‘Black and white’
Mr. Davis would like readers to believe “patriots” stand for the national anthem, while those who do not, are not. Plenty of people in our community do things related to the American flag which seems disrespectful and unpatriotic to me. These include displaying the flag backwards, in the rain, and while horribly torn. All of these things violate proper U.S. flag display (va.gov). Does that mean none of these people are patriots? Watch any football game on TV and you will see fans walking, talking, and completely ignoring the national anthem while it is sung.
A bad example of patriotism (and actually illegal - 5 CFR § 2635.702), Mr. Davis, would be President Trump publicly criticizing a clothing store for not carrying his daughter’s clothes. Another bad example would be claiming to be a man of Christian values while having multiple extramarital affairs resulting in repeated divorces. Some might consider tweeting about Puerto Rico being “one of the most corrupt places on earth” while a tropical storm is passing overhead a bad example of leadership, judgment, and maturity.
Professional athletes risk millions of dollars in salary and endorsements and face death threats for speaking out against racism and unfair treatment of natural-born U.S. citizens. Integrity can be expensive. Is it patriotic to threaten the life of an American citizen and his family simply because he chooses to express his rights as a US citizen in a manner which disagrees with you?
I wonder how the MAKE THEM STAND community would feel if they learned Eric Garner’s family sulked after learning he was illegally choked to death by a police officer. It is ironic the same people screaming about limited government and others in their business have so much to say about players they personally do not pay.
I pretend my satellite provider does not air Fox News. Perhaps people who want to suppress the First Amendment and deny the existence of social injustices should pretend NFL football is not part of their satellite packages.
Steve Kaplan
Hood River
Mr. Davis would like readers to believe “patriots” stand for the national anthem, while those who do not, are not. Plenty of people in our community do things related to the American flag which seems disrespectful and unpatriotic to me. These include displaying the flag backwards, in the rain, and while horribly torn. All of these things violate proper U.S. flag display (va.gov). Does that mean none of these people are patriots? Watch any football game on TV and you will see fans walking, talking, and completely ignoring the national anthem while it is sung.
A bad example of patriotism (and actually illegal - 5 CFR § 2635.702), Mr. Davis, would be President Trump publicly criticizing a clothing store for not carrying his daughter’s clothes. Another bad example would be claiming to be a man of Christian values while having multiple extramarital affairs resulting in repeated divorces. Some might consider tweeting about Puerto Rico being “one of the most corrupt places on earth” while a tropical storm is passing overhead a bad example of leadership, judgment, and maturity.
Professional athletes risk millions of dollars in salary and endorsements and face death threats for speaking out against racism and unfair treatment of natural-born U.S. citizens. Integrity can be expensive. Is it patriotic to threaten the life of an American citizen and his family simply because he chooses to express his rights as a US citizen in a manner which disagrees with you?
I wonder how the MAKE THEM STAND community would feel if they learned Eric Garner’s family sulked after learning he was illegally choked to death by a police officer. It is ironic the same people screaming about limited government and others in their business have so much to say about players they personally do not pay.
I pretend my satellite provider does not air Fox News. Perhaps people who want to suppress the First Amendment and deny the existence of social injustices should pretend NFL football is not part of their satellite packages.
Steve Kaplan
Hood River
Editor’s note: This letter is in response to Bill Davis’ Aug. 28 letter titled “Bad example.”
Drive carefully
Another summer has passed, and school is about to start. As I walk and drive through my community, I see people occasionally flying through our school zone in their cars. This time of year, our sheriff and, hopefully, local Hood River police are patrolling school crossings and speed zones; please watch out for our children, they aren’t as aware of the dangers as adults are. As you drive past our schools, please remember tickets are expensive and most of us can use that money for other necessities.
Rob Brostoff
Cascade Locks
‘GGG’
According to the Environmental Working Group, more is spent on subsiding the extraction and use of dirty fuel than is spent on National Defense.
During 2015 and 2016, The U.S. government spent $14.7 billion to subsidize fossil fuel companies to extract oil, gas and coal. This in addition to government subsidies of $14.5 billion to reduce fossil fuel cost to customers. Greg Walden supports this colossal misuse of taxpayer’s money. GGG — Greg’s Gotta Go!
