Letters to the editor for Feb. 10

Shaky evidence of liberal media bias

Chris Reed’s op-ed Feb. 1 says “a New York magazine analysis suggested — without any evidence — that voting machines in three states had been hacked.” The actual article says the computer experts involved were not speaking publicly on the matter, had presented the Clinton campaign with evidence that she got 7% fewer votes in Wisconsin counties using electronic voting machines than in counties using paper ballots, and that “it’s important to note the group has not found proof of hacking or manipulation.”

Reed says the New York Times’ coverage of interactions between the Trump campaign and its Russian contacts “never offered a specific, confirmed example of actual collusion.” This just means that the Muller report concluded it didn’t have enough evidence for the specific legal charge of collusion, which would have required demonstrating a conscious and very explicit agreement to produce an illegal end.

Reed follows Trump here, in using “No collusion!” to suggest that this bit of legalese somehow implies that the Times’ 3,000 stories about what did happen showed “media bias” and “promoted the Putin 2016 narrative.”

Reed’s last piece of evidence is one Washington Post op-ed by Tom Toles, the editorial cartoonist, which includes a couple of bits about the FBI.

All in all, this seems like pretty shaky evidence that “voters have heard for years from Democratic politicians and many in the media that the 2016 election was stolen by Trump and Vladimir Putin.”

Thad Curtz, Olympia

Business community supports schools

On behalf of the members of the Roundtable of Thurston County, I want to express our strong support and admiration for the volunteers, staff, teachers, administrators, and elected school board members working in our school districts during these challenging times.

The Roundtable of Thurston County, sometimes referred to as the “business roundtable,” is comprised of experienced leaders from the private, public, and non-profit sectors. As leaders, we recognize the enormous stress and responsibility that COVID-19 has placed on our schools and those that support our youth. We also recognize that some decisions and actions open us up for more criticism than others.

The Roundtable believes that strong schools are the cornerstones for achieving the vibrant and resilient community we are capable of becoming. We can think of no better way to support our community than to express our strong support for how the school districts are addressing the COVID-19 crisis.

These are challenging times for every organization, but as we start to reopen our communities in a safe and phased manner, the scrutiny looms larger for our schools. The need to balance the competing needs of health safety for staff and students against student and family support and education creates opportunities for unfair criticism. We disagree with this criticism.

One thing is certain: Our appreciation for and understanding of the importance of our school system has been magnified for the good. We support and offer our unwavering thank you to those working in education during these challenging times.

Amy Evans, Olympia

Comparing protests

It is interesting that during the Jan. 6 Washington, D.C., riot and protests it was the first-time elected officials in our nation’s capitol got a taste of exactly what our United States citizens have been subjected to over the past year and a half. The elected officials who have always had police, FBI, and CIA watching over and protecting them suddenly were privileged to feel first hand what our neighbors in other parts of the country have been feeling without the full protection of our police or our elected officials.

Most protesters and rioters have not been criminally charged for ruining businesses, setting fires, opposing our police and turning our cities and towns into frightening scenes.

Let us now move forward and work harder to help the children and young people of our country be not just consumers but contributors and educated Americans who have knowledge of our nation’s history. We have been given a gift living here in the United States of America. People come here from other lands for the opportunities that seem to be squandered by our very own citizens.

Caroline Manger, Lacey