Letters: Wear your masks, Newhouse did the right thing, lessons learned in youth and more | Feb. 7

Thanks due to Guard for vaccine help

Thank you to all of the deployed members of the National Guard who are working in our community to help with testing and vaccinations. Last Friday, they were working under cover but out in the elements along with our local agency participants providing a quick and efficient system to help save lives in the Tri-Cities. No one knows exactly what type of service will be needed when they sign up. I am proud and grateful for your service.

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Suck it up, put on all those masks

COVID-19. Okay, people, we have a long road ahead of us. There are too many people not taking the COVID to heart. If we have a chance to beat this, we have to quit meeting in large groups. When we go to the store, wear our masks the proper way, cover your mouth and nose. I would like to get back to a normal way of life.

If we do (not) get this under control, we will never get back to all the good restaurants and places we like to eat and drink at. I don’t want to see a member of my family lose their business, and it’s real close now. If we all come together and wear our masks and social distance for two months, we can get a handle on this.

So next time you want to go out or get people together please think about it. I hate wearing a mask, but I want this crap to go away.

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Rep. Newhouse did the right thing

I would like to commend Rep. Dan Newhouse for making the courageous choice to vote for certification of the 2020 electoral votes and the impeachment of Donald Trump. I was furious when he joined the letter to question election results with no evidence to back that position, and I voiced that concern to him, and to the Tri-City Herald. On Jan. 6, I wrote another letter to the Herald from a place of grief and shock as I watched a mob attack the center of our government, a mob that had been fed “the big lie.”

I am very sorry that Rep. Newhouse’s decision has to be viewed as a courageous choice — that today’s Republican Party has chosen to spread “the big lie” instead of support democracy and the rule of law. It cannot have been easy for him to break with his party, but I believe we Washingtonians can be very proud of him for making that choice. 

My hope is that Rep. Newhouse will help lead his party to a more rational, centrist position, and even though I hardly ever agree with Republican positions, I would be happy to help him with that effort. 

Thanks Dan, for doing the right thing.

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How do Christians answer to this?

Re: Maxine Hadley’s letter on Jan. 17:

Christian??? You have got to be kidding!

Do Christians believe in lying every day of the week? Where is the belief in truthfulness? WWJD?

Do Christians believe in separating children from their parents and put them in cages? Oh wait, they have already been born – who cares. WWJD?

Do Christians believe that men should grab women by their genitals? Where is the sense, dignity and responsibility? WWJD?

Do Christians believe the federal government should sit by and watch 400,000 Americans die? Where is the sense of pity? WWJD?

Do Christians believe all refugees are criminals and rapists? Where is the sense of caring for the downtrodden? WWJD?

This is the problem of voting based on a single issue. You get what you want, but you also got the worst of Donald Trump.

I am all for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and a return to decency, respectability. Perhaps the world may hold the USA up as a beacon of hope once more. I am glad that my eternal resting place will be decided by God and not Trump’s sanctimonious Christians.

P.S. Way to go Rep. (Dan) Newhouse! Glad to see you got a backbone.

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Rep. Newhouse ‘bit of a turncoat’

I disagree with David Larkins’ assessment concerning Dan Newhouse and his vote to impeach President Trump. First of all, the point that all blame is on the president is misleading; the FBI informed the Capitol Police that there were radical groups headed to D.C. days before Jan. 6. You can spin the intent or tone of Trump’s speech any way to prove your argument, but I personally didn’t find it inflammatory.

Antifa, Proud Boys, BLM were all there interspersed with loyal patriots. So, in my view the incident on Jan. 6 was not a spontaneous action spurred on by Trump’s speech but a planned disturbance by radical elements. If you’re going to call the riots in Seattle and Portland mostly peaceful, then please give me a break here.

Newhouse votes on one hand to support challenges to the election by Texas through the “amicus brief,” then turns around and votes to impeach the same president who was supporting said brief. Sounds like Newhouse is “wishy-washy” and a bit of a turncoat. Newhouse is going down for this. He has lost my trust and, I’m thinking, that of many of his constituents. Evidently this is a byproduct of “unity.”

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Letters often sing the same song

Weekly we read letters from those who must visit the same websites for they sing the same song- “Trump is evil, and so too are his supporters.” And though I voted for Trump, my purpose here is not to defend him; history will better evaluate him. Yet from the first day, I’ve never seen such widespread and persistent media bias against someone, or at least since President George W. Bush. 