Gary Fields
Hood River
‘Seriously, Mr. Walden?’
Gun violence, climate change, immigration, trade wars — I think we can all agree that these are major issues facing our country and the world we share, regardless of where one stands on them, so when I receive regular emails and newsletters from my lawmakers in Congress, I pay attention. They represent my vote, and I want my vote to mean something.
Just a week after the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, Rep. Greg Walden wrote to alert me to the latest crisis on the top of his summer agenda ... wait for it ... robocalls. Seriously, Mr. Walden? I don’t like them either, but they neither impugn my morals, threaten my livelihood or the health and safety of me, my family, and everything I hold dear.
When your phone randomly and rudely wakes you at 3 a.m. from some place you’ve never heard of, don’t answer it, send it to voicemail, or silence your phone in advance if you don’t want to be bothered. I recently sent a call directly to voicemail from Junction City, Ore., that turned out to be in Mandarin Chinese. From what little I could understand, it was a warning about my insurance being canceled. I knew it to be a hoax, and I feel for folks that fall for these scams, but I believe it’s more about education than a call for national legislation.
I’d manage any number of annoying robocalls a day if it meant Congress could finally pass some actionable vestige of gun control, advance climate change legislation, free immigrant families from taxpayer-funded concentration camps, reassure us about the yo-yoing threat of economic uncertainty, and heal our fragile democracy from its rapid state of decay.
Mr. Walden, we’re stuck with you, for now. Please pull your head out of the sand and concentrate your efforts in Congress on the issues that really keep your constituents awake at night. I’d take a robocall right now if it meant saving me from the relentlessly pointless spam you keep sending to my inbox.
Amy KW Heil
Mosier
Drive carefully
Another summer has passed, and school is about to start. As I walk and drive through my community, I see people occasionally flying through our school zone in their cars. This time of year, our sheriff and, hopefully, local Hood River police are patrolling school crossings and speed zones; please watch out for our children, they aren’t as aware of the dangers as adults are. As you drive past our schools, please remember tickets are expensive and most of us can use that money for other necessities.
Rob Brostoff
Cascade Locks
‘GGG’
According to the Environmental Working Group, more is spent on subsiding the extraction and use of dirty fuel than is spent on National Defense.
During 2015 and 2016, The U.S. government spent $14.7 billion to subsidize fossil fuel companies to extract oil, gas and coal. This in addition to government subsidies of $14.5 billion to reduce fossil fuel cost to customers. Greg Walden supports this colossal misuse of taxpayer’s money. GGG — Greg’s Gotta Go!
Gary Fields
Hood River
‘Seriously, Mr. Walden?’
Gun violence, climate change, immigration, trade wars — I think we can all agree that these are major issues facing our country and the world we share, regardless of where one stands on them, so when I receive regular emails and newsletters from my lawmakers in Congress, I pay attention. They represent my vote, and I want my vote to mean something.
Just a week after the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, Rep. Greg Walden wrote to alert me to the latest crisis on the top of his summer agenda ... wait for it ... robocalls. Seriously, Mr. Walden? I don’t like them either, but they neither impugn my morals, threaten my livelihood or the health and safety of me, my family, and everything I hold dear.
When your phone randomly and rudely wakes you at 3 a.m. from some place you’ve never heard of, don’t answer it, send it to voicemail, or silence your phone in advance if you don’t want to be bothered. I recently sent a call directly to voicemail from Junction City, Ore., that turned out to be in Mandarin Chinese. From what little I could understand, it was a warning about my insurance being canceled. I knew it to be a hoax, and I feel for folks that fall for these scams, but I believe it’s more about education than a call for national legislation.
I’d manage any number of annoying robocalls a day if it meant Congress could finally pass some actionable vestige of gun control, advance climate change legislation, free immigrant families from taxpayer-funded concentration camps, reassure us about the yo-yoing threat of economic uncertainty, and heal our fragile democracy from its rapid state of decay.
Mr. Walden, we’re stuck with you, for now. Please pull your head out of the sand and concentrate your efforts in Congress on the issues that really keep your constituents awake at night. I’d take a robocall right now if it meant saving me from the relentlessly pointless spam you keep sending to my inbox.
Amy KW Heil
Mosier
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