Supreme Court blew it
In reply to three letters published on Dec. 19 and 20 titled individually as “Ashamed,” “Betrayed” and “Sedition”: Complete and utter ignorance and disregard for the U.S. Constitution is in play with these three offerings. I will boil this down as delicately as I am able. The fundamental lack of reason, factual definition and accuracy are in play.
Fact: Under Article III Section. II, an original constitutional charter for the judiciary is to resolve controversies between two or more states, between a state and citizens of another state and between citizens of different states.
The Supreme Court of the United States completely blew its mission with the Texas case.
A few of Idaho’s leaders had the fortitude to stand up for their fellow Idahoans. That is noteworthy and not seditious. A simple search of Cornell Law refutes this claim.
Further, shameful is the resistance to the simple fact that each Idaho voter was disenfranchised by those states listed in the Texas case before the Supreme Court.
Regardless of whom you voted for or what you believe, a truly objective mind would see that the actions by a few states, where those states violated their individual constitutions, and the U.S. Constitution, directly impacted the election unlawfully.
Wrong is wrong — period.
The authors are clearly having their irrational and selfish fit in public. Shameful.
Ironically, any average-minded child could understand they have been victimized when the rules were changed, obfuscated and manipulated, despite what is written and lawful.
If the shoe fits.
Roy H. Barrett
Clarkston
Advocating for fish
As continuation of my advocacy for restoring fish from my presentations at the governor’s capital for a day at Grangeville on July 20, 2019, and the governor’s workshop for fish at Lewiston on Sept. 20, 2019: There were since that time two issues by the United States Supreme Court decided in favor of the Indian tribes. One was that federal Indian water rights exist even if they are not quantified or not adjudicated. ...
Second was the rejection of the assertion by agencies that meeting the number goals of the Endangered Species Act also satisfied the United States Trust Responsibility to the Indians. As a Nez Perce, I do not go along with this claim that less than a fish per year per tribal member satisfies the United States Trust Responsibility to the Nez Perce. ...
A while back, a division of the fish on the high seas resulted in a share for Canada, including a share for the First Nations, for California, for Oregon, for Washington and also for the treaty Indian tribes. With this division of shares established, whenever the Nez Perce share comes into Nez Perce territory then crosses the Idaho border, the Idaho Fish and Game immediately divides out a share for the sportsmen.
I believe any person of ... honesty and integrity would buy a Nez Perce fishing license whether fishing on or off the tribe’s reservation. ...
James Lawyer
Grangeville
Keeping Lewiston afloat
... During the past 1½ years, we have witnessed Macy’s, Penney’s, Shopko, Kmart, Pier 1 and Rue 21 all leave the valley. That leaves a big hole that no one has attempted to fill. Not only has it cost numerous jobs, the lack of convenience for those of us wanting to “shop local” has been made impossible.
Moreover, just look at the tax dollars that have left the valley and gone either the 100 miles to Spokane or to online shopping. This is totally inexcusable.
We cannot blame this on COVID-19 because these exits began before the pandemic. We put in a beautiful new high school with the assumption that we could draw in professionals to the area. Is anyone who has worked hard to get ahead going to talk his family into moving to Lewiston when they have to drive 100 miles to buy goods for their home and family?
Anyone wanting to stay in retail has nowhere to go with so many stores closing. Gone are their tax dollars. Who is looking out for them?
Simple trickle-down economics tells us that if we don’t replace business lost, we will fail as a local economy. We need to be doing everything we can to bring in new business as well as bringing in some new retail ASAP.
If local government wants to keep this town afloat, it needs to act now. ...
Lewiston has a reputation for chasing business away. We cannot afford to let that happen now.
Linda Vantrease
Lewiston
Examine the numbers
Jeff Sayers, regarding state and public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, I would like you to reconsider your comment in your final Tribune column on Dec. 27.
You state that neighboring states, “California, Oregon and Washington may be history, never to recover. Maybe, that’s not a bad scenario.”
Please do look at the numbers from the national database of cases per state, when viewed as a percentage of each state’s population.
Oregon, with 109,725 cases within a population of 4.2 million, equals 2.58 percent — or 2,580 per 100,000 people.
