Tri-Citians impress visitor in need, 911 workers, assault weapons and other Herald letters
Tri-Citians helped rescue husband
I want to express my deep gratitude to Tri-Citians Jaime, Danny, Mike, and members of the Richland and Kennewick fire departments. My husband and I, along with friends, were visiting from Tacoma. On June 1, we decided to hike on Bateman Island. My husband is 90 years old. He was an avid mountain climber and hiker years ago. That day he decided to hike along. He resisted our requests for him to turn around several times. He was doing great though.
At the end when we turned around, he suddenly lost all energy and was getting overheated. He finally had to sit down on the trail. We didn’t know how we’d get him out. Jaime, Danny and Mike tried to make him comfortable and gave him water. Everyone soon agreed I needed to call 911. When the EMTs arrived, they took charge, got him back to the vehicle where they started an IV. They took him to the hospital where he was promptly treated. We just can’t say enough about the kindness, knowledge and swift action they all displayed. It was a scary situation, but they were a calming force. We are so grateful to them.
Lisa A. Dreyer, Tacoma
911 dispatchers are overtaxed
I’m writing to bring awareness to the growing issue with the lack of emergency dispatchers within the Benton and Franklin counties. I am passionate about this topic as a close member of my family has loyally worked as a Benton County dispatcher for six years. I have witnessed firsthand the stress that a dispatcher goes through, sometimes working 12 hour shifts for 13 days straight and even on their days off being put on mandatory call.
I have seen her make countless sacrifices to her family, social life and mental health because of these harsh hours. These workers are a pillar in the safety and protection of our communities. With a lack of trained dispatchers, our communities are put under great risk, while the currently employed dispatchers are stretched thin making sacrifices in all aspects of their life to work demanding and harsh hours.
Wyatt Ripplinger, Kennewick
‘Cluster of cells’ becoming a human
“So much concern over the survival of a cluster of cells?” At 20 days in its mother’s womb, that cluster has established its spinal cord,nervous system and brain foundation. At 21 days, his or her heart is beating. At 40 days, brain waves can be recorded and his or her skeleton is forming. And at 8 weeks all organs are in place and only time is needed to grow.
When it is time, a human being — boy or girl — will join our human race. So destroying that “cluster of cells” before birth is killing a human being.
David King, you decry mass shooting for taking human lives. Abortion is mass killing of human beings also
Mary Sue Davis, Richland
Assault weapons are not needed
We read about another mass shooting and there are more pleas for meaningful gun control. Of course, the Republicans will kill any substantial changes, such as more stringent background checks and the banning of assault weapons.
The Second Amendment ensures the right to keep and bear arms. It says nothing about the right to have weapons that shoot multiple rounds per second. You simply do not need an AK-47 or AR-15 to keep the fox out of the hen house or to defend your home against an intruder.
Brady Layman III, Kennewick
What’s more important?
Why is the NRA and it’s money, more important than our nations children?
Larry W. Walker, Pasco
Tongue in cheek, he ponders digital
When I read about “E Coaches” for schools, I was very disappointed that many of my favorite sports were not going to have coaches in the near future. I wonder why these favorites were omitted: Mumblety-peg was once a huge spectator sport, but now has few peggers left. How can good Texas Hold-Em athletes develop without good coaching? One of my favorites, pea shooting, takes years of training to complete at the national level. I don’t believe “E Coaches” have the skills necessary to prepare these athletes for the future.
Mike Mehren, Hermiston
More checks for mental health
Kids killing kids. Why aren’t more “mental health” checks done? Where are their parents? Some signs are there much earlier than the actual event? Do teachers, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, siblings, report troubling activities? If they ask for help, do they get it? The system and the government does not do enough! Where do they get their guns? It’s a shame that guns are so easily purchased. Yes, gun control is needed, but not to the extent that all guns are banned. Can the schools figure out some kind of mental health activities to work with kids to see if they are at risk?
Mary M. Smith, Richland
Congress: If shot up, would you act?
As more children die in our latest school shooting, our lawmakers will most likely continue to sit on their hands and do nothing.
Makes you wonder what would they do if a shooter busted into a session of Congress and took out 19 representatives and 2 senators. Hmmmm?
Mike Davis, Pasco
More gun laws are not needed
FBI statistics show that more people are stabbed or beaten to death with bare hands/feet, or struck by lightning than are murdered annually with “assault rifles.” The “assault weapon” ban of the 1990s had no effect on crime statistics. Banning “assault weapons” again will not magically produce a different result.
Criminals do not voluntarily comply with weapons bans. They seek out gun-free zones, where everyone is vulnerable to attack. When seconds count, police are minutes away, unable to protect or intervene. Only the well-armed citizen present at the scene can do that. Gun control laws only hinder the law-abiding and free the criminal to act.
Banks, government offices and other important places are protected by alarms, fortification and on-site armed force. Do our schools deserve less?
Government should not infringe civil rights by restricting or banning gun ownership. We should harden schools and eliminate gun-free zones.
Fred T. Adams, Kennewick
Editor’s note: Armed police and school security were on hand but did not intervene in Uvalde.
National gun control needed
I wonder how many congressmen would still be hesitant or be willing to vote against gun control if it were their wife, child or grandchildren that had been shot to death. Remember those that voted against gun control when it is time for you to vote.
Pat Johnstone Jones, Kennewick
It’s too easy to buy an assault rifle
It should not be easy for an 18-year-old to buy two assault weapons and 375 rounds of ammunition.
To those who continue to resist any sensible gun safety regulations, I hope you dream tonight of standing in front of the parents of those 19 children, holding your assault rifle and explaining to them why that 18-year-old had a “right” to have that gun. And I hope it is a nightmare.
Theresa Bergsman, Richland
Vote Corey Gibson for Congress
I’ve been following the race for U.S. Congress and will be voting for Corey Gibson in the primary. I think all the candidates come with good intentions, but it’s time we have a fresh, young and energetic conservative with a plan fighting for us.
He’s not running on good intentions alone, Corey has a plan and I believe he will unify our party and country.
Greg Vasquez, Moxee