TNT letters to the editor, 3/27/2021

Name calling

Re: “By going ‘Karen’ on newspaper carrier, Ed Troyer has fractured public trust (again),” (TNT, 3/24).

Shame on Columnist Matt Driscoll for using a racist and sexist label in his commentary about Sheriff Troyer.

And shame on the editors of the TNT for publishing this bigoted use of what used to be simply a name.

“Karen” has become a term used by some to insult and stereotype white women.

There are “angry Black men” and “angry Black women,” but these phrases have ugly, stereotypical connotations, so we do not use them. And we should not use these phrases.

But somehow some people think that white people, especially women, are fair game for bigoted attacks and stereotypes. And that is wrong.

Driscoll and the TNT’s choice to go low detracted from an otherwise thoughtful commentary.

Pat Cleghorn, Gig Harbor

COVID-19 vaccination

Re: “Why send us away unvaccinated?” (TNT letter, 3/18).

Let me put this in perspective. I’m driving down I-5 and I see that there is a show at the Tacoma Dome that night and it’s something I really want to see.

I park my car and get in the long line of people waiting to go into the venue. I get to the door and, when I don’t have a ticket, I am turned away.

Can I complain? I suppose so, but no one will care because my action makes no sense.

There is a reason people make appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine. They can go to the vaccination site and expect to get their shot.

The sponsors of that site have planned for the people who have made appointments. Many of us have spent a lot of time getting an appointment.

Then you think you can just drive in and jump the line?

Joan Byron, Lakewood

Immigrant justice

I urge Senators Cantwell and Murray and Rep. Kilmer to fight back against the renewed Republican war on immigration taking place through the misinformation campaign about the Southern border.

If our representatives don’t act swiftly and decisively, we will again fail to remake our immigration system that harms America economically and spiritually.

We need a congressional investigation into the role that Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott and the National Border Patrol Council are playing in controlling the narrative of an out-of-control border.

The council plays much the same role as police unions do in spreading propaganda that protects their members while scaring residents and politicians with exaggerated threats that ramp up tax dollars.

We need to help people understand how vital immigration is to our prosperity. We are an aging country that needs the influx of young workers in all areas of our workforce. There should be welcome mats at all borders.

The immigration system is immoral, even evil. The fact that the government makes each of us complicit in crimes against humanity damages each of us spiritually.

Jolinda Stephens, Tacoma

Voting rights

The Republicans are pushing a tidal wave of voting and election legislation in state legislatures with the goal of limiting and reducing the number of people who can participate in elections.

We desperately need legislation at the national level that normalizes who can vote, how registration works, and reduces or prevents gerrymandering. House Resolution 1 and Senate 1 - the For the People Act - together achieve this goal.

Passing one of these resolutions into law will restore protections stripped out of the Voter Rights Act by the US Supreme Court as well taking steps to reverse the effects of Citizens United.

Without these reforms, other priorities like increased universal health coverage, economic justice and addressing climate change will be difficult if not impossible to achieve.

Timothy Shaffer, Auburn

This story was originally published March 27, 2021 at 12:13 PM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor, 3/27/2021."