Someone will make a fortune
Conservative social media. What an excellent marketing scheme! When I hear the phrase, I’m reminded of the advertisements I hear for “health insurance for Christians” and I ask myself the same type of questions: How would they know if I’m conservative/Christian? If they block liberals/non-Christians from signing up or posting, or if more liberals/non-Christians sign up than conservatives, then is it still conservative/Christian? How will the platforms/insurance handle folks who pretend to be conservative/Christians? What if an antifa/Muslim signs up?
Even if conservative social media manages to keep liberals out (resulting in the turning away of millions in advertising revenue) I doubt that such sites will result in the unity of like-minded individuals that some are expecting given the range of beliefs among conservatives and their susceptibility to conspiracy theories. Will QAnon, Proud Boys and the “kill Mike Pence” unite with mainstream conservatives and post happily ever after? That should be fun to watch.
These marketing schemes are geared towards folks who don’t ask basic questions or those who take everything upon faith. If it’s advertised as Christian/conservative, then they trust it. Somebody’s about to make a fortune off that naivety.
Mary Hoffman
Colton
Reinstate the roadless rule
More than a half of Tongass National Forest in Alaska, one of the largest temperate rain forests in the world, was recently opened to logging by Donald Trump. He was able to accomplish this by removing the roadless rule. Logging these large old growth trees that capture carbon dioxide so efficiently might accelerate the climate crisis beyond the point of no return.
It’s not too late though to reverse course and reinstate the roadless rule that Bill Clinton gave us 20 years ago. The rule stops environmental damage in roadless areas, thus not destroying some of the finest ecosystems in the nation. Environmental organizations such as the Friends of the Clearwater and Sierra Club have made it clear to the Forest Service that old growth forests shouldn’t be logged; such sites are revered by the public.
It’s imperative to save the Tongass (our American Amazon) by not risking the release of all that stored carbon into the atmosphere. Removing millions of these trees that play such an important role in regulating global temperature would certainly accelerate global warming. In addition, we would destroy irreplaceable wildlife habitat for large animals, eagles and salmon found in the rivers winding through the forest.
Joe Biden says he is a friend of the environment. Please ask him or a friendly congressman to reinstate the roadless rule to save the Tongass, a treasure we can’t afford to lose.
Fred Rabe
Moscow
Protest, yes; violence, no
This has been a nasty year. The legitimate protests which turned into riots were aggravated by politicians who weren’t willing to stop the destruction. Violence was shown to be a successful way to change government policies. But we can’t accept violence by people we support and then be surprised when people with different views react violently. BLM and antifa violence does not justify that by their opposition, but it’s dishonest to be shocked when it occurs.
Some Trump supporters might like to believe antifa pushed them into being fools at the Capitol. One video from the protest shows a man breaking windows by a door. The crowd behind him yelled he was antifa, stopped him and took his club away. That’s no proof the man with the club was anything other than a violent fool — they come in all flavors — and I don’t imagine those leading the charge had any connection with antifa. I do hope we find out what they thought they could accomplish.
As for protests turning into riots, an emotional crowd can do truly stupid things. I’m not sure if breaking into the Capitol is worse than burning parts of downtown Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland and other cities, but all of these events show there are a lot of unhappy people in this country. We need to start asking why, and not assuming one group is right and others should be reeducated, censored or banned.
Encourage legitimate protest, put down violence, and look for causes.
Mike Finkbiner
Moscow
Vaccine shot was almost fun
Let’s have a great shout out! Kudos for Palouse Medical. Those folks are fantastically well organized and pumping COVID-19 vaccine into arms lickety split. Got mine Jan. 20 and it was almost fun. I was truly excited and grateful. Can hardly wait for shot number two come Feb.10.
Terence L. Day
Pullman
Rely on an expert
If you are building a multilevel floating metal stairway in your house, you should trust an experienced architectural engineer, not an amateur, to design your stairs. Similarly, if you’re dealing with an infectious, mutable, lethal virus you should trust highly trained, experienced specialists to guide your behavior. Microbiologists, physicians and epidemiologists are professionals who help us understand complex processes related to viral infections. Sadly, many untrained people are spreading misinformation.
Letter writer Lucky Brandt (Dec. 29) probably did not have all of the facts when s/he used “judgement and logic” to conclude that masks provide one-way protection only. Masks that cover the nose and mouth provide two-way protection (see the CDC or Mayo Clinic websites for trusted information from specialists about SARS-CoV-2 transmission and mask use). The SARS-CoV-2 virus is carried primarily on droplets (aqueous bodies >5 microns) large enough to be blocked by a N95 mask. A virus is not a living entity and it cannot “fly.” Once the droplet makes contact with the mask, the droplet and its viral cargo are adsorbed onto the mask. A decent mask blocks most potentially contaminated droplets from reaching your nose; it also blocks potentially contaminated droplets that emanate from your mouth when you speak.
Percentages are important: if 1,000 people get the virus, 19 percent (190) will develop severe or critical symptoms that require hospitalization for days or weeks. This rapidly overwhelms our healthcare system. I wear a mask so that: 1) I do not unknowingly transmit virus to others; and 2) I do not get sick and strain the health care system.
If Lucky wants the “freedom” to go without a mask, perhaps s/he should sign a contract stating that if s/he gets severe/critical COVID symptoms, s/he will not go to the hospital and burden the healthcare system.
Trish Hartzell
Moscow
