Viewpoints address mining, the president, ‘wearing’ the American Flag and the climate
Reader: Lessons from an amateur president
Editor,
Lying to defend a lack of righteous behavior or to justify one’s own personal criminality.
The rich not the working class deserve the best. White supremacy is righteous. Women and children should be seen but not heard. Self-centered ideas are applied with self interest. Promises are to be used and forgotten in chaos. You can sexually exploit a female and it’s okay if you have power and money. The scale of justice is unbalanced for Trump’s congressional cult. The standards are different depending on his involvement.
Bullying is a norm. The witch-hunt is the misuse of the law to punish those of color, age and immigrants. Isolation is the ideal position from which to rule. To make America great again we just can wing it. You don’t have to read, pay attention, or plan strategy when you’re an amateur president.
“We the people” was given last rights and was buried in the swamp. Gun lobbyists and a congress of Tump’s cult bury revamped gun laws and intentionally disregard the lives of our children with no applied value or concern. His misuse of the bestowed gift has not been morally used and applied to bestow America’s greatness. This presidency is a revolving door of misuse.
It’s time we take it back.
Food for thought
Craig Strid, Rhinelander
Reader says county board voted against taxpayers
Editor,
On June 19 the Oneida County Board decided to preemptively allow sulfide mines in areas of our county, zoned 1-A forestry and general use, so that a mining company could avoid having to rezone the area. This effectively removes a critical protection from the towns and from all of us that pay taxes here.
This had been pushed by some supervisors since 2012 as a way to retaliate against the town of Lynne, and force a mine on them. Although this maneuver was designed to facilitate a mine at Lynne, it could potentially impact any zoned town in the county; some having large portions zoned 1-A forestry and general use.
This resolution came from the P & D Committee, which does not have a single member who is a strong advocate for our water. Furthermore, several committee members have been pushing a mine at Lynne for many years. It is clear that this process was used by this committee to push the agendas of the committee members.
So, perhaps the most disgusting aspect of this debacle is the supervisors that disingenuously played innocent, as if they had no choice in voting for something that the people did not want. Yes, gentlemen, you did have a choice, and you decided to vote against local control, the towns, the taxpayers, and against our water resources.
In the early 1990s, our county government lost the public’s trust, and had to learn the perils of sulfide mining in our watery world the hard way. Those lessons have not been lost, they have been deliberately ignored. This government is making the same mistake, and unlike the 1990s, it is not an innocent one. The opposition that you have already seen will increase exponentially, and you will learn that the physical realities at Lynne will not go away, and once again, our tax dollars will be squandered because our government insists on trying to ride a dead horse.
Karl Fate, Rhinelander
Climate crisis not ‘irrational’
Editor,
“Climate hysteric!” “Cassandra!” You know them: anyone who is concerned about our deepening climate crisis is irrational and hyperemotional.
It is a clever complement to the more familiar “climate hoax.” In this case, those who seek the best policies to combat climate disruption are part of an international cabal, rationally conspiring to fool us about global warming.
So who are these hysterics and hoaxers? Climate scientists, for one. Somewhere around 97 percent believe that greenhouse gases are warming the planet. Should we believe them? The science academies do, nearly 200 of them around the world.
But who believes scientists, anyway? The U.S. military, for one. Since the time of President Bush, generals, admirals and defense strategists have been producing reports that demonstrate that global warming is a “threat multiplier” that endangers our national security. And Secretaries of Defense, from Bush’s Robert Gates to Trump’s James Mattis, have concurred.
But there is the economy to think about. How about financial companies? The World Bank and International Monetary Fund have been insisting for years that human-caused climate change is a threat to our global economy. The huge re-insurance companies like Munich Re, the ones that insure insurance companies, have insisted that the risks of climate disruption is very real. Investment firms such as Moody’s Investors Service and Goldman Sachs affirm that global warming imperils the future of financial well-being.
Many major corporations have also joined in this hysteria and hoax. IBM, Walmart, Amazon, and many other major corporations have declared their concern about climate disruption and the need for government action.
But surely the oil companies provide some clear-eyed sanity. Well, they too publicly recognize the danger of global warming. Shell recently reiterated its acceptance of climate science and its support for remaining in the Paris Climate Accord. In an ongoing court case, Chevron’s attorney affirmed that “Chevron accepts the consensus in the scientific communities on climate change. There’s no debate about climate science.”
You have to admit, that is a prodigious collection of Cassandras. Or it just might be that the climate denial of the Koch brothers, the Heartland Institute and Fox News is the real hoax. If so, we need to start thinking very seriously very soon about what policies can bring us back from the brink of a climate collapse. And also what politicians we can elect in November to fight for those policies. The ones currently running the show in Washington and here in Wisconsin certainly are not.
David Barnhill, Hazelhurst
Questioning clothing depicting the U.S. flag
Editor,
On a recent shopping trip to a number of stores here in Rhinelander, I was astounded by the variety of items that either had the United States flag on them, or used some part of the flag as an eye catcher. It seemed as if whatever item you wanted, including foam beer coolers, plates, various items of clothing and flags of every description were available. At least one store featured a boys swimsuit on its flyer, and I suspect you’d find that item in many stores, along with swimwear for girls and adults as well.
As an old friend liked to say, “Hold the phone!”
While displays of patriotism are quite admirable, a bit of thought may be in order. Think about what part of a boy’s anatomy, or anyone’s for that matter, the suit covers? Is it beyond reason to think that, while having a great time playing in the water, a child may need to relieve himself, and rather than leave the water, simply let it go. Now what has happened to the flag that is being worn as an article of clothing?
The U.S. Code of the Flag, easily accessible at the Library or on the internet, clearly states in Section 176(d), “The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding or drapery.” The United States Code is the official compilation of the Federal laws of a general and permanent nature that are currently in force. In accordance with section 285(b) of title 2 of the U.S. Code, the Code is compiled by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the United States House of Representatives.
During the past few years, much outrage has been expressed toward some professional athletes who “took a knee” during the playing of the National Anthem to protest racial injustice. I wonder where the outrage is about the selling of and wearing of flag-based clothing which is in violation of the code of the flag.
Jim Leschke, Rhinelander
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