Letters: Revising history, face masks, Richland parks and more | June 28

Don’t follow China in revising history

Watching the madness across the nation. I see many things that trouble me. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees all men and women with to right to peaceably assemble. Yet there are people in various media sources openly inciting riots and mayhem.

Where is the Justice Department of the United States? Where is the FBI? Chris Cuomo has an open platform he’s using to commit treason against the United States. If the FBI can enter and arrest Roger Stone in the middle of the night, why are they sitting on their hands and ignoring the people fueling the riots? People are dying! Lives are being ruined! The economy is being ruined, costing trillions in potential damage, costing every citizen an untold burden.

What will be the final cost of this madness? Statues and monuments are being destroyed. The names of streets and public places are being changed. If the existence of people famous and infamous are removed, how will future generations know what happened? What questions will children ever ask about who and what we are? Is this a replay of Mao’s cultural revolution? China’s art and history were wiped out of existence! Why let this happen again?

Death, protests raise questions

It’s human nature to try to simplify complex issues to help us make some meaningful sense of horrific events.

That said, the recent protests over yet another black person’s death at the hands of police raises lots of questions. Such as:

How are police officers trained to deal with out-of-control people high on drugs or having a mental breakdown?

What are the resources available to law enforcement to place said persons in a mental or rehabilitation facility vs. a jail cell?

Can you root or cull out racial bias and profiling?

Are there statistics available on the ratio of police killings based on the ethnicity to population numbers?

Law enforcement personnel are human and when faced with an out-of-control person, fear for one’s safety becomes instinct and often controls our actions. If that person has a weapon, the results can be tragic.

The way I see it, it’s more than a black person vs. a white cop issue. The problem, as you hear often said lately, is systemic. Our law officer community and drug and mental health resources need to communicate and put procedures in place to deal with the ill, not criminal. The police, and the community they serve, need to lose the us vs. them attitude and work together to heal what is wrong.

“Beware not the enemy without but the enemy within.”

— Douglas MacArthur

Keep bathrooms in park open later

Over 30 years of enjoying Richland’s city parks, I have never noticed so many people ducking into the bushes down by the river to relieve themselves. This behavior is not so unusual if you are in a rustic campground out in the woods, but this is happening within city limits and where there is a current restroom facility. For the sake of the environment and in the name of privacy, how about keeping the bathrooms open past 3 p.m.? West Richland’s facilities are open until 9 pm. Or, perhaps a well-placed Port-a potty is what is needed by high use areas such as the volleyball courts and swimming beach at Leslie Groves park.

Many of these people are also in large groups, ignoring the health department’s recommendations of six-foot social distancing and wearing masks as called for. As I walk the river path at Leslie Groves, I observe people acting as if life is back to normal with no apparent regard for pandemic safety precautions. At this rate, we will be stuck in “Phase 1” for a long time. Please show some consideration for your fellow citizens when you use public spaces.

Fort Bragg name really didn’t matter

During the Vietnam War, Fort Bragg was my home for two months of basic training. I can tell you that none of us knew who Braxton Bragg was nor did we ask. It simply didn’t matter who the base was named for and the Army made no effort to inform us of that. We lived in World War II barracks and what the Army did emphatically drill into us was that Bragg was the home of the elite 82nd Airborne and we could all jump out of airplanes if we wanted (I declined). I can still sing you some of our marching songs like “River of Saigon.”

All that to say that renaming military installations for an actual patriot is a fine thing to do. Maybe then training would include informing soldiers about who the base is named for and why. Maybe then, we would not be led astray by a partisan and divisive demagogue. And maybe then we would remember who we really are and act accordingly.

Old wives tales don’t equal science

Beware Tri-Citians! Some people believe one is immune to the COVID-19 virus once one has contracted this disease and therefore, cannot contract it for the second time. Other Tri-Citians would like you to believe that masks are unnecessary because you cannot contract the disease as long as you have been immunized for childhood diseases such as smallpox, measles, polio and others.

Neither of these “old wives tales” have been verified by science. There is much regarding this virus that is still unknown. So people, wear your mask to protect others (if you’re not worried about yourself). The numbers in the Tri-Cities continue to climb.

Don’t unmasked want next stage?

Went to Yoke’s today. I was trying to get my short list filled while avoiding the unmasked shoppers (about 30%). Don’t these people even want to progress to stage No. 2 & No. 3 of the reopening of the county? I’d love to get a haircut.

