Your voice: Feb. 19, 2025

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is doing a great job, and their current mission is to take criminal illegals off the streets and deport them, period! Yet our school in White Salmon voted to protect families that are undocumented. The people ICE is going after are only violent criminals, which I assume are not in our schools.

One bill passed by the Washington State Senate is SB 5181, by Democrats, that basically takes away parents’ rights. Part of the law says parents aren’t to be notified for two weeks if their child has been sexually assaulted by staff or others at the school! Washington has been a “blue” state ever since we had mail in ballots (more than 30 years)! We fight continuously to keep ridiculous bills from passing, but when the majority rules, it’s a losing battle. It’s even harder when the media sides with liberals to keep the misinformation going!

They have lost their minds! What confounds me the most are our everyday citizens who continue to call Trump a Nazi or a dictator. The proof is right in front of them every day that our country was almost lost and now it’s being fixed!

How is that a bad thing? Are they so deeply woke they can’t see the forest for the trees?

Don Morby

Mill-A

Editor’s Note: Washington State’s Senate Bill 5181 modifies certain rights of parents and guardians of children enrolled in public schools and removes those related to notification requirements for non-emergency medical services and treatment in alignment with existing laws. Trump has expanded arrest priorities to anyone in the country illegally, not just those with criminal convictions, as per AP News, including an estimated 733,000 school-aged children.

Uphold Constitution

In a recent letter published in the Columbia Gorge News, U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz proclaimed his pride in his family attending his 2025 swearing into the United States House of Representatives. All representatives took the oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

How do he and all Republican representatives take that oath and then support Donald Trump as he violates the Constitution and laws of the United States? Does that oath mean nothing to them? Do the needs of citizens they claim to represent mean nothing to them? Do Congressional powers as a co-equal member of the United States government mean nothing to them? We voters are rightly fearful that Donald Trump and Elon Musk have created a constitutional crisis that will impact us all. What does it take for you to find the courage to do your job and protect the citizens of the United States from a takeover of our government by an autocrat like Donald Trump and an oligarch like Elon Musk?

Sheryl Penney

Dallesport

Destruction

It is unequivocally clear that the goal of the present-day Republican Party is not reform but the utter destruction of American institutions, the Constitution, and the rule of law. Everything else is window dressing. And let us never forget that our state Sen. Daniel Bonham and our state Rep. Jeff Helfrich are parties to this destruction. They have never spoken out against it, and they never will.

Remember.

Buck Parker

Odell

Lost boy leading

I see the real Trump, waaayyyyy down in there, as disabled. An abused, terrorized child, crouching in the corner and whimpering, “Please don’t hurt me.” Thus, I do feel just a tiny, tiny, tiny little bit of sympathy for him, as one would have sympathy for a rabid dog.

It is from this perspective that I think he might be going a bridge too far in saying he intends to seek out waste, fraud and abuse in the Pentagon. This is a great technique for him as he works to destroy our representative government. The problem for him is that there is in the Pentagon and related security agencies, in genuine real life, not in his dreamed-up propaganda fantasies, methodical wholesale waste, fraud and abuse going back decades. And this to the benefit of world class criminals, very serious, very competent indeed, who consider Trump to be a fool.

The last president who made some small beginning efforts along this line was killed.

Jerrold Richards

Lyle

Campaign promises

I am not sure why the left seems to be freaking out about the actions President Trump is doing. All these actions are things he campaigned on. Maybe the freak out is because a politician is actually doing the things he said he would do?

Actions politicians on both sides have “committed” to in the past. Immigration? An easy Google search shows Hillary and Obama stating their views at the time — just what Trump is doing now. I keep hearing how illegal immigrants only cause a small percent of violent crime. Maybe so, but if the violent offenders were not here, those crimes would not have been committed.

And DOGE has just torn a bandage off. The hysteria about USAID [United States Agency for International Development] is almost laughable. It may only represent 1% of the federal budget, but that is still A LOT of money. The secretary of state said the lifesaving aid would continue. The list of crazy expenditures is wild. I hear about the disruption, but I don’t hear anyone on the left defending those programs being called out. Why? Take a look at the list — is that really how you want your taxpayer dollars spent when looking at some of the needs in our country? Do they advance the interests of the U.S. or just special groups? Sure, Trump has tossed out some weird ideas, many will not come to fruition, and maybe some actions will be tested in the courts, but they are ideas that will help define our course. The majority, yes majority, of voters have endorsed him to make changes to our government. That is what he is doing. What we have been doing in the past was not fiscally, and my view, morally sustainable.

Steve Nybroten

White Salmon

Fire risk

The Seattle Times recently reported that federal funding for wildland firefighting equipment, training for local fire departments, prescribed burns, and other activities aimed at decreasing wildfire risk — such as establishing evacuation routes and planning — has been put on hold. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed that approximately $100 million for state-led fuel reduction programs and more than $50 million for 23 grants intended to help communities reduce fire risk have been paused. These funds are part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Legally, the executive branch of the Trump administration cannot withdraw funds that have been allocated by Congress. A federal judge has mandated that the Trump administration fully comply with a prior order to lift a broad freeze on federal spending. This follows concerns from 23 Democratic state attorneys general, who reported that some funds were still frozen. U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled that all funding must be restored until a hearing can be held on the states’ request for a more extended order.

