Proof of citizenship in voting

President Trump has signed an Executive Order (decree) requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

Well, we already do this. If you look at your registration form, you will find that you are signing the document under penalty of perjury. The same is true when you do this electronically.

Republicans obsessed with the election integrity hoaxes have admitted. They routinely point to declarations with suspicions of election fraud, which they remind us is evidence in court. They are correct.

Declarations are allowed for use in court on both the federal and state level. Your declaration on your voting registration is just as much evidence as one submitted in furtherance of an election integrity hoax.

When people challenge your declaration for voting purposes they are calling you a liar. Republicans have taken to this line because they do not trust you to tell the truth about your citizenship.

Which brings me to question why I should trust them for anything. This isn’t a war against fraud. It is a war against the citizens. That is why these laws are accompanied by provisions that make voting harder and obtaining and providing documents more difficult.

The Republicans can’t deny this. They are forever complaining about the inconveniences of regulations on their rich business donors. They know these requirements will place an economic and time burden on you.

But do they make provision of their idea of proof more convenient for you? Of course not. Their hope is that you just give up and don’t vote. Just like they hope that providing in-person proof for Social Security and then closing offices and removing staff will result in people not getting their benefits.

This is a war on you.

Andrew Makar

Ocean Shores

Global warming: news authors have no idea

I guess from the very beginning of my newspaper article reading days I sort of believed that the authors of the news articles you see in the paper might have had some idea on the subjects of which they write.

That whole notion went right out the door when I read that Lisa Friedman of the New York Times stated that, “because trees absorb and store carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, cutting them down releases it back into the atmosphere, adding to global warming.”

Now I’ve seen my fair share of trees hit the ground, and I don’t ever remember an exploding green dust cloud or blue fog erupting out of any of those trees.

Ray Messenger

Hoquiam

Join protests this Saturday in Raymond

I am inviting concerned residents in North Pacific County to join with many other of your fellow community members at 1 p.m. this coming Saturday, April 5, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Heath Street in Raymond, near the roundabout.

Please come out and support this community effort to send a strong message to those responsible in our nation’s capital that we won’t stand by passively, and silently, while they dismantle our hard-earned and hard fought-for social programs, basic rights and freedoms.

How many hundreds of thousands of brave American men and women have given their lives the past 249 years so that their remaining fellow Americans could live out their lives with freedom, democracy and dignity?

We tarnish their sacrifices when we sit by passively and silently while an unelected multi-billionaire Elon Musk and his equally informally-screened/appointed crew of barely teenagers-plus wreak mayhem with a chainsaw approach to slashing and burning everything and anything that smacks of helping and protecting the rights and liberties of Americans, as codified in the U.S. Declaration of Independence: “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

If you are concerned about losing your life-long hard-earned benefits such as Social Security — please show up; Medicaid/Medicare — please show up; VA Medical coverage/social programs/etc.— please show up; plus such necessary programs in our area as SNAP/food stamps/etc. — please show up.

I apologize if I’ve missed mentioning other social-network programs that may affect certain segments of you out there — but I think you get my drift. I’m not even starting with all the other health-related, environmental-related, educational-related, etc. programs that are also being indiscriminately slashed.

I beg of you to show up this coming Saturday afternoon to show your solidarity with your fellow citizens in our area who are concerned not just about themselves, but with all of us — that’s the real American way.

And, lastly, I make this appeal as a testament of respect to a fellow high school graduate (way after my time there, of course) who fought and died in Ukraine because he believed in freedom. These coming days and weeks may be our very last, and best, chance to hold on to what American freedoms we have left.

Please be part of it.

Michael Spencer

Raymond

‘Bureaucratic arrogance is a sign of the times’

— Referring to Department of Transportation proposed sign

The historic character of the mural on the east end of the East Wishkah Street bridge should not be lost to boring highway signs that direct travelers toward either Ocean Shores or Westport.

Aberdeen is more than the garish collection of neon signs along a throughway to the north and south beaches. Broadway Hill, for example, features homes as beautiful as can be found in old finer neighborhoods in Tacoma or Seattle. If only travelers were aware. The sign on the bridge should announce that visitors have reached an important destination, not just a proverbial fork in the road.

I agree. Aberdeen should not be the “gateway” to somewhere else. It is a place of historic value with stars in the sidewalks remembering all the significant contributions of citizens, beautiful murals, first class plays at two venues, walking tours celebrating our history, some solid businesses (with hopefully more to come if the city is properly promoted), and soon a new museum and visitor’s center. On top of that, reasonable home prices if visitors want to settle in.

If the city doesn’t toot its own horn, who will? I’m proud of the education and support the community gave me. Let’s give some back. We need a great sign on the bridge.

Nancy Cuyle

AHS Class of ‘66

Olympia

Let’s discuss today’s Republican Party

Republicans have no interest in governing to help hard-working Americans who are struggling and afraid, they only seek to maintain power. They’re more interested in destroying our institutions (e.g. education, Medicaid, Social Security) only to enrich themselves.

In their worldview, our allies are now our enemies and our enemies now their friends. They hide behind the flag, make up culture wars, and use buzzwords such as free speech and religious freedom to protect themselves.

Let’s talk about free speech. To a Republican it only applies to their speech. When the media or institution criticizes the dear leader, they threaten litigation or prosecution. They consider anti-Israel campus protests a violation of free speech, but are silent when Elon Musk gives a Nazi salute.

Just ask Rumeysa Ozturk, a legal immigrant attending Tufts University, now in a Louisiana ICE prison, for only writing an op-ed supporting Palestine.

Even here in Ocean Shores free speech is under attack. Our mayor required a voter registration group to remove the word “democracy” from their table banner because it offended someone. Right wing woke is alive and well.

Now let’s talk about the Republican view on religious freedom. With thousands of recognized religions in the world, they want to only teach the Christian faith in public schools (who’s grooming who?). If you want to teach the Bible in public schools, then teach other religions as well in a secular way.

The real reason behind this is that Republicans support the elimination of public schools, so taxpayers pay for private religious schools.

It is a big lie when Republicans say this country was founded as a Christian nation. The Constitution is a secular document, and the First Amendment clearly states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” Further, John Adams said in the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, “The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”

Republicans don’t want well-educated, critical thinking, and authority questioning citizens. They want a population of obedient, ignorant people, only to serve their rich elites.

Bruce Rittenhouse

Ocean Shores