Beacon of light
Lots of things are wrong in our country right now. Social media is manipulating us. Politicians are preying on people’s fears. More and more people are becoming homeless. Racial tensions continue to mount. The divisiveness between Democrats and Republicans rages on. And COVID is still threatening people’s lives and putting even greater stresses on already exhausted medical care teams — despite the availability of multiple vaccines that could slow its spread, if not stop it altogether.
But this letter is not about all of that. It’s about shining a light on a group of people who are making our world a better place to live. I’m speaking about the dedicated, selfless, professional, and compassionate people who work for and volunteer their time with the Hood River Fire Department and the West Side Fire District.
There were multiple times during the past year when my husband and I needed to rely on them for help with medical emergencies. Three times, to be precise. And, in all three instances, they performed their jobs exceedingly well on every level. They responded quickly, acted professionally, and demonstrated exceptional care and concern.
Notably, my husband and I were both vaccinated, but they didn’t know that, and they responded anyway, thereby putting their own lives at risk. We are fortunate, those of us who live in Hood River, to have such a fantastic team of skillful and caring people supporting our emergency medical needs. I can’t imagine where in this country it could be much better.
Kudos then, go out to the Hood River Fire Department and West Side Fire District. Together, they do an outstanding job of serving the emergency needs of our community. Together, they created a beacon of light for my husband and me during some of our darkest hours.
Because of people like these, I have not lost all hope for a better world to come.
Pat Case
Hood River
Book of love
I have been reading a book about love for many years. This set of books uses the word love and various combinations of the word love. Using my Strong’s Concordance I counted the word love 574 times in the set. I could say that would definitely suggest the idea that the book is a book about love. This book offers a different type of love from what the world is being miserably reduced to accept.
Right now our American society’s form of love may be compared to a dysfunctional, lazy arrogant orchestra. The orchestra gathers together ready to play. When they begin to play they are all playing a different tune. No one is in agreement. The orchestra plays on and no one says a word. Nothing. Why? They say it is love. Tolerating the other members “right” to play what they want is called love. Sounds stupid but it is accepted because that is as close as the group is willing to work for something they can define as love.
What is needed in the orchestra? Some courage. Some humility. Some commonsense. For what? So each member may examine and scrutinize their stance, their unmovable opinion and their belief of why they think they are right. Instead of debating or discussing how a real loving orchestra should behave they feel it is better to avoid any disturbance or any possible hostile moments and settle for calling the obvious ridiculous chaos …love.
Each member insists they are right which annihilates any decent conversation for discussion which is then replaced with fear. Fear? Fear of another emotionally numbing screaming match. Each member is so accustomed to the other members cowardly arrogant ranting and raving that all progressive conversation is avoided … for the love. So the orchestra is stuck with a fake love that dishonestly tolerates conflicting opinions. Love?
The book I am reading teaches a much more profound and worthy love. It is a love based on honest harmony. All humans on earth in harmony? Everyone on earth in agreement? No forced toleration of hated and impossible to accept opinions? Harmony anyone?
Gary Fischer
The Dalles
Discomfort A-OK
During these past 5 months of angry people addressing our school board, many of them have protested what they call “Critical Race Theory,” complaining that their children are learning to feel bad about their country and its history.
Although few of us had heard of Critical Race Theory until a couple of years ago, most have learned by now that “CRT” (not to be confused with Culturally Responsive Teaching) is a high-level academic analysis of how current law and society have been affected by America’s racial history. So the protesters are using the term CRT incorrectly, but their observation that honest teaching of America’s racial history causes discomfort among students is real and worth addressing.
It is vital that our public schools teach, in age-appropriate ways, our country’s history accurately and inclusively, not tiptoeing around or ignoring altogether the pieces that are brutal or unfair or otherwise objectionable. And there are plenty of such pieces, including various aspects of racism like slavery, discrimination, segregation, violence, internment camps, marginalization, hate crimes, and so on. (To be fair, other countries have such things in their histories too — and those shouldn’t be glossed over either.)
Would teaching these parts of our history make a child uncomfortable? Make her ashamed of those actions? Make her ashamed of the people and institutions that did such things? Well, let’s hope so! Those parts of our history definitely make me uncomfortable and ashamed and sorry and angry, too. But I’m a better person and observer and citizen for having learned both the wonderful and the disastrously bad parts of our history.
