Summer for salmon
This summer is the summer for salmon. I’m a senior at Moscow High School and a member of the Youth Salmon Protectors, a coalition of more than 2,000 young people from across the Northwest who are demanding removal of the four lower Snake River dams.
With a bill from Rep. Mike Simpson, new involvement from Washington politicians, pending litigation from Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe, and indigenous groups across the country demanding justice, youth voices are being heard.
We are closer than ever to a free-flowing lower Snake River and restored abundant salmon runs that once defined our state. Despite historical bold action to defend the wild Idaho we all hold dear — such as with the Owyhee Initiative and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area — Sen. Mike Crapo has yet to act on the dam issue. And Idahoans are bearing the burden of his complacency.
These dams are costing taxpayers millions in annual subsidies. They are losing ratepayers money. They are not even real clean energy.
Worst of all, they are in violation of centuries-old indigenous treaty rights.
Crapo is 76 years old. It’s time he starts thinking about his legacy.
How does he want to be remembered by today’s youth? Will he take bold action or will he condemn our salmon and everything they mean to our communities and ecosystems to extinction.
Nicole Xiao
Moscow
Can’t fool everybody
In several recently published guest columns, Gov. Brad Little stated: “Idaho must remain a beacon for capitalism, limited and accountable government, family and freedom.”
Excuse me? He seems to have mentally blocked out his actions of the past two years.
A beacon of capitalism? Maybe, if your business is big enough or “essential” enough. Otherwise, we’ll just crush you out of existence or arrest you if you try to stay open.
Limited and accountable government? How about unilateral executive action with no legislative oversight.
Family? How about removal of parental rights and arresting mothers for taking their children to the park for some fresh air, sunshine and playtime. Oh, and what about tossing thousands of parents out of work so they are unable to feed their children, or skyrocketing child and spousal abuse and suicides.
Freedom? That’s a good one. As long as you stay home, wear a mask, “socially distance,” don’t go to work or attend church services.
He took in billions of strings-attached money from the feds, created out of nothing, and we are currently reaping the inflationary results. Now he boasts of Idaho’s economic success and sending the people rebate checks. It might make him look good, but it is a fake prosperity with a high cost to the people.
Governor, you can fool yourself and a lot of Idahoans with your $2 million ad campaign and rebate checks. But you can’t fool everyone.
Remember, it is not over until it’s over.
Jay Maxner
Kooskia
Harden the schools
Gun violence is in three categories.
Suicide has existed since the invention of gun powder.
The second reason is Blacks killing Blacks in large Democrat-controlled cities. Blacks are 17% of the population but account for 78% of gun violence in this country.
The third is mass shootings, and before 1990 it wasn’t on the radar screen. On occasion we took our guns to school in the 1960s and put them in our locker for safekeeping.
So what has changed because semi-automatic rifles have been around since 1907?
It happens because many families are broken and kids have no mother or father for guidance. Family values are gone, along with no communication and no connection.
Few families hug anymore. They just argue and exhibit anger. Seldom do they eat together at a table or pray together, anymore.
Heads are stuck in the electronic devices, never to appear again through the day.
And Hollyweird doesn’t care. It glorifies killing, blood, gore and the use of firearms to take a life and thinks nothing about getting that million-dollar contract signed for the next action picture and then protest gun culture.
So instead of sending billions to other countries such as Ukraine to make its people safer, send it to every school in America to protect students with hardened doors, modern security systems, manned and armed by trained employees, off-duty police, military or even those retired from these services.
And take that stupid sign down out front that says “Gun Free Zone.”
John Webb
Reubens
