LETTERS TO THE
E DITOR Longtime lab technician will be missed at clinic
To the editor: Starting in August, for the first time in nearly 40 years, the Marshfield Clinic Colby/Abbotsford Center will be without one of their dedicated medical lab technicians. Melanie Gorke is retiring.
The majority of people in the community have had the wonderful experience of being lovingly stuck in the arm, or some other appendage, by Melanie in order to have lab work done. She has faithfully served in roles that is sometimes overlooked.
However, her kindness, professionalism and expertise will most certainly be missed. Working such a long time in the same position is something of a rarity, and says something of the high character and dedication Melanie has.
Aside from working at the clinic, Melanie has also raised three kids, served on the Abbotsford School Board, led the Girl Scout troop, sang in the church choir, played in the Marshfield Civic Band, volunteered for the Showcase Players, helped run the Booster Club and served her community in many other ways.
Now, with retirement around the corner, Melanie will have more time to see her kids and grandkids, head to the cabin with her husband Mark, plan a new house project or simply read more books.
As Fred Rogers said “Often when you are at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” So as Melanie’s time at the clinic ends, let’s wish her health and happiness as the next chapter begins. With much love,
David Gorke, Barb Snyder and Suzie Ellenbecker Melanie’s kids
Media is manipulating people against Trump
To the editor: The media in this country is largely biased and not doing its job. Some surveys show an over 80 percent liberal bias.
The media reports negatively concerning President Trump:
_ Job stats from “experts” were projected low and quietly revised up. (President Obama’s stats were projected high then quietly revised down.)
_ They pushed “Trump/Russia collusion” for two years. This was proven false and the unverified “Trump dossier” paid for by the Clinton campaign.
_ They criticized Mr. Trump and called him names for stopping airline travel with COVID 19 countries in January, later complaining he didn’t take action soon enough.
The media props up Democrats:
_ They failed to report or just gave Mr. Obama a pass on numerous lies. (Keep your doctor/medical plan.)
_ TheyhadnoproblemwiththeObama administration testifying to the Supreme Court that the Obamacare individual mandate was a legal tax, while telling the American people it was a penalty.
_ They ignore racists Democrats (Sen. Byrd (D) in the KKK.)
_ Support Democrat’s destruction and removal of historical figures/monuments and revision of our history.
The media “creates facts” (CBS’s Dan Rather) and lies to us by omission:
_ The Democrat National Committee took Payment Protection Program (PPP)
money.
_ Democrat officials, such as NY Gov. Cuomo (D), forced nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients, where 45 percent of the deaths occurred.
_ NY Mayor De Blasio (D) kept the city largely shut down but made exceptions for BLM protests.
_ Police in many cities are busy rearresting criminals released by Democrats.
_ The historical figure statues Speaker Pelosi (D) proposed taking down were almost all Democrats. (Two had no party preference.)
_ BLM mobs destroying statues of people who supported blacks.
_ Democrat officials restricting religious services but encouraged BLM protests. (Some COVID-19 “experts” said protesting was more important.) They again called for lockdowns after protests subsided.
_ Democrat officials across the country instituting gun control laws.
_ The COVID-19 death rate in the U.S. dropped for 12 straight weeks.
_ Multiple instances of voter fraud (tampering with mail, stealing and falsifying ballots, etc.) go unreported. A 2018 Congressional election in N.C. was decertifi ed and a new election ordered due to absentee ballot fraud.
_ Two national gun control groups received hundreds of thousands of PPP dollars while vowing to spend millions promoting anti-gun candidates.
_ Universities punishing conservative students (and professors) just for exercising their First Amendment rights goes unreported.
_ They filter many of Mr. Trump’s briefings, not even broadcasting some. We only hear their negativity.
_ More youth support socialism, but few understand it. Many think it’s “being social.”
This is a small sample of media manipulation... it continues daily.
We no longer have a free and unbiased press. Most of the media in our country supports one political party (Democrats) akin to that of Nazi Germany or the party-run press of communist countries. This makes them not worthy of our trust and threatens our republic.
