Letters to the editor for Nov. 25
Staying safe online
In the time of COVID-19, it is unfortunate that so many parts of our lives have transitioned online. As a graduate of Olympia High School now perusing a degree in computer science, I know how important a comfortable learning environment is and I believe that cybersecurity is a key component to maintaining that environment now.
As students and families are spending more time online, they must be vigilant to keep their data secure. Some of the most important steps we can take to protect ourselves are also some of the simplest. For example, whenever possible you should use a unique password for different logins. I know it is easiest to always use the same password, but login data can be hacked or leaked without ever being revealed. Once your password is saved in a library, hackers can use it to compromise your other accounts.
Similarly, by using two-factor authentication, you can ensure that your account is much safer.
Another way that your data can be stolen is through your home WiFi network. Make sure to change your router password from the default and, if possible, set up a firewall. These simple precautions can keep hackers from sifting through all your data.
As challenging as these times are, being able to work and study from home safely is a necessity.
Joshua Henderson, Olympia
November is family caregiver month
Every November, Washington state honors the 850,000 family caregivers who are the backbone of our long-term care system. This year’s theme is “Caregiving in Crisis.” These individuals provide an estimated 770 million hours and nearly $11 billion in unpaid assistance to loved ones, friends and neighbors with chronic illnesses and disabilities.
Due to COVID-19, many people have found themselves thrust into a care-giving role, some for the first time. For family caregivers, their responsibilities do not end at 5 p.m.; for family caregivers, there is no opportunity to “clock out.”
Caring for a loved one who is ill, aging, or disabled is a challenge under any circumstances, and the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged them even further. If you are caring for a loved one or know someone who is, there are a few steps you can take to improve both your own wellness and the safety and well-being of your loved one.
- First, and most importantly, take care of yourself.
- Take precautions to keep yourself and your loved one safe. Follow all the standard COVID-19 precautions.
- Keeping your distance? Use apps and websites to order home delivery of groceries, food and even medicine.
- Take time for you to connect with your loved one. Use the time to discuss your favorite memories, work on a project together, make a family photo album or learn how to make a family recipe.
For more information, contact the Area Agency on Aging at 888-545-0910.
Lynn Ford, Chehalis, Chair of the Lewis, Mason, Thurston Area Agency on Aging advisory board
25th Amendment, anyone?
Where, pray tell, is the 25th Amendment when we need it? While some might argue, with justification, that invoking the amendment is long overdue, using it now has been given new urgency by the increasingly erratic behavior of the President, who has never been noted for his stability.
Mr. Trump’s actions, post-election, are those of an angry, cornered animal — albeit a still powerful one. Unfortunately, the stakes have never been higher for our country, already ravaged by COVID-19, and now reeling under the dizzying impact of yet another epidemic — an epidemic of meritless lawsuits calling into question the legitimacy of the Presidential election, which by most accounts was the fairest in U.S. history.
Our cherished Constitution, via the 25th Amendment, offers a remedy for the antics of an irrational President, requiring only the will and courage of those empowered to invoke it. As the four years of this presidency demonstrate, there are, alas, no “leaders” with the guts to start the process in motion. We are about to find out, as a stunned citizenry, how much havoc an embittered leader with no moral compass is capable of wreaking. Will no one stand up and call a halt to this debacle?
Paul McCann, Olympia