Letters to the editor: Abortion, protecting children, pet safety, Idaho GOP, pickleball

Idaho women welcome

Women of Idaho! We welcome you in the free state Washington for your abortion. We celebrate the civil rights of all in this state. You will never be forced to gestate here.

Idaho legislature: We are never spending another dollar in your backward state.

Nancy Schultz, Vancouver, Washington

Protect the born

With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, many of the nation’s lawmakers, including Idaho’s, are rushing to tighten laws to save the unborn. Their focus is on the fetus even in the case of rape, incest or the health of the mother. They demand the unborn be born.

These same legislators are stone silent when it comes to protecting a child from faith-based medical neglect once the child is born. This does not make sense. If legislators are going to such great lengths to save the unborn, they should also repeal Idaho’s religious exemption laws to save the children already born. With Roe reversed, women must give birth to an unborn child, but in Idaho once the child is born, they can let the child die from treatable illnesses.

What is wrong with this picture?

Idaho legislators, you enacted Idaho’s religious exemption laws and only you can repeal them.

You have passed trigger laws to protect the unborn, now please protect the children suffering and dying from faith-based medical neglect.

Bruce Wingate, Boise

Pet safety

When will our legislature put forth some kind of meaningful legislation to protect pets from the terrible neglect from their owners. Until there are some meaningful laws or ordinances that have sizable fines and jail time for certain offenses, pets will suffer and die. I was born in Idaho and I understand that the politicians listen to the ranchers and farmers that may take offense to such laws because of their animals. I, too, do not believe any amount of fines or jail time will deter some people from the abuse they do to animals, but we have to get some more stringent laws in place to protect a living, loving pet from abuse. Two years ago I was eating lunch when a couple parked their car in partial shade on an 85-degree day and headed to the show with their dog left in the car. I went out and asked them if they were going to the show and if they were I would call the police about the dog. They both called me four-letter names and followed me back to my lunch and called me more names. They left with their dog. Our pets deserve better, please help.

Dave Hovde, Eagle

Gunning for Dems

At first I wasn’t sure whether Idaho Democrats should be flattered — or scared — by Idaho Republican Party Chair Dorothy Moon. She perceives Democrats as “coming at us [Republicans] with full force” such that “we need to make sure…our guns are loaded…”. Wow, are Idaho Democrats such a powerful political force to warrant such violent rhetoric? Well…

Democrats have not controlled the Idaho Legislature since 1960, and there hasn’t been a Democratic governor since Cecil Andrus left office in 1995. Today, Democrats occupy a tiny minority in the Idaho House and Senate. So what, exactly, about Idaho Dems has you reaching for your sidearm, Dorothy?

But seriously, readying firearms to use against political adversaries should have no place in our modern rhetoric and should be condemned. Hopefully, Ms. Moon wasn’t serious about needing loaded guns to fend off Democrats, but one can’t be too sure. She does believe in the Big Lie and, according to her website, also believes that “…[D]emocrats see Idaho as vulnerable to a far-left takeover.” That would be funny if it were not so crazy. There’s no reasoning with the irrational, and that’s what makes her — and the party she is cultivating — scary.

Russ Comstock, Boise

In a pickle

Some of you may be aware that the Treasure Valley has a pickleball problem. Thousands of players are looking to play on dozens of courts. Pickleball is growing 30% per year in the Treasure Valley. The Northwest Regionals were played here last summer, bringing 1,000 players to the region. Eight new courts are going up in Caldwell at Luby Park in 2023. Four new courts are going up at Kleiner Park right now. Six courts are planned at Discovery Park in 2024 in Meridian. Homecourt in Meridian offers 14 indoor dual-use courts, the No. 1 public facility in Northwest. Boise just approved one tennis court conversion to two pickleball courts. There is a great need for more courts. There are hundreds of unused tennis courts currently being used 6%. I suggest converting 50% of all public tennis courts to Pickleball over the next 10years. Three or four unused tennis courts a year would transform into 10 to 12 pickleball courts, accommodating hundreds of players. Many of these courts have been let go over the past 20 years. Convert these courts now before they turn into ruins. I urge all city councils to promote a kids after-school pickleball program, too.

Michael Dougherty, Boise

Idaho GOP

Wow! The Idaho GOP party has gone off the rails and into Hells Canyon!

Let a mother die instead of terminating a pregnancy that is killing her? Never mind that most times when the mother dies so does the fetus.

They scream about freedom but want to take away our American right to vote for and contribute to any candidate that we like. To be successful they will need to set up surveillance on all Idahoans. If you don’t contribute to the GOP then you can’t vote for whoever you want for over two years. Better get a crystal ball folks to see who you will like in 25 months.

They say the Democrats are to blame for anything you don’t like in Idaho. Never mind that the GOP has held all three levers of government here for over 30 years. So who should get blamed?

These GOP radicals taking over the party lack empathy for any one except themselves. They need to look in the mirror if they lose because most normal folks don’t agree with their ideology.

I won’t vote for these crazies. I hope you don’t either.

Barry A Roth, Eagle