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Letters for March 31, 2023
Demeaning to Idaho Women
The recent announcement about Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint closing labor and delivery is very disappointing as is the total ban on abortion. I was born and raised in the Coeur d’ Alene area. I guess our new motto for the state should be, “Idaho, where men are men and women are second-class citizens.”
For shame, Idaho.
Linda Holecek
Kamiah, Idaho
Racist rhetoric repeats
While reading Ron Sylvester’s review of Tim Eagan’s new book, “Fever in the Heartland” (an excellent review, by the way), I couldn’t help but draw parallels with a present day charlatan who is utilizing some of the same tools that the subject of Egan’s book, D.C. Stephenson, the founder of the KKK, used in subjugating a large portion of the U.S. population into believing and following his ruse. Stephenson’s platform of “smashing immigration,” “suppressing minority voters” and selling rural America not on his real agenda of “hatreds” but on “Americanism,” sounds a lot like rhetoric used by a recent occupant of the White House.
Karl Marx said history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce. Do we really need to go down that path again?
Patrick Presley
Spokane
Caught in shooting cycle
Another day that ends in why. Blah, blah, blah … rinse and repeat … just heard report of another school shooting, six innocent children and adults dead, the perp stopped by a good guy with a gun, after the fact.
News reports: So tragic, those innocent lives lost, thoughts and prayers, what can be done? It’s too complicated.
Future action: Nada. Second Amendment, it’s not the right time to talk about it, too costly, the economy would suffer, arm the teachers, re-enforce school infrastructure, guns don’t kill, hire armed guards, teach duck-and-cover, issue ballistic vests.
Reality: America is the land of scared people, led by cowardly politicians owned by the gun industry, lives are just collateral damage to an idea of freedom, side ledger profit loss, reasonable control systems are identified and could be implemented.
But you know: Second Amendment, my rights everywhere, at all times, under all circumstances, Anyway the children are with Jesus now and God loves America, there’s nothing we can do, thoughts and prayers, we love our children … but we love our guns more. Rinse and repeat.
John Koehn
Spokane
No end to violence in sight
Three school children were shot and killed. No rational person can claim to be shocked. We can only feel dread. We all know there will be more killings in our schools. It is a certainty. We Americans treasure the freedom to shoot and kill children. That right is sacrosanct to many. We posit that there will be consequences for the killers, and this allows us to pretend that justice will prevail.
Gun rights purists will assert that this freedom is beyond question. It is our God-given right, guaranteed by our Constitution. They will assure us that most gun owners are responsible. They will propose irrational solutions that rely on increased weaponization to prevent further killings.
What seems like a no-brainer: more guns, more shootings would seem obvious to most. But that does not click for many Americans. They are content to accept further deaths as the cost of our freedom, our right, to shoot and kill children. Hello darkness, my old friend.
Gilbert Hart
Spokane
Aggressive driving dangerous
Last week at about 4:45 p.m. I was headed east on I-90, approaching the Barker off ramp in the right hand lane. As is common in that area that time of day, traffic had slowed to a crawl.
I guess I frustrated the big black SUV on my rear bumper when I wasn’t able to go any faster than the car in front of me because the driver roared out to the right and passed me – on the highway shoulder. Of course, they couldn’t go any faster than the car they tailgated after squeezing in front of me, but by golly they were one whole car length ahead!
To risk a serious crash (not to mention breaking the law) to gain one car length? What is the matter with people?
Karen Buck
Millwood