Herald letters against WA state gun control and the Richland School Board recall | Opinion

Gov. Inslee’s anti-gun plans

Governor Jay Inslee (D) will sustain the liberal demise and seek a fourth term.

The anti-gun ruler awaits state senatorial passing of HB 1240 — 2023-24. He and the Attorney General requested the bill, which bans sales of 90% of guns and outlaw 62 named weapons and all magazines holding 10 or more rounds.

The United States Supreme Court has ruled in a similar case and HB Bill 1240 — when passed — will surely be overturned upon appeal.

The Court was very clear in District of Columbia v. Heller: A state may not ‘prohibit … an entire class of “arms” that is overwhelmingly chosen by American society for [a] lawful purpose.’

Inslee insists to do it — anyway.

Americans own approximately eight million more semi-automatic rifles than they do F150 pickups, the most commonly owned vehicles in the country. The proposed magazines to be banned are also common. Approximately half of all privately owned magazines in the United States — roughly 115 million — are capable of holding more than 10 rounds.

There is no question these arms are owned for legal purposes, nor can they be banned under the Second Amendment.

Inslee knows this.

Inslee wants assurance. His call for this bill demonstrates to the Democratic party that he is their guy for future socialization of the state, and he can blame Republicans when it is overturned.

He will “sacrifice” and run for a fourth term.

Dick Weldon, Pasco

Fuzzy agendas cloud recall issue

According to the recall signs, the Richland School District “deserves an ethical school board.”

Are the proponents of the recall holding all leaders to a high ethical standard or are they targeting their political opponents? What are the legal charges?

On March 11, 2020, when Rick Jansons and Jill Oldson voted to close the schools immediately, the agenda item read, “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Discussion.” When Bird, Byrd and Williams voted to make masks optional, the agenda item read “Resolution No. 940-Local Control.”

Nowhere did Jansons and Oldson mention “discuss closing schools immediately.”

If Bird, Byrd and Williams exceeded their powers as a school board, then voting by Jansons and Oldson to close down schools indefinitely was a vote that exceeded their powers as a school board.

What constitutes “the law?” The Legislature has never passed a mask law. We were not in an emergency when Bird, Byrd and Williams voted to make masks optional as was the policy in most places at the time.

Clearly, the charges by people who claim to “hold all leaders to a high ethical standard” are not being made consistently: they are designed to remove political opponents.

Patricia Holten, Richland

Editor’s Note: The governor’s emergency COVID mandates were authorized by the law and backed by the law.

Pulmonary rehab excellent service

Pulmonary rehab is a program for those living with COPD, interstitial lung disease, lung transplant (pre or post) and long-haul COVID, perhaps others. Before the pandemic, the program offered at Kadlec Healthplex was packed with at times 20-plus attendees. Since the worst of the pandemic is over, very small enrollments.

This program is beneficial for learning how to care for oneself, diet, exercise, building strength, all important to living with breathing problems. It requires a referral from one’s physician. It also helps if one has a pulmonary physician in addition to a primary care provider. They may work together to provide strong and valuable care.

Some programs in the Tri-Cities and Prosser offer a combined cardiac/pulmonary program. Kadlec has the greatest capacity for having both programs. Trios offers a combined program and has somewhat limited space. Prosser’s program is temporarily on hold until the new hospital is constructed. I encourage caregivers and patients to contact the facilities to obtain more information. Trios cardiac/pulmonary’s number is 509-221-5768. Prosser’s number is 509-786-6633. Kadlec’s number is 509-942-2660, option 3.

Medicare covers 24 sessions, usually held twice per week. I’m not familiar with what other insurance providers cover. Should one have to cancel a class it does not count against you. It has been a positive and very helpful program for me.

I strongly encourage all who are dealing with breathing issues to obtain more information. It can be a life changer.

Barb Houghton, Benton City

IQ exam needed for Congress

I don’t get it, I just don’t get it. Perhaps someone of the reconstituted Republican party can explain to me why, when it was obvious that Donald J. Trump encouraged a MAGA mob to storm the Capitol Building to harm electeds, especially Mike Pence, resulting in several dead and injured, he wasn’t arrested. Lots and lots of his minions were arrested and even jailed for supporting an insurrection that day, the 6th of January, 2021.

“A nation of laws”? I’ve often heard this term but for whom was it written when it only applies to certain people, not to others (see first paragraph).

Shall we strike the 14th Amendment from the Constitution? If it’s not worth the paper it’s written on, who’s got some Wite-Out?

Instead how about a new 14th being, “Elected members of Congress and Appointments must be able to pass an IQ Exam before being seated, thus insuring a modicum of intelligence in maintaining the government.”

Naw, think of the problems that’d entail.

Bink Owen, Walla Walla

Good people are still out there

I wish to thank all of the nice people who stopped to see if I was OK after a hit-and-run accident at the corner of 10th and Kellogg on Tuesday, March 21. Several people stopped, including a school bus driver, who had called police. These people stayed until the police came and gave witness accounts. There are truly nice people out there. Thank you.

Phyllis Burnham

Response to CCP-made drones

In response to Senator Matt Boehnke’s guest opinion on the Chinese Communist Party:

What Senator Boehnke is referring to is likely referencing his proposed bill to ban “Communist China” made drones by all other government entities. Of course this bill makes some sense when it isn’t at all thought about but as anyone that uses drones would know, there are many different types. Many drones don’t take photographs or record anything but flight path, even if they have a camera. These drones that DO NOT take still photographs, motion photographs, or video, cannot harm national security any more than Google maps does.

I am all in favor of protecting national security, when it actually does just that. It seems to me that this bill to ban Chinese-made drones does little to document any actual knowledge of drones, and does more to some end I cannot see. Maybe Senator Boehnke knows something I don’t but, from someone that uses these UAV’s daily, I don’t see how a drone that travels over farmland or parks, and is restricted from flying in or near any restricted airspace, could provide any information that can’t be found on a simple search on Google Maps.

Andrew Sage, Pasco

Climate disaster

There are a lot of emotionally intense issues for the citizens of United States to address. New abortion rulings, police reform, firearm regulation, gay and trans discrimination, inflation and economic instability — what do these all have in common? All of them can be safely resolved at a later date. These issues are tertiary by comparison to the one problem on which we cannot defer action any longer; the looming climate disaster. Like swatting at flies while your house is on fire, these distracting headlines won’t matter much when the reduction of viable farmland disrupts our food supply. We are, this moment, living in an literal mass extinction event, and the time to change our trajectory is now. Tomorrow it will be too late.

Bengt Freepons, Richland