Opinion letters for Sunday, Jan. 5
Love and Liberty
The picture in Sunday’s (Dec. 22) paper of Theresa Fall and Liberty made my heart swell and tears came rolling down my face. So sweet and poignant is Liberty’s gaze into Theresa’s eyes. How could anyone abandon this darling girl? Poor thing alone for nearly a month. I hope there’s a special place in hell for these kinds of people. I’m sure Liberty will find peace and love with Theresa. I hope Theresa will stuff her with treats and give lots of belly rubs. God will bless you, Theresa.
Ann Carlin
Spokane
Being woke
The state of Idaho’s mandate to end Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at the University of Idaho (and in other venues) is a rejection of decency and betrayal of the University of Idaho’s fundamental mission. Being WOKE is what universities exist for.
We began as a racist and sexist nation and we still carry those cultural genes. Racism against Black people was enshrined in law with its assignment of 3/5 citizenship for African-Americans in the Constitution to protect chattel slavery; women and children were worked to death for decades in unsafe factories. Being WOKE means confronting these and other truths of America’s checkered past and helping all citizens to find ways to cleanse our nation of its racist and sexist genes, an essential duty of a university education. Anti-Woke campaigners are cultural terrorists who fear truth and who are trying to morph the American Dream into a nightmare of suppression and persecution of “otherness” of any kind. They are working to undo the efforts of the countless men and women in this country who over the past 150 years gave their lives and livelihood to end chattel slavery, Jim Crow and other cultural abominations and help this nation live up to its founding principles.
Make no mistake, being anti-WOKE will not make America great again, it only helps self-deluded and opportunistic factions gain and keep power and further increase the monstrous gap between the haves and the have-nots, which will only break our system even more.
Steve Blewett
Spokane
Fireworks or war zone?
Once again on a day of celebration a handful of individuals are allowed to disturb an entire community. The county commissioners sit by and make no changes to laws that are outdated and create harm for not only their constituents but the pets and animals in our families. I say enough is enough.
This year my neighbors decided to spend another New Year’s Eve celebration with an arsenal of explosives. For an hour and a half, we were subjected to numerous fireworks known as mines. At 120 decibels they have the potential of damaging not just my animal’s eardrums but mine as well. The damage is irreversible. We as a society are amazed and thrilled by the ability of our animal’s gifts, as seen by the millions of postings on Facebook alone, yet we do very little to protect them. On a night that the celebrations started at dark and last year went until 1:30 am, I have no legal recourse to protect my family. It amazes me that my neighbors who decided to shoot their mines directly toward my house have no pets, of course, not a single one.
The county commissioners could make mines illegal. They would have every right to do so due to the high decibel sounds, but they do nothing. They could make it a law that fireworks are only allowed during certain times, alleviating the endless war-torn sounds throughout the night, but they do nothing.
Enough is enough.
DJ Swan
Deer Park