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Infiltration
To the editor, When I first realized that our authorities might be, shall we say, less than forthcoming, I calculated that investigative journalists who were “right on target” would be smeared as “conspiracy theorists” to disuade us from discovering what our government is hiding behind their cover-ups. This meant that I could simply use my propaganda-programmed knee-jerk revulsion toward these journalists as a cue to instead dive deep into the “rabbit holes.”
A continuing theme amongst independent journalists is the infiltration by would-be insurrectionists into our country and its institutions: The Chinese Communist Party has a 100-year plan to conquer the US by stealth, and is currently planting “sleeper cells” of military-aged men throughout the US. The British Crown never accepted 1776 and exported their corporations to redirect our wealth back to the Crown. The CIA (as the OSS) originally took orders from the UK’s MI6 during WWII, which apparently hasn’t ceased. The UK’s innocent-sounding Tavistock Institute of Human Relations allegedly orchestrates elaborate psyops to “nudge” human behavior that undermines our cultural heritage. The Rothschilds and “friends” tricked our country into accepting a private central banking system, quickly followed by the institution of the federal income tax. Dual-citizen Israelis infiltrated bureaucracies to ensure our military and monetary resources support Zionists’ goals. Soviets covertly spread propaganda in the US, and now Russians hack into our computers. Some Democrats and Republicans (aka the “Uni-party”) were blackmailed into taking their orders from the billionaire cartels. The WEF incrementally dismantles national sovereignty via the “climate crisis” and “pandemics” treaties. Whew!
I believe that the propaganda taught in school, passed off as US “history,” formed my apparently unfounded conviction that our country was so strong, so impenetrable by external threats that any nefarious operatives attempting to undermine our republic would immediately be squelched. Boy, was I naïve!
-Kamori Cattadoris Newport
Help fight human trafficking
To the editor, I want to wish everyone a Happy 2025! January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month which was founded in 2010 by former President Barack Obama. This month is designated as a time to pause and acknowledge the impact to communities in our country and around the world. Part of that is knowing what human trafficking is. It is not a border crises or issue. It can be happening next door in our little towns. Part of awareness is knowing the signs and educating ourselves so we can stop or prevent human trafficking.
Child sex trafficking occurs when a child is under 18 and are advertised, solicited or exploited through a commercial sex act. A commercial sex act is any sex act where money, food, drugs/alcohol, or lodging is given to or received by a person for sexual activity. Almost half of identified cases of child trafficking begin with a family member or a person the child knows.
Labor trafficking happens when someone is forced, tracked or coerced to work or provide services against their will. Some industries where people are Labor trafficked in are; Domestic Work, Restaurants, Begging Rings, Forced Crime, and in Health and Beauty.
Pornography ranks among the top forms of sex trafficking reported.
Native American youth are at a higher risk for exploitation.
Human trafficking happens to boys and men too.
All it takes is ONE person to make a difference. I invite you to join me in the fight to #EndTrafficking by visiting iamonwatch.org and take the trainingiamonwatch.org to learn the signs and know what to do. #IAmOnwatch If you or know someone who needs to talk to a victim’s services advocate in the Pend Oreille County, Spokane County or surrounding areas, please call 1-800-700-7175. If you are outside of our area, please call 1-800-656-HOPE.
Thank you and have a wonderful and safe 2025.
-Patrizia Cobian Former POCR State Committee Woman
Time’s person of the year isn’t the Nobel Prize
To the editor, A writer last week glorified Trump for being named Time magazine “man of the year,” to which I would say, so what?
The title is given to the most newsworthy person in the world, and I agree he was newsworthy in 2024 because he was elect as president despite his numerous faults.
It appears to me that the writer did not understand what the title means. It is not the Nobel Prize and the recipient does not have to be Mother Tereasa. I would argue that any person who is elected president of the United States, the most powerful position on earth, is automatically newsworthy in an election year.
Awarding this title to Trump does not make his two impeachments, or his 34 felony convictions or his insurrection actions on Jan. 6, 2021, disappear.
I would also note Time magazine gave Trump millions of dollars for his campaign in 2024. Trying to buy a little favor for the next four years, perhaps to go along with the award?
