Letters for Sept. 13, 2023

Return to sanity on dam issue

Please let us find a way to save the Snake River salmon. No one thinks it is a good idea to lose these fish forever.

Please let us find a way for our farmers to move their crops to port without barges. The folks at Solutionary Rail show it is doable.

Please let us find a way to replace the energy from the dams by other available means. Not doing this means the end of salmon in the river. BPA states it will take 5,311 megawatts of solar to offset these small dams. The goals of the Nez Perce are to meet that through their Energy Cooperative. Their commitment to action should be rewarded by support. Get on board. It is the right thing to do.

I urge the Biden administration and our Congress to act soon. The salmon will never quit. Let’s not quit on them.

Cindy Bunnell

Spokane

Red and black ants anecdote

Reading the first two lines of Madsen’s Aug. 31 column stating, “There is no simple cause and effect link between wildfire and climate change,” and “that disconnect was displayed in the dumbest question at the GOP debate,” is very disturbing and alarming.

We have seen firsthand a direct cause and effect with the dry “climate change” summer causing multiple wildfires throughout Washington. I should not need to point out the Gray and Oregon Road fires have caused property damage and loss of forest to the cost of multiple millions of dollars. This all happened right here in our own backyard, a “direct display of cause and effect between wildfire and climate change.”

Calling the question at the GOP debate the “dumbest question” is a direct insult to the reader. I was taught as a young man “no questions are dumb,” it just divides our nation into, let’s use, “red and black ants” as an anecdote. Take one hundred red ants and one hundred black ants, put them in a jar, they will live happily together. Climate change comes along, shakes the jar, not knowing the cause, the ants will start blaming each other, they will start killing each other. Resulting in the real problem, “Climate change” not being addressed.

Please keep that in mind, an election year is coming up, vote like your life depends on it, climate change is real.

Jorgen Rasmussen

Solar Acres Farm

Otis Orchards

Vote Jaime Stacy for Mead School Board

While I do not live in the Mead School District, if I did I would vote for Jaime Stacy.

I was lucky enough to work with Jaime Stacy at Rogers High School the past two years. Jaime is an amazing educator. She is a unifier, not a divider. She is positive and upbeat and always looks to find solutions. She is probably the most joyful person I have ever worked with. She is an advocate for all students and families. She is able to work with organizations as well as individuals. Jaime cares deeply for our students and staff and is a great listener. She is not afraid the dive into difficult issues and has a unique ability to help people in conflict find middle ground.

Her ability to build consensus and her focus on bringing people together make her especially qualified to serve on the Mead School Board.

Stacey Ward

Spokane

You can’t be loyal to both

The world is a complex place. This is particularly true of politics and statecraft: things are hardly ever as they appear, and they’re always more complicated than you expect.

One thing is crystal clear, however: those who support Donald Trump endorse the replacement, by violence if necessary, of our constitutional republic with a right-wing theocratic dictatorship. It’s that simple.

It clearly bears repeating: you can be loyal to the Constitution and the nation founded upon it, or you can support Donald Trump. You can’t do both.

Michael Cain

Spokane