Remove Trump
President Donald Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election follows multiple violations of the Hatch Act, conflicts of interest, unprecedented nepotism and layers of corruption. We don’t yet know how much of his failure to pay income tax is criminal. As citizens, we need to restore respect for the law if our democratic republic is to survive.
Profound government failure is evidenced in more than 210,000 Americans dead from COVID-19. His lack of a national strategy and the disavowal of science has contributed to our country having the world’s highest death count with only 4 percent of its population.
What allowed the good German people to put their neighbors in concentration camps and gas them to death?
Did Adolf Hitler start with constant lies and self-aggrandizement?
Trump divides the country, rules by fear and hate. He controls his party like a dictator. He fosters racism and violence. Already, he was willing to put families into cages at the border and to take babies from their mothers. How far will we let him go?
The world is watching to see if we will ever recover our place on the world stage. We must remove Trump and elect Joe Biden, a leader of integrity.
Judith Butler
Hope
Reject HJR 4
House Joint Resolution 4 is a state constitutional amendment that will appear on our Nov. 3 ballot.
It will fix the number of legislative districts permanently at 35. This amendment was approved nearly unanimously by our Legislature in March 2020.
Where were the legislators who represent Idaho’s rural counties? There has been very little reporting on this amendment since March. The Idaho Constitution originally provided representation from each county, mirroring the structure of the United States Constitution. It was described as a democratic republic to protect the minority rights of less-populated rural states and counties. It was unique and effective.
If it is to be amended, it should be done with a thorough public debate.
From my view, it has been advanced very deliberately and very quietly. If this passes, four or five of our 44 counties could control the Idaho Legislature.
This is bad for sparsely populated counties and rural areas. I have been told by a legislator this is a small step in the right direction. More likely, it is a large step in the wrong direction.
We must defeat this amendment now and begin in January to do it the right way.
If it passes now, we will not get the Legislature to listen to our concerns. It is too late to call our legislators. It is too late to hold public meetings. Pass this information to everyone you know on the street, on the phone, on any and all forms of social media.
Just vote no.
Jon Cantamessa
Wallace
Whose side?
St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is not full of dying COVID-19 cases. Also the testing is for RNA of the coronavirus family is not specific to COVID-19. The virus is 40-plus years old.
The survival rate is approximately 99.6 percent and per normal those older than 65 with preexisting health issues who are at risk.
Also, how can it be a pandemic when nobody in your family or your friends has died and nobody I know?
The media has promoted this psych-out and the Lewiston Tribune isn’t brave enough to speak reality.
The virus is real, but it is no more deadly than any other.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admits 6 percent have died purely of COVID-19, but then removed that statistic as senators were posting on Facebook and getting blocked.
We are in a spiritual battle.
What side are you? The agenda of the left or God?
Douglas James
Lewiston
Vote for Love
There’s a lot of talk about taxes being too high and rising. Yet few people understand the paradox behind the situation. On one hand, Idaho’s education system depends on those taxes, but per capita funding for educating Idaho’s children ranks near the bottom among U.S. states.
On the other hand, it’s because we are giving so many tax exemptions to high earners and big businesses that there’s not enough left to pay for education. Communities can’t just make up the difference with levies.
While it is important to encourage businesses in Idaho, we are providing so many tax breaks to high earners and corporations that ordinary families are struggling to pay the taxes and our children are not getting the education they need.
We must even out the tax rates, not just keep cutting them.
Fortunately, each of us here in Legislative District 5 has the chance to help make a change by voting for Renee Love.
Love grew up poor on the Palouse and knows what it’s like to struggle to get by. With a lot of drive and hard work, she graduated with degrees in geology from University of Idaho and Washington State University.
In her career as a geologist, she was appointed by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter to Idaho’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Love is very clear about her intentions to fight for education, tax reform, jobs and economy.
Her passion is to serve the people of Idaho — all the people. Voting for Renee Love is our chance to get it right.
Michael Jennings
Moscow
Silenced
Sadly, I recently became a burglary victim — twice.
Since March, I’ve had two signs in my Moscow yard — a 40 Days for Life Pray to End Abortion sign and a Trump/Pence 2020 sign.
The two have been side by side for eight months. But my Trump sign was stolen three weeks ago. I replaced it only to have the second one taken.
Driving through Moscow, I’ve noticed that no GOP signs stand anywhere anymore, and I assume that those, too, have been stolen.
Why were my signs taken? Is my opinion not important? Am I not allowed to display the sign of a candidate I support?
There are plenty of Democratic candidates’ signs in yards. Why have these not been stolen?
Is it that those who display Democratic candidates’ signs have the only voices that matter?
I have to admit discouragement at seeing this happen in Moscow. And I wonder to myself whether, if elected, these Democratic candidates will care about me or my opinions (or any diversity of opinion) when some among their supporters clearly don’t?
The message seems clear. I’m not free to express my opinions as freely as they apparently can voice theirs. The pro-life sign represents people who have no voice.
I guess taking it wouldn’t be silencing anyone in the thief’s view. But it’s ironic that the sign taken represents candidates who want to give them one.
Is eliminating some voices an example of the tolerance and civility that citizens of Moscow want?
Sarah Stanton
Deary
Elect Marinella
I hired G. Scott Marinella to join me in my Dayton law firm in 1983. I realized within a few weeks he was a very able, smart, young lawyer who would fit very well into our community.
In the many years we practiced together, he has proven this to be true. He was deputy prosecutor while I was the Columbia County prosecutor for 16 years.
In addition we had a very diversified practice, which included family law, court cases involving many issues, real estate closings, farm leases and estate planning.
We also represented clients such as individuals, businesses, farmers and school, hospital and port districts.
He gained a breadth of legal experience over time.
He always liked the court room and had a judicial bearing about him.
He ran successfully for District Court judge in 2002 and won each election since. During this time, he honed his judicial skills, which include his very thoughtful approach to decision-making.
He listens well and thoroughly reads all briefs and documents concerning a case before rendering a decision. He is very fair-minded and his goal is to render the proper decision to provide justice based on the law.
In addition to his judicial experience, his greatest attribute is his calm, thoughtful demeanor, especially during times of stressful conflict. Scott Marinella would make a great Superior Court judge.
I urge you, as the voters, to support him.
Terry Nealey
Dayton Wash.
Pass R 90
This November, I am voting to Approve Referendum 90. This will require school districts across Washington state to teach age-appropriate, medically-accurate and inclusive sex education in K-12.
Growing up in Pullman, my sex education was inadequate. It failed to teach me about healthy relationships, affirmative consent, decision-making or LGBTQ+ inclusive education.
Left with a lack of information, I was forced to educate myself through other means. This included the internet, friends or, unfortunately sometimes through lived experience. All of these sources are often unreliable and inaccurate. As a result, I have been put in a number of unsafe situations that could have been avoided if my peers and I had been given the tools and resources to make informed decisions.
All young people across Washington state deserve to see themselves represented in their sex curriculum and to learn about affirmative consent, personal boundaries and healthy relationships.
I urge you to Approve R 90 this November so young people have the education and information they need to make safe and informed decisions about their bodies and lives.
Gabbi Nazari
Seattle
