Letters to the editor: Goodwill, elections result, nuclear energy, hate, gender inequality
Spread goodwill
As we close out this weird and exasperating year, I hope that the light of kindness and goodwill of the holiday season and the renewal of a new year reaches into all of our hearts and remains. After this time of deep frustration and fear, seeing the light in each other and granting each other grace, respect, dignity, and compassion anew might be the biggest gift, the gift of true peace, we can give ourselves and our fellow Idahoans.
Do something nice for someone else — send a handwritten letter to a friend or family member, take cookies to your neighbor, donate to a local charity. And don’t forget to give yourself grace and kindness because we all deserve to have these in our hearts.
Sarah Harris, Boise
GOP cabal
The Idaho GOP cabal in the U.S. Congress has sought to undo the pillars of democracy. Though they failed, the people have gained some valuable insights. We see that their sycophantic behavior has been emblematic of their cowardice. And now, it is their turn to learn of the consequences. Risch will sail into retirement with a smile on his face even though his small-man complex is the aura around his weak heart. For the remaining members of the Republican cabal in congress, vote them out for sticking their heads in the sand.
Luigi Yannotta, Eagle
Election result
Reps. Simpson and Fulcher, you choose to go against 81 million voters. Biden won by 7 million. That’s more population than Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Utah combined.
Attorney General Lawrence Wasden took the morally right stand. “As is sometimes the case, the legally correct decision may not be the politically convenient decision,” Wasden wrote. “But my responsibility is to the state of Idaho and the rule of law.”
You two are cowards, joining Trump who will do anything to win. You were willing to go with the Trump coup to undermine democracy.
Trump wanted to be dictator. He uses a firehose of falsehood (Russian method) constantly repeating lies to wear Americans down. Constantly firing anyone not doing what he wants is that of a dictator. He hired Krebs to oversee the election. Krebs called it a secure election. Trump fired him. Worse, Trump’s lawyer said Krebs should be shot -- that is the action of a dictator.
Fifty courts and twice the Supreme Court – Republican judges and many who Trump chose – all said no fraud. All voted the Texas case had no merit.
All these judges are saying to the American people -- Trump is lying -- election not rigged, no fraud, no thousands of illegal votes, Trump did not win.
Cheryl Lomax, Boise
Nuclear energy
Nuclear energy is the most reliable, affordable and clean source of energy, but it is often overlooked due to safety concerns. Nuclear energy is very safe, with only 0.07 deaths/tWh of energy. This is the equivalent to one death every 14 years due to nuclear energy, whereas natural gas causes three deaths/year.
Waste is another common concern. Waste is made up of small, brown pellets of Uranium. Low-level waste is thrown away like trash, while high-level waste is safely taken to a national disposal site and buried. With the current American waste policy, since the 1950s there has only been enough nuclear waste produced to cover a football field to the 10-yard line. In European countries that have larger nuclear programs, waste is reprocessed and reused, which is a more efficient process to handle used fuel. America is researching incorporating this technology into our power grid. One nuclear reactor generates as much energy as 3.125 million standard solar panels and 431 wind turbines. Nuclear power is the answer to reducing our carbon footprint, and Idahoans should be aware of this.
Hanne Campbell, Boise
Gender inequality
The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of people all over the world. When schools and daycare facilities suddenly closed in March, many people had to make sudden changes to ensure their children were looked after. The majority of those who made these sacrifices were women.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) wrote about gender inequality and the need for the economic independence of women. Since Gilman’s time, we have come a long way in reducing gender inequality, yet COVID-19 is having a disproportionately negative impact on women. “Men can cook, clean, and sew as well as women,” Gilman wrote in 1889. If she were alive today, would she be surprised to see women still taking on the lion’s share of child care, housework and children’s education during this pandemic? Would she be disappointed that there are 2.2 million fewer women in the workforce since the beginning of the pandemic vs. 1.5 million fewer men?
Certainly, motherhood is an important and valuable duty. But how far will women slip from their professional careers while they are at home during the pandemic performing unpaid domestic duties?
Kayla Dodson, Boise
Hate is hate
Vandalism to the Anne Frank Memorial (on the first day of Hanukkah, no less) is beyond horrifying. Near the spot these stickers were found, Holocaust survivor Eli Wiesel’s words warn, “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Ada County Commissioner Diana Lachiondo was allegedly voted out of office for supporting a mask mandate. Protesters went to the commissioner’s house while her young sons were alone inside.
It’s worth mentioning that Ada County Commissioner-elect Ryan Davidson was photographed this summer smiling next to anti-BLM protesters who were wearing Nazi and SS symbols.
I truly don’t understand why public service officials working to advocate for people’s health and safety are called “communist” by some conservatives, but then those same conservatives do not condemn right-wing extremists piggybacking on their beliefs.
It’s easy to connect the dots here.
Mask mandates are not fascist. Nazis are fascist.
Hate is hate is hate is hate is hate.
We must make more of an effort to condemn hateful rhetoric. “Go back where you came from” is hateful. Name-calling is hateful.
And shaking our heads while turning away from it makes us complicit.
Erin McClure, Boise