Extending their taint
Not content with writing monthly columns devoid of logic, Lewiston Tribune writers Marvin F. Dugger and Rick Rogers seem compelled to further taint the Opinion page with letters. Perhaps they’ve forgotten the basics of opinion writing.
The first rule of opinion writing is: “If you can’t take criticism you shouldn’t be writing opinions.” Its corollary is: “If you don’t like criticism, don’t write stupid opinions.”
The second rule is: “Check your facts twice” and have two independent references for each claim.
There are other rules. But until you master the first two, there’s no point in progressing. Let’s look at their recent failings.
Dugger’s May 24 column listed lessons learned from the pandemic. According to him, we learned to hate the Chinese, distrust scientific projections, trust big business and appreciate how our wondrous political leaders “came together.”
In reality, we learned the White House encourages racism, President Donald Trump ignored pandemic warnings, big business profits from people’s misery and our political leaders behave like bickering infants.
Roger’s May 31 column was childish whining about protective masks and attacks against governors asking him to wear one. However, COVID-19 infection data shows Govs. Brad Little and Jay Inslee saved hundreds of lives through proactive lockdowns. States that didn’t implement early protection, such as Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio, have suffered over twice the deaths of Washington and 20 times that of Idaho.
Rogers and Dugger should thank God that they have intelligent governors protecting them as they compose their commentary nonsense.
Paul Oman
Clarkston
Horse left the barn
If Drs. Anthony Fauci, Deborah Birx, et al., and the University of Washington’s modelers were ever right, then within weeks following George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis cops, there should be hundreds of thousands of new COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
How could there not be, given that the protesters, legitimately caring and illegitimately rioting alike, spent weeks ignoring all of the medical warnings about masking, social distancing and other direct human contact?
The predictions should now be that the feared “second wave” of coronavirus infections will be nearly immediate and hospitals will again be overrun with cases. It should be a disaster of unbelievable proportions. These results will begin happening in the centers of major cities. There can be no doubt about the cause. This could not have been any less likely to infect millions of people than if hundreds of thousands of people had deliberately coughed in their neighbors’ naked faces from inches away.
If government officials are not prepared for the virulent resurgence of this pandemic during the next several weeks, then we can never expect them to be prepared for anything, and we need to seriously start worrying about our national security.
Having said all that, one wonders how Gov. Jay Inslee’s “permanent” requirement of face masks on all face-to-face commercial activity will accomplish anything.
That horse has left the barn, Governor, and you were riding it.
It’s time for a new Washington governor. Inslee has opponents. Vote for one of them in the August primary.
Rick Rogers
Clarkston
