Letters to the editor for Jan. 10
We are at a tipping point
After several sleepless nights, this 70-year-old finds himself fighting back tears as I continue to see the images from the recent assault on our nation’s Capitol, all aided and abetted by the President of the United States.
How it is possible we’ve reached the point where an American President would be inciting insurrection here at home and in the world’s longest sustained democracy? How was it possible that we saw Americans assaulting American democracy?
I love my country dearly. It is not a perfect union but thinking of something British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said: “Our government may be the worse government except for all those other forms. ...”
As I try to wrap my head around everything that happened, I keep asking myself: Where do we go from here? I don’t have answers but I do know that there is a chance that this recent insurrection could be a tipping point for our country.
For me, all I can say is I promise to be more careful with my words. I promise to be more accepting of different points of view. And while the outright assault on our democracy argues against timidity, it’s important for all of us to demonstrate civility. And to be clear, civility doesn’t mean you stand down, it means you stand tall.
Mark Brown, Lacey
No guns at peaceable assemblies
The proposed law banning openly carrying firearms at political demonstrations is a good idea. The First Amendment guarantees the right “peaceably to assemble.” Firearms are not essential to that, and perhaps inconsistent with it.
The Supreme Court’s broadest interpretation of the Second Amendment (District of Columbia v. Heller) allows for reasonable regulation by state and local authorities, and this seems eminently reasonable.
I would suggest in the meanwhile that every state governor and the mayor of D.C. declare a state of emergency, banning the carrying of firearms at demonstrations and protests, and in the vicinity of legislative chambers and offices, executive office buildings and courthouses, at least until after Jan. 20. Other attempts at insurrection have been planned, such as in Michigan, and probably not all have been discovered.
In Terminiello v. Chicago, Supreme Court Justice Jackson said the Bill of Rights is not a suicide pact. This is very apt now, as our democracy seems on the edge of self-destruction.
James Michael Forsyth, Lacey
Make a New Year’s resolution to reduce meat in your diet
With the “year of COVID-19” barely behind us, we look forward to the New Year and the customary resolutions: reduce personal weight, reduce time on social media, and reduce consumption of animal foods.
Yes, that. Nearly 40% of Americans are already eating more plant-based foods. Hundreds of school, college, and corporate cafeterias have embraced Meatless Monday. Even fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr, Chipotle, Denny’s, Dunkin’, Starbucks, Subway, Taco Bell, and White Castle offer plant-based options.
Dozens of start-ups, led by Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, are producing plant-based meats, milks, cheeses, and ice creams. Every ice cream manufacturer boasts nut-based flavors. Even meat industry giants Tyson Foods, Perdue, Hormel, and Canada’s Maple Leaf Foods have rolled out their own plant-based meat products.
The reasons for the skyrocketing popularity of plant-based meat and milk products are compelling: They are more convenient, healthier, more eco-friendly, and more compassionate than their animal-based counterparts.
The resolution to explore plant-based foods requires no sweat or deprivation — just some fun visits to our favorite supermarket and food websites.
Andrew Petuchov, Olympia