Trump didn’t deserve a Nobel Prize. What a ridiculous thought | Opinion

Why Trump didn’t win Nobel prize

Hey Trump, so you did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Obviously “settling” eight wars doesn’t count.. Peace is something you strive for, especially for others, and it becomes part of you.

Peace does not mean turning our military against its citizens. Peace is not deporting numerous residents whether they are legal or not. Peace is not denying citizens their birthright. Peace is not trying to negotiate the situation in the Gaza Strip for a week. The problem has been going on for two years and now you want to help find a peaceful solution?

Peace is not antagonizing other countries who have been our allies for years. Peace is not humiliating, denouncing, denigrating those who do not agree with you.

Peace is not calling dictators good people when obviously they are not. Flattering does go a long way with you. Peace is listening and not dictating. Peace will never be a part of your vocabulary nor your character.

April Nishioka, Richland

Give community input on boundary

Thirty years ago we moved to south Richland (south of the Yakima River). At that time the attitude we encountered was that our part of town was “not really part of Richland.” I couldn’t help thinking “one day we will have more people and outvote you.”

Well, that time has come and now some central Richlanders are upset that most city council members live in our area. I do not oppose district voting in principle, but I do object to the boundaries.

Specifically, District 3 should not extend south of the Yakima if you truly want central Richland to have representation. I would vote for district voting if there were more input from the community as a whole and not just that proposed by a small group who are feeling left out.

Maja Shaw, Richland

Proud to support Valentine on KSD

I am proud to support Micah Valentine for school board. Micah has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility, ensuring that every taxpayer dollar is used wisely to support classrooms, teachers and students — not bureaucracy.

He understands that real progress comes from local control and community input, not top-down mandates from Olympia or Washington, D.C. Micah believes decisions about our schools should be made by those who know our students best — parents, educators and local leaders working together.

Micah is also a solutions-focused leader who looks beyond politics to find common ground. He listens, asks tough questions and works collaboratively to strengthen academics, improve safety, and build trust throughout the district.

We need steady, principled leadership on the board. That’s why I encourage everyone to vote for Micah Valentine for school board.

Gabe Galbraith, Kennewick

Values matter for KSD candidate

Our community has many different values, which can divide us rather than uniting our intentions and actions. Values are pointing the way for the candidate my wife and I want to represent us on the Kennewick School Board — a man with high values and an openness of listening to others.

Robert Franklin personifies the values necessary for making our schools even better for learning. What we admire about Robert is his commitment to both students and to teachers. Robert comes from a teaching family: both his mother and grandmother were teachers — and he currently teaches history at Washington State University-Tri-Cities.

His historical training provides him with the necessary skills to properly weigh evidence when making decisions. Please join us in voting for Robert Franklin for the Kennewick School Board to provide both new energy and a refreshing vision and commitment for the future of our children. We need his values, his priority of listening to others and his background.

Larry and Peggy Gregory, Kennewick

Franklin values to decide her vote

I want to recommend Robert Franklin for the Kennewick School Board. I’ve gotten to know Robert because he has been so open and responsive to the people of Kennewick. I first saw the drive he promoted to gather personal care items for older high school kids.

Since then, I’ve seen all the activities he has sponsored, and I have been blown away. I usually find it hard to know who to vote for in local elections because they haven’t had much of a presence or shown me who they are. Robert is the first candidate for a local election where I have seen not only what he stands for but who he is.

He has my vote, and I strongly encourage you to check him out and see for yourself. It won’t be hard. He has made it his goal to reach out and be a part of the community, and I greatly appreciate that.

Susan Sorenson, Kennewick

Benton policies slow solar power

Today, hundreds of U.S. counties (including our own Benton County) have policies that prevent the development of solar projects on farmland.

While the loss of farmland should be taken seriously, the reality is that solar is not the driving force of farmland loss. For example, between 2013 and 2021, less than 5% of lost Indiana farmland was due to solar energy projects, while 68% of the lost farmland was developed into homes and neighborhoods.

Also, solar projects on farmland do not have to stop agricultural production. Agrivoltaics, the term for agriculture plus photovoltaics (solar energy), is a practice that can create efficient dual-use purposes for farmland. In Indiana, and other areas where agrivoltaics is allowed, there are growing numbers of sheep herds, pollinator habitats and crop studies under solar panel installations.

In Benton County, the Hop Hill project, where agriculture (sheep production) and solar energy are proposed, the project permitting process has been ongoing for 3+ years, due (to) a county policy that prevents agrivoltaics.

Come on Benton County! We need this type of electrical production to support new industrial projects and avoid brownouts and blackouts.

Roger Ovink, Richland

Franklin best pick for KSD’s board

As a parent of a child with special needs, I know how important it is to have leaders who truly see every student. That’s why I’m supporting Robert Franklin for the Kennewick School Board.

