Caps stayed on

I viewed Donald Trump’s political rally in Rome, Ga., on CSPAN last weekend.

The camera footage was taken from the back of the crowd. The rally began with the national anthem. The anthem was a prerecorded play with Mr. Trump overlays interjected at certain points throughout.

What was telling was the crowd. Most in attendance sported the now-familiar red ball cap emblazoned with MAGA, which I understand stands for Make America Great Again. Nearly all of these folks did not remove these adornments during this moment of national respect for our country and the flag.

Telling, isn’t it?

J.W. Wright

Genesee

Dam consequences

Joe Biden & Co., and some “environmental” groups, who exist primarily to keep themselves existing, have entered into a back-room deal to destroy the lower Snake River dams.

The only reason is apparently to save the salmon and steelhead. It would be interesting if somebody would analyze the potential cost per fish.

The costs bandied about range from $30 billion into the stratosphere; don’t ask too many questions about the numbers.

The resultant costs to agriculture, flood control, transportation and energy production will compound in the same way compounding interest does, but don’t ask too many questions about that.

Was there no analysis of consequences and how to deal with them before the dams were built? This writer seems to recall that there was quite a lot of pushback from the citizenry against the idea, including “environmentalists.”

Yet despite public resistance, they were built anyway, damn the cost, full speed ahead.

Now Biden & Co., and the self-perpetuating “environmentalists,” want to tear the dams out, damn the cost, full speed ahead. And decide where the public can’t see it, in the back rooms.

Nothing to see over here, folks. It’s just the government as usual, pissing away your money, keeping “environmentalists” in business, and hoping you won’t notice.

There seems to be a multibillion dollar pattern developing here. Can you see it?

Eventually, after decades of this stupidity’s intended and unintended consequences are realized, will a movement begin to rebuild them?

Then your grandchildren can be tricked into the nonsense again.

Rick Rogers

Clarkston

Use no attacks approach

On Feb. 16, Marc Johnson wrote, “First, NATO does not ‘pay’ its bills to the United States. European allies commit to defense spending targets — some succeed, others don’t.”

A 2022 U.N. report found that only seven of the 31 NATO members met their obligation to contribute 2% of their GDP to the organization (Reason.com).

That sounds more like most targets aren’t being met.

Of course, 1.69% of Germany’s GDP is likely a bigger “chunk of change” than Greece’s 3.54% of GDP contribution but NATO agreed to measure in percentages. The agreement isn’t being upheld.

Moreover, some member nations are incapable of effectively responding to aggression: “The British military — the leading U.S. military ally and Europe’s biggest defense spender — has only around 150 deployable tanks and perhaps a dozen serviceable long-range artillery pieces.” (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 11, 2023)

Even Winston Churchill would have to admit that so “few” is too few to effectively deploy.

On Donald Trump vs. NATO, the Reason.com piece said, “Trump managed, typically, to frame the matter in the nastiest way possible, (but) he’s right that many European countries free-ride on American military might.”

Read the article here: bit.ly/3SBGOZ; and related analysis of the economics of the aid bill here: bit.ly/3I2dbMa.

To Marc Johnson: If you really want “all of us” to fix things together (Feb. 2), including NATO, please learn from Reason’s “just the facts, no attacks” approach to commentary.

Thomas A. Hennigan

Asotin