We have all experienced wildfires in the Gorge. The Underwood Fire directly threatened White Salmon. The DNR has been actively reducing the fire load in our communities and has a program to help residents reduce their own property fire risk (Wildland Fire Neighbors Program). The funding for these programs is on hold, and a timeline for releasing these funds is unknown. These reckless and illegal orders by the Trump administration put our Gorge communities, properties, and firefighters at risk. We did not vote for this.

Sandra Holden Montag

White Salmon

Trump heads Kennedy Center

Recently, Donald Trump fired the chairman and the entire board of the Kennedy Center, saying they “do not share our vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture” (“Trump plans to name himself chair of Kennedy Center, fire board members,” NPR, Feb. 7). I am not optimistic for their replacement, a “state controlled” arts display.

For years I have eagerly looked forward to the televised honors. The performances have been terrific: Ann and Nancy Wilson with a fantastic live band and a giant choir honoring Led Zeppelin with “Stairway to Heaven.” Garth Brooks and a chorus of veterans honoring Billy Joel with “Goodnight Saigon.” Beyoncé honoring Tina Turner with “Proud Mary” and again another year recognizing Barbra Streisand with “The Way we Were.” Steve Carell roasting Steve Martin, Cyndy Lauper honoring Cher with “ If I could Turn Back Time,” and a star studded cast recognizing the creators of “Hamilton.” The list goes on to include dancers, comedians, and actors, and you can see all performances on YouTube. They are priceless.

I will sorely miss this magnificently curated yearly tribute to the arts, attended by celebrities, judges, presidents and varied art lovers, as Trump installs himself as the new chairman. He has never attended one single performance, by the way.

If inaugurations and campaign events are any indication of the president’s expertise in this area, we are in for a very dry spell, as he tries to bend an old and venerable institution into his narrow vision of acceptable art. Doesn’t he already have another job, bringing down inflation and leading the country into prosperity?

Jennifer Ouzounian

Hood River

MCCAC thanks

My sincere gratitude to Mid-Columbia Community Action Council (MCCAC) for helping me not just with temporary lodging while I attain full-time employment and save for my own place, but also for connecting me with Northwest Veterans law firm, which has helped me with court fees and fines and is currently looking to reduce the amount of income tax owed to the Oregon Department of Revenue and the IRS. I’m a 100% disabled combat vet, born and raised in Hood River. I moved back to the area 18 months ago and I’m so glad to be home.

Joseph Davidson

The Dalles

Egomaniac

With Donald Trump ranting and raving about the U.S. taking over Gaza and turning it into the Riviera of the Middle East, we have another word to describe Trump: Egomaniac.

Gary Fields

Hood River

School’s history

Yesterday I picked up a handout in the foyer of the public library. It asked the question: “Do you know about the person Colonel Wright Elementary School is named for?” As it happens, I know a little. A Vermonter, he graduated from West Point and was a veteran of both the Florida and Mexican wars. In 1856, he fought in the Yakama Indian Campaign; his assignment, in a nutshell, was to subdue the tribes to the point of surrender.

Col. Wright’s military tactics basically consisted of destruction of a way of life that existed since time immemorial. He took his job seriously: He closed the Columbia River to Native fishing and a blockhouse was built to “protect” the river. After a substantial protest by the tribes, Col. Wright employed a tactic that was successful for Major Layton over on the Oregon side of the Columbia: He ordered his troops to round up between 700-800 Indian horses. The grown horses were shot to death in a corral and the colts were clubbed to death. There is a marker in Washington, “The Horse Slaughter Camp.” This travesty happened in 1858.

This is the man an elementary school is named for.

Col. Wright also flagrantly overspent on the construction of Fort Dalles. According to “The History of Wasco County,” by W.H. McNeil, Wright’s headquarters alone cost $90,000 and the total cost for the fort was nearly a half a million dollars.

You would think that his biographer, at least, would speak highly of him, but the best known biography is entitled “Hang Them All!” That about sums up Col. Wright’s view of “The Indian Problem,” doesn’t it? After all, it was his established practice to hang those who surrendered to him.

This is the man our elementary school is named after? What does this teach the next generation? I have never set foot in that building and I never will until it is renamed.

Cody Yeager

The Dalles

Editor’s note: Columbia Gorge News reached out to North Wasco County School District 21 Communications Director Stephanie Bowen for comment. She said: “We appreciate the concerns raised regarding the name of Col. Wright Elementary School and recognize the difficult history associated with its namesake. As a school that has been part of this community for a century, its name has come to represent different things to different people. While some associate it with painful historical events, others connect it to personal memories of education, growth, and community. We do not take this discussion lightly and acknowledge the importance of historical awareness and reflection. Ultimately, we fully believe that our schools belong to our community, and our goal is to foster an environment where all members feel heard and respected. We encourage open and thoughtful dialogue on this issue, ensuring that any discussions about the school’s name are conducted with respect, understanding, and a commitment to unity. If members of the community wish to share their thoughts on this matter, we welcome their input at communications@nwasco.k12.or.us. We believe that meaningful change, if pursued, should come from a collaborative and inclusive process that reflects the values of our community.”