Vindicated
The Lewiston Tribune thought it best to try to defame my character by putting me on the front page of the paper when I got a ticket for firing my gun in city limits. ...
The prosecutor dismissed that charge due to overwhelming proof that I was defending my friend’s life.
Thank you, Lewiston Tribune, for throwing me on the front page of the paper saying that I had a brush with the law when what you should have said was that a Lewiston woman thought quickly on her feet and potentially saved her friend’s life.
You tried making me look like a redneck Donald Trump supporter with a gun.
You claimed I was intoxicated when I was not and the police report clearly showed I was never given any type of sobriety test.
In addition, they deemed me in sound mind when they had me sign an affidavit so that they could charge the man with assault.
You failed to mention how I was defending my friend ... or how I have extensive weapons training and that I possess my enhanced concealed weapons license.
You failed to point out how I told the police that I knew their average response time was between five to seven minutes and I did not have the time to wait. I had to act immediately to help my friend. ...
Instead of saying how a woman protected her friend and herself, you tried making me look like a criminal. ...
Heather Rogers
Lewiston
The Black KKK
Concerning Craig Clohessy’s commentary in the July 17 edition: Your article is very disturbing. You stated the word white isn’t capitalized because whites (referring to color of skin) don’t have a shared culture and history.
I think you are wrong on this reasoning. Whites born in America share a culture and history. We are a blended nation. We share a people’s government of rules and laws, a language, a respect for a flag and anthem.
Our history is being descendants of hard-working immigrants, industry builders and veterans who fought for our country’s freedom. We are united as one.
Black Lives Matter is the Black Ku Klux Klan. They don’t burn crosses in yards, but they loot, destroy, kill and burn whole cities. They are based on power of destruction and hate. The raised black fist represents that.
The only way change will happen for all is to drop the labeling of Black and white, yellow, red and brown. We need to see just a human being. What is in a person’s heart comes out in action and words. The white policeman who killed George Floyd didn’t kill because he is white. He killed because evil was in his heart. That’s just like the three Black teens who killed the young white girl as she was going through the park. They also had evil in their hearts.
Your article degrades white Americans.
Rena Edinborough
Onaway
Elect Gary
I’m Brad Gary and I’m asking for your support in the District 1 primary for Asotin County commissioner.
I pride myself on being a good communicator. I’ll call you back, respond to your email, do the required research. We may not always agree, but I value everyone’s feedback.
I’m a hard worker. I’ve spent the past three months talking to Asotin County officials and residents. I’ve walked our neighborhoods, considering your input in the issues we face as a county. I’ve attended every commission meeting since April 20, both on Zoom and the past three in person. I’m the only non-incumbent in any Asotin County race who can say that.
I’m a strong believer in fairness. I don’t have any conflicts of interest and will be quick to recuse myself if one comes up. I value input and consensus, considering all sides of an issue to make an informed decision. We can be good stewards of our tax dollars and benefit future generations by thinking not only about our work but how that work might impact the greater community.
Asotin County provides amazing services, but we also face many challenges. I can bring a fresh perspective, finding long-term solutions to grow the tax base and mitigate concerns about COVID-19 revenue losses. Improving the county’s web and social media presence, working with economic development partners on telework recruitment and collaborating with our government partners all contribute to that success.
Vote Brad Gary on Tuesday.
Brad Gary
Clarkston
Still better than Clinton
For all those writers who continually berate our president, I would like you to present what the alternative might look like. I for one am thankful every day that Hillary Clinton is not in the White House. She is the poster child for corrupt politicians, someone who had top secret classified email on her personal server. Can anyone explain that?
President Donald Trump might be crude or crass, but at least he’s attempted to reverse decades of horrible treaties that have screwed the American worker and taxpayer. Why is it so bad for all the nations in NATO to pay their fair share?
Trump’s administration sold offensive weapons to the Ukraine government while Barack Obama let Russia invade Crimea without so much as a squeak.
And all the above mentioned writers: You gave us the choice of Clinton against Trump. Was Trump the lesser of two evils?
By far.
Your candidate was so bad you helped get Trump elected.
Thank you.
Mark Lorenz
Clarkston
Take nothing for granted
As a librarian, I teach students how to find reliable information. Before 2016, I could generally say that most U.S. government agency sites provide credible information. After President Donald Trump was elected, that changed.
