Our voices still count
This legislative session has been utterly exhausting. As a proud Idahoan citizen, I find it my duty to write to my legislators and many times, sign up to testify. Because I live up north, I always sign up to testify remotely. I have been very pleased with the process, taking my place in line and hoping my name comes up. I listen to the chairpersons switch back and forth between “for” and “against,” and between “in-person” and “remote.” I find it to be a fair way of letting all concerned individuals testify.
Unless of course, you are testifying at the House State Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Brent Crane. He does things differently. The chairman routinely allows all “in-person” individuals to testify first, and then proceeds to call the “remote” testifiers. As all public hearings have a time limit, this consistently results in far less “remote” testimony being heard. After witnessing this several times, I called Crane’s office as I had signed up to testify at the HB 314 public hearing. I requested that “remote” testimony be heard in equal amounts to “in-person” testimony. My request was ignored by the chairman, and no remote testimony was permitted because the chairman announced that time had expired.
This is not equitable in the least. All Idahoans deserve a right to be heard. Between missing work, trying to access childcare or dealing with Idaho’s inclement weather, many of us are unable to get to Boise. Our voices still count.
Heather Stout
Moscow
Pushing America into madness
America is supposedly a nation which follows the rule of law. So, before we dismantle the judicial system, empower the racists, validate Jan. 6 traitors and subsequently dive into the abyss, can we try sanity? Unfortunately, as loving purveyors of fascism, Trump, Greene and McCarthy continue pushing insanity.
It used to be Americans actually cared, associated and liked one another, especially Christians. Now, god capitalism, aka Wall Street (and the root of our problems) divides and poisons through corruption and misinformation. Holding a Bible and a 9mm, the Republican god uses Christian naivete, helping “believers” understand fascism’s emphasis on violence, voter suppression, indoctrination, racism, book bans and gerrymandering (our district is one) — the Republican platform.
It is disingenuous for people to say they are “pro-life” but continue avidly promoting hatred and violence while we bury dead schoolchildren.
Discrepancies in information, in my opinion, show MSNBC reporting truth, Fox News reporting lies. No offense ‘pubs, but Fox News runs its operation from an echo chamber. California independent Tulsi Gabbard is the lone exception to Fox’s “fair and balanced” gibberish. No Democrats on Fox — however, Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez appeared for almost 5 whole minutes.
Conversely, MSNBC employs many sane conservatives, who, unlike house Republicans and Mike Pence, do not shake in fear of the Donald. These include show hosts Scarborough, Melber, Wallace and former RNC chair Michael Steele. Other republicans on air are presidential historians Jon Meacham and Michael Beschloss. Guest commentators include Jolly, Setmayer, Frum, Rosenberg, Sykes, Rubin, Bardella, Singleton and scholars Richard Haas and Walter Isaacson. This is fair and balanced.
Truth came out anyway — while Fox cowards fabricate on air, off camera they admit Trump incited the insurrection.
As undisputed champions of misinformation, Trump, a motherTucker and former Christian representatives’ shameless lies push America into madness known as fascism.
Jim Roach
Moscow
Secure in our person
The conservative distraction machine is churning out a nonstop torrent of manufactured outrage about woke-ism, along with a clutter of confusing buzzwords and acronyms they say are taking away our freedom and American way of life. True, politically correct jargon is largely unhelpful in clarifying what is really at stake in this moment in American democracy. But the fundamental question is whether American citizens should own their own bodies, or whether government should function as religion’s policeman, as in other theocratic and unfree parts of the world.
The GOP has established itself as the party of censorship via attacks on public libraries and librarians, public schools and teachers, and artists and exhibit curators, unconstitutionally illegalizing even basic facts about our nation’s history and laws.
The core question is whether we will allow the U.S. to become what it has always claimed to be, namely an equal society with equal rights enjoyed by all.
The unresolved question is whether we can all be “secure in our persons,” per the Fourth Amendment. Republican anti-wokeism is about whether women can be forced to give birth against their will; whether gay, lesbian, and transgender Americans must account for what’s under their clothing any more than I do as a straight man (not at all, ever), and whether nonwhite Americans have to fear for their lives during encounters with police (I don’t, ever). Concern for working families, single parents, and children once they’re born? Not much.
Chris Norden
Moscow
Unlock American resources
As a young person concerned about climate change, I want to see action that results in real emissions reductions. That’s why I want energy produced here in the United States, where we have some of the highest environmental standards and cleanest energy production. For an effective transition to sustainability, we need support for the development of cleaner fossil fuel energy as our renewable energy portfolio grows.
This strategy must include encouraging mining and processing here in the United States for the raw materials we need to build clean energy technologies. This eliminates the significant greenhouse gasses produced shipping materials around the world to be used here. Additionally, improving regulatory procedures is necessary to implement energy projects with the needed urgency.
To this end, H.R.1, the Lowering Energy Costs Act, is important in opening the conversation for bipartisan support for sustainability. I implore conservative representatives to work with House Energy & Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who cosponsors this bill, on clean energy solutions while maintaining pressure on the fossil fuel market to support the growth of infrastructure for cheaper, sustainable sources and practices.
Young conservatives like myself want an effective strategy that anticipates and prepares for challenges to the transition to sustainability, like affordability or energy security. We need an all-of-the-above approach to energy, including fossil, renewable, and nuclear energy. H.R.1 contains critical steps to securing America’s energy, and I hope to see additional bipartisan steps to address the climate challenge from the 118th Congress.
Kate Prophet
Pullman
