Letters: Superior Court judge, elections, face masks and more | July 19

Ajax worked for me; vote for her

Shelley Ajax came to work at Allen Brecke Law Offices as an eager 24-year old, no experience paralegal in 1995. She proceeded to hold every position in the firm, from case manager, business manager, litigation department manager to Chief Nutty “Monty Python” jokester, until 2002, when she went to Gonzaga Law School.

She was the first woman to finish the standard 3-year curriculum in 2 (years), with honors, in 2004.

She then returned to … (our offices) for a little over year to learn all about civil litigation, then formed her own law firm to practice family law and criminal law. She has since tried several intense family law cases to the court and over 100 criminal trials to the jury.

Once a young upstart in my eyes, she is now a wise and respected colleague. She is on the Aug. 4 ballot for the Superior Court judge open seat position; I hope you will join me in voting for her.

See ajaxforjudge.com or Shelley-ajax-for-judge on Facebook for more details. And contact me if you’d like a sample of her delightful and creative wit.

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Our unity as nation is what’s important

In a conversation about Lincoln, I was asked what I liked most about him.

I gave the typical “he brought about the end of slavery.” I was shocked when my partner said he thought there was something even greater, “He ended the Civil War, and reunited us.”

In history, wars frequently reignite and repeat themselves. Hurt feelings and desire for revenge can run deep due to losses on both sides.

Lincoln wanted both sides to again view the other as brothers who could move on after a bitter struggle. Southern leaders were treated with respect. Streets, parks and erected monuments were named after their heroes.

Today’s situation “may” be different, and this appeasement to the South no longer needed.

The flag is the symbol of the “strength” of the United States. Its unity, “E Pluribus Unum,” is found in 13 colonies (stripes), and the 50 states (stars) coming together.

Today, in our “divided times,” we need to look at fellow Americans not as “enemies within,” but citizens also loyal to their convictions, and our country.

We also need a president who unites us, and not, as Gen. (James) Mattis said, who continually and intentionally divides and splits us.

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We need to pray

Let’s all bow down before God and pray. Let’s tell God we’re sorry for disrespecting Him, for not honoring Him, not thanking Him and not acknowledging Him as our Creator and Lord.

We’ve disrespected our earth, we’ve disrespected each other, we’ve disrespected human life by killing each other and millions of babies. To put it bluntly, God is not pleased with us!

“If my people, who are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my Face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

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He wants court to rule on its records

Supreme Court held hearings on House subpoenas for records, including before and during presidency for Trump personal income taxes and records of his businesses, loans and bank evaluations of those loans, and other financial/other records of Trump, his businesses, his family (kids, grandkids) and his dogs and cats.

Curious as to how (the) Supreme Court would vote IF the House subpoenas had been for all of their tax records, business dealings, loan applications and bank’s analyses to build a case for their impeachment.

House Counsel Doug Letter-reasoned House Subpoenas needed for Trump tax and other records to investigate for future legislation:

“Obviously, we can’t have Congress passing legislation in ignorance.”

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Try to look at masks this way

So let me understand this; when a public official, say a state governor, invokes protections, from a human-species-impacting-health crisis, the smart thing to do is protest “Government Overreach” to combat the health providing possibilities of whatever protections the guidelines may provide?

Perhaps this could be considered an ‘overreach,’ but could you provide a detailed explanation that would give us insight into your logic?

On second thought, don’t! Simply, now is not the time to debate. If wearing the masks doesn’t seem important to you, consider wearing them for your mother, father, sister, brother, children, grandchildren. It is not an ‘overreach’ to look at it this way.

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Petersen would make great judge

We need a Superior Court judge who sees the dignity and value in every Washington resident and who will uphold the law to protect our communities in Benton and Franklin counties. Dave Petersen is that judge. We have known Dave for decades, and there is no one better suited and no one with more experienced to be our next judge. We need experience, intelligence, energy, passion, wisdom and trust, and Dave has all of these qualities and many more. We can trust him to uphold the law and protect all of us.

Dave has 22 years of experience as a lawyer and judge. During that time, he served 20 years as judge pro tem where he was regularly called as a substitute judge in Benton/Franklin Superior and District Courts. He served six years as the Municipal Court judge at the City of Pasco. His private law practice focused on family law, family law mediations, personal injury, estate planning, probate and criminal defense. You can read more about Dave’s experience at https://www.dave4judge.com/platform.

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Rescue shows we need our police

I witnessed an almost tragedy this morning, while running in the park near Van Giesen. A loud, howling repeating sound came from the river for several minutes. Many people stopped to figure out what was. Clearly, someone was under tremendous stress. We could not see the person, but the howling was evident and haunting.

