Letters: Pizza tantrum, COVID numbers, face masks and more | Aug. 2

Pizza tantrum was beyond obnoxious

It’s hard to describe in 200 words how appalling the performance was at Papa Murphy’s by a woman referred to in the Tri-City Herald only as a “customer, woman, and Pasco School District custodian.” A person displaying disorderly conduct and total lack of respect for professional-acting employees, as well as for fellow customers would have been a more accurate description.

We have all read of the importance of following state mandates in wearing masks in order to give our children and staff a chance to return to school this fall. Given that, the above-mentioned person, who is “customer, woman, Pasco School District custodian would be a questionable choice for working around and keeping schools safely clean for children and staff.

Does someone acting in this manner even deserve the courtesy of not being named? Facebook only referred to her as a “Karen,” aka obnoxious and demanding.

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GOP candidates endanger business

Four of the candidates running for the Republican nomination are Tim Eyman, Joshua Freed, Dr. Raul Garcia and Phil Fortunato. Their names appeared in the Tri City Herald on June 5 under the headline “Franklin GOP defies stay-at-home order, meet for a “farm hall.”

Clint Didier, Franklin Co. commissioner, had organized the event, which was held in an empty potato shed on June 2 despite COVID-19 distancing restrictions. (Some) 200 to 300 people were packed inside with little social distancing or mask wearing. Garcia also attended the Basin City 4th of July parade and rodeo.

Fast forward to June 28 and a (guest opinion) in the Tri City Herald written by Jason and Kendra Sadler, operators of Tap & Barrel, in which they pleaded with the public to wear masks and social distance to get people and the economy healthy again. They barely survived the three-month shutdown and are just hanging on.

This reckless behavior on the part of these four candidates may have helped cause the rapid increase in the number of COVID 19 infections and deaths in Franklin and Benton counties in the past several weeks. It also places more businesses in danger of having to close again.

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Trump’s actions speak for the man

In response to Lisa Davis’s letter of July 9, “How many presidents can anyone say had (a) perfect personality and were effective leader(s) at the same time?”

She names Nixon, an “expert statesman,” but gives no examples of his actions to prove that point. Nixon used FBI agents to gain information he hoped would help him gain political advantage. History holds him responsible for that.

Ms. Davis applauds Jackson for defeating the British in New Orleans. Jackson was one of our most popular presidents, and a brilliant military strategist. He enlisted the Cherokee Indians to fight in the War of 1812. When gold was discovered on Cherokee land, Jackson betrayed them. Three thousand American lives were lost on the Trail of Tears. That’s not about Jackson’s personality, that’s about his actions.

Lincoln, a Republican, wasn’t mentioned in Ms. Davis’s letter. Lincoln was one of our most unpopular presidents, so not really “liked for his personality.” He placed ideals — that all men are created equal — above himself — in the Emancipation Proclamation. He frequented hospitals during the Civil War and reminded Americans “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Lincoln even asked Andrew Johnson, a Democrat and former slaveholder from the South, to be his vice-presidential running mate. These are actions of unity to heal a divided country.

How has President Trump brought unity to our country? You are asking readers to look past a “less than perfect personality,” and I am. I’m looking at words and actions. In President Trump’s case, they speak for themselves.

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Was speeder or shooter at fault?

A story. There once was a man who lived in a remote part of Washington state. He lived on a farm on a state highway. Because of a blind curve and slow farm equipment, the state posted a lower speed limit for the short section that passed by his home and barn. The man lived on his farm for years, even though his family had asked him to move into town. Daily he would take his UTV across the road to do his farm chores.

Many people enjoyed driving this highway, its curves provided a scenic and exciting weekend drive. One day, a sightseer was speeding and failed to slow as he drove by the farm, hitting the farmer and instantly killing him. The driver was remorseful but told the responding officer that he didn’t see the need for a speed limit in such a remote place. He also pointed out that the speed limit signs were hard to see. They had been shot several times with a shotgun, partially obscuring their warning. The officer was aware of this since the farmer had complained about it a month before.

So, who was to blame for this man’s death?

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No masks? Won’t be in your store

The Tri-Cities continues to struggle convincing people to wear proper protective gear when in public. Politicians like (Clint) Didier and (Donald) Trump have made it a political issue, but a less obvious reason is many businesses allow employees to wear their masks below their noses and, although they have “no mask, no service” signs posted, allow customers to enter and shop without masks.

A week prior to Gov. (Jay) Inslee making it a requirement to don masks before entering a business, I stopped at the Pasco Ranch and Home. At least 15 other shoppers were there, I was the only one wearing a mask. I returned after the new regulation and found that several employees were wearing their masks below the nose or hanging around their necks and, customers without masks were getting served without challenge.

This is not the only local business refusing to enforce this simple protection. I have always tried to shop local first. But since you have shown me that you do not value my health, I will no longer shop at your stores. Everything you sell, I can order on the internet. You don’t care about me, why should I care about you?

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More information needed on COVID

Every day it is the same headline. “Numbers of COVID-19 cases increase.” This is very limited data.