Tim Kapfhamer
Colby
South Korea outdoes U.S. in responding to COVID
To the editor: The United States and South Korea were both introduced to COVID-19 by single cases on Jan. 19, 2020. The two countries reacted quite differently.
By late January. Korea had developed a fast, reliable test. The U.S. approved a test developed by the CDC in early February that proved to be slow and unreliable. By Feb. 29, the U.S. had tested 3,300 people and President Trump told America, “The coronavirus is going to disappear. One day, like a miracle it will disappear.” That same day, South Korea had tested 12,800 people and was planning to test its 100,000th person. It hit its peak daily infection rate of 909.
In March, Korea recognized “community spread” and implemented “test and trace.” On March 3, the U.S. had identifi ed 118 cases compared to Korea’s nearly 4,000, but by March 18, the U.S. reported 2,853 new cases while Korea reported 93. In early March, while Trump was saying he did not “take responsibility at all,” forcing states to go it alone, the South Koreans were closing their schools and canceling public events in an organized national effort.
April saw Trump refusing to take the lead in securing medical supplies, forcing states to bid against each other. Trump declared himself to be “number one on Facebook” and things went downhill from there with the death rate first falling, then rising back to 1,000 a day, the number of unemployed people rose to just under 50 million, the economy is closing down for the second time and the school year is in limbo.
South Korean schools and businesses are open, their daily death rate is often zero, but a testing program persists. The comparison of the two countries magnifi es several shortcomings of President Trump, but his failed leadership most of all.
Bryce Luchterhand
Unity
Vindman’s resignation is a huge blow to military
To the editor: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was forced to resign from the military.
In years of service to the country, he commanded both infantry and anti-armor platoon, did overseas deployments to both South Korea and Germany, and is a combat veteran of the Iraq War, where he sustained an injury from a roadside bomb and received the Purple Heart. He earned the following awards in addition to the Purple Heart: the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantry Badge, Parachutist Badge, as well as four Army Commendation Medals, and two Defense Meritorious Service Medals.
While serving as director for European Affairs for the U.S. National Security Council, he was called to testify before Congress in relation to the Trump-Ukraine scandal. He honored his oath to defend the Constitution and he told the truth about the president and his administrator’s efforts to sell out our Ukrainian allies to Russia.
Our president — you know, the one with bone spurs — was unhappy with the truths the lieutenant colonel told. So steps were taken to ruin his career. It is the country’s loss, for with his future in the military ruined, Lt. Col. Vindman has resigned. Where will we find another so knowledgeable, so devoted and so courageous to serve in that capacity again?
Our president, bone spurs and all, is a small, mean-spirited man who refuses to take responsibility for this misdeeds, and who can be counted on to punish those who speak the truth about him, regardless of the cost to the country.
Lt. Col. Vindman — brave, ethical, responsible man that he is — said that he didn’t fear testifying against one of the most powerful men in the world because, he said, “In America, right matters.”
Apparently it doesn’t matter all that much!
Phyllis N. Goeke Greenwood
Change comes through voting, personal action
To the editor: Thoughts for another week.
The country is in trouble and is doubling down on what has not worked before. So what are we doing wrong?
In no particular order – political redistricting, thinking money is speech, corporations are people, trying to punish our way to good behavior, policies at every level that promote wealth and income inequality, healthcare inequality, educational inequality, inappropriate focus on unbridled individual rights, and political parties that are more interested in their reelection than in the common good.
What is the answer then? First, vote! Vote for the candidate and the party who will not accept today’s reality and is willing to take on at least some of the structural issues listed above. Do not expect perfection but let us start to redesign our society. Don’t expect total change overnight – it will be and should be slow. Let us learn from other successful countries.
The second answer is to be as patriotic as our combat military who place the common good above personal interest. They risk their lives. Please be patriotic enough to risk the change we must have. Don’t expect others to be the change – you must be part of the solution otherwise you are part of the problem.
So be truly patriotic, willing to sacrifi ce a bit for the common good and vote out the old establishment if they cling to old priorities.
Douglas Lee Marshfi eld
