After threats conviction, will Newhouse finally host a town hall? | Opinion

Time to speak out, Rep. Newhouse

Since Bradley Whaley has been convicted and sentenced for threatening Rep. Dan Newhouse, it seems to me it is time for Rep. Newhouse to appear at an open town hall here in the Tri-Cities.

I fully understand Rep. Newhouse was unable to appear in a public due to Mr. Whaley’s existential threats. With the removal …, we should be allowed to meet in a town hall environment with our voice in the House of Representatives. I urge anyone who shares this view to write and call Rep. Newhouse and urge him participate.

James Ternes, Pasco

Ceasefire a farce for people of Gaza

The so-called “Trump-engineered ceasefire” in Gaza has proven to be a dangerous farce. Since the agreement ostensibly took effect in October, the reality on the ground has remained a bloodbath. Reports indicate that over 500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,400 injured by continued military actions. For those trapped in the enclave, the “calm” heralded by diplomats is a fiction.

The humanitarian provisions of the deal are being systematically undermined While the agreement promised a minimum of 600 aid trucks daily, actual deliveries have languished at roughly one-third of that amount. This deliberate bottleneck is exacerbating a man-made famine and leaving hospitals without basic supplies.

Most alarming is the calculated assault on the humanitarian infrastructure itself. By imposing restrictive new vetting requirements, Israel has effectively banned well-respected organizations like Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Oxfam.

Removing these frontline witnesses and providers is not a security measure; it is a death sentence for the vulnerable. A ceasefire that permits hundreds of deaths and bans the very doctors meant to treat the wounded is not peace—it is a siege by another name, supported and partially funded by our government Ed Frost Kennewick

Lots of not normal in Newhouse vote

In his recent letter to the editor, Rylan Grimes nails the issue Newhouse won’t address: abnormal, unsustainable actions by the current administration.

There’s so much “not normal” to choose from, ranging from spiteful (demolition of historic infrastructure) to dangerous (ignoring the rule of law) to deadly (deaths caused by militarization of U.S. streets). Newhouse spent 9 years helping stoke divisions in the Fourth District by calling one party’s policies “socialist attacks, ” while feigning ignorance of his own party’s behavior.

He greased the skids for abnormal and unsustainable. He should apologize for the insults heaved at voters he demonized and its results. But he won’t.

Maybe he can start with a simple review of separation of powers. We can look to his own public messages for hints: In March 2018, Dan wrote, “As a farmer, I admire our Founders as Citizen Farmers. We stay true to our roots by restoring separation of powers in our Constitution.” September 2016, “Today, I voted to rein in the Executive Branch and prevent it from subverting Congress’ Spending Power.” So we know he knows the words.

Like Grimes, I will never vote for anyone focused on loyalty to a president over his or her constituents, and the Constitution. Rochelle Riling, Okanogan

Newhouse could save ‘his legacy’

Dan Newhouse has an opportunity to reframe his legacy in a positive way if he were to join with Democrats to impeach Trump ASAP. He supported impeachment once and I hope he will do it again.

Republican fascism came with a heavy price tag. For example, severe damage has been done to science and public health. Republicans caused arguably a half-million excess deaths during COVID, pre-vaccine. They abandoned our participation in the World Health Organization.

There will always be another pandemic ahead. That is a fact of life. Obama created an office to prepare for one and Trump tossed it aside, either to save money that he could transfer to the wealthiest or maybe just to manifest racism.

Newhouse won’t be as well-known as Himmler, Hess and Göring were in Hitler’s crew, but he is our ranking local official and will be linked with Trump’s fascism in perpetuity unless he takes strong action now.

Dan Newhouse holds real power. Our puny local protests (merely thousands of people) and lawsuits have been so far marginally effective. If but a dozen or so Republican congressmen join with Dems, history will be made. Man up, Dan.

Vote fascists out.

Ivar Husa, Richland

A new reality for Snake River dams

A new reality has emerged regarding lower Snake River dam electricity production.

