Letters: Fishing, coronavirus, shopping and more | April 16

Who speaks for endangered fish?

Salmon, the icon of the Pacific Northwest, has provided subsistence to many living things since time immemorial. That is why some cultures revere the salmon and honor its contribution. It is hard to imagine a living thing that has given more of itself. Yet despite its generous bounty, we do not seem to pay serious attention to its cry for help, a continuous cry for well over 100 years. The salmon’s life depends on a healthy environment and in this day and age, it depends on the homo sapiens to provide it. Its life cycle is to be born in a stream, migrate to the ocean and return to that same stream to reproduce its next generation. There are dangers and hazards all along the way, not the least of which are man-made dams that impede its passage both going to and returning from the ocean. We hear many voices, including the agriculture interests, the power interests, the navigation interests and the orca interests, but who speaks for the salmon?

Aid in new law for Alzheimer’s

Even while focused on the COVID-19 virus, Congress did not lose sight of the need to improve care and support for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. I am grateful that Congressman Dan Newhouse responded to Alzheimer’s Association advocates who urged cosponsorship of a bill to let area agencies on aging give support to those with the younger onset form of Alzheimer’s disease. Congressman Newhouse worked successfully to pass this bill into law.

Approximately 5% of the more than five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s today have the younger onset form, which often strikes in one’s 40s or 50s. Because of this legislation, these people are now eligible to receive vital Older Americans Act help like nutritional programs, in-home services, transportation, legal services, elder-abuse prevention and caregiver support.

This issue is important to me because my father died with dementia, and I have been diagnosed with memory loss, likely due to Alzheimer’s disease. I know the heavy burden that families with Alzheimer’s carry, whether the younger or older onset form.

All our members of Congress should continue to actively support policies that address Alzheimer’s disease as the national public health crisis it is.

Oregon governor shows intelligence

It appears Oregon has an intelligent governor. She is not requiring people to use reusable bags that can spread COVID-19 and she has not closed fishing.

Questions about senior shopping

I was at Costco on Tuesday for the senior shopping hour. I arrived fairly early, and I saw there were shoppers entering Costco around 6 a.m. and leaving shortly thereafter. The problem is that, this shopper walked out of Costco with toilet paper, the very thing these seniors were waiting in line for.

I found out that these shoppers were part of the Insta-cart shopping service. While I do not have a problem with Insta-cart, Insta-cart is a shopping service, not a shopping privilege to come before the seniors. The shopping time for seniors is at 8 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays. The question is, why are these people allowed to shop before the seniors? This seems to defeat the purpose of letting the seniors go first to shop.

These shoppers need to shop when it is allowable after the seniors, and if these are seniors shopping for others, they need to start after 9 a.m.. The other question is, why is Costco placing these shoppers over the seniors?

Graduation rules unfair to some

Some schools’ administrative policy will deny some senior students from participation in high school graduation ceremonies with their classmates of up to 12 years – all because they didn’t meet graduation requirements by as little as “one” credit. Regardless of the reasons, schools’ or students’, this policy appears unfair to these students, their taxpaying parents and grandparents whose efforts will go uncelebrated when compared to other school patrons authorized to participate in these recognition ceremonies.

For years, some “non-graduating” seniors wore their school’s colors, played sports and grieved the deaths of classmates. Yet, for them, there will be no caps and gowns, announcements, or celebration parties. Instead, they will be administratively alienated from peers, and like others, will experience embarrassment, heartbreak, shame and possibly life-long stigma…

Ceremonies are events where all participate, either as honorees or spectators. Diplomas are awarded at any time after all requirements are completed. Thus, why not give all senior students the opportunity to “walk” with their classmates in recognition for their contributions to their class’s and school’s overall achievements?

Should schools’ policies alienate senior students from classmates and deny their participation in the final, most emotionally important ceremony of their high school careers? Perhaps not.

Try new approach with fentanyl

I am writing about the 70,000 overdose deaths from fentanyl in the last year. Despite the tremendous diversity of these deaths, not much has been done in the U.S. In Canada and Europe, they practice harm reduction while in the U.S., Trump has doubled down on law enforcement and arresting the end users. Our system is being used against us when in Pennsylvania they cannot treat this as a serious illness. In Canada, they are going for dilaudid vending machines.

In America where deaths are highest, it’s important we recognize that a state of emergency has been declared and prohibiting marijuana is counterproductive to the cause of lowering deaths.

Please do anything and everything, illegal and legal to fight back and tell the Trump administration that deaths are everywhere from overdoses and can’t be stopped with our current zero-tolerance agenda. The answer lies in altering our drug war budget from interdiction to medical treatment. While this epidemic rages on, please be safe.

Get out of the way, Mr. President

As a teenager too young to be drafted, I watched the Vietnam War body count add up on a daily basis. The war, while controversial, was executed based on the leader’s best information available at the time. The current war, the Covid-19 Pandemic, is being executed in a “READY, FIRE, AIM” process. Unfortunately, the body count from Covid-19 will make Vietnam look like child’s play. President Trump , get out of the way so the carnage can be minimized.

Tired of reports on coronavirus

Every day now for the past week, the front page of the newspaper has been the same, showing how many people have the coronavirus and how many have died. Is this really necessary? it is very depressing and quiet frankly, I’m tired of seeing it! Why don’t you put something positive on the front page for a change! Besides, don’t you think everyone is sick and tired of hearing about the Coronavirus! Make a change and report on something good!

This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Fishing, coronavirus, shopping and more | April 16."