Kids need to learn that it’s possible to be simultaneously proud of your heritage and acknowledge its shortcomings. Raising them, we say “I do not approve of X that you did, and I don’t want to see it again, but I love you to pieces.” In the same way, their learning of U.S. history should embrace this honest dualism, not be sanitized for their “protection.”
Bonnie New
Hood River
Facts matter
The comments following the Op Ed on Critical Race Theory (CRT) have illuminated a critical misunderstanding about CRT: That it teaches that we are “a racist country” and that white people are “inherently racist.” It teaches neither of these things. The most important lesson from CRT is, put simply, “facts matter.”
Two questions: Did your parents own their home? How about your grandparents? If you answered yes to those questions, you are most likely white. If you answered no, you are most likely not white. That’s a fact. And it matters. Not only is land one of the best ways to pass wealth between generations, political decisions how land is governed and what you can do with it are most often made by landowners. A third question: Do you feel bad about that? If so, that’s on you.
CRT does not teach you how you should feel about the aforementioned facts, only that they matter.
As our country dives headlong into an oligarchy, ruled by an elite class that is hellbent on taking everything you can give while returning nothing, we can all feel like underdogs. I have no doubt many who answered yes to the first two questions do not own their own home and do not see a path to doing so.
The feeling those people have is not racism or hatred — it’s empathy. It hurts to be the underdog, and we need to take this country back from the oppressors.
The path I see is caring for each other. Housing security for all — including you. A living wage for all — including you. Affordable childcare for all — including you. Equal healthcare for all so that you can hold on to what you’ve earned and not have it taken because you’re sick.
The fight over teaching CRT is a side show. Most of us agree that facts matter. Those that want to teach CRT are just looking for another angle to build empathy and create a country we all want to live in. Those fanning the flames of anger around CRT are happy for the distraction.
Seth Gilchrist
White Salmon
Utmost respect
I am not a resident of Bingen, but I have had interactions with the city and Mayor Betty Barnes over the past several years and she has my utmost respect. Betty has worked diligently for the past 12 years with integrity and grace, leaving her personal politics out of her office and rising above petty partisanship.
Betty has always been open-minded, welcoming new ideas to our community. She has frequently stated that “while Bingen and White Salmon are two towns, we are one community“ and she has acted accordingly. Betty has insured that the City of Bingen has been inclusive of all residents, regardless of their socioeconomic status. She has shown steady leadership, a valuable asset in guiding the city through much change. She will be missed. Here’s wishing you a great retirement, Betty. Thanks for your leadership and service.
Becky Miles
White Salmon
Evolving document
The constitution to me represents change. An ever evolving document that grows with the times. The constitution is meant for all of us regardless of whether I claim it out loud or not. I’m an American and love my country both for its potential and in many ways what it already is. And yes, there is still work to be done.
There are 27 constitutional amendments. I hope there will be more amendments in the future. To me that means our democracy and its original intent is functioning and responding to the needs of the moment. A forward thinking adaptable approach rather than stuck in the past. Even with ongoing issues to work on, I feel strongly that we have a good foundation to work from.
If we throw our current system away and replace it with a new system, let it be one that takes care of the most vulnerable amongst us with the broadest possible tent. Let freedom reign for everyone.
If we can’t do that, than perhaps the experiment is finally over. I’m not ready to give up yet though and will continue to fight for the country I love and what it can become until my last breath.
Avery Hoyt
White Salmon
Racism alive and well
The Dec. 30 letter “Critical Race Theory” did a wonderful job illustrating why actual Critical Race Theory should be accurately explained to people hoping to become good U.S. citizens. I refuse to insult readers with counter arguments given the many inaccuracies.
It is hard to imagine that most white, Christian males in the U.S. can truly understand the feeling of being less-valued simply because of your race, religious beliefs, or gender identity. Simple folk like me see that the “fundamental human flaw” of racism is alive and well in our culture and all over social media.
Shakespeare once said, “Me thinks thou dost protest too much” meaning — if you are feeling uncomfortable about something, you are probably involved somehow.
No one should feel guilty about what their deceased relatives did unless they believe that slavery or murder based on skin color was appropriate and beneficial to our country. We teach our children the truth about history so we do not repeat our mistakes. No one is sending children home to make citizens’ arrests.
Critical Race Theory should be learned from academics and not a far-leaning (in any direction) website. People can then come to understand that Equal Opportunity for employment and scholarships on the basis of color or ethnicity exist to counter our flaws and well-practiced biased behaviors. The greatest universities in the U.S. understand it, and they are certainly not fools.
Steven Kaplan
Hood River
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