Letters to the editor: May 22, 2024 (print version)

Published 4:00 am Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Right now, there are two major candidates for president and a few minor ones. There is one name I do not see running for president, Ret. Gen. Ben Hodges. I have listened to him speak and read his resume. I would love to cast my vote for him for president. I wonder if there could be a write-in candidacy for Hodges.

Bill Laffen

Umatilla

The deadly flu virus is not just “for the birds” anymore. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has decreed that dairy cows must be tested for the deadly bird flu, which has already killed millions of chickens in the U.S. The unprecedented transmission of the H5N1 virus to cows has drawn public health concerns because cows are mammals, just like humans.

Although the precise cause of the outbreak remains uncertain, the horrendous conditions in today’s factory farms make egg and dairy production extremely vulnerable to disease outbreaks. Sick, crowded, highly stressed animals in contact with contaminated feces and urine provide ideal incubation media for viruses.

Indeed, 61% of the 1,415 pathogens known to infect humans originate with animals. These include Asian flu, dengue fever, Ebola, bird flu, HIV, West Nile fever, yellow fever, and the more recent coronavirus pandemic.

Each of us can help end animal farming and build up our own health by replacing animal products with delicious, healthy, cruelty-free, eco-friendly plant-based meats, cheeses, and ice creams offered by our favorite supermarket. These foods don’t carry flu viruses, or government warning labels. They may have been the preferred fare in the Garden of Eden.

Peter Tempkin

Pendleton

I would like to know before the election which Republican candidates are still supporting Donald Trump. There is no way I can support anyone who still supports the worst sport in the history of sportsmanship!

Trump continues to attack the institutions that have made this country strong over and over with lies and misinformation. He also continues to undercut the foundation of our democracy, which is the belief In the accuracy of the vote. All 50 states certified the 2020 election results, which is how we’ve always elected presidents until Donald came along.

The fact alone that he did not pass the torch along to the next president and tried everything he could think of to remain in power after the last election should be enough of a reason for even the most staunch Republican not to vote for that guy. I believe he poses a great threat to this country, whether he wins or loses the election. His actions after the last election shows that he cares nothing about the U.S. Constitution. My prediction is that he will try to create chaos and mistrust in the results once again. He deserves zero votes.

I think it’s time for people to vote country first, not party first. I would like to hear from all the Republican candidates in this area as to where they stand on Donald Trump and the 2020 election results. I hope there are at least one or two candidates out there who have integrity and some guts to speak the truth.

John Strop

Hermiston