Herald letter writers support candidates Murray, Smiley, Torres, Connors and Rodriguez

Didier crossed line with COVID

I believe in civil disobedience. We have a moral obligation to resist or disobey laws we consider unjust. My criminal conviction history reflects the price I have paid for acting on this belief.

Part of me has tremendous respect for Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier. He acted on his beliefs, and publicly refused to wear a mask during the COVID epidemic.

However, he crossed a bright red line when he used his bully pulpit to encourage others to break the law and engage in risky behavior. “I ask all good men to stand with me ….”

Didier made this plea, based on his qualifications:

• He is farmer, and played football;

• He knows better (than) our local and state public health officials; and

• He knows more that all the other infectious disease control experts around the world, who also required their citizens to wear masks.

We will never know how many answered his pleas to not wear masks.

We will never know how many caught COVID, because they did not wear a mask.

We will never know how many are in the ground, because they trusted Clint Didier.

We do know that COVID Clint does not deserve to be re-elected

Michael Harrington, Pasco

Editor’s Note: Michael Harrington was recently ticketed and released for vandalizing one of Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier’s campaign signs.

Murray champion for our veterans

Sen. Patty Murray is a senior member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

She led the fight to pass the PACT Act, which expanded VA health care to more than 3.5 million toxic-exposed Post 9/11 combat veterans, and burn pit and toxic exposure-related conditions, and Agent Orange exposure.

She also sponsored the Veterans Families Health Service Act, which expands fertility treatment and adoption services for veterans and their families.

She sponsored the major veterans medical facilities for Walla Walla and Wenatchee.

She helped prevent VA clinic closures and cuts to services in Washington state.

She secured funding $36 million for a new Veterans Affairs Clinic in the Tri-Cities.

Sen. Murray has done a lot more for veterans, but these are just a few of her accomplishments.

Now let’s look at Tiffany Smiley. She has no prior elected experience. She should be supporting Sen. Patty Murray, a very effective legislator, for championing the rights of veterans, rather than trying to oust her from the Senate

Amy Small, Richland

Torres has right experience for job

I support Nikki Torres for state senator for the 15th Legislative District. She has shown she has the elected and professional experience and the leadership to be our advocate in Olympia. As senator, Nikki will be our voice on agriculture and water rights, school safety, affordable housing for all, jobs and less taxes. She is relentless in her support for full funding of our law enforcement officers and will work to remove restrictions on their ability to protect us. Nikki is a fierce defender of our river dams and understands that they are the lifeblood of our region. We can count on her to fight any attempt to remove the dams.

Nikki Torres is one of us. She has strong Central Washington values and cares deeply about our future. Her election as state senator will be a huge win for all our community.

Felix Vargas, Pasco

Retired judge: Vote Rodriguez

Judge Norma Rodriquez may well be one of the most qualified candidates ever to run for Benton Franklin Counties Superior Court Judge. She has both the personal and professional experience to be one of the best to ever sit on the court.

I would urge the voters of Benton and Franklin Counties to support and vote for Judge Norma Rodriquez.

Judge Dennis J. Sweeney, Washington State Court of Appeals Division III (Retired), Richland

He likes Smiley for U.S. Senate

Washington citizens need a new face and a fresh commitment to work for the people of our state. Tiffany Smiley is that person. A common sense and grounded individual who is not tied to special interests such as Boeing, PNNL, big labor unions, abortion activists, dam removal activists and Indian tribes.

Senator Murray is the Senator for those special interests, not for the middle class. During the Senators reign, she voted against tax cuts for the middle class and voted for tax increases on the middle class. Taxes like the oxymoron inflation reduction act which will increase corporate taxes only to be passed back down to consumers, shareholders and small business as she well knows.

Senator Murray chooses to ignore the opioid calamity on our Southern border, instead accusing U.S. pharmaceuticals as the source. By ignoring other border issues like human trafficking, additional drug trafficking and now millions of unvetted illegal immigrants, an unsustainable strain is being placed on our infrastructure and law enforcement.

The only time we see or hear from the Senator in Eastern Washington is after a photo op or tea and crumpets with her groupies. Not my kind of Senator.

Michael A. Kildall, Kennewick

Vote Connors for 8th District seat

My mother, Eleanor Robinson (1911-2001) was a staunch, life-time Democrat. Staunch. Even had a quote in her obituary: “If you lived through the Great Depression and don’t consider yourself a Democrat, you weren’t paying attention.”

While she always preferred voting Democrat if all things were close to equal, she would vote the person over party if they weren’t. She really liked Reagan; she really didn’t like Clinton.

For this general election coming up, these staunch, life-time Democrats — staunch — are going to honor my mother with a Person Over Party vote for Republican April Connors for all the reasons my mother would have voted for her. It’s not even close to being equal.

Mike and Linda Robinson, Kennewick

Keep Rodriguez in Superior Court

Judge Norma Rodriguez is the best choice for Superior Court. She is undeniably the most qualified candidate with the most relevant experience. After graduating from Gonzaga Law School, Norma practiced law in the Tri-Cities for 29 years. Her practice focused on thousands of criminal, personal injury, workers compensation, probate, bankruptcy and civil law cases. Norma has remained actively engaged in professional Washington legal associations and has served as judge pro-tem in municipal and district court. Since becoming a Superior Court judge, Norma has served as presiding criminal Superior Court judge and on the Superior Court Judge’s Association Board of Trustees. She knows how the judicial and court system works.

Judge Rodriguez has the temperament we need. Norma approaches her work in a nonpartisan, non-ideological and impartial way. She ensures that her courtroom is fair for everyone and that politics is never a consideration. This is the type of judge we want on the bench. Judge Rodriguez has the right experience and is the right choice for this position. Please join me in voting for Judge Norma Rodriguez for Benton-Franklin Superior Court Position 4!

John Kennedy, Pasco

Will we go back to horse and buggy?

Does anyone else think some things are getting silly? In California, and now in Washington, people will not be able to buy a new gas-powered car after 2035. Now, electric car owners in California are being told not to charge their cars during long spells of hot weather. Just think of the long spells of hot weather we’ve had here this summer. Is it time to get the horse and buggy out again?

Patricia Vance, Kennewick