Common sense advice
Wonder of wonders, Danny Radakovich sent a letter that included common sense, the first sensible letter in 25 years. “Yack-yack” counseled readers to “eat healthier.” Hooray double-y.
His Dec. 15 Tribune letter is worthy of Ripley’s Believe it or not mention. Missing from his missive is the usual mention that he is “an attorney” — how sweet it is.
He grudgingly admitted that, concerning inflation, “ ... there are some higher prices.” (He could have been Joe Biden’s budget guy.)
“Some” higher prices? Reckon this stalwart establishment flak hasn’t heard of the city council adding every possible charge to the tax bills of Lewiston homeowners, or the skyrocketing assessments of their properties.
His letter even included a word picture of him and his wife gnawing on a ham bone as they relished a “$1-$2 ... meal.”
Nevertheless, he deserves credit for even a single word of common sense, and his letter contained at least three. Reckon he seeks to become the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley’s budget version of Julia Child.
Bridger Barnett
Clarkston
Religious curriculum
Until Dwight Eisenhower caught the red scare, our Pledge of Allegiance lacked the words, “under God.” In 1955, he replaced “e plurabus unum” with “In God We Trust” on all U.S. currency. Anti-communist sentiment gave God pushers an inch and now we have a whole religious industrial complex.
Today, Christian lobby groups are pushing factually incorrect curriculum and Bible study into Idaho public schools. A few thoughts:
This harms church attendance. Parents are busy. If religious instruction is done Monday through Friday, they don’t need to get kids ready to attend church on Sunday.
Secular schools allow students to own their faith and seal their identity by meeting others who believe differently.
This violates the U.S. Constitution unless it is a comparative religion class. Public schools teaching one religious doctrine only is the definition of state-run indoctrination.
Parts of the Bible are inappropriate for children.
Reading the Bible makes atheists. I know several, personally.
If God is on your side, why the lobby? What does God think of being pimped?
A child’s moral instruction is a parental duty and right.
The God of the Bible models homicidal behavior.
Children can’t rationalize God’s wrath and threats of eternal punishment. Forcing irrational fears onto children is abusive.
Are teachers trained? MRIs reveal prolonged exposure to religious fundamentalism causes damaged brain networks. Will there be monitoring for damage? Do parents consent to this?
Janet Marugg
Clarkston
No evidence cited
Some reasons I don’t contribute to NPR and canceled my Lewiston Tribune subscription are perfectly demonstrated by an article in the Dec. 18 Tribune, which I bought for that day’s entertainment.
In an Opinion article presented as front-page news, NPR journalist and podcaster Heath Druzin suggested that Christ Church represents Christian nationalism and that the movement has an extreme influence on the incoming government.
Druzin writes implications and potentially slanderous and libelous descriptions of the Christian nationalist movement, without citing evidence. Also not offered are opposing facts or viewpoints.
This is “fake news” at its finest, or rather at its worst.
Druzin states the Christ Church pastor and followers “... seek to change society into a theocracy,” and their ideas “... include women losing their right to vote and being subservient to men.” Then he throws in the qualifier that these ideas “... are broadly unpopular in the U.S.”
Was that American “society,” Heath? Or are you talking about Iran’s?
Then NPR’s Wizard of Smart says the local Christ Church pastor is “... still seen as too ‘woke’ by movement leaders because he does not align with their extreme antisemitic values.”
Again, without evidence of antisemitism in either.
Which is it, Heath? An Iran-like theocracy with crazy religious leaders, or “... not Nazi enough to please Hitler?”
It’s hard to believe the Tribune’s attorney allowed them to publish this drivel.
Didn’t you hear about Donald Trump winning a $15 million settlement against ABC and their reporter for just this kind of idiocy?
Rick Rogers
Clarkston
Bad game recommend
Turning Adolf Hitler into a board game (Tribune Dec. 19) is an abomination insulting to so many groups of people I can’t begin to list them.
Any use of that man’s name, especially coupled with references to World War II, in a game appears to be another attempt at reducing the nastiness and the horror of that era and what he did. As the modern Nazi movement continues to grow, even such small things help grow the callous over the atrocities. This generation already is forgetting — and in some cases, denying — what happened.
I am appalled that journalists I worked with for many years and respect would recommend any such thing as this game.
Sandra L. Lee
Lewiston