Numbers of other factors could explain more about COVID-19. What are the ages, jobs/professions and ethnicity of people who test positive? How many cases are hospitalized? Who recovers in the hospitals? Who has long-term effects? Did people who test positive wears masks in public? Are grade school children at the same risk as teenagers? What about pregnant mothers who are positive?

Numbers are easily to manipulated to prove an argument. But numbers are essential to arm ourselves in this pandemic. Show us more authentic numbers.

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Believe in science or keep wallowing

Unbelievable — a new low! The White House says we should ignore science in our so-far pathetic fight against the pandemic. Ignoring the science is how we got to where we are today and will only cause the virus to further increase and spread like wildfire. Because of willfully ignorant, irresponsible charlatans like Donald Trump and and our own Clint Didier, we’ll be wallowing in this pandemic for many months or years to come — or until we smarten up.

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Democrats have nothing to offer

The Democrats have certainly earned something this election season, the need to lose every election they enter. Let’s look at their credentials.

They have no leaders.

They have no policies.

They are all obstructionists.

They will spend all your money happily.

They have no core values.

All the hate comes from the left.

And the best part is they bow down to the mob.

As a case study, let’s look at our state. We have two do-nothing U.S. senators. We have a complete derelict as a governor. Both chambers in Olympia are controlled by the left. And the fires continue to burn in Seattle. Nationally they have selected Joe Biden as their presidential nominee. Per Peter Schweitzer’s latest book, Joe Biden is a criminal, as are several of his family members. The really sad part is Joe Biden is like one of the lost boys in Peter Pan. He is just never coming back from wherever he is. We want Joe Biden and the Democrats to control the nation and our state? Not me.

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My thoughts on removing statues:

Why, it’s a part of our history and when all remembrances of the darker part of our past are removed, we no longer will be able to look back and reflect on what society did wrong, thereby learning from it. What’s next, burning books? That’s exactly what every dictator/despot in history did when they were turning their citizens into slaves to their power.

It’s called Communism/Socialism in its mildest forms and Despotism in the most restrictive form. (Despotism: Defined as a situation in which a ruler has absolute power.) Is this really what you people want? Do you not see that a protest is not a protest when the Leftest Socialists get involved? And “defund the police” is most certainly a despotic aim if ever there was one!

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Socialism suffers from many flaws

In your July 12 letters section, I noted the comment, “…Republicans are trying to scare us about socialism.” Read your history. You should be scared of socialism. The Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock (1620) instituted a strict form of socialism, distributing all produced goods as needed. Hard workers were not rewarded, while the lazy were well supported. Lacking any motivation to work, two years of shortages resulted. Half the colonists died. The Jamestown settlement had similar problems (1607-1611).

Look at the Soviet Union and Communist China in the 20th century. Shortages were a normal part of life. Millions died as a direct result of the “economically unwise” decisions made by their leaders and bureaucrats. Venezuela (circa 2000) went from the richest country in South America to economic disaster, mass starvation and violence.

Socialism has multiple flaws. Too few people hold too much power, attracting evil men like flies to honey. Those leaders can end the distribution of supplies to selected regions, thus starving their political opponents. The bureaucrats controlling the economy are not rewarded for making good decisions, nor punished for making bad decisions. That kind of government is an absolute disaster.

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Where’s outrage over 500 dead?

Nurses battling COVID-19 are taking casualties. Over 500 healthcare workers in the U.S. have lost their lives trying to save others. This can be analogous to our brothers and sisters in uniform fighting in Afghanistan.

If 500 soldiers had died in four months’ time fighting in the Middle East, the country would be furious and demand action, yet inside the U.S., some people still think the virus war is a hoax, and we still aren’t giving nurses adequate PPE. This is equivalent to taking away our weapons and protective bulletproof vests.

Nurses in the Tri Cities don’t get combat pay and, in fact, their pay sucks in comparison.

When the country found out that Russia was paying a bounty on American soldiers, we all were rightfully angry. Yet there is no anger against those who deny the existence of a virus killing healthcare workers trying their best to save the lives of our family members.

Those who don’t wear a mask are shooting the bullets at our own brave men and women that go to work every day and fight on the front line.

Time to wake up, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.

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Councils should stop blocking pot

I’m writing because we have a problem with our councils on accepting the state’s language on legalized pot. Vital to the controlled substances act, each city must comply with state law and not draft opposing laws. Instead, many commissioners tried to dissent and stop pot legalization. The councils also voiced all sorts of problems with the pot laws, and to this day haven’t accepted the state laws — citing more power to regulate and demanding more money from the sales of marijuana. Now with more money, they started citing new problems.

Instead of cooperating with the controlled substances act and will of voters, we have not fully realized the full potential of legalization and its power to help the economy. The legalization of pot should create more jobs here and bring in more revenue for Washington state. We are facing too many who want the power to regulate, while only state law is to be followed. The power resides in our hands and every attempt to allow pot businesses has been thwarted by the councils.

We have too many problems with hard drugs to limit the sales of marijuana and need to do more to help users.

This story was originally published August 2, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Pizza tantrum, COVID numbers, face masks and more | Aug. 2."