A lady with little white dog called the police. Moments Later, at the parking lot behind Sterling’s, we saw the Richland Police, Fire Department and Rescue there and out in the river. They found a swimmer who was stuck in a river whirlpool without floatation device. An almost tragedy ended safely.

Thanks to the police, fire and rescue to make our lives safe. No one person could do the Samaritan work to save this swimmer singlehanded. We need our police, fire and rescue organization that humans built over hundreds or thousands years of civilization for our collective safety and survival.

The mob mentality of “Defund the Police” is totally ridiculous. Would people would have to regress to the Wild West era to carry weapons for individual safety? Who will save the person in distress?

Enough chaos in 2020, we all need to think hard at the election.

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Franklin board needs new voice

I am writing to support the candidacy of Kim Lehrman for District 1 Franklin County commissioner. It’s time for a voice on the commission who puts people first and advocates for cooperation with other local governments. I urge you to vote for a change.

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Return Delvin to commission seat

I am writing today in support of retaining Jerome Delvin for Benton County District 1 commissioner.

Delvin is uniquely qualified and is deserving of our support in this position. Jerome has demonstrated to the residents of Benton County over the past several years the kind of quiet leadership that has worked well on the commission and for the people whom he represents. He possesses a wide variety of experience and knowledge, as well as a depth of experience that is unequaled by any other candidate seeking this position.

For these reasons and many others, he deserves to continue to serve the residents of Benton County. Other candidates seeking Jerome’s Position fall short on their reasons why he should be turned out of office.

I believe the Benton County voters can see through some of the claims that have been made as to why one of them should take his place on the commission. Jerome has served us very well in the past and in my mind is exceptionally well deserving to be elected for another 4 years.

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Former police chief backs Sant

As the retired chief of the Pasco Police Department, I am glad to be able to write in support of Shawn Sant for Superior Court judge.

I found Shawn to be a true professional with a special interest in the safety and well-being of the Tri-Cities. He was also very well versed in the law and how it applies to various situations. I found that he was very detail oriented as a prosecutor and would review a case thoroughly before making a charging decision. Many times, he would send a case back for more information before making a final decision. While this could take extra time, it also meant that he was thorough and wanted to make sure he had all of the facts. This kind of detail is very important not only for a prosecutor but a judge as well.

My dealings with Shawn over the years proved to me that he was a consummate professional and one I respected a great deal. For these reasons and many more, I urge all Tri-Citians to vote for Shawn Sant for Superior Court judge.

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Vote Trump out

“Stay at home” may be considered a restriction against religious freedom, but it isn’t really. I can pray wherever and whenever. More important, the restriction is temporary. Death is forever. Get a grip!

The Republican Party (I refuse to use the term “GOP”) is showing how bone-dry it is, having no one to challenge President Donald Trump. Since President Trump loves superlatives so much, he is the lie-ing-est, most inept, most ignorant person to hold such high office. That should get his picture on TIME again. He’ll think it is an honor.

There is an old axiom that states: A man who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. A lot more damage can occur before November. Please vote!

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Restore lands on Saddle Mountains

One of my favorite places to go in the spring is the Saddle Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in the Hanford National Monument. This was the best place where one could easily find Sage Thrashers, Sagebrush, Vesper’s, Brewer’s Lark and Grasshopper Sparrows. These unique little sparrows each have their own beautiful songs. There is not another location nearby that had the views, wildflowers and unique songs that could be heard in this rich but rapidly disappearing ecosystem.

Now the whole mountain has been consumed by fire. The first fire was in 2017, the year after the Audubon Society did a Sagebrush Songbird Survey of this area. A second fire in 2018 burned another large section destroying even more habitat necessary for Sagebrush Songbirds. Many of us had hoped that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would do some restoration to bring back the critical sagebrush and grassland habitats these birds need. Now a third fire has wiped out that last remaining tracts of sagebrush and grassland habitats. I hope now the USFWS will finally do the restoration work necessary to bring back these thousands of acres of public lands before they turn into big weedy messes unsuitable for any birds.

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Article helps us know candidates

Thank you to the Tri-City Herald and staff for the article in the July 7 newspaper naming the state and local political candidates who attended the Basin City rodeo events on July 3 and 4. It’s important as a voter to know which candidates are law-abiding and have the interest of all of their potential constituents in mind!

This story was originally published July 19, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Superior Court judge, elections, face masks and more | July 19."