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Letters to the editor: Nov. 15, 2019

Our troubled planet

There were two significant developments on the climate change front last week.

On Nov. 4, President Trump, who has called global warming “a total and very expensive hoax,” began the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the landmark Paris Climate Agreement. This agreement, signed by 197 countries, aims to curb the release of greenhouse gases and thereby limit the pace of climate change.

The next day, more than 11,000 climate scientists from 153 nations published a statement warning that ”planet Earth is facing a climate emergency” and predicting “untold suffering due to the climate crisis” if it was not addressed. Incidentally, one of the principal authors of this statement is Prof. William Ripple of Oregon State University.

On Nov. 3 next year, voters will have the responsibility of weighing the judgments of these 11,000-plus scientists against the whims of Donald Trump. The policies we adopt will shape the planet our children and grandchildren inherit, so our choice should be obvious!

Jane Kristof

Yamhill

 

A win for big money

I’m saddened and embarrassed by the lack of voter turnout, possibly resulting in a win for big money companies that own the many senior facilities here in town.

My wife’s mother was in a senior care facility for the last three years of her life, at the cost of more than $6,000 a month, with yearly increases on top of additional associated costs. This care facility was not a hole-in-the-wall place, but rather a major chain facility. And at that, there was never enough staff to see to residents’ needs.

If you have ever waited with a loved one for a caregiver’s assistance, just to use the bathroom or receive medication, you would ask the same questions I do about the passage of Measure 36-202. Assisted living and skilled nursing facilities should provide all non-emergency care to their residents, with sufficient staff trained to meet that need.

The “yes” vote was a win for big money, not for senior care. Think about that the next time you wait at your home, or on the road, for an EMT to come to your aid. We are senior citizens, and we will die in our own home before we contribute another dollar to the corporate greed machine that controls senior care facilities in McMinnville. This election has set a dangerous precedent.

Dennis Nagel

McMinnville

 

Comments

Don Dix

Jane Kristof -- First, it was a petition, not 'a publication by 11,000 climate scientists'. And just over one week later -- 'Dozens of signatories including Mickey Mouse and Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore from Hogwarts have been ­removed from an Alliance of World Scientists declaration of a “climate emergency”.

Access to the 11,000 name-petition that accompanied a statement of concern published in BioScience on Tuesday was blocked on Thursday.'

So not everyone who supposedly signed was legitimate (or even real) -- interesting. And one of the 'suggestions' is population control -- how?

A Samuel Clements (aka Mark Twain) quote defines this notice of a 'climate emergency' rather accurately -- 'A lie can run around the world six times while the truth is still trying to put on its pants.'

'Climate scientist' seems to be a loose, go-to term these days. So, at which colleges or universities can one get an actual degree in 'climate science'? Degrees in the environment or computer modeling are not the 'study of climate', so where did the term 'climate scientist' originate if not at higher education?

RobsNewsRegister

Try as I might to disconnect from the clown-show impeachment hearings in Washington, I couldn't help myself. It is obvious from the exchange below [see link] that (1) Schiff lied last week and does indeed know the identity of the whistleblower and (2) Vindman was a source for the whistleblower and wasn't truthful in his earlier deposition when he claimed he didn't know the whistleblower. If this was not the case, then why are Schiff, Vindman, and Vindman's lawyer blocking this particular testimony regarding the identity of the second person Vidman told about the call? Sheesh. Do they really think we are that naïve?

It was also interesting that the Lt. Col. was asked three times to be defense minister for the Ukraine administration. That is rather astonishing but will most likely be buried by the news media.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25muQaAK6lk

tagup

Doesn’t appear that the whistleblower’s statement is necessary.....as far as blocking testimony, I don’t think trump can take take the high road there after his administration stance of ignoring subpoenas...

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