Kudos to theater
I want to congratulate and give kudos for the musical revue put on by the Lewiston Civic Theatre recently.
“I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” was staged at Lindsay Creek Vineyards. I loved it, it was perfect, don’t change. It was a fabulous venue, food, acting, singing, script and audience; so engaged and so fun. Sam Weeks was a genius at the piano.
I’m sorry if you missed it. It was something special. Thank you, Nancy McIntosh, and all of you.
Nan Vance
Lewiston
Quick takes on Trump 2.0
As much as I don’t want Donald Trump to be president again, I’ve lately entertained the thought that a second and constitutionally last Trump term might be worth the resulting meshugas.
That thought was born after reading articles from the libertarians at Reason.com, the liberals at Racket News, and conservative columnist Andrew Sullivan.
Here are my quick takes and links to read more.
Reason’s Jacob Sullum questioned the advisability of keeping Trump off the ballot sans a conviction — especially if that results in another Trump Electoral College victory (bit.ly/3Se7AHu).
Racket News expands on the dangers, and irony, of protecting democracy by using “lawfare” to keep a candidate off the ballot and reminds us that the Democrats used lawfare to scuttle Ralph Nader’s campaign. (Lawfare: bit.ly/47XIGla; Nader: bit.ly/48Y8eQw.)
Andrew Sullivan reflected on his 2016 fears regarding Trump and the ones that didn’t come to pass give him hope for surviving Trump 2.0: “... apart from the persistent rhetorical menacing of his opponents (my fears) were not borne out. He was bluffing, it turns out. On all the most substantive, authoritarian promises, he caved.
“... (During the pandemic) what Trump didn’t do was seize total power and assume all the weapons a national emergency could offer. A wannabe dictator would have jumped at the chance ... .” (2024: bit.ly/49hZ2pI; 2016: bit.ly/3Un18QX).
“Fear is the mind-killer.” I refuse to be afraid of four more years of Trump — or Biden.
Thomas A. Hennigan
Asotin
What Israel knew
Israeli intelligence knew of Hamas’ intention to attack more than a year in advance and nothing was done. In the months preceding the attack, the predominantly female tatzpitaniyot, or border lookouts, had warned their superiors of unusual and alarming activity at the border inside Gaza.
They observed Palestinian guerillas training with explosives and rehearsing attacks on replica tanks and observation posts and sending up numerous drones.
The women say their mostly male commanders dismissed their concerns, telling them Hamas wasn’t going to war and to stop being alarmist.
Surveillance soldiers Yael Rotenberg and Maya Desiatnik had flagged a lot of border activity that worried them in the months preceding the attack. Both were based at Nahal Oz, where 20 tatzpitaniyot were killed Oct. 7. Desiatinik was one of only two surveillance soldiers not killed or abducted in the attack.
“It’s infuriating,” she says. “We saw what was happening, we told them about it. They did nothing and we were the ones murdered or captured.”
Israeli military and intelligence are some of the most sophisticated in the world. It’s ludicrous to claim that with all the advance warning they couldn’t have prevented the attack if they’d wanted to.
No action was taken, no increased security, no border patrols, nothing. And it took Israel Defense Forces almost a day to arrive at the scene afterward.
All part of Bibi the Butcher’s game plan to exterminate the Palestinians and claim their land for Israel, the new Fourth Reich.
Mike Epstein
Clarkston
We have been warned
I really hope everybody read Marc Johnson’s Feb. 2 Opinion page column and his other opinions since he has been around. Marc Johnson probably knows more about Idaho politics and national politics, I am guessing, than anyone in the Tribune’s distribution area.
My point is, Marc Johnson and many others — some all over the world — have been warning us about a second Donald Trump presidency. Just for the sake of transparency, I will call them “Magats.” They want an all-white Christian nation. If you are gay or anything else, stay in the closet. If you want an abortion, too bad. If you cross the state line, jail or worse. We will burn your books as we see fit. Parents and our beloved librarians cannot make that decision, just us old, white dudes. And that is just the beginning.
We are beyond the brink of madness and freefalling into the abyss. But we can turn this suicide drone around. We just have to stick together. Ted Nugent and Sarah Palin are not going to solve our problems.
Barry Hart
Clarkston
