Letters to the editor: Task force, Catholic Church, dams, electricity

Task force records

I know why the Indoctrination Task Force refuses to release the public comments they received. It is because they received many comments in support of current school practices, comments that deny any hint of “indoctrination.” How do I know this? I submitted at least 20 comments myself, many with false names and no addresses or contact information. I entertained myself for a good hour one evening, making up names and blasting them with comments. In short, their comment collection was a complete joke. And now they are afraid to reveal these comments, and likely a little embarrassed.

Amy Parrish, Boise

Catholic Church

The June 23 Opinion Article “In Pressuring Biden, Catholic bishops forget lessons of JFK,” seems to give a mixed message by Post reporter Karen Tumulty as to the position President Biden has put the American Catholic Bishops in. This has to do with the clergy’s concern about sharing the consecrated Holy Communion at Catholic Mass with someone claiming to be a member of the faithful, but openly and publicly defying that Church’s teachings relative to abortion. The teaching being, that from conception on, a fetus is a live human, with its own unique DNA, and growing in life until natural death. And, that deliberate pre-birth termination by the woman, who most-often freely participated in its conception, can only be considered the cruel murder of a innocent and defenseless human by her and her medical assistant. Since every organization is free to adopt its own rules, anyone claiming membership, and publicly defying that organization’s rules, just can not be a member in good standing. My personal opinion (as a Catholic) is that President Biden should not put any Catholic Communion Minister in the position of having to consider denying his seemingly sinful-reception of the Holy Sacrament at Mass.

Gregg Bruch, Meridian

Snake River dams

For decades now, dam supporters, including the federal “dam agencies” and certain politicians, have used point estimates of juvenile salmon and steelhead survival to argue that the four lower Snake River dams are not the cause of the imperiled status of Idaho’s runs. This is like using the instantaneous survival rate of an accident victim being ambulanced to the hospital, to conclude that he will survive. A 100% survival rate between mile markers means nothing and consoles no one when the accident proves fatal. Delayed mortality is mortality nonetheless.

Smolt-to-adult survival (SAR), the percentage of smolts that return as adults, is the metric that matters. Our stocks are on an extinction trajectory because their SARS are below replacement (2%). Meanwhile runs from the Deschutes, John Day, and Yakima systems, above two, three, and four dams, remain viable with SARS in the 2-6% range: Same time and place in the same ocean, which doesn’t dole out differential mortality. The science is simple: The dammed lower Snake accounts for the extra mortality, delayed or instantaneous.

Congressman Simpson has seen the light. River restoration (via dam removal) and the resulting sustainable fish runs would bring us lasting cultural, spiritual, economic and ecological wealth.

David A. Cannamela, Boise

Idaho electricity

Here in Idaho, the power is on. Whether with fossil fuels like natural gas and coal, or cleaner sources of energy like biomass, nuclear, solar, or wind, we are a state that keeps the lights on and businesses running with an all-the-above approach. Energy experts in government and private industry, like myself, agree this is the best possible strategy for providing our fellow citizens with the reliable and affordable energy we need to sustain and improve our way of life.

Senator Crapo has recognized this reality and is leaning into this policy. My hope is Idahoans can count on him, as evidenced by his support of the Energy Act of 2020, to advocate and vote on behalf of our best interests in Washington, D.C.

As the negotiations on a sizable infrastructure package between a growing group of 21 bipartisan senators and the White House gains more momentum, I urge Senator Crapo to closely examine their proposal. This includes an encouraging and smart amount of funding for clean energy.

Serious and sustained investment in roads, bridges, broadband, and energy grid has the potential to unlock responsible and sustained job and economic growth in our country for many years to come.

Brian Lee, Meridian