A cruel letter
Regarding Dick Sherwin’s letter in the Dec 7 Lewiston Tribune about “liberal women”: You appear to be ignorant, cruel and souless.
Sandra Lilligren
Clarkston
Who’s No. 1?
At 80, I have learned that the most damaging lies are the ones we tell ourselves.
A common crowd chant, “We’re No. 1” is used to cheer our teams on to victory. After the games are over this blind pride will not allow us to learn from other people and nations.
At this time of national introspection is this chant — “We’re No. 1” — objectively true? No. 1 in Japan is longevity, Finland is happiest, Spain is healthiest, Norway is strongest democracy, Canada is best-educated, Norway has the highest rate of literacy, Denmark has the best work-life balance, Norway has the highest per capita income, Switzerland is richest and America has the most hours a day (4.5) spent watching television.
Let me offer my assessment of why we’e not No. 1 in any category: We are an arrogant, hypocritical, hedonistic, ignorant society with half of the public at or below a sixth grade reading level, according to Nathann Heller in The New Yorker magazine. We are not willing to learn from others. We find comfort in a claim to be a Judeo-Christian nation but simply do not practice what we preach. We buy our comfort by behavior that will destroy the planet and — like the Romans of old — we worship the god of entertainment.
I recognize that all I have said is a false, unkind generalization because many Americans are the exact opposite: charitable, smart, honest, loving people. We have the potential to be No. 1.
Stan Smith
Viola
Back to dark ages?
It is no surprise that the USA ranks way below many other countries in mathematics and science. One only needs to read Cindi Mader’s column headlined, “Look at the facts: Another flat Earth theory is on the ropes” (Lewiston Tribune, Dec. 8).
Her opinion came from reading and listening to and occasionally attending scientific conferences to declare that science is disproving evolution. It would be interesting to know which scientific conferences she attended.
That’s on top of nominating a person who is anti-vaccine to head Health and Human Services and a TV doctor as head of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. Of course, one shouldn’t be surprised since they are nominated by a guy who suggested injecting bleach and using bright lights to get rid of COVID-19. We are normalizing ignorance.
Are we going back to the dark ages?
Charlotte Omoto
Palouse
Ukraine’s 1776
We are seeing Ukraine’s war for independence. This is their 1776. We must help them, as the French and Spanish helped us.
Moreover, a win for Ukraine is also a win for the Russian people. They will see their Ukrainian relatives having meaningful elections and profiting by trading with the West. Russians might start wanting those things for themselves.
In World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted the American Army to fight in Europe, because he wanted to stop Russia in Germany, preventing Russia from rolling over the entirety of conquored Europe, capturing our major trading partners.
Today, America and NATO are afraid to help Ukraine expell the invaders from their country. This is dangerous, because if we fail to enable Ukraine to win, then Russia will consume Ukraine’s industry, drone technology and army, and then use them against the next country, then the next, etc. Russia will take everything that we lack the valor to defend.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine surrendered its nuclear arsenal to Russia, in exchange for our security guarantee.
The security of our ancestral countries in Europe — and our honor — require that we help Ukraine kick Russia out.
Wiley Hollingsworth
Pullman
Photo says a lot
We’ve all heard the old adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”
The picture of the Sofidel CEO touring the tissue machine (Dec. 5 Tribune) is such a picture. I wonder how many readers picked up on it. I guarantee any current or former employees will know what I’m alluding to.
Kevin M. McGuire
Lewiston
