Your Voice: Sept. 15, 2021

God bless those who choose to spread joy in our community and around the globe.

Donnamae Craber Grannemann

The Dalles

Stop stealing our flags

Businesses in Hood River support the Scouts in Lion’s Club Troop 282 in many ways. One way is by paying for flag service — our scouts put out flags in front of these businesses on various holidays.

For the fourth time in a year, someone has stolen a flag.

Not only does this deprive the businesses of the service they have contracted, but it takes money that should be going to offsetting the cost of summer camp and shifts it to replacing stolen flags and poles.

Please stop stealing our flags. It’s not polite, and it is definitely not patriotic.

Thank you.

Ellen Simonis, assistant scout master, Hood River Lions Club, Troops 282 and 5282

Hood River

Don’t blame the birds

I worked as a construction superintendent expanding garbage transfer stations (locations where garbage is dropped before transfer to a distant landfill) and expanding landfill facilities. My work was along the pacific coast where seagulls, not crows, were the problem.

The seagulls were so annoying and we were all pooped on a few times. Thank you for hardhats. On first glance we wondered why someone doesn’t use a shotgun and solve the problem. We called them “flying rats.”

Killing seagulls was a crime as humans invaded their habitat and essentially offered up food for them. You can’t blame the birds. Crows are smarter than seagulls, but seagulls are no dummies either. They can learn.

I am not an expert in the subject so please excuse me if my proposed solutions have already been considered.

Rapid burial of garbage

This puts it out of reach of the birds and animals.

Constrict a high fence

Similar to a golf driving range to keep landfill birds away from farming operations.

Use a relocatable net

Use a simple relocatable nylon net over some exposed areas.

Composting

All waste food items are compostable and should be composted and put back into the earth where it came from, replenishing the nutrients taken. It seems very possible for waste food products to be composted at the landfill site or use another site for this purpose. The benefits would be many. This healthy soil could be given to households for gardening or sold to landscape and gardening companies along with worm propagation to cover some of the costs. Currently, even human composting is legal in Oregon and Colorado with other states ready to join. All burials are composting to some extent.

The word composting wasn’t in existence until the 19th century because it has always been a very natural and unquestioned process.

Taking and taking from our land has left much of our topsoil depleted and dependent on chemicals to produce. Of course, a healthy environment is dependent on healthy soil for all earthly species. Hence the word Ecosystem, meaning biological interdependency.

Wayne Petersen

White Salmon

Big brother

Big Brother is alive and well in the great state of Texas. The new Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect on Sept. 1. A woman in Texas loses the right to make her own healthcare decisions about a pregnancy around week 6 which is when a heartbeat is often detectable.

Regardless of your personal views on abortion or state’s rights, this law has a dangerous precedent. The law encourages citizens of Texas who learn of anyone who receives an abortion after their sixth week of pregnancy to sue both the healthcare provider and anyone who aids a woman seeking this healthcare decision.

The best part: Texas law promises these righteous citizens up to a $10,000 award for ratting out their neighbors.

There is a reason schools encourage the teaching of dystopian science fiction novels like 1984, and The Handmaid’s Tale is a huge hit on Hulu. These are cautionary tales about what not to do. This new law may not be a big deal in Oregon or Washington, where Democrats hold a majority, but the legal precedent for millions of Americans in conservative states is rather awful.

Steve Kaplan

Hood River

Why fight masks?

I can understand the reluctance of some people to get vaccinated but I don’t understand the heated fight against masks. Masks are just a safety measure, like seatbelts, except that seatbelts are designed to protect individuals from personal injury and masks are to protect us all from spreading COVID. Forcing me to wear a seatbelt is an example of the “Nanny State,” but a mask mandate is a simple step to reduce and help eliminate the pandemic. Sure, masks are an inconvenience but COVID is a far bigger one. Please, tough it out and put on a damn mask.

Michael Hustman

White Salmon

Cougars aren’t greatest danger

On Thursday Sept 9, I attended the Dallesport-Murdock community council meeting in Dallesport. Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer was in attendance.

One of the points of discussion was about the hunting and killing of cougars in Klickitat County. I asked Sheriff Songer how many cougars had been killed since the policy of using hounds to track and stalk cougars had been instituted. Sheriff Songer said 19 so far. I then asked Sheriff Songer if any person had been killed by a cougar in Klickitat County and Sheriff Songer and his Undersheriff both replied no. A member of the audience spoke up saying a bear had killed a child in Trout Lake. Neither the sheriff nor the undersheriff responded to that statement.

As the questioning continued, the fate of children and the danger of them being killed by a cougar was brought up. I asked that children not be used as an example, because that seems to be the default position to manipulate people’s feelings. If anyone had a person they loved and cared about killed by a cougar, their grief would not be felt any less.

