Your voice: Feb. 26, 2025

In Odell, a thick tangle of blackberry vines at the stop sign where Davis Drive meets Straight Hill Road made it tough to clearly see traffic coming from the east. I’d witnessed several near misses as cars tried to turn left, and I grumped about it every time I pulled up to stop.

A few weeks ago, I wrote to public works, asking if it could be removed. Within just a few days, it was gone! Not a vine in sight, cut away clear to the ground, leaving a completely unobstructed view. Talk about a quick response! Our county crew ROCKS — and I’ll bet I’m not the only one who’s grateful those vines went to the rubbish pile! Always safety first, and with our collective appreciation!

Betty Osborne

Odell

Restoring fairness?

Sen. Bonham looked very proud of himself for joining Trump as he signed his executive order barring transgender women from competing in women’s sports. Bonham says that “for too long, female athletes have been forced to compete on an uneven playing field.”

I wonder if he knows that in 2024, there were fewer than 10 — count them, 10 — transgender women competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), nationwide, across all sports. I wonder whether he knows that an organization called Save Women’s Sports, a group dedicated to banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports, could only identify five transgender girls participating in K-12 sports in the entire country. I also wonder if Sen. Bonham has ever talked to a transgender girl, or the parents of a transgender girl, to find out why she would like to play sports. Could it be that it is not because she wants an unfair advantage against her teammates, but instead that she just wants to play with her friends?

Meanwhile, Republicans currently seem dedicated to destroying equality for women on every level, making Bonham’s claim that he cares about “equal opportunity” for women athletes seem disingenuous. Trump has expressed a desire to eliminate the Department of Education, which would take with it Title IX and the protections it has provided for girls in sports for decades. Republicans have made no secret of their desire to control women’s healthcare and remove the ability of women to make their own healthcare decisions. And let’s not forget that the Republicans are bound and determined to take away diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and programs from workplaces and educational institutions. I haven’t heard Sen. Bonham stand up for women against any of these initiatives.

I wonder if Sen. Bonham really cares about “restoring fairness” for girls, or whether the proud smile on his face in the front page picture last week is actually the smile of a bully who knows that he is stepping on an already marginalized group of people by supporting manufactured controversies. Unfortunately, I think I know the answer.

Jennifer Hackett

Hood River

Putin a murderer

Russia under Putin is not a trustworthy or reliable partner. Putin’s Russia is an authoritarian state that suppresses dissent, rigs elections, and silences critics through assassinations, poisonings, and imprisonment. Russia has threatened U.S. allies, engaged in hybrid warfare, and weaponized energy to pressure European nations. We cannot forget:

Second Chechen War (1999–2009): Putin rose to power in part due to his brutal campaign in Chechnya, a separatist region in Russia. The siege of Grozny (1999–2000), which used carpet bombing and scorched-earth tactics, resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths. Reports from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented widespread torture, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. Russian forces were accused of mass executions in places like Aldi (2000), where at least 60 civilians were executed in a single day.

Syrian Civil War (2015–Present): In 2015, Russia intervened in Syria to support the al-Assad regime. The United Nations and Amnesty International accused Russia of aiding Assad in chemical weapons attacks and indiscriminate bombings. Russian airstrikes deliberately targeted hospitals, schools, and markets, killing thousands of civilians. In Aleppo (2016) and Idlib (2019), Russian forces used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, tactics widely condemned as war crimes.

War in Ukraine (2022–Present): In 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of civilians have been killed by indiscriminate bombings, shelling of cities, and targeted attacks on infrastructure. Cities like Mariupol, Bucha, and Kharkiv have witnessed large-scale civilian deaths due to bombardments, executions, and sieges. Reports from the UN, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch document massacres, torture, rape, and forced displacement carried out by Russian forces. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March 2023.

Moreover, Putin’s domestic repression and assassination campaigns are ongoing. Thousands of opposition figures and activists have been jailed, exiled, or killed.

Putin’s regime represents a direct threat to democratic institutions, global stability, and U.S. allies. While diplomatic engagement is sometimes necessary to avoid conflict and manage risks, a formal alliance with Putin would be self-destructive — and frankly, morally indefensible — for the United States.

Kathleen Bennett

White Salmon

Speak up

If you’re not already outraged by the Trump administration, then you should pay attention and/or diversify your news sources. Instead of twisted or marginally factual news from Fox, Sinclair, X, or Facebook (all owned by billionaires), try The Guardian, ProPublica, PBS, or NPR.

The GOP (Republican Party) lies are everywhere, crafted to implement a deep and sinister strategy rooted in big money. Since the Trump 2017 tax cuts, U.S. billionaires have doubled their obscene net worth to around $6 trillion. Their $3 trillion payout directly added to the U.S. debt, currently $36 trillion. Now Congress’ top priority is extending and expanding those tax cuts.

Three trillion dollars averages about $23,000 per household. Is your household $23,000 richer since 2017? Billionaires are not brilliant businesspeople — they just got lucky while playing monopoly. Yes, monopoly is their money-making strategy. (I know that from growing a small high-tech company — just buy the competition and raise prices!)

The flood of lies is designed to confuse you: No, Trump didn’t win the 2020 election. No, climate change isn’t a hoax. No, Elon Musk hasn’t reduced any waste. No, it’s not legal for the president to ignore spending priorities of Congress. No, Trump doesn’t intend to reduce inflation. Yes, tax cuts for the rich only make the rich richer, etc.

