Pardons were heinous
Giving pardons to lawfully convicted Jan. 6, 2021, participants is a most heinous and insulting act against the American people and our judicial system by any sitting president of this nation. That is the most flagrant act of “politization of our judicial system” ever enacted. To believe otherwise is to confirm ignorance. Ignorance is defined as lack of knowledge, awareness and/or understanding.
I saw in real time what happened that day. I heard in real time what happened that day. I made the effort to be informed, to follow the lawful process of review of facts, indictments and legal truthful convictions that resulted from those actions in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
It is ignorant to believe manipulation of our justice system led to a lawful, judicial response to Jan. 6.
It is ignorant to see that multitude of actions on Jan. 6 as any other than an unruly, uncivil, disrespectful, violent, diseased and flagrantly illegal conduct toward the foundations of our democratic government. This ignorance appears to be grounded in ill-conceived conspiracy theories of political convenience.
Ignorance may prove to be the most violent element of our national identity.
Let us reject an ignorant and faulty sense of citizenship that thrives on ignoring truth and reality for the comfort of what seems convenient.
Sandra Lilligren
Clarkston
Freeing felons not great
As a law-abiding citizen, I respect our law enforcement officers. I am thankful they are willing to take personal risks to keep us safe. Although I have rallied, marched or protested for various causes I have never broken a law or disrespected an officer while doing it.
I am appalled that our president just pardoned several hundred people who brutally assaulted police officers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. These criminals attacked more than 140 officers, engaging them in hand-to-hand combat for hours. The rioters used weapons including firearms, stun guns, flagpoles, bike racks, pitchfork, metal whips, baseball bats, bear spray and anything else they could find. One officer died on Jan. 6, while many suffered serious injuries and lasting trauma from the riot. These officers were doing their jobs, protecting our elected officials including Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and Rep. Russ Fulcher from a violent mob.
When our local law enforcement officers in Idaho, Lewis and Nez Perce counties are attacked while pursuing criminals, people in our communities tend to rally around them, supporting them. Most law-abiding Idaho citizens would be shocked if any of these men who assault our officers were suddenly freed and treated like heroes. People in our communities normally praise our injured officers as heroes, not the people who assaulted them.
Flinging open jailhouse doors to free violent offenders then praising them as heroes does not make America great.
Norma Staaf
Harpster
14th Amendment?
The leftist media can’t seem to differentiate between legal immigrants and illegal immigrants. It seems so simple to me. But I’m not trying to discredit the president like they are.
Birthright citizenship is not proposed to change for everyone. What will end is automatic citizenship for babies born to people who are here illegally. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution granting citizenship to babies born here was passed in 1866. I can’t think that anyone in government then could even imagine a future where we would use that amendment to grant citizenship to babies of criminals.
President Donald Trump is a champion of immigration. He recognizes that we need more workers here and legal immigration helps to fill that need. But the criminals who sneak across the border to drop an anchor baby should not be rewarded with automatic citizenship for that child.
This is just one of the bits of common sense that we elected Donald Trump to fix. Go Trump team.
Legal or illegal. Innocent or criminal. Study hard, lefties, and maybe you can grasp the difference. Sadly, probably not.
Lucky Brandt
Kooskia
The insurance swamp
Mark Sherry was right about the health insurance swamp we are in (Tribune, Jan. 22). And even more, he’s right: We can’t assassinate our way out of it.
Unfortunately, he’s swum in the swamp too long. He seems to believe regulations could manage health insurance malfeasance. I wish that were true.
If I have a health insurance question about a procedure cost right now, what are my options? I can wait for 20 minutes on hold and talk to a “representative” who asks me to repeat all the information he should already have on me for another 15 minutes, then says he can’t answer the question of whether the costs will be covered by my $1,000 monthly paycheck deduction. Then I get a $1,500 bill for the procedure the hospital said would be covered.
I’m sorry. At this point, I have concluded the health insurance industry is a scam, right up there with the bitcoin our president is selling to you suckers.
Mark seems to have his heart in the right place. He needs to have the guts to be willing to tear the sham down. Health insurance doesn’t help unless we think we are all in this together. We are far from that.
Dan J. Schmidt
Moscow