First the climate change information on the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Geological Survey sites was politically altered. Later even the National Weather Service was temporarily corrupted. As recently as last fall, I was able to tell students that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was probably still reliable but now the administration is directing hospitals to bypass the CDC with their COVID-19 data and is leaning on the agency to give less stringent COVID safety recommendations.
Government agency websites are supposed to provide free, objective information from taxpayer-supported research. Taxpayer-supported scientific information should not be politicized by the administration.
I thought a pandemic would at least unite Americans, but Trump has used COVID misinformation to divide us.
So how do you find credible information?
If you use social media, be sure to also follow Snopes, Politifact and FactCheck.org to learn about false posts circulating. Investigate the organization or publication behind any information. Media Bias Fact Check or Wikipedia can indicate if a site represents a political view or is a conspiracy theory site.
Ask a librarian. Be skeptical. Russian bots are likely posting false information now to confuse and divide Americans. Don’t share posts without checking them.
Misinformation in the next few months could be a life-or-death matter for Americans and our democracy.
Diane Prorak
Moscow
Worse than the disease
On July 22, Billy O’Blake advocated jailing those who shun masks. O’Blake eschewed the word “think.” Instead, he “feels” that unmasked people take “… my life … in their hands,” “that they should be … jailed” and that police should issue “tickets.”
He may mean well.
If O’Blake had thought about the virus problem, though, he might have reasoned that:
1) A strong immune system would be the best defense.
2) Government screws up whatever it touches.
But he offered nothing factual — just “feelings,” wo-wo-wo feelings.
The U.S. Congress wants full-time facial recognition surveillance, contact tracing and pushes HR 6666, which would allow police to enter homes, “conduct testing,” then arrest and detain anyone who declines testing.
If Congress gets its germ Gestapo, the U.S. will morph into communist America.
O’Blake tells us to worry about “this virus” and advocates that the maskless be jailed.
His cure — a police state — is worse than the disease.
Bridger Barnett
Clarkston
Rome is burning
“Sending lambs to slaughter” is what the University of Idaho’s (and any university in the state, especially in Ada County) obdurate decision to hold in-person classes this fall will amount to.
The same goes for any school district in Idaho where the governor is dangerously hesitant to impose any statewide mask wearing, social distancing, limiting large gatherings to fewer than 50 and organize any testing protocol or contact tracing statewide.
This runs counter to 84.6 percent of people opposed to schools holding in person classes, according to the Lewiston Tribune poll, which is in line with nationwide polls.
Washington State University is not holding in-person classes until such time as it is safe to do so. While governors of neighboring Washington, Oregon and Montana are doing all they can to mitigate the viral spread, Idaho remains adrift.
Idaho is a red alert state with mounting infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Will it take an out-of-control five-alarm fire for Gov. Brad Little, the university and school district officials statewide to stand up and take notice or will they stand by while Rome burns?
Margaret Peyou
Pullman
What is white privilege?
The concept of white privilege is often ill-defined and misunderstood. I have heard it misused and derided more times than I care to count.
White privilege exists, but it is poorly named. Privilege suggests something extra given to a person. There are truly privileged people in our society.
But as I currently live in prison, I am surrounded by people who had terribly abusive and neglected childhoods. Though many may be white, they certainly have not led privileged lives.
Still, the term white privilege can apply to them, not because they had extra things given to them, but because they have not had to deal with the negatives of belonging to a racial minority. I am white. Thus, through my life in the United States, I have experienced racial prejudice only a few times.
Some of those experiences have been notably painful, resulting in the loss of an opportunity or a friend. For what I have experienced only once every few years, there are many people in our country who have to deal with such bias and hate weekly. Life is hard, no matter who you are.
The human condition is one of regular struggle. However, being a member of a regional or governmental ethnic majority is a privilege. It is not that the best things in life are handed to you. But there is just that much less crap to wade through.
Silas Parks
Orofino
Man up
Recently, my husband returned from a trip to Home Depot where, due to their recent masking policy, all customers and staff were wearing masks except that one man who was arguing with a clerk that he “had his rights” and he wasn’t going to wear a mask.