Being conservative, I usually vote Republican as they most closely align with my values. Like many, I value hard work instead of giveaways, marriage and family, life rather than death, freedom of religion, small government, patriotism and having a strong national defense. And yes, I know enough about our history to know this has not been a perfect country; yet many still fight to get in! And I believe our country is at its best when helping others, as it has done worldwide many, many times. 

Therefore, President Trump was but a tool to achieve what I value. Not perfect, yet the one most available and qualified to achieve these things. So, hurrah for those like me who will not bend to mindless liberalism! 

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Put unused grout vaults to use

It’s amusing that the Department of Energy is again arguing for low-level waste to be mixed with grout for disposal. In 1992, I was the Kaiser Engineers Hanford project manager for the design and construction of 5 huge underground grout vaults in the 200 East Area near the Vit Plant. One vault was filled with test grout to demonstrate its effectiveness and the other 4 were to be filled with grout mixed with low-level waste. Just as they were completed, at a cost of $200 million, and we were beginning the construction of the next 4 vaults, executives from Westinghouse and Kaiser were called to a meeting with a DOE executive from HQ.

We were told that the vaults would never be used and the projects were canceled because the tribes refused to agree to proceed with grouting waste. DOE should consider reviewing the feasibility of using the existing vaults — they haven’t gone anywhere. Also, as DOE has said, the current definition of “Low-Level Waste” makes no sense whatsoever and should be revised as has been suggested.

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Johnson’s letter helped her focus

On Jan. 21, the letter “Wishes for 2021” written by Allen Johnson, Richland, was published. A very sincere thank you for this wonderful, thoughtful and very appropriate letter. I hope it rang true for all who read it. Times are and have been trying and hard for our beautiful world and this letter brings things back into focus. I have saved it. Many thanks, Mr. Johnson.

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Lessons learned from his youth

As a youngster, I was told “don’t lie.” Don’t steal. Don’t cheat -- on taxes or anything else. Pay your debts. Bankruptcy is for losers. Crime doesn’t pay.

Don’t brag. Be humble. Don’t make fun of others in a cruel way. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Beauty is only skin deep. Color doesn’t matter. Tolerance does.

If you show kindness, or fight for your country, that doesn’t make you a sucker.

I was told not to hit women, bully them, grab them or abuse them. Bullies are bad. Bad birds of a feather stick together.

When you die, pray or make choices, it’s you and God together – not anyone else. Religion is private, and religious freedom is important.

Politicians are political servants, serving the country and their fellow man.

I was to watch the news, just the facts and make up my own mind. Debates and opinion pieces were supposedly beneath my dignity.

Democracy was about disparate people, with different beliefs, trying to work together and create a better life for everyone. It was “We the People,” not “Us versus Them”.

I was told to lead by example, not selfishness.

Stupid parents!

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Newhouse vote displayed courage

I believe (Rep.) Dan Newhouse’s vote to impeach Donald Trump represents the interests of many in the Fourth Congressional District who, like myself, consider Trump’s behavior divisive and at times dangerous.

Newhouse’s vote reflects authentic patriotism and courage. We need more of this in Washington.

Thank you, Dan!

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Inauguration was ‘police state event’

At his inauguration (an actual police state event), Biden made a curious call for “unity,” which means someone is going to have to change their values, and I don’t think he was referring to himself. Biden also said he would “work as hard” for those that didn’t vote for him as for those that did. So, what did Biden do on his first afternoon as president? He put tens of thousands of those people out of work by executive fiat. Biden expects all of us to wear masks (even though scientists at Stanford say they don’t work) but is welcoming thousands of illegal aliens who won’t be wearing masks and will have COVID-19-infected members in their midst. 

And Biden is encouraging an illegal impeachment, a kangaroo court affair that was over in two hours, that even Chief Justice Roberts won’t attend (which tells you everything you need to know about its constitutionality) and is doomed to failure – again! The Democratic senators should spend exactly as much time on this disaster so Congress can get back to work on things like delivering vaccinations and opening schools.

Wake me from this nightmare in four years.

This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Letters: Wear your masks, Newhouse did the right thing, lessons learned in youth and more | Feb. 7."