Letters: Feb. 14, 2019

Thanks to all who plowed us out

Many thanks from all the neighbors living on Road 56 Pasco to the good Samaritans who brought their shovels/tractors and bladed out driveways and high berms of snow so we could get out.

Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated by all of us.

Exercise rights more thoughtfully

According to the Tri-City Herald article on Feb. 2, a gentleman chose to “exercise his Second Amendment rights by open-carrying an AR15-style assault rifle across his chest” as he walked home. Is this the action of a (ir)responsible gun owner? Did it cross his mind that he might be viewed as a public threat? Did his right to “open carry” supersede the fears generated in three area schools that had to execute lockdown procedures? Did he consider that others might misconstrue his intentions and draw their own weapons in defense? Probably not — he was armed, right!

Yes, he has the right; but the sheer audacity by which he expressed it raises questions regarding common sense and sanity. I sincerely hope that going forward he elects to practice a more humble and rational display of his Second Amendment rights.

Thanks for wasting taxpayers’ money and alarming children, parents and police. In this age of commonplace school shootings, surely there are more responsible, intelligent, decent and accountable ways to express one’s rights. In the future, perhaps some lucid thinking might precede this blatant display of ego and arrogant disregard for the reactions and feelings of others.

Build wall around Trumbo’s house

Build a wall around (Councilman John) Trumbo’s house (apparently he needs one), but make him pay for it, not city of Kennewick. Then put him in time out along with Nancy. I am sure they will get along together, and she can straighten him out about a few things while they are in there.

Thanks, Apex, for help with plowing

We would like to thank Apex Paving for the wonderful public service they provided to our neighborhood on Monday morning.

Two young fellows with a front-end loader came down our street, cleared the snow off several of our driveways and scraped off the large pile of snow in the street that was left by the snow plow. It was greatly appreciated.

What a great company, thanks Apex.

Abortion backers grasp at straws

The words in the Bible commanding opposition to abortion are “You shall not kill.” The same passage also states “You shall not steal.”

So, should all laws criminalizing theft be struck down as unconstitutional (violating the First Amendment; refer to Tri-City Herald 12/19/18) because Christians believe that stealing is a sin? No. Religious and non-religious folks alike believe that theft is wrong. The same is true of homicide. But society has accepted the killing of unborn children as an exception to this principle, based on the premise that an embryo or fetus borne of woman is subhuman.

This premise is false — it cannot withstand reasoned scientific inquiry into its validity. Indeed, the claim that the embryo/fetus is fully human is unequivocally supported by our knowledge of biology. Because they cannot defend their position (i.e., their postulate that abortion is not homicide because the embryo/fetus is not human) based on scientific facts, the pro-abortionists resort to tactics in which they depict those who don’t agree with their views as monsters (male, religiously fanatical monsters) whose only goal is to oppress women. Or that they are war-mongering, AR-toting cretins with no concern for other societal problems (TCH 1/1/19).

They’re grasping at straws.

Volunteer to help cancer victims

In 2019, more than 39,000 Washingtonians will be diagnosed with cancer, and for many getting to treatments can be their biggest obstacle. A successful transportation assistance program can be a tremendous, potentially life-saving asset to the community.

That’s why volunteering for the American Cancer Society’s Road To Recovery program is so important.

Volunteer drivers donate their time providing as many rides as they want. All drivers must have a valid driver’s license, good driving record, access to a safe and reliable car, regular desktop, laptop or tablet computer access, and proof of car insurance.

The American Cancer Society understands that when cancer hits, it hits from all sides, and lacking transportation to treatments shouldn’t be one of them. That’s why they are seeking volunteer drivers for the Road To Recovery program throughout Washington.

Volunteers like me experience great feelings, knowing they are literally giving someone a ride that is helping to save their life. I encourage everyone in our community to consider volunteering today.

To learn more or to sign up as a volunteer, visit cancer.org/volunteer.

Women have same rights as men do

John Faulkner’s opinions about pregnancy are wrong. My adult daughter recently died. I miss her terribly. But my loss is unrelated to other women’s healthcare decisions. Our democracy, our non-religious Constitution, defines our rights. No slavery of women, pregnant or not, exists in the Constitution. Neither Faulkner nor I have the right to dictate demands over any other citizen. John Faulkner has no right to assume that he can rule over any woman or child. This is because every woman has the same rights as a man to determine her own lifestyle decisions.

Has John Faulkner seen embryos? They have no arms, no legs, no heads, no nervous systems. I saw only blood clots. They aren’t citizens. They can’t think or feel anything. They can’t vote. What patients thought of them was none of my business. Embryos aren’t Faulkner’s business, either, except, perhaps, concerning those that he, himself, impregnated. Embryos aren’t judges’ business. They aren’t politicians’ business. A priest might think they are his business, but America isn’t a theocracy. No religion has the political power to decide what any woman may do with her own body.

Support new bill on climate change

I have been a believer in climate change caused by fossil fuels since the early 2000’s when I asked climate experts at PNNL about claims I had heard rebutting climate change concerns. To virtually every point, a valid, scientific and factual explanation was given to claims climate change was not real, man-made, or serious. Fortunately, over the ensuing years, the evidence has grown and now a wide majority believes climate change, and the projected catastrophic results, are real.

Unfortunately we have not been able to reach agreement on what should be done. The perfect is, indeed, the enemy of the good.

The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividends Act recently reintroduced in the House of Representatives is a bipartisan, market-based and balanced approach to reduce carbon emissions by 90 percent and hold global average temperature increases to about 3 degrees Fahrenheit. It offers reasonable exemptions for agricultural use and dividends to offset personal economic impacts. Importantly, it would not penalize our local utilities who already get the majority of the energy from carbon free sources.

This Act will finally provide a national approach, contributing to a global solution to a critical problem. Let’s all support this act.

This story was originally published February 14, 2019 at 12:02 AM with the headline "Letters: Feb. 14, 2019."