Letters to the editor: Education, halftime show, Trump, salmon
Education
On Jan. 22, Idaho’s House Education Committee heard testimony on Idaho’s Science Education standards, put together by a blue-ribbon committee of award-winning educators and scientists, who graciously accommodated lawmaker’s concerns, while maintaining scientific integrity and grade-appropriateness. Without these bottom-line standards, approved in 2018, Idaho students will have no science standards, which will impact the poorest, most rural schools most. This, while over 7,000 STEM jobs went unfilled in Idaho last year!
In inviting experts to testify, the Committee invited expert educators and scientists. Unfortunately, they also invited members of the Idaho Freedom Foundation to testify. These were neither scientists nor educators, but lobbyists paid for in part with out-of-state fossil fuel money from the Koch Brothers and the Mercer Family. Might their testimony be compromised by the needs of their funders to maintain profits? They could have provided input as regular “citizens” but certainly were not “experts” in anything but paid disinformation. Additionally, two House Education Committee members testified against the standards. Can they be impartial?
We need to provide accurate, timely, complete science education to Idaho students so they can fill those STEM jobs without having to leave Idaho. The truth will set us free, and benefit us greatly.
Lisa Hecht, Boise
Super Bowl
Super Bowl LIV was just another football game with a soft porn half time show. How could it be otherwise? The costumes and dancing left nothing to the imagination: there was constant crotch grabbing, sexual thrust movements, legs spread apart directly in front of the camera as well as bent over rear shots with legs apart. There was even some gratuitous pole work and costumes leaning toward S&M – not really family entertainment. To put that on TV in front of children and teens makes it seem acceptable. It isn’t. And people wonder why others in the world think we have become a degenerate society.
I suppose the liberated cognoscenti think the halftime porn show was merely an artistic expression of female creativeness and liberation. It wasn’t. It was nothing but the complete exploitation of the female body by both the producers and performers with the purpose of teasing and titillating to make money. To think the halftime show was anything but soft porn is to be deceived by one’s own misguided thinking.
Michael A. Civiello, Boise
Impeachment
Most of the Republican Senators and House Republicans had less courage than Kim Jong-Un and North Korea. The American Senators backed down to Trump for trial witnesses, unlike the Korean Leader who did not fold when Trump tried to make it look like American warships were headed to North Korea after Trump was elected. Republican Leaders could learn a few things from how North Korea dealt with Trump’s threats.
Wally Humphries, Boise
Salmon
In the coming weeks and months, our region will be involved in the discussion of the Environmental Impact Statement required for the operation of the Columbia River System.
We will be inundated with seemingly endless acronyms, slogans and “facts”.
We will hear from “experts” in economics, transportation, agriculture, generation of electrical power and climate change.
We will be told the problem for the salmon/steelhead is ocean conditions, predators (sea lions, cormorants, etc.), water temperatures, gill nets, foreign fishermen and dams.
It will become easy to lose sight of the problem.
After 30 years and over $16 billion spent to save the fish, we are losing our fish.
There aren’t enough adult fish returning to Idaho to sustain the runs.
Federal and state laws and treaties require that we save the fish.
It’s about the fish.
Keith E. Carlson, Lewiston
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 11:15 AM.