Letters: Proud of safety award, nation lacking leadership, Ritzville wedding and more | Dec. 13

Safety award makes him proud

I am pleased and proud, as a retired Hanford worker, to have read in the Herald on Nov. 17 that Washington River Protection Solutions, the Hanford Tank Farms contractor, has been designated as one of “America’s Safest Companies” by EHS Today, an American occupational safety and health magazine.

Just a year ago at the annual HAMMER reception, one of the current Hanford workers told me, “We finally have a real, working safety culture at Hanford!” That statement seems to have been verified by this designation.

Work in the tank farms, and at all of Hanford, is not without its serious hazards. Performing such dangerous work safely requires a robust safety culture that includes dedicated support and participation by everyone.

Kudos, John Eschenberg, his management team, the rank and file workforce and all the supporting staff for this significant achievement! You ROCK!

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Nation is lacking any leadership

Do the protests against the COVID-19 restrictions really deserve front-page coverage for the second day running? If the staff and patrons of Koko’s Bartini were endangering only themselves, I’d say fine; let them take the chance of getting infected. But you and I know they’re risking not only themselves, but (also) everyone they come into contact with. They don’t seem to realize that their rights as individuals don’t include the right to harm others.

Sterling’s may have stopped serving meals indoors, but not for the right reasons. Unless their patron demographic has changed since the last time I was there, the majority of them are more vulnerable to the virus than the crowd who prefers Koko’s.

The one thing the protesters appear to have in common – other than the failure to recognize that freedom comes with responsibilities as well as rights – is the notion that the pandemic restrictions are Gov, (Jay) Inslee’s fault alone. Anyone who’s been paying attention ought to know that our miserable record in fighting this disease – the worst record in the world – results from an appalling lack of leadership at the national level. And the name of that lack of leadership is Donald Trump.

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Uptown in need of renovation

I’m writing about the Uptown Shopping Center’s crumbling infrastructure. Since efforts have failed to revitalize the Uptown Shopping Center, and because we are short drug treatment services then we should allow pot businesses and detox centers into the Uptown Center.

If the back of the Uptown had detox and methadone, plus suboxone services, and the front had pot businesses, then jobs would be prevalent and the Uptown could be renovated, finally since 1958. The police adequately patrol the uptown, so pot businesses would be protected.

The crumbling infrastructure in the Tri-City area badly needs federal funds for revitalization, repairs and COVID-19 relief.

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True freedom may require sacrifices

This tiresome plague has exhausted us all, but our anger needs to be aimed at defeating COVID-19, not harassing the leaders who remind us of safe practices until we bring the numbers of infection down so we don’t overwhelm our first responders and health providers, not to mention cause more deaths..

How would Gov. (Jay) Inslee, a factor in maintaining one of the strongest state economies, not care about businesses? Of course he does. He also knows that until it’s safe to do so, some businesses can’t reasonably reopen. Unfortunately, real science leans toward not having groups of strangers likely to mix in inside spaces: inside seating in bars and restaurants. An expectation of reasonable restraint is not the act of a “dictator,” but the measure a leader must take in a crisis.

The association president of the Latin Business Association, David Cortinas, understands that to conduct business prudently in today’s dangerous environment, we need to mask up and protect the families we’re trying to support. None of this is easy, and the last thing our leaders and law enforcement people need is further guff. True freedom might require sacrifices we didn’t know we’d have to make.

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Wedding a test of ‘death do us part’

Apparently the Ritzville wedding couple are really testing the Death Do Us Part section of the wedding vows by holding a reception for 300 guests. The couple and their guests had no concern for the innocent people they have exposed. And they certainly had no concern for the medical staff that will risk their lives to save their sorry butts. I would like to know where in the Constitution I’m guaranteed the right to selfishly do what I want even when I know I can end up violating the rights of others. Any innocent person who contracts the virus should be able to press charges against the “spreader” for attempted murder. Family members of a person who dies from the exposure should be able to press manslaughter charges. It’s discouraging to think that our society has lost its sense of decency and has replaced it with narcissism.

Thank you to all the people who are willing to self-sacrifice for the greater good. Thanks to all who are following the guidelines designed to keep all of us alive.

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Remember season celebrates Christ

We celebrate Christmas and Easter once per year, representing Jesus Christ’s birth and resurrection from the dead. How many people know the original meanings of His name?

“Jesus” comes from the name Joshua in the Old Testament of the Bible, written originally in Hebrew. It means Yahweh (God’s name) is Salvation. “Christ” comes from the Old Testament word Messiah, meaning anointed one from God; anointing was an inauguration rite for a prophet, priest or king. Jesus Christ is not only the anointed Prophet, Priest and King, but also God our Savior if we choose.

All people have sinned and separated themselves from a perfectly righteous, almighty, just, loving creator God. God the Son (Jesus Christ) took on human form to be born and live as one of us, perfect and sinless, sacrificing Himself being unjustly crucified on the cross, paying the penalty for all our sins, (past, present, and future) and then being resurrected from the dead. He reaches out to anyone who has faith (trust) alone in Him alone as their personal Savior and Lord to connect us to Himself permanently to live in happiness in His kingdom forever, which can never be lost having ultimate victory over death.

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Let’s focus on where we agree

After a contentious election, we might think we are divided, but we actually agree on many things. We all value personal freedom and personal responsibility, an effective government providing safety and security, a robust economy providing well-paying jobs, clean air and water, access to health care when we need it, and equal opportunity to pursue our dreams.

Let’s let our common values guide our efforts to solve the big problems we face as a nation: the pandemic, financial insecurity, inadequate access to health care, racism, an increasingly dangerous climate and tribalism.

For example, we can preserve our climate for future generations with a solution that’s consistent with all of these values. A revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend uses market forces to reduce U.S. carbon emissions by 90% by 2050 while preserving personal freedom, rewarding personal responsibility, stimulating the economy and creating rewarding jobs, avoiding growth in government, maintaining competitiveness in international trade, purifying our air and improving personal health and achieving equitable impacts on personal finances. That’s a solution we can all get behind! Have doubts? Check out energyinnovationact.org.

This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Proud of safety award, nation lacking leadership, Ritzville wedding and more | Dec. 13."