We the people entrust Congress to represent us, not billionaires. Complain to our spineless representatives before they pass another horrifying tax cut for the rich!

Eric Strid

White Salmon

‘Stupid’

Did you know the “sanctuary” movement wasn’t always insane? It started gaining steam in the 1980s, and I distinctly remember it being promoted on the basis of shielding the victims of crime from deportation. The argument was we don’t want innocent crime victims to be afraid to talk to law enforcement for fear of deportation. Not everyone agreed with the theory, but it was at least a rational idea that many people supported out of a sense of empathy and justice.

But that was a moderate position, and democrats don’t do moderation these days. You would think even the most ardent open borders enthusiast would see the wisdom of expelling immigrants, “documented” or not, who commit crimes after they get here. We have plenty of native-born criminals and certainly don’t need to import more of them. Apparently though, we can’t risk deporting someone who might just be on the brink of turning their life around and becoming a model citizen? Or do we actually need immigrants to do the crimes native-born criminals “just won’t do?”

Democrats have supported a lot of questionable ideas over the years, but most have at least a modicum of logic behind them. This one is just stupid. No other word describes it better.

Steve Hudson

The Dalles

Maybe we’re all wrong

Some civic-minded citizens are very distressed over the multitude of initiatives proposed by our recently inaugurated president in the early days of his administration. Others are deeply saddened or angry in response to the actions being taken. It’s possible that both sides are overreacting. It’s possible that our government can be strengthened through some shrinking and streamlining, and that the effectiveness of this strategy would be much greater if those in power engaged in less gloating, less provocation, and more serious engagement with opposing points of view.

It’s possible.

Doug Roof

Hood River

Story from Ukraine

In a reaction to Sept. 11 in 2006, Congress created the YES program. High school students from all over the world come to live in America for a year. They engage in local civic and community service to learn about American values and to promote mutual understanding.

Igor and Maryna Tolmachova sent their only child, Olga, to The Dalles for a year. At the age of 16, Olga passed rigorous tests to come to the U.S. to learn democratic principles. What does freedom mean? To uphold the laws of the people, to stop autocracy, to stop human rights violations, to have fair sentencing, to stop corruption and to seek prosperity for all. Olga learned about decency, diversity, equality and service. A very new idea to her was volunteerism. She couldn’t understand that concept that others willingly help others who are less fortunate.

Back at home on Feb. 22, 2015, Igor Tolmachova, her father, was peacefully demonstrating with thousands of others. A bomb went off and he, along with three others, were killed — Euromaiden, as it is called, was the largest demonstration in Europe since 1989. Every year on Feb. 22, there is a memorial service in Ukraine for Olga’s father and the others.

Pregnant Olga and her husband in 2023 rushed to Poland to find her mother, who had fled Ukraine with hundreds of others. Her mother carried a backpack with only photos of her husband and Olga. Her home, workplace and neighborhood was bombed with nothing left. Olga, Hugo, Daniel and Maryna now live safely in England.

We have to ask ourselves, what is the role of people in situations around the world like Ukraine? Doesn’t the international rule of law support policies that can sustain democracy, and use dialogue and diplomacy to defeat threats. Can Trump really negotiate peace with Putin?

This is only one family’s story of loss, tragedy and trauma. How do we recognize our role in this matter? Will Ukrainians remain a sovereign nation? Why is that important? How can we take action given that we believe in the support of Ukraine?

Lark Lennox

The Dalles

Helfrich response

Regarding Rep. Helfrich’s letter, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) project sometimes seems careless and haphazard, like we just ignored security protocols and unleashed the Three Stooges on the federal government. But Russell Vought, who Trump has chosen to lead the Office of Management and Budget, wrote this about our federal workforce: “We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,” he said. “When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains.”

This is not a program to clean up some waste and fraud, and anybody who still holds to that view is terribly naïve. I read an interview of a scientist who was summarily fired, and he said he was looking for work abroad. The effects of this traumatizing program will be long lasting, especially since, in many cases, the trainees have all been fired. There no longer is a pipeline of dedicated people to fill jobs in the future. The best and brightest will be the first to go, and if they are that smart, they won’t be coming back when the stated goal is to traumatize the workforce.

Dean Myerson

The Dalles

Message for neighbors

To my neighbors in the Gorge, to my fellow Oregonians, and to all citizens of the United States:

My heart breaks for those of you who have lost your jobs in the federal government — at Bonneville, at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Forestry Service, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), National Park Service, and more. I can’t begin to imagine what you’re feeling. I know you worked hard and were well regarded in your work. Some of you are young and just beginning your careers. No one believes you’ve been fired because of performance. I know you have families to support, car loans, groceries, insurance, and bills to pay, just like the rest of us. I know you performed the duties of your job, and had always us, your clients, in mind.

I am calling my Congressman, Cliff Bentz in OR District 2, daily at 541-709-2040, to demand that he immediately stop the Elon Musk illegal takeover of our federal agencies. I am also calling our Sens. Wyden and Merkley, as well as Rep. Maxine Dexter, to rally them into fully assertive action. But in this moment, I am looking at you and wishing I could hold even some of your pain.

Kelly McCune

Mosier

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