what many think is our most important objective, to contribute to peace and cooperation with all people of this world.

Mark Hamlin

Spokane Valley