Yes sir, you do have your rights. But how about caring for someone other than yourself, including that Home Depot clerk as well as the grocery clerk, the grocery bagger and countless others in this community who are in contact with the public every day?
What about their right to stay safe and healthy?
This is a pandemic and it’s not always just about you. Man up. Wear a mask.
Carol Fletcher
Lewiston
Style change racist
The subtle changes in our national discourse initiated by the powerful insider media is on full display with the recent change in the Associated Press style of journalism, evidenced in the article confirming that we now exalt certain citizens over others by capitalizing the descriptive word for the color of their skin. I had questioned this apparent change a few weeks ago after noting the sudden distinction.
I understand the real reasons behind it all and the many other wedge issues being used against us now. But I’d think that — all things supposedly being equal — our media would do away with any and all personal, explicit, detailed descriptions that denote race, creed, color, religion and nationality, etc., and at least try to deem everyone equal.
Instead of treating every man, woman and child as equals, we see the elevation of some and the disparagement of others, based entirely on the melanin level in their skin.
How racist can you get?
Dennis Fuller
Orofino
Pretend it’s Halloween
It’s past time for the anti-maskers to quit whining about having to wear a mask to protect loved ones, friends and strangers. Wearing a mask helps protect others from you. If it will help, you can pretend it’s Halloween, a time when wearing a mask was fun. If for health reasons you shouldn’t wear a mask, please ask for help shopping for food and other essentials.
We mask-wearers have been slogging through tons of anti-maskers with their “I, I, I, me, me, me” and “my rights” (to selfishly and foolishly behave stupidly). Why do you insist on a nonexistent “right” to jeopardize others’ health? Whining.
For goodness sakes, folks, we’re Americans. We are the home of World War II icon Rosie Riveter, who, with bicep flexed, said, “We can do it.” “We” not “them” or “they.”
The statistics are alarming. In the previous week, the relatively less populous states Idaho and Montana have larger percentage coronavirus infection increases than Washington and Oregon. Simultaneously, we are witnessing Florida’s pandemic wreck because the governor foolishly insisted that Floridians conduct business as usual.
It’s truly sad that the U.S. economy has been smashed by this pandemic in contrast to some countries where people have worn masks. They have far fewer infections and their economies are rolling along.
Why aren’t we like them?
It’s time to get a grip, go with the best science (the weight of the evidence), and make the U.S. the best-performing country dealing with COVID-19, not the world’s worst.
Steve Koehler
Grangeville
Let the locals decide
Here in Idaho County, we had Grangeville Border Days during the Fourth of July weekend and Stites Day the following Saturday. By now (according to media hysteria), we should have hundreds of resulting COVID-19 cases and deaths. We do not.
I congratulate those in charge who made the difficult decision to proceed as usual with those events and those who attended and made the events successful. We the people can make reasonable choices for ourselves at the local level without Big Brother’s interference.
Thank you, Gov. Brad Little, for not pushing a one-size-fits-all program. We are not all Boise or Ada County. Let freedom and personal responsibility prevail.
Lucky Brandt
Kooskia
Let’s make a deal
Asotin County commissioners, your words demonstrate that you need to be replaced. You continually blame someone else, usually the west side, for your own failures.
What I would rather see from our county commissioners: plans to work with the west side for our needs. Who will pay medical bills for the people who will likely need care if you disregard science and cause lengthy hospital stays? There is evidence that COVID-19 causes long-term disabilities. What are your plans for these citizens?
Personally, I don’t compare Washington to Idaho, except in gratitude for living and investing on this side of the river. There is no economic health without public health. Dead people don’t spend money. People bogged down with medical bills also don’t spend money. Unpaid medical bills cause higher medical costs for all of us and we should do what we can not to contribute to that downward spiral.
Your first and most important concern should be health. This valley has economic development agencies (chamber of commerce, Valley Vision, Southeast Washington Economic Development Association, Clearwater Economic Development Association and tax-supported ports) that are all unproductive and unaccountable. The valley is a Walmart and Costco desert. Where are people going to work when we get COVID-19 under control?
Costly health-related expenditures are coming, and it makes no sense to bite the hand that could help us. Crack open your “Art of the Deal” and start dealing or resign.
Karen Ransom
Clarkston
