Kids will give back
There was $500 donated to the Grangeville Veterans Center and $500 to the Grangeville Kid’s Klub. That’s what my son gave to these entities as part of his senior project at Grangeville High School.
These were a formidable portion of his earnings from mowing lawns. It seems he must be from around here to want to give something back to his community.
Through the effective guidance from his school, he chose to part with money he would have rather kept for himself, all in order to help civic causes.
Schools are also a civic cause and they are part of what puts a community together. Think about what you would give back to your community as part of a civic cause. The kids are the ones who will be giving back to you in the end. Support them, and you are supporting yourself.
Michael Johnson
Grangeville
Discussions derailed
Kevin O. Thomason’s critique (Tribune Oct. 10) of Mike Ruskovich’s compelling letter (Sept. 26) is a glaring example of how easily discussions about pressing national concerns can be derailed by ad hominem attacks and distractions. While Ruskovich brings forth hard-hitting examples, presenting a case for the cultlike fervor of some Donald Trump supporters, Thomason chooses to sidestep the main issues, focusing instead on undermining Ruskovich’s credibility.
It’s worth noting that Thomason’s attempt to introduce the Principle of Polarity from the Hermetic Principles as a counterpoint needs to be revised. The Principle of Polarity speaks to the duality of things, suggesting that opposites are simply different degrees of the same thing. But when discussing cultlike behavior versus reasoned political discourse, we’re not discussing two sides of the same coin. We’re talking about fundamentally different currencies.
Ruskovich’s letter doesn’t dismiss the right to political allegiance or the value of debate. It questions the blind fervor, the violent tendencies, and the financial exploitation that have been observed. Discrediting Ruskovich’s observations by accusing him of being “blinded by leftist propaganda” only serves to prove his point about the unwillingness of some to engage in meaningful debate.
As we ponder the state of our nation’s politics, it’s essential to distinguish between genuine policy disagreements and troubling behaviors. In the spirit of Ruskovich, we must confront realities head-on and strive to unite our divisions rather than exacerbate them.
Brian Kolstad
Clarkston
Proportional response
It was an embarrassment to listen to Secretary of State Antony Blinken lecture Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu on using a “proportional response” to the bloody attack of Hamas.
The political concept of proportional response conceived by our State Department’s leadership during the Vietnam War was a disaster. Proportional response was implemented by limiting strategic operations, rules of engagement, denying strategic assets, and accomplishing political objectives.
Our military, when deployed, is tasked to “kill or destroy the enemy’s will to fight.” When allowed to do that, we accomplish stunning victories, like the 1991 war in Kuwait and driving the Taliban out of Afghanistan with a limited special operations unit. Both happened so quickly the State Department could not intervene to dictate “proportional response.”
The concept of “proportional response” results in years of stalemated military operations, needlessly sacrificing the blood of our warriors. The objective to protect noncombative civilians and following the “rules of war” are bred into our military, and to those of Israel. It is our shared culture, but it isn’t the culture of Hamas. Proportional response is a failed concept that has no place in war.
Israel’s priority is to destroy Hamas. Joe Biden’s priority is to rescue our hostages. Biden cannot buy peace in the Middle East, but destruction of Hamas could send a clear signal to terrorist organizations that their future is limited. Biden must first honor Israel’s objective if he hopes to secure release of hostages. Financing both sides to a conflict will not achieve peace.
Bill Mulligan
Clarkston