Sheriff Songer, you are concerned about the danger of cougars killing children. But, you do not seem to realize the danger to them from the COVID-19 Delta Variant. You could advocate for vaccines and mask wearing to protect children and adults from becoming ill with this virus, and ending up in the hospital and an ICU fighting for their lives.

Sheriff Songer, there is more danger to children and adults from the COVID-19 delta variant than from cougars. Please, reassess your position on these issues.

Protect and serve.

Lynne Kadlec

Dallesport

Passing on COVID

Someone, somewhere, gave my two young grandsons COVID. The symptoms started off mild and if one of their mothers wasn’t a doctor with connections to testing facilities, both of them would have gone to school on the first day, contagious.

This being a family newspaper, the mildest words I can come up with for the willingly unvaccinated are selfish and ignorant.

As their symptoms vary daily from night sweats to raspy breathing, I try to imagine the conversation I would have with the person that caused this. It wouldn’t go well.

Mike Kitts

Hood River

Opposition to Under Canvas

I’ve been a resident of Hood River since 1993, an avid outdoor enthusiast and Republican.

I am not a liberal activist and hope to demonstrate that opposition against Under Canvas is very broad.

I’ve road biked, swam and kayaked along the White Salmon river from 1991, when I originally moved to the area from Ohio. There is nothing like the White Salmon in Ohio and a big reason I moved here.

Every year, our local population continues to grow and puts very harmful pressure on the area. It is our responsibility to limit further development of The Gorge in general and the White Salmon Under Canvas project specifically.

Once developed, like the dam, it’s nearly impossible to remove. How can you build infrastructure without completely destroying the area? How will human waste and litter be managed? How will electricity and water be provided? Where will visitors park? Where will maintenance vehicles park? How many more vehicles will travel up and down 141? Will we need a traffic light at 14 and 141?

Under Canvas will completely destroy the natural beauty of the area in exchange for a landscape architect’s interpretation of how the area should look. I think it looks perfect just the way it is.

If additional tax revenue is a motivator White Salmon needs to elect a new city council. Property values are going up and tax revenues should also be going up. I hope Under Canvas is not permitted to build along the White Salmon river.

White Salmon residents, please contact your elected officials and oppose the Under Canvas project.

Jon Nigbor

Hood River

Scientific love

Oh the love and the science. Is it possible that those who use these words to convince others that their political view is right are not practicing what they say or write?

Is “love” and “political love” different? What about just liking us a bit or at least consider that we exist … lover? Do you love us when you use your smarty phone while driving? What is the science behind driving and smarty phone use, property damage, physical injury and death to those you’re suppose to love?

Our driving habits reveal what we really think of others. I see about 95% of all drivers intimidating other drivers. Inconsiderate selfish boors oblivious to love is what I witness.

Those racing down I-84 at 75 to 80 mph are they only members of that stupid party, you think? How much of this love stuff is evident when you race at 80 mph up the backside of that “loved” person in your way insisting they move over? Is intimidation a part of this political love? “Oh I love you but move over, I’m more important.”

What is the science behind driving slower? You’re so well informed about so much you must know that by driving 60 mph gas consumption goes down. Less pollutants. Lower prices. Lower insurance rates. Maybe fewer American soldiers dying to guarantee your selfish use of gasoline is scientific?

Do you obey the “Government Mandated” speed limits because you love? No of course not you ignore “that” mandate since it is not a political knife to stab those other party members. So you proudly cheat on that one.

So you all (oh not all, just those other stupid guilty party members) continue to drive like, let me see how would I label the selfish, self loving arrogant SUV drivers and pick up truck drivers hauling horse, utility and camp trailers down I-84 at 80 mph? Politically correct lovers?

Using the word “love” as a political weapon does not mean you’re right or better. Love me? Prove it! Slow down … lover. Love as I say (or write) not as I do?

Gary Fischer

The Dalles

Debacle in Afghanistan

In reference to the debacle of the withdrawal of our American troops and personnel from Afghanistan, leading to the loss of 13 American military personnel and almost 200 civilians, the Klickitat County Republicans (KCR) unequivocally support the resolution recently passed by the Washington State Republican Party (WSRP). The KCR, in no uncertain terms, stands by the facts as stated in the WSRP resolution that President Biden ignored the advice of senior military leaders, leaders in the international community, and a congressional panel leading to one of the worst international crises in decades, the abandonment of hundreds of American citizens whose lives are now in imminent danger, and the transfer of billions of dollars of military equipment to a terrorist organization. The KCR demands an investigation into these events and the immediate resignation of responsible parties, to include the Commander in Chief. We empathize with our U.S. military service members and veterans who are processing the news and images in the media, and we encourage support of organizations that continue to try to evacuate Americans and find new homes for refugees.

Lisa Evans, chairwoman, Klickitat County Republicans

White Salmon