‘Walk the walk’
I have been reading letters for years now from people feeling angry, frustrated and hopeless about the political situation since Trump and Walden have been trying to take away your medical insurance, ravage the environment and destroy public schools, to name just a few.
Then I go to the Hood River Democrats meetings and can count the number of members on two hands.
Where are you people who are so outraged!? It’s time to step up and walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
The meetings are the second Wednesday of the month at the Library at 6 p.m. Hope to see you there.
John Hlavac
Hood River
Solidarity needed
Reading the editorial in the Jan. 8 Hood River News, I found myself drawn to the opening sentence, “I had learned that you should always shout louder than your aggressor.” It seems that the author is using his pulpit as editor of a local newspaper to shout louder than most in our community. Secondly, Oregon senator Jeff Merkely is quoted in the article, “Trump and Pompeo are either dangerously inept or colossally ignorant.” Merkley also talks of the president’s reckless and impulsive actions regarding Iran.
As the father of a current naval reconnaissance aircrewman who just recently returned from deployment, and second cousin and namesake to a recent Annapolisis and Naval BUDs graduate, I would hope that the senator and newspaperman feel that the president and secretary of state are receiving mostly good intel from those in the field that are tasked with defending our freedoms. Although the authority and decision making of those in the highest offices of America needs to be questioned at all times by their constituents, they and those tasked with intelligence gathering could use some solidarity at times regardless of political partisanship.
Jeff McNerney
Hood River
Nothing to lose
Jan. 9 was a day of action called by large groups of activists from around the country who fear that Trump will start a war with Iran. Even in our small town, a group of about 30 souls braved the cold to participate in a rally organized by Indivisible Columbia Gorge.
They came out to speak their minds and raise awareness about the constant assault on our senses, now so commonplace in our society, that many of us just want to tune it out. I would imagine that even the most staunch Trump supporters in our community couldn’t deny that subterfuge is the president’s modus operandi when faced with a situation (such as impeachment) that he doesn’t like. And what he did in the assassination of Qasem Soleimani made it clear that he will stop at nothing in order to change the subject. Many high level military experts have spoken out about this assassination, stating that although Soleimani was an unsavory character, he had been one for many years and no one had done anything to remove him. One must ask why now and what were the imminent dangers to our country that apparently led to this unilateral decision. As usual, it was all about Trump. No clear reasons have been given to Congress or the American people. It is time for our legislators in both parties to come together and stop the insanity coming from the White House. We the People need real protection. We elected Congress and the Senate to be a check on executive power. The only imminent threat is Trump. We ask our Congressman Greg Walden to take a stand for us. He has nothing to lose now.
Sarah Bellinson
Hood River
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