Robert’s priorities — safety, accessibility and opportunity — aren’t just talking points. They’re exactly what our schools need. He believes every student should be safe, known and valued. For families like mine, that kind of leadership means the world.

He’s focused on increasing mental health support, expanding career and vocational options and keeping the focus on learning — not politics. I appreciate that he wants schools to be a place where all kids can thrive, not get caught in the middle of adult agendas.

Robert also understands the importance of using our district’s resources wisely, with students at the center of every decision. We need someone who listens to parents, respects teachers, and stands up for all kids — including those with special needs. Robert Franklin is that person.

Please join me in voting for Robert Franklin on Nov. 4.

Jennifer Dunn, Kennewick

Ex-KSD teacher will vote Franklin

The quality of education in the Kennewick School District will be at stake when citizens mark their ballots in the local school board election on Nov. 4. As a former KSD teacher and a current volunteer, I am asking you to vote for Robert Franklin. He is an educator and a published Hanford Site historian.

I am endorsing Franklinbecause he has a passion for teaching and understands the role of both teacher and student in the classroom. He is able to communicate in a non-confrontational way with people who may have differing opinions. He believes considering all perspectives is the pathway to good decision-making. Thus, Franklin will lead by values, not by politics.

Franklin also strongly supports the KSD mission for “providing a safe environment.” He believes all students deserve a place where they feel safe, feel, respected, feel accepted, and feel valued. In order to help enhance this environment, Franklin would like to expand the mental health services for students who are dealing with issues that may keep them from thriving and/or learning. As you can see, a vote for Franklin, is a vote for kids.

Gayle Hane, Kennewick

Franklin will get ex-teacher’s vote

As an educator in Kennewick’s K–12 schools for 25 years, I’ve seen firsthand how school boards shape the learning environment for students, families and educators. I led a district-wide study team in 2005 that helped launch Phoenix High School — designed to meet students where they are and take them where they want to go. That’s why I’m proud to endorse Robert Franklin for the Kennewick School Board.

Franklin brings a historian’s insight, an educator’s heart and a commitment to ideological diversity that the KSD board desperately needs. He understands that strong systems are built by listening to all voices — especially those most impacted by board decisions. Franklin’s refusal to engage in culture wars and his belief in evidence-based policy reflect the kind of leadership our students and teachers deserve.

Kennewick families deserve board leaders who listen, learn and lead with integrity. Franklin is that leader.

Tracy Money, West Richland

Trump deserves to get Nobel Prize

Hamas always knew exactly what would happen, in answer for the horrors of Oct. 7, Israel would retaliate with righteous rage, vast devastation and inhuman cruelty.

Hamas knowingly incited systematic leveling. These extremist politicians slowly sacrificed Gaza to make Israel look bad.

Keeping hostages guaranteed unrelenting war.

Hiding below hospitals, knowing the IDF will readily bomb.

Unrelenting craters and crying on nightly news for two years.

Our collective humanity suffers as we grow numb.

Hamas simply had to return the people they stole to end the bombs and missiles. Hamas has been winning the PR war; with little attention paid to their prolonging the war by keeping the kidnapped.

Why?

The obvious outcome is world-wide condemnation of Israel’s brutality.

Withholding food and medicine, and allowing mass starvation, will scar generations. Isreal’s government is guilty of genocide, and absolutely atrocious war crimes.

Palestine is a wasteland, but Hamas’s suicidal mission has been achieved; a negative world-view of Israel. Children traumatized today are tomorrow’s terrorists.

America looked weak for not stopping Netanyahu.

It’s lasted until our president stopped it. I’ve always known that I would approve of some things our deplorable miscreant leader would accomplish.

I believe Donald Trump deserves a well-earned Nobel Peace Prize.

Michael Harrington, Pasco

Trump pushes for Christian nation

President Donald Trump projects a white Christian nationalist vision to his followers. He declared that one of his first acts of his second term would be to set up a task force to root out “anti-Christian bias” and pledged to protect “pro-God context and content.”

This is contrary to the First Amendment which, in part, states: the First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual’s religious practices.

Those who oppose Christian nationalism view the movement as a threat to religious freedom and democracy. They argue that the movement is exclusionary and that it promotes a narrow intolerant version of Christianity that is at odds with the values of a democratic and pluralistic society.

They see Christian nationalism as a cover for white supremacy and an attempt to impose a particular set of beliefs on others. Theologically, Christianity is understood to transcend all ideologies, including ethnonational identity, and thus many Christians reject Christian nationalism as a harmful and limited misconstruction of the faith.

Do we want to live in a secular democratic society or one that discriminates against religious and nonreligious minorities?

Bill Petrie, Richland