Consider these facts: From year 2000 to 2020, the average annual power production of all four dams combined was 936 average Megawatts (aMW). From 2021-2025, however, annual production declined to just 669 aMW. That’s a drop of almost 30%, and nothing on the horizon suggests any change in this trend.

You can find the Army Corps of Engineers’ monthly power production data here: https://www.nwd-wc.usace.army.mil/ftppub/power/

Bonneville Power Administration’s 2024 White Book estimates the Pacific Northwest’s total regional electricity load at 26,145 aMW. To that regional load, each lower Snake River dam contributes just 6/10th of one percent; all four dams combined contribute only 2.6%.

While power output has declined significantly, production costs continue to rise. Add in expensive fish mitigation expenses, and the lower Snake River dams are a financial liability. The sooner their electricity output is replaced with cheaper solar energy, the better for all citizens of the Pacific Northwest. Linwood Laughy, Moscow

Ending of nuclear treaty a concern

As a physician living near Hanford, I am acutely aware that nuclear weapons are not abstract geopolitical tools — they are public health threats with real, long-lasting consequences.

Our region still lives with the legacy of radioactive contamination from the Hanford site, where decades of plutonium production left behind environmental damage and serious health impacts that persist today.

That is why I am deeply concerned about the impending expiration of the New START treaty, the last remaining agreement limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Without these limits and verification measures, the risk of renewed arms racing increases — and with it, the risk of nuclear accidents, miscalculation or use.

From a medical perspective, there is no meaningful response to nuclear war. Hospitals would be overwhelmed or destroyed and supply chains severed. Even a limited nuclear exchange would cause mass casualties, long-term cancers, genetic damage, and psychological trauma on a scale no health system could manage.

Arms control is preventive medicine. Treaties like New START reduce the likelihood of catastrophe before it happens — something medicine strives to do every day. I urge Congress to act now to preserve nuclear limits and pursue follow-on agreements that protect public health, environmental safety, and future generations.

Annamaria Melton, Kennewick

Dems should give thanks for Biden

Have these protesters written to the Biden administration to thank them for bringing in all of these criminals. Old sleepy Joe thought he was enlarging the Democrat party for more bad voting.

All of these “ban ICE” people must not be worried about being raped or murdered. All of the cleanup of these criminals is due to Biden’s open border.

Nancy K. Ballard, Richland

Nation in trouble because of Trump

Our democracy and our country are in deep trouble with Donald Trump at the helm. He is having journalists and protesters arrested. Since Trump has dementia, it’s really unelected Stephen Miller and Russ Vought, along with Pam Bondi, who are running the show. Trump is allowing the killing of American citizens by ICE!

Trump wants ICE for his own private police. Republicans, you can stop this authoritarian president and his ICE army. Republicans, wake up and do your job to protect our democracy while we still have one!

Deanna Whiteside, Kennewick

Trump abandons U.S. rule of law

In the first year of our president’s second four-year term, we have seen the almost total abandonment of the rule of law, including several of the president’s self-enriching deals, firing Justice Department watchdogs, deporting immigrants without due process, weaponizing the Justice Department to investigate political opponents, and firing government employees without cause.

The president’s global missteps include publicly bullying the president of the Ukraine and stopping or delaying arms shipments to that country in an attempt to force a peace agreement that cedes territory to its Russian invaders (hoping that he might receive the Nobel peace prize for his efforts), without congressional approval disrupting international trade agreements by imposing tariffs on foreign imports that raised our cost of living and bombing Iran after previously breaking an agreement that was brokered by the U.S. and our major allies, kidnapping Venezuela’s president and claiming the U.S. management of Venezuela’s oil and threatening to annex Greenland, a Danish possession, which will cause the isolation of the U.S. from its NATO allies. How much more can Americans tolerate our president’s political miscues before he is impeached or it is determined that he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.”

Bill Petrie, Richland