Letters to the Editor: July 12, 2024

Plea to farmers

I own a 160-acre Century Farm in Polk County that has been in my family for four generations. It has provided health and happiness, not only for my own family, but the larger community.

Although those who live in cities may not realize it, farms are critically interconnected, with the livability of every single person in the county. Farmers can manage the soil and natural habitats on their properties in ways that create and enhance the vibrant, productive, beautiful landscapes we associate with Oregon agriculture, or in ways that deplete soil, destroy habitat, overuse pesticides and take water away from other uses.

Recently, someone purchased a farm in the area. It was blessed with a five-acre oak grove that provided everything a healthy farm needs — moisture retention, soil stabilization, a windbreak, a pesticide barrier, a carbon sink to offset heavy equipment use and a commonality with neighbors who treasured the grove’s rich memories and funky beauty.

But the newcomer has set about destroying that grove. Unfortunately, he is not alone, as the clearing of ag land has been a land use loophole for years, leading to much loss.

For the sake of every single one of us who benefits from Oregon agriculture, which is all of us, I am making a farmer-to-farmer plea: When you buy or rent a piece of property, please learn about your neighbors and the ecology of your land, then make decisions based not only on what will benefit you as an individual, but on what will benefit the land itself and thus all of us as a community.

Your decisions are critically important.

Deborah Landforce

Rickeall

Pathological liar

I’m responding to Robert Long’s letter on the Biden-Trump debate.

It’s been well noted that Biden didn’t do his best in the debate. But for a known stutterer, it can be difficult responding in a logical form to a wannabe dictator who throws out lies like diarrhea. This phenomenon is known as the “Gish gallop.”

Calling Biden senile is like saying Trump is smart enough to utter coherent sentences. I wish MAGA people actually read or truly listened to his ramblings, as he’s trying to compose a sentence that makes sense without resorting to musings about sharks and boats, and explaining “water.” His musings can refer easily to killing anyone who disagrees with him or simply defies him.

The facts are that 45 is a convicted felon, twice-impeached conman, sexual abuser, fraudulent businessman, self-described dictator and pathological liar. He was the ringleader of an attempted coup against the United States and stashed boxes of highly confidential government information in his bathroom at Mar-a-Lago.

Do MAGA folks have any idea what Trump’s platform is, or just what he’s against? What are his plans for the next four years, other than Project 2025, which he denies being part of in yet another lie?

You can point out all the reasons President Biden didn’t do a good job at the debate, Mr. Long. But next time, try to remember who you are comparing him to.
Someone who wants all people to have healthcare, a stable infrastructure, decent wages and Social Security and Medicare coverage doesn’t need the criminal immunity of a king. Someone with no felonies against him and no court dates coming up doesn’t need to have the SCOTUS bail him out.

As for Donald Trump, if he isn’t a criminal, why does he need immunity?

Els Sandberg

Amity

Two-state solution

An earlier letter of mine drew this response: “The misinformation you propagated in your letter and social media posts in regard to the Israel-Gaza conflict needs to be corrected.”

In fact, I just made the simple point that the number of dead Gazans resulting from a raid rescuing four hostages did not demonstrate proportionality, as it claimed 274 lives. My information came from Time magazine, among other sources.

And by the way, I am not on a single social media platform. I have never posted to any social media platform.

It’s true that Gaza was given its official independence in 2005, but it would help to provide a little context.

In 2007, Israel implemented a sea and air blockade of Gaza which severely restricted the movement of people and economic goods in and out of the strip. It has thus been described as more or less a permanent concentration camp.

There were four major episodes of hostility prior to Oct. 7, 2023, lasting 23 days in 2008-09, eight days in 2012, 50 days in 2014 and 11 days in 2021, and each was devastating for Gaza. The blockade since Oct. 7, 2023, has been absolute, with such severe restrictions on the flow of food that Gazans are now starving.
I agree that Oct 7 should never be forgotten, that it was horrendous. I also submit there were provocations preceding the other incursions.

But what we need now is, first, a negotiated end to hostilities accompanied by the release of remaining hostages, and second, a way forward from there to establish a lasting peace. And the latter, in my opinion, requires a two-state solution.

Les Howsden

Amity

Spin machine

Most of us could tell that Joe Biden was fading, as most of us have had a relative that couldn’t remember names or places. And most of us knew it before he was elected in 2020.

Yet it was all swept under the rug by the mainstream media. They covered for old Joe all the way up until June 27, then acted astonished, as if they had just figured it out.

This should anger all of us.

Journalists are not supposed to be propagandists — think Germany in the ‘30s and ‘40s, or Joe Scarborough. They are supposed to report the facts, explore both sides and let the reader draw his or her own conclusions.

What was once a mostly noble profession has been reduced to click-baiting, anonymous sources and outright lies. Journalists are paying the price now, but we will soon forget and the spin machine will keep churning out the “truth.”

John Eshleman

Amity