Letters: How come we can’t get rid of terrible refs like those in the BSU/BYU game?
It’s too bad there’s no recourse to get rid of bad referees. Most refs in the conference are against BSU, just look at the calls and no-calls by them. The refs took the game from BSU and gave it to BYU. All the touchdowns in the game, they did not rule on until after they viewed the film. But the last one, they immediately called it a touchdown. It’s hard to overturn a call unless there is solid proof the call is wrong. It was so iffy whether the receiver got his foot down, whether he had control of the ball, and so on. One of the announcers said something like “with this win, BYU just needs 1 more win to be in a bowl game”. I hope BYU is thankful to the refs for their work. By the quick touchdown call, the refs stole the game from BSU and gave it to BYU. This is not sour grapes, but a complaint about a call that wasn’t done fairly, considering all the previous calls regarding the touchdowns in the game. And don’t say I’m anti-BYU, I graduated from that university.
Leah Shaw, Boise
Election integrity
Here’s the bitter truth: There were 62 lawsuits filed around the country by aggrieved Republican officials – ALL 62 summarily rejected in court, including Republican judges appointed by Trump, as well as Republican Lt. Governors and Secretaries of State. Outgoing AG Bill Barr, who spent the better part of four years protecting Trump’s backside, dismissed the claims with an expletive; furthermore, the (6-3 conservative) Supreme Court tossed it out with a polite-but-emphatic one-sentence rebuttal. Are we really to believe that all these Republican apparatchiks are part of the “Deep State?”
So – zero evidence. To believe in this lie is to be mesmerized in a cult – one that the former Grifter-in-Chief exploits brilliantly, having raised nearly $200M in the aftermath (which he gets to keep). Even worse, are politicians who know better but play along because denialism’s the path of least resistance to victory in heavily red states, with some candidates actually claiming they will only honor election night outcomes “if they win.”
These 30% of deniers should do themselves and the country a favor by objectively examining the real evidence (or lack thereof): Constitutional Democracy depends on it.
Stephen Banick, Boise
Thankful for vaccines
With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, I have much to be thankful for. On both a personal and professional level, I’m very grateful for vaccines.
As a mother, knowing that all my boys were all fully immunized meant not worrying about hospitalization from Rotovirus or measles infections. All of their immunizations were readily available and convenient. Not all mothers are so fortunate. Annually, 1.5 million children around the world die from a vaccine-preventable disease.
As a nurse practitioner, I’m grateful for vaccines because I know that they are a public health necessity credited with saving millions of lives around the globe every year.
Mothers everywhere should have the same easy access to vaccines that we have here. I traveled to Uganda with Shot@Life where I met mothers who walked for hours carrying children to reach the nearest vaccine clinic, which was only open once per month and only if it was not raining. I want all healthcare workers to have easy access to give vaccines that keep their patients safe.
Join me in urging Sens. Crapo and Risch and Rep. Simpson to fully fund global vaccination programs at the highest level so that all mothers can be thankful.
Becky Elder, Boise
Biblical ideals?
Once again those imploring us to return to our “Biblical ideals” fall at the first fence. You state that the IFPC has a goal of “advancing the lordship of Jesus Christ,” clearly against our Constitution (First Amendment). In fact, the word God or Christ does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. You mention the “great men who founded our nation and state” as examples. Actually, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin and Adams were only nominal Christians. Scholars note that Jefferson especially was a follower of Deism, a belief system marked by skepticism, and rationalism as well as close observation of nature. Thomas Paine rejected Christianity outright. Nowhere in the Declaration of Independence is the word Christ mentioned. I grant you we do pledge “one nation under God,” but remember, God belongs as much to Jews and Muslims as He does to Christians. So before you urge us to do an “honest reading of history,” you should try it yourself.
Lois Ortmann, Meridian