April 29 Letters to the Editor: Our Readers’ Opinions

Stepping backward

A new cottage industry will soon spring up in Idaho — wire coat hanger manufacturing. It’s likely to open up soon when the passage of the ban on abortion with a fetal heartbeat legislation takes effect, just as soon as that pesky federal court moves out of its way.

And just like that, we are back to the ’60s, folks.

Vulnerable, frightened, abandoned women will make trips to out-of-state doctors. Shady, unlicensed medicos will abound. And do-it-yourselfers (the wire hanger de rigueur) will bleed out in secret agony.

What a state. It doesn’t even deserve a capital letter anymore.

Nancy A. Hansen

Lewiston

Technology trumps ideology

Finally, Idaho has legalized industrial hemp. Here we have Idaho, an intensely agricultural state, yet the last state in the union to legalize it.

The news only speaks to the increase in Idaho markets and hope for young farmers. But this crop gives us a viable option to the wheat monoculture we are so attached to. Hemp will put nitrogen back into the soil as opposed to wheat’s depletion of it. This is huge.

Can we can do it with less ammonia and herbicide? What level of THC infers improved yield? What is science telling farmers on best practices? We don’t know because, even though Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy tried for a research bill since 2015, she couldn’t even get it printed.

The University of Idaho brings approximately 75 percent of the state’s research dollars. Why aren’t legislators focused on research to promote the industry we have just legalized?

Are they more interested in John Birch Society ideology, censoring education over social justice and critical race theory? Apparently so, since they are withholding funding to do so.

Will the Legislature recommend burning Plato’s “Republic” soon?

Here’s to Tom Trail, a trailblazer for Idaho’s industrial hemp legislation. Many thanks to Nilsson-Troy for making it happen.

Marilyn Beckett

Moscow

Fighting words

How about this for a law? Any citizen purged from voter rolls cannot be forced to pay any taxes until the next federal election in which they are allowed to vote.

Otherwise, it seems like “taxation without representation” and I think we’re supposed to be against that.

Yes, I think we even had a war at one point where that was one of the issues.

Carol J. Schmidt

Lewiston