Letters To The Editor: June 7, 2024

A clear winner

There was one clear winner in Yamhill County’s recent election: apathy. In a state where it could not be easier to vote, a turnout percentage in the 30s, as of June 1, is pathetically low.

Please do not take your voting rights for granted. Already, U.S. Supreme Court rulings have opened the door for states to create barriers to voting and disenfranchise legitimate voters.

Think we Oregonians are safe from such nefarious activity? Well, yes for now, but circumstances can change.

Every election has consequences. Every vote matters.

Use your power. Protect our democracy. VOTE!

Alisa Owen

McMinnville

Spoiler role

Wow, a massive round of applause to David S. Wall for his groundbreaking run for county commissioner. Your dedication to the cause is truly awe-inspiring, Mr. Wall.

Attending candidate forums, answering questions from the media and actually running a competitive campaign? Nah, who needs that kind of effort, right?

But hey, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for ensuring Yamhill County gets its daily dose of Lindsay signs for several more months. Your selfless contribution to the proliferation of political signage is simply unparalleled.

Every time you catch sight of one of those signs, which will undoubtedly be every other minute, just remember, they’re all there because of you.

Lindsay, the George Family, and let’s not forget all those special interests, owe you a debt of gratitude for not taking the electoral process seriously. You’ve truly left an indelible mark on this campaign season.

Bravo!

Scott Green

McMinnville

Fight misogyny

America needs to stop preaching misogyny in print and other media, as well as schools, churches, temples and mosques. Teaching such a doctrine gives boys permission to grow into men who discount women, for instance by giving them 75% of a man’s wage for the same job.

It also grants permission to abuse women and legislate women’s wombs. Have you noticed there has never been talk of vasectomy as a solution to abortion?
We read how religious leaders abuse women. Does it stop on discovery?

No. The perps get transferred and the victims leave the church.

For a long time, our country followed strict English law, where women and children were property of a man and thus had no rights. However, male and female slaves were treated alike.

They were sold, then sent to Louisville, Kentucky. There, they were sold again, then sent on down to New Orleans, impetus for the term “sold down the river.”
Most white women could not vote or hold title to property until 100 years ago. And inheritances went solely to the man in the family.

That attitude was slow to change, especially in the Deep South.

By the 20th century women could vote and own property, and in the 1970s, they were allowed to open their own credit accounts. But those hard-fought and long-delayed rights remain under siege.

Women and children are still easy prey, especially in Oregon. The I-5 corridor is America’s No. 1 human trafficking highway and Portland is not only America’s whitest major city, but also its leader in disappearing women.

The internet lures girls and boys alike into the sex industry. It could be happening in your home right now without your knowledge or control, regardless of your economic or racial status.

I propose that all of us be aware of subtleties that foster the mindset of sex traffickers and work diligently to eradicate misogyny from our culture. And the church would be a good place to start.

Churches are closing at an unprecedented rate. According to NPR, supported by other sources, religious institutions have lost 40 million members in the last 25 years.

According to a 2019 Lifeway Research article, 4,500 churches closed and only 3,000 opened to replace them in the 34 denominations representing 60% of Protestant churches in the United States. And the Catholic Church is facing the same problem.

In the case of women, leaving the church was often associated with racism, misogyny or political partisanship that did not fit their views. To reverse this, women need to speak out against misogynist messages delivered in the guise of church doctrine.

Sheila Hunter

McMinnville

Turning clock back

The arrogance of the Supreme Court’s majority justices leaves a stain of monarchy on our republic. Their highest calling is to clarify the rights of individuals under the Constitution, but they are more interested in turning religion into law and elevating the privileges of the billionaire class.

These aristocrats are unelected, unaccountable and unbound by precedent. “Stop me if you can” is their motto, so let’s do that.

The right to bodily autonomy, the right to vote and the right to love another person regardless of gender have all been defined by the court in the past. But settled law is not good enough for the current majority justices.

Their decision in Dobbs v. Jackson rescinded a woman’s right to bodily autonomy 50 years after that right was affirmed. The SCOTUS theocrats are now setting their sights on contraception and marriage equality.

They gutted the Voting Rights Act in Shelby v. Holder. Since then, they have picked at the remains.

They see no problem with racial gerrymandering. But they now hint at a problem with Brown v. Board of Education, 70 years after it was decided.

The Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC opened our politics to a flood of dark money, which corporations and individual billionaires can spend secretly to achieve their political goals.

Six of these justices have roots in the far-right Federalist Society. They are clear about who should run the country and which tier of society should benefit from their rulings.

They acted speedily to keep our would-be dictator on all state ballots, but drag their feet when it comes to his responsibility for the failed coup. The next president may appoint two or three new Supreme Court justices, so let’s be clear about who should make those appointments when we vote in November.

We must serve as the jury. Let’s vote for democracy.

Bill Johnson

McMinnville