Preventative Action saves lives
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and for my family, it’s personal. Two years ago this March, my husband received a stage IV colon cancer diagnosis. If it wasn’t for the recommended screening (and the fabulous doctors at Providence HR,) he might not be here today. Preventative screening is the key to early detection and staying healthy. In 2018, the American Cancer Society changed the recommended screening guideline to begin at age 45, not 50.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA.) One in 10 people will be diagnosed before the age of 50.
Listen to your body and get screened. For more information, go to www.ccalliance.org.
Megan Spears
Cancer caregiver
Hood River
Faulty logic
Consider the logic used in a recent letter to the editor: “The author is paid by Rush Limbaugh. Rush is paid by big oil. So, of course, the ‘book’ you read is full of fake news.” The conclusion does not follow from the premises and Robert Kovacich, a scientist and educator, should be ashamed of using such logic in his recent public letter.
David Bohlmann
Hood River
‘Right, right?’
Mr. Davis’ Feb. 20 letter “Doing what’s right” clarified how the words “truth” and “right” no longer hold the Webster’s Dictionary meaning they did prior to President Trump’s election. In fact, it confirmed that what comes out of the White House is mostly nonsense.
Our troubled president’s business associates certainly know what is right in Trump’s America. General Flynn lied to law enforcement multiple times to serve the president. Yesterday, it was revealed that the general helped lead a plan to sell nuclear production secrets to Saudi Arabia. America first, huh?
The president’s attorney, Michael Cohen, is headed to jail for lying and doing illegal things for him on several occasions. Is hush money a deduction for POTUS and income for those women?
Paul Manafort, the president’s former campaign manager, is likely to serve 20 years in jail for all of his illegal dealings, including those with our powerful nemesis, Russia. Terrific hire, Mr. President.
President Trump has eliminated many restrictions on big business. We can thank him at the next bank bailout. Conservatives will be the most vocal opposition, as they were last time. He even sprinkled in a little air and water pollution along the way.
I am glad the president is donating his salary to “charity.” Maybe he should put it away for his next extramarital affair problem. He needs a new slush fund for naughty behavior since he had to stop using his own charity to pay personal fines.
The truth is that MAGA is nonsense.
Steve Kaplan
Hood River
Destroying democracy
In response to the Bill Davis letter on Feb. 20 about Donald Trump doing what is right for America: Encouraging and supporting racism and sexism, destroying 100-year-old relationships with our closest allies, believing the statements of a Russian dictator instead of our own national security advisers and trash-talking anybody who doesn’t agree with everything he says is not what I consider to be “doing what is right for America.” What I would call it is “Donald Trump doing his best to destroy our 200-plus-year old democracy.”
Darrell Roberts
Parkdale
‘Will we ever learn?’
“Socialism by its very nature does not respect borders. It does not respect the boundaries or the sovereign rights of its citizens or its neighbors. It’s always seeking to expand, to encroach and subjugate others to its will,” so said DJT on Feb. 18 as he called for Venezuela’s military to abandon the elected government of Maduro. Replace the word “socialism” with the phrase “Neo-liberal world order” or “Washington Consensus” and he’d have it about right. Does anyone smell the hypocrisy here? Venezuela does not respect borders and sovereignty, so let’s install a U.S. puppet to fix the problem.
The pretense that this administration or the our “security apparatus” care about the Venezuelan people is absurd. There is a famine going on right now. Sixteen million Yemenis on the brink of starvation, children killed and maimed and international aid unable to get in. Where is the U.S.? Of course, we are supporting the real brutal, murderous dictators in Saudi Arabia who are perpetrating that crisis.
Will we ever learn?
Rod Krehbiel
Hood River
Giving shelter
I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Providence Hospital for opening its doors to our un-housed neighbors during last week’s dramatic surge of cold, snowy weather. The hospital gave guests of the warming shelter a safe, warm and welcoming place to go during the day — when the library and many businesses were shut down. I would also like to thank director Sarah Kellems and the host of volunteers and local restaurants who help the warming shelter provide food and shelter from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day of the week. It is people like you that give me great hope for the future of our community and world, even in these troubled times.
Rev. Vicky Stifter
Hood River
Editor’s note: Vicky Stifter is pastor at Riverside Community Church, United Church of Christ.
Facts disputed
In response to Donald Rose’s letter of Feb. 16:
It’s one thing to have an opinion about the president or past presidents, but when presenting information one should at least attempt to collect factual data and not regurgitate FOX News talking points.
According to our own government’s figures going back to President Carter, here is a list of presidents with the largest percentages of debt increases (Office of Management and Budget):
- Ronald Reagan, 186 percent increase
- George W. Bush, 101
- Barack Obama, 74
- George H.W. Bush, 54
- Gerald Ford, 47
- Jimmy Carter, 43
- Bill Clinton, 32
The shutdown was over $5.7 billion for a wall, not “border security.” The video of President Trump saying so is on tape, as well as saying he would be responsible for the shutdown, which he later walked back on.
Many middle class citizens did receive a small tax break. According to Business Insider, someone earning $50,000 will receive an extra $51 in their monthly paycheck; $100,000, $95; $270,000, $118.
The bulk of the tax breaks are to corporations and multi-millionaires; many middle class workers are seeing less in federal returns.
Your source, “climate depot,” is funded almost entirely by ExxonMobil. God forbid you are diagnosed with a curable cancer, but you are skeptical and go for 100 second opinions, 99 out of those 100 recommended life-saving surgery. Are you going to go with the one doctor who said, “Naw, it’s not cancer, you’ll be fine?”
Border security: The overwhelming majority of illegal aliens came to our country through ports of entry on expired visas (Department of Homeland Security).
The overwhelming majority of illegal drugs come through legal ports of entry or speed boats out on the ocean, not crossing the unsecured border parts (DEA Report).
The majority of chiefs of police and sheriffs from counties in border states are not in favor of a physical wall, but of increased security. The Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd, 23rd District, which has 800 miles border, ran and won on a ticket of no wall and also says a wall won’t work, they need more technology and patrols.
As he stated, “A wall is a mid-evil approach to try to solve a modern problem.”
Peter Dallman
Hood River
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