Citizens denied stimulus checks

Citizens can’t get stimulus checks if their spouse lacks a SSN. There are potentially 1 million American families who were denied an assistance check from the federal government because the CARES Act excludes ‘nonresident alien individuals’ from receiving these payments, in spite of the fact they pay taxes like everyone else and are forced to work during this pandemic. It also denies these payments to US Citizen who are married to nonresident aliens. (Spokesman Review, April 29)

I want to thank Rep. Dan Newhouse for his support for a change that would allow U.S. citizens to receive these assistance checks from the federal government in spite of the fact they may be married to a non-resident alien. I want to acknowledge that his principled stand is the right thing for the poorest of his constituents in the 4th Congressional District who are the most in need and who are being wrongfully denied these assistance checks. The bullies in the White House and the Republican Party continue their unremitting campaign against the many undocumented migrants and Hispanic families in our 4th Congressional District during this pandemic when they are the most in need.

Mayor, council need to stand up

I would like to hear from our mayor and city council on how they are backing our small business. I haven’t seen them on the local news at all. In fact, I have asked several people who is our city of Richland mayor, and they can’t tell me.

State’s free tests ill-conceived idea

This is the most ill-conceived idea from the Department of Health to offer the general public free COVID-19 testing. This undoubtedly will delay further re-opening of businesses. Common sense dictates that the more testing is done, the more cases will be found. Factoring in the false positives, you will then have far more inflated numbers. Testing should be offered to moderately symptomatic individuals who might need hospitalisation, health care workers and caregivers for obvious reasons.

The aim of social isolation and PPE’s was not to overwhelm the hospitals. I think we have met that objective for the most part.

Looking back at the course of this pandemic, every state will and should have its “fair” share of cases, before seeing a decline (with New York being a great example). After withstanding the initial onslaught, their new cases are falling, possibly by attaining some degree of herd immunity, mostly from asymptomatic cases.

We all will most likely have an increase in asymptomatic cases as this virus courses its way through our communities but blindly testing everyone will confirm the obvious and add to our misery.

Fox News: a plot of Deep State?

An idea circulating now on social media: Burn your masks.

This makes sense, since Laura Ingraham of Fox News informed us that Dr. Fauci is a member of the “Medical Deep State.” Burn your mask and show you won’t be brainwashed by a sly scientist.

If Fox News tells you this summer that forest fires are fake news, will you set off fireworks near Multnomah Falls?

Go ahead, breathe on those of us who are not Fox News believers. The deep state you give us could be a COVID-19 coma.

Workable plans, ready to reopen

I take offense at the following statement included in a May 29 letter by: David King, Richland, “But who gains most from this with the least risk is the business owner.” He obviously knows very little about “small business” and/or the owners of these businesses.

Most small business owners work side by side with their employees daily. Many of these employees are family and those who are not are considered “family” because of the daily/hourly contact and closeness of “small businesses.” Small business owners need to get back open as much for their employees as for the survival of the business. The longer they go without income just intensifies the fact that they may never reopen. And, as for the employees, while there may be a risk to opening up a business that risk is minimal if close contact, masks and other safety procedures are followed.

Readying for re-opening, Magill’s in Pasco, owned by our daughter, son & grandson, have upgraded their POS system for table-side service and will ask customers to view (the) menu online, with paper menus available. These precautions, plus all the other safety rules, (are) anticipated. They got the loan/grant, hired employees back and are anxiously awaiting a reopening date.

Chaney op-ed was helpful for him

I want to thank Jordan Chaney for his excellent op-ed on the All Lives Matter issue. I had wondered what the root of the issue might be and I had planned to write to the Tri-City Herald to request that you ask Jordan to write a piece on the issue, but you beat me to it. As usual, Jordan clearly and succinctly explained the situation so everyone would understand. I would like to thank Jordan and I look forward to his views on any issue that he would care to write about.

Culp for governor in GOP ballot

I'm happy to endorse Loren Culp for governor! At a time when the Left wants to defund and disband police departments, Culp's experience as a police chief is sorely needed. At a time when lockdowns have suspended our most basic fundamental rights, we need a governor who understands and respects the U.S. Constitution!

Mr. Culp led the fight against Imitative 1639, because he understands that the Second Amendment is the means by which we defend all of the rights in the Bill of Rights!

Some of my friends have complained that Mr. Culp uses the same rhetoric in all of his speeches and isn't very inspiring; this is because he knows what he believes and sticks to his beliefs. We don't need the inspiring words of a professional politician, we need someone who can get things done and reverse the damage that Democrats have been doing to this state for the last 26 years and Loren Culp is the right man for the job!

Please join me in voting for Loren Culp by Aug. 4!

This story was originally published June 28, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Revising history, face masks, Richland parks and more | June 28."