Letters to the editor: COVID-19, veterans, voting

COVID response

I have two problems regarding treatment of COVID-19. (1) It is not treated as past epidemics were. Those infected were quarantined; the rest of society was not inconvenienced. One way or another, through herd immunity, a vaccine, or both, the problem eventually went away. With our treatment, infections have gone up and down since February. We will never recover.

(2) Statistics are reported to promote fear. The number of cases reported is the total from the first one — the new cases are added but recoveries and deaths are not subtracted. For example, the Sept. 4 report for Kootenai County (population 138,494 where I live) reported 2,231 infections, 12 deaths, and 235 active cases. That means 2,996 recovered and 0.0016969% (17 of 10,000) of the population is now infected.

Now we have another “epidemic” — loneliness. People are forced into isolation. In some senior centers, more people have died from loneliness than from the virus. A web search for “loneliness in the USA” lists nine web sites plus other search possibilities. The problem is especially bad for those in senior care centers where widows/widowers are quarantined to their rooms, and family members including spouses are not allowed to visit. That is inhumane.

Allen Marsh, Post Falls

Losers and suckers

Trump’s calling our heroes who died at Belleau Wood and other veterans who died defending the United States “losers” and “suckers” reflects the disrespect the people of the United States levy on veterans by supporting this very sick human being. When Trump disrespected John McCain, calling him a “loser” because his plane was shot down by a Russian missile he lost my support. He dodged being drafted for service in Vietnam by getting a fake medical report from a well-paid doctor. His history of disrespect for veterans validates the Atlantic reporting that he continues to trash veterans. Trump and his supporters do not have a clue what it means to serve our nation. They are only interested in self-service. Veterans have suffered enough trauma and this very painful disrespect increases our mental anguish. I pray that veterans and service members get support and respect by all who understand what selfless service is. I have zero respect for Trump, his supporters, and those who remain silent. They will reap what they sow.

Colonel Kurt Smith, USA Retired, Boise

Vote by mail

I wrote to U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson regarding vote-by-mail and Trump’s baseless claims it would lead to massive fraud. Simpson wrote back, in part: “A person does not have to consider very long the enormous potential for fraud that exists by mailing every registered voter a ballot – what safeguards are in place to stop a resident from filling out a ballot that arrived for a previous tenant? Or for their sick neighbor? Or for a recently deceased family member? What is stopping someone from filling out a mail-in ballot only to go vote again in person?” Trump is pushing this false narrative to discredit the upcoming election, when vote by mail will be used extensively due to the virus, and Simpson is regurgitating the same nonsense. Ironically, Idaho’s election officials have successfully handled a mail-in election, and expect to do the same this fall, so we know it works. Trump lies, lines his pockets at our expense, disregards our laws and Constitution, sucks up to Putin, and now is calling fallen soldiers “losers.” Trump represents a direct threat to our democracy as does Simpson who so slavishly follows Trump’s lead. Vote them both out of office this fall!

Walter Gammill, Boise

This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 3:10 PM.