Changing the Richland mushroom cloud, Trump and abortion among Herald letter topics

Time to rethink bomb’s legacy

I have worked in Japan for a year, and visited the lovely city of Hiroshima in May. Hiroshima is a city that prides itself in its peaceful rebirth from the ashes of the atomic bomb. As I walked through the Peace Memorial Museum, standing in a park that was once the city center, I saw things that I couldn’t comprehend. The stairs of a bank, marked with the outline of a person; a bicycle melted by the thermal radiation, which a 5-year-old had been riding; The lunch box of an elementary school student, deformed by the heat. Clothes stained by the radioactive rain.

That night I made new friends there, whose families were permanently affected by radiation. Thousands of people who thought they escaped the blast later died from the effects of radiation.

It’s 2022. It’s time to make Richland a place where everyone can feel welcomed. We need to accept the atomic bomb for the genocide that it was, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians. We need to abandon this outdated way of thinking, change the Richland High mascot, stop the celebrations and consider the reality of the continuous effects of atomic bomb on innocent lives.

Tori Bender, Richland

Truth is the cure for Trump

Rupert Murdoch’s NY Post headlined at the bottom of the front page, “Florida man makes announcement.” Apparently, Murdoch is no longer a fan of Donald Trump. I watched the Florida man’s announcement and I was not impressed either. Trump simply gave a grand tour of his favorite lies and misinformation

Adviser Steve Bannon, an ardent admirer of Nazi propaganda strategy and tactics, played on Trump’s natural inclination to make up his own ”alternative facts.” Like Bannon, Trump believes that if told often enough, lies big and small will eventually be believed. Time seems to be running out on that belief.

Otherwise mostly normal people love Trump so much that they are eager to stroke his ego, which, of course, is the most important need of a narcissist: “One who shows extreme love and admiration for himself or herself.” This self-proclaimed billionaire routinely bilks his supporters of their hard-earned money. Do they ever wonder why he needs it?

If you are a person who believes anything the Florida man says, then sadly this dictionary definition describes you. Sucker: “One who is easily deceived or is used to carry out the designs of another; a dupe.” There is a cure: the truth.

Edward Rykiel, Richland

Writer sees no justice in abortion

In a recent House speech, Nancy Pelosi defined her role as House leader to follow the Constitution to “ensure domestic tranquility. provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Continuing, “Babies born today will live into the next century. And our decisions will determine their future for generations to come.” Pelosi then called her family’s names: “Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul and Alexandra, our grandchildren, Alexander and Madeleine; Liam, Sean and Ryan; Paul and Thomas; Bella and Octavio.”

Much as I rejoice with the Pelosi family over their many children, I can’t help but mourn the loss of the hundreds of thousands of aborted babies who will never hear their names spoken. Pre-born babies who will not know the love of a parent or a grandparent. These are babies are denied the opportunity to be included in “the next generation.” Tiny human lives ripped away under the guise of health care, choice or fear. In the United States, we expect liberty and justice for all. But, are the liberties given to some denying justice for others? Where is justice and protection for the pre-born babies?

Susan Bell, Dayton