Letters: Why are teachers special, GOP power grab, voting machine questions and more | Jan. 10

Use Coliseum as vaccination site?

Has anyone considered using our coliseum for vaccination clinics? (It) Has wide open area where tables could be set up for the shots, seats where people could sit to be monitored after their shots, and plenty of parking. We could get a lot of people taken care of at once. It would be a good use of the facility.

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Why are school teachers special?

Studies available since early summer show that children are at relatively low risk of contracting COVID-19 or becoming seriously sick from it. Children also appear to not transmit the virus as readily as adults. Because of this, school reopening has been encouraged by the CDC, WHO and other professionals for children’s well-being. They recognize school closure has been especially deleterious to disadvantaged youth. Nevertheless, public school leaders and teacher unions continue to insist that reopening schools is too risky.

While it’s considered necessary and acceptable for workers in retail, health care, food processing and construction to work in close proximity to their colleagues and members of the public, the public school establishment insists it is too risky for teachers and staff to work in the classroom environment (though it’s okay for day care workers to care for teachers’ kids in similar environments). This, in spite of the fact that by the nature of their work, teachers need not work much time in close proximity to other adults.

So, why are public school teachers and staff so special and more deserving of protection from COVID-19 than millions of other workers?

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Newhouse in on GOP power grab

This last week when 126 Republican members of Congress, including Dan Newhouse, joined 17 Republican attorneys general in support of Texas in suing four swing states over the results of the 2020 election, it was nothing more than a shameless power grab and a betrayal of American democracy. Even though Newhouse claims they needed to do this so the American people could be reassured that they should have faith in our elections, what they actually tried to do was to put the results in the hands of Republican legislatures that would then choose electors who could then vote anyway they wanted and take the power away from voters.

All of this in a last-ditch effort to save a dishonest, autocratic president. Not even more-than-loyal Attorney General William Barr or the most leaning conservative Supreme Court would go along with it, ignoring our conspiracy theory president’s claim he got cheated. Michael Cohen who knows Trump so well says the president wants to be president for life just like Putin. And on page 360 of his book he claims there is a serious danger he would not leave office easily and there would not be a peaceful transition. So far, so true.

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Did lawsuit violate our Constitution?

Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to bar 126 GOP representatives from the House, saying that their support for the failed Texas lawsuit violated the Constitution. Rejected Dec. 11, the lawsuit sought to get the Supreme Court to invalidate the Democrat victory in the four key states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where voters chose President-elect Joe Biden. Among the 126 GOP U.S. representatives who supported the Texas lawsuit were Trump supporters Rep. Dan Newhouse, 4th Congressional District, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, 5th Congressional District.

Pascrell accused the House members who signed an amicus brief supporting the law suit of violating the Constitution by seeking to nullify Americans’ votes and instead choose a “dictator.” He cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone who has given aid and comfort to the nation’s enemies from running for federal or state office.

Pascrell called on House leaders to refuse to seat any members trying to overturn the election and make Donald Trump an unelected dictator. Attempting to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a clear violation of the Constitution, despite its acceptance by Newhouse and Rodgers.

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Let’s try standing together for nation

Having tried everything at his indisposal, our president still insists that he is still the president, and of course he is, however that is pending on his unwillingness to be disinclined to his re-election.

His supporters, an irascible bunch, are akin to adolescents running in circles with hands covering ears, screaming “I can’t hear you!, I can’t hear you.” They include our own district congressman, “Doc Jr.,” who, thinking more about his own skin rather than the veracity of fallacious claims, did eagerly sign up with them -- literally.

But for some, to indicate violence against those who are faithfully following the rule of law by carrying out their sworn electoral duties, is nothing short of treasonous.

We must accept the outcome, anything less is insurrection; what about those who have had to put up with the last four years? A past president once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Should we not all stand together now for the sake of our country?

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Questions about voting machines

Dominion voting machines are a problem.

How many are used in Washington State?

Are our ballots secure?

100 votes for each candidate counted as 113 and 87?

Software hacking and problems?

Where are the votes going on the internet, overseas?

Who is running the Dominion company?

We need to check this out.

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This season, be kind to everyone

At this point, I think it’s fair to say that no one in any elected capacity or power is going to help everyday Americans get through this pandemic. Not Trump, not McConnell, not Pelosi, not Inslee, no one. Whether that’s due to political gridlock, being out-of-touch (does anyone pay $600 or less for rent?), or corruption, our elected leaders have failed us and will continue to do so.

It frustrates me to no end to see businesses struggling, people dying and Americans suffering while our elected leaders argue over tax breaks for the wealthy, get their hair done without a mask or hold massive political rallies to serve their own interests. In that light, I have a simple request of the people of the Tri-Cities this holiday: Do something nice for someone else, especially if they disagree with you politically. That neighbor with the Biden sign in the front lawn might have a pre-existing condition that prevents them from going to work, and that guy with the Trump flag on his truck might not know how he’s going to pay his employees next month. We have to be a light for one another, because we are all we have.

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Friends of Badger need your help

I’m excited about the progress that the Friends of Badger Mountain (FoBM) has made to create a new ridge reserve — the Little Badger Mountain Preserve — 73 acres and a 2.2 mile trail from Badger Mountain to Little Badger’s summit. Previously the group had raised the funds to preserve over 900 ridge acres — creating the Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve and the Candy Mountain Preserve — and has built and continues to maintain 10 miles of public access trails.

Because the land for this new preserve is so valuable to developers, this has been their most complicated and expensive project to date with a final cost of $1.5 million. So far, 70% of the land for the new preserve has been purchased or donated. But to create the Little Badger Mountain preserve, the group still needs to raise $710,000 by Fall of 2021. With development pressures intense, this will be their last chance.

There is a strong demand by the entire Tri-Cities’ community for ridge trail experience. In 2019, over 310,000 users were counted on the Badger and Candy Mountain trails. The Friends of Badger Mountain need your help to expand the ridge trail system. For more info and to donate go to: http://friendsofbadger.org/little-badger-mountain/

This story was originally published January 10, 2021 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Letters: Why are teachers special, GOP power grab, voting machine questions and more | Jan. 10."