Finally, a review of past “winners” shows Adolph Hitler was named man of the year in 1938. Good company there ,Don.
-Greg Hicks Spokane
Time to ditch the electoral college
To the editor, President-elect Donald Trump is claiming a special mandate by winning the popular vote, though only by a little over 2 million (1.5%; and getting below 50% of total popular vote) compared to President Joe Biden’s winning margin of about 7 million (4%; 51%) over Trump in 2020.
If the electoral college had already been scrapped, would the popular vote have been significantly changed by the candidates campaigning in all states, not just battleground ones?
Why did Washington state have its lowest turnout in 28 years? Why was California’s historically low (California’s Voter Turnout Sank in 2024 - Public Policy Institute of California, 11/18/24)? With the electoral college in force, did Democrats who vote only in presidential elections, historically more numerous than their Republican counterparts, stay home in reliably-blue Washington – and other such states like California? Notably, California supplied most of Hillary Clinton’s almost 3 million popular vote margin over Trump in 2016.
Constitutional Amendment is one avenue to scrapping the electoral college but isn’t the only one. Some states have already passed legislation triggering all of their presidential electoral votes going to the national popular vote winner once enough states totaling at least 270 electoral votes passes this legislation. States not yet on board totaling at least 61 more electoral votes are needed. Washington and California have already passed this. States considered most likely to join anew are Virginia, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, and North Carolina (Map shows where effort to replace Electoral College stands - CBS News, 10/3/24) -Norm Luther Spokane
Media
To the editor, I was recently accused of being a FOX News junkie. Actually, I shut FOX off on Election Day in 2020 when they called Arizona at 4 p.m. They are fake news like the rest although I hear they are turning around since Trump was re-elected. I’m still not watching.
The main stream media (MSM) in general is doing a great disservice to our country. Since Obama changed the Smith-Mundt Act in 2012, allowing propaganda to be legal in America, the MSM has run with it. They continually put out their opinions, not the whole truth. I’m sorry for the people still watching and believing what they hear.
There are many good investigative journalists on the internet. There are millions out there that took the narrative away from the MSM about 18 months ago. Now the MSM can’t spin the narrative fast enough. The internet journalists are pouring truth out in real time. Social media is now the news. Information warfare, and we are winning. Why did Trump win in a landslide, people turned their TV’s off.
ABC News and George Stephanopoulos just lost a 16M defamation suit to Trump. You can lie about him, you just can’t defame him. This won’t be the last media case that Trump will win. Georgia DA Fani Willis and her office were disqualified from pursuing the RICO case against Trump et. al. It was politically motivated.
The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen just released a report on the 2020 election. They found problems in GA, MI, AZ, NV, PA and WI. All swing and heavy mail-in ballot states. Their conclusion was that Trump most likely won. They ran 29 different scenarios with the data and Trump won all but three.
Have you heard any of this on the media you listen to? Time to change?
-Glen Pierce Spokane/Cusick
Jan. 20 will be longest political day
To the editor, Dec. 21 was the shortest day of 2024. Christmas came four days later on the way to June 20, the longest day of 2025. The longest political day of 2025 will be on Jan. 20. On that day Trump will be sworn in for his second term as president.
When I was in Catholic grade school, I asked my teacher how God could have created the sun, moon and stars on day four. She said that one of God’s days was not the same as our 24-hour day allowing God more time to create the rest of the universe. Since the universe is still expanding, at what point did God call it a day?
That might be the answer to Trump’s huge list of campaign promises for the first day of his second term. A Trump Day isn’t the same as our 24-hour day. Me, I can’t believe how fast a day goes by at my age. A run to the transfer station can take up many hours of one of my days. I can’t see Trump loading up my trailer with garbage cans and driving to the county transfer station and back in a few short seconds of a Trump Day.
Reality is all around us except when we contemplate political actions. I suppose on day one, Trump will sign an executive order or two and before the ink dries, he will deport millions of illegal immigrants, and the price of gas and groceries will drop 30%.
One thing for sure is that we will lose instead of gaining an hour next spring if Trump ends daylight savings time. A Trump hour could be weeks, and Elon Musk will get to sleep in while the rest of us need to haul a load to the transfer station.
-Pete Scobby Newport
