Letters to the Editor from Odessa Record

Cleanup should be delayed

I am writing becasue of a letter published in the Odessa Record on March 19 on cleanup efforts under threat of a lawsuit.

As of wright now, the world is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and there have been strict guidelines put in place by the governors and U.S. President Donald trump for all to stay safe and not contribute to the spread of the virus.

So, at this time, I am saddened, disappointed and frustrated that this would even be a suggestion/order by the city of Odessa to do cleanup. I think the cleanup should be postponed to a later date, when restrictions are lifted.

This is a serious virus and it seems to me that somme of the residents are not taking it very serously. It only takes one person to be a carrier who doesn’t realize they have it and be inc ontact with other town residents to infect them. Nobody would know until its too late.

I realize there are problems areas here. But hwy doesn’t someone see if they can help by talking to them and offering to help? Especially, if that person is elderly and experiencing health issues.

What happened to mutual respect and neighbors helping neighbors? Harassing and bullying with a threat of a lawsuit causes spending of unnecessary time and money.

The states of Oregon and Washington along with several others are on lockdown, which means staying home and restricting travel. Restaurants, offices, schools libraries, transfer sites, churches and workplaces are all closed.

No more than 10 people are allowed in a gathering, and they must remain six feet apart. This makes it almost impossible for anyone to travel and help family members clean up at this time.

I hope the person that is bullying and threatening the town of Odessa with a lawsuit will take into consideration the seriousness of the safety of others due to the coronavirus.

If not, I am prepared to contact the Governor’s Office and our president about this matter and how people are being pushed to not follow the strict guidelines over a clean-up situation.

Dee Mackie

Odessa

Reader enjoys new design

We congratulate you and the staff for the new design of the Odessa Record.

In a recent issue, we liked the addition of the coronavirus section — the first we have seen, so useful and packed with factual information.

Keep up the good work.

Duane and Jonnie Pitts

Odessa

Vandalism is never acceptable

I am so angry! We have had vandalism, again.

Wanton destruction of property. I have never understood that.

How anyone can just ruin someone’s property just because they can. Somebody can take a pipe, or whatever and break every piece of glass out of a vehicle. Every piece!

Not just one, but four vehicles. Granted they were old, but still in good condition and collectible cars. And then to finish it off, jump on top and crush in the tops.

Over the 48 years, we have lived here, we have been overly generous in sharing our enjoyable and relaxing property. Gladly, we have done so.

We have had vehicles and motorcycles spin-out, do brodies, dump foreign ingredients in an irrigation pump, throw out beer cans, water bottles, pop cans, paper cups, oil jugs, drive over trees, dump out fish food, hunt, target practice, light bonfires, break glass in a loader at the gravel pit, steal signs and more.

Most don’t even have the courtesy to ask permission to be here.

What if someone just goes in your backyard, uses your lawn chair, uses your barbecue, eats a picnic, then two hours later crushes your chair, leaves garbage, digs ruts in your lawn, uses your yard for a toilet, dumps over your flower pots, and then leaves?

Likewise, we have also had many who have been very respectful. Hopefully, a few won’t ruin it for all.

Ellen Schafer

Odessa

Abortions are not essential

Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics are pushing the narrative that they are and should be considered essential medical providers.

Like an intensive care unit, cancer center or emergency room, these clinics are arguing that they should remain open and fully-operational under the coronavirus quarantine – even if almost 100% of their procedures are not

medically-necessary and even if those operations cause personal protection equipment shortages for doctors and hospitals.

We believe they are using this opportunity to find a liberal federal judge that will enshrine their self-designated “essential” status in case law.

The abortion industry isn’t a stranger to pushing the envelope. A clinic whose sole job is to take life away should never have priority over clinics, hospitals and doctors who are saving lives.

Abortion clinics should not get special treatment and they shouldn’t be given a special exemption. If COVID-19 is as serious a threat as we are being told, then our society has a moral obligation to prioritize our resources and manpower to defeat it. Period.

Please remind Gov. Inslee the only way COVID-19 is defeated is if we all pitch in – abortion clinics included – and ensure that personal protective equipment is placed where it can do the most immediate good — on the front lines.

Pray that God grants Gov. Inslee wisdom, and that he would make the right decision with regards to “essential services” here in Washington.

Mark Miloscia

Family Policy Institute of Washington

Political cartoon was offensive

A recent edition of The Times included a political cartoon that compared the “technology divide” in providing distance learning in Western Washington to that in rural Eastern Washington in a manner that I, and some of my employees, found quite disturbing and offensive.

Perhaps the message of this cartoon was to illustrate the disparities in technology access between the two sides of our state. However, the message from this cartoon might also be that Eastern Washington districts can’t or don’t offer the same quality of learning.

Well, I am here to tell you my district does a pretty darn good job of providing a quality remote education, despite some significant challenges. Thanks to the generous support of our capital levy, which includes funds for technology, we were able to distribute a Chromebook to every student in grades pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade.

I wonder how many urban districts in Western Washington were able to do that?

In addition, our district was able to begin offering distance learning opportunities just a few days after Gov. Inslee closed schools March 13. There are still some districts in our state (on both side of the Cascades) who are just beginning to implement their distance learning.

I’m not criticizing those districts, I am simply making the argument that there are schools in rural Eastern Washington that are doing some great work and are not the “country bumkins” portrayed in that political cartoon.

I am very proud that our school district received two national awards this fall. One of those awards was earned by only two districts in our entire state.

I could brag all day about our schools but I realize there is only so much space in this newspaper. We do have challenges with providing distance learning to but we are working hard to stay connected with our students.

Please know that our district will continue to provide the best education we can, even in these unprecedented times.

While we are far from perfect, we can hold your own against any district in our state and even in our country! “Once a Gorilla, always a Gorilla”

Jim Kowalkowsi

Superintendent

Davenport schools