Herald letter writers weigh in on independent legislatures, World War II and Big Oil | Opinion

Be careful what you want changed

Conservatives pushing the “independent legislature” theory at the Supreme Court are flirting with democratic blasphemy.

The Founding Fathers did not write the Constitution with an eye to make one branch of government more equal than another. This new bunk theory claims that a state legislature can make any laws it wants regarding elections — from redistricting to voting hours — without any possible review of the state or federal courts. Welcome to Jim Crow 2.5.

“Originalists” beware. The Founding Fathers created a government that didn’t behave like the one that they had just overthrown. The functions of government were divided among the Congress, the executive and the judicial branches. Checks and balances, as we were taught in eighth-grade history classes, are the unique cornerstones of the new republic.

The independent legislature theory throws that out the window. It is a power grab of the most pernicious kind. Recall the old saying, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Now try, “What comes around, goes around.” Under this theory, a left-leaning legislature like Washington’s could do the same to a minority conservative population that these conservative backers are salivating to do to a minority left-leaning population.

Be careful what you wish for.

Richard Reuther, Kennewick

Remember role of Japan in the war

Tori Bender’s letter of Dec 2 invites this more accurate historical response. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were conservatively estimated to have saved a minimum of a half million lives of mostly Japanese civilians who were preparing to fight to the last person to repel any land invasion of Japan.

Over 100,000 Japanese civilians were killed in the 10-11 March 1945 incendiary bombing of Tokyo, which has been historically and universally cited as the most lethal and destructive bombing of any city in WWII, including Dresden, Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

Gen. Leslie Groves accurately stated in late August 1945: “The Atomic bomb is not an inhumane weapon. The best answer to anyone who doubts this is that the USA did not start the war; if people don’t like the way the USA ended the war; remember who started it.”

Look at Japan’s treatment of civilians and POWs in the Philippines, the rape of Nanking and other areas of China. Japan’s behavior was in stark violation of the Geneva convention; the comfort companion rapes and all else of the abuses committed by the Japanese empire would be the far more accurate memory of the wrongs of that war.

Michael Scrimsher, Burbank

‘Greenwashing’ stalls reforms

A recent press release from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform has documented how the fossil fuel industry continues to make massive investments in fossil fuels, all the while “greenwashing” to obscure their true intent of maximizing profits.

Big Oil and their lobbyists publicly extol their commitment to and plans for reducing carbon emissions (greenwashing) while, behind the scenes in boardrooms, the talk is mainly about developing strategies to maximize future fossil fuel profits. This disinformation campaign is pursued regardless of any consequences to the climate.

This industry needs to be called to account for its actions and intentions in the face of the growing climate crisis that will affect all our futures, a crisis they privately acknowledge they are causing.

One step toward accountability would be implementation of a national carbon fee and dividend plan, such as that found in Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (H.R. 2307).

They have held us hostage to their scheming for too long.

Dennis Finn, Pasco