Washington’s 236,729 cases within a population of 7.6 million works out to 3.1 percent — or 3,100 cases per 100,000 people.
Poor California, with huge case loads of 2.1 million among its population of 39 million, calculates to 5.46 percent — or 5,460 cases per 100,000.
Then there is Idaho. With 136,215 cases within its population of 1.8 million, that comes to 7.56 percent — or 7,560 cases per 100,000 people.
That means Oregon has 34 percent of the number of cases as Idaho does.
Washington has 41 percent, and California has 72 percent the number of cases as Idaho does.
Oregon, Washington and California have had statewide mask mandates since June and July. Idaho has had no statewide mandate. Idaho was slow to catch the virus.But when it did, the numbers have soared well beyond its neighbors.
How is that for a scenario, Jeff?
Sandra Lilligren
Clarkston
Uplifting stories
In a strange and very hard year, it has been a pleasure to read about all the good that is happening around us in our communities. Thank you, Lewiston Tribune, for shining a spotlight on people such as Peggy Partlow, who helped distribute food to those in need this year, Pastor Rick Hust with the weekly dinners he and his church organize and even the kind souls who donated to the Humane Society of the Palouse after it was robbed.
We all needed reminders of the good in the world, and in our neighborhoods and towns.
There is much to lament in today’s world and sometimes reading the daily news is disheartening and discouraging. But 2020 also showed how there are some amazing people out there, continually striving to make the world a better place.
I appreciate having a local newspaper that can feature them and keep us informed about our regional happenings. Thank you for sharing these stories with us.
And thank you to the people who are guided by kindness and compassion. These were just the stories I needed to help close out the year.
Amy Canfield
Lewiston
Democrats gone rogue
A department store will soon host a grand opening.
Outside, a group gathers in anticipation. A leader quickly emerges and says, “I’m heading to the clothing section. I’ll snag what I like and run out. You go to the jewelry section. Take a rock, smash a display case, grab what you can and take off. And you, head for the sporting goods. Jump on a bike and ride out.”
And those are my thoughts on the leadership of the Democratic Party — totally corrupt, anti-American, crooks, liars, and traitors — all birds of a feather.
Our enemies have won. America is completely and evenly divided.
My disdain for the Democratic Party is reciprocated. You may recall how we “cling to our guns and Bibles,” or the “basket of deplorables” comments.
Our world views (nationalism vs. globalism; life versus death; capitalism versus socialism) cannot be reconciled.
The leaders of the Democrats are like that lawless group outside the department store. They propose universal health care, lax border security, student loan forgiveness, another treaty with Iran, free college tuition (for indoctrination), increased immigration, a Green New Deal and they game election laws, sowing seeds of doubt.
During the 13 Democratic presidential debates, was the U.S. Constitution ever mentioned? The Constitution was designed to constrain the federal government, so why mention it?
Perhaps, rather than defunding police, we should defund politicians. Eighty-two percent of Americans support term limits for good reason.
Only the senatorial elections in Georgia stood between us and a rogue Democratic regime.
Michael Fischer
Nezperce
Patriots? Hardly
It is interesting to me that many (mind you, not all) who call themselves patriots are actually Tories. Remember that Tories were loyalists to the king of England back in a very important conflict called the American Revolution. Tories were anti-American, anti-United States. ...
You patriots say you stand for the United States, but much of what you do relates to subverting the federal system, and thus, the republic. Some of you believe in secession from the U.S. ...
Some of you patriots are neo-Nazis. This is patently offensive to any of us who have relatives who fought in World War II. ...
Others of you also bitch and complain about removing other Tory-like monuments to Tory-like Confederates. ...
Those people don’t deserve a monument in this country any more than Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong or any other anti-American despot. If you are flying the stars and bars on your pickup, you might as well replace it with a swastika or big red star. ...
Many of you so-called patriots are also currently supporting anti-constitutional thinking. Oh, yes, you support the Second Amendment as do I. But you bulldoze freedom of the press, separation of church and state, separation of powers between our three branches of government, etc.
How dare you call yourselves patriots when many of us, by our very last names, have relatives who were actually fighting for this republic in the 1700s. You so-called patriots only think you are patriots. You are sadly mistaken. ...
Russell Gee
Lewiston
