Letters for May 16, 2024

Travel at your own risk

The decision of the Coeur d’Alene city attorney’s office not to charge Anthony Myers and others for their harassment of the University of Utah Athletic Department members makes one thing clear: Idaho’s laws favor the alleged “right” to “fun” of Myers and his ilk over the actual rights and safety of the rest of us. Idaho has long been known as a place unwelcoming to people of color, but given the obvious inadequacy of the state’s laws and some officers of its courts, is it really a safe place for anyone? Perhaps prospective visitors to Idaho should realize they travel there at their peril.

Michael Cain

Spokane

Hooray for 311

A lot of us complain about City Hall, but I am happy to share my recent positive experience. I called 311 about serious potholes in my street and wasn’t expecting much. What a pleasant surprise when I got a call from the Streets Department that very afternoon. The man I spoke with had already been out to assess the damage. Three cheers for the 311 crew, the Streets Department and Mayor Lisa Brown!

Heidi Gann

Spokane

They’re not Christian or patriotic

MSNBC reported at the Washington GOP Convention in Spokane (April 29) a MAGA Republican declared, “We don’t want democracy!”

Under Trump, the GOP has become the MAGA Party. State and local conservatives continue to deny and spread the big lie that the 2020 election was stolen, and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was a peaceful protest.

Bishop Daly of Spokane and local evangelical leaders condemned the Jan. 6 violence. As Trump makes a third attempt at the presidency, they still overlook his negligent behavior and 91 criminal charges because they think he is “pro-life.”

A deeply amoral Trump is charged with fraud, a fake elector scheme to overturn the 2020 election, stealing top secret military documents, inciting Christian Nationalists to attack the Capitol. He downplayed COVID and more than 1.1 million Americans (through April 2023) perished. He was impeached for bribing Ukraine and the Jan. 6 insurrection.

MAGA has no morality, no respect for the law and the Constitution. The impetus for MAGA is Christian Nationalism, which is neither Christian nor patriotic. We must condemn it for the evil it is.

The Bible itself warns us of Trump and MAGA: “False prophets shall deceive even the elect (Matthew 24:24). And “Inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

Michael Kraft

Spokane