Not only do we have Donald Trump to worry about now, but also Matt Shea and his gang of "Christians" with their AR-15s who want to wage biblical war on us. They want to turn Eastern Washington into the state of Liberty, and it will be anything but. I moved from Seattle so I could afford a house, and I don't want to see the real estate values here tanked while every sane person tries to make a mass exodus out. Besides, they want an agriculture-based economy, and Trump has already destroyed their overseas markets. I'll be damned if I'm going to live in a "Christian Republic" where people carry their AR-15s to stores like they do in Texas and other barbaric places.
Those who know how to exploit religion, whether they're TV evangelists or politicians, do so cynically; they don't even believe what they preach. American voters and people who give money to these charlatans are not much different. A voter in Denmark would be appalled at the way we vote, and the things we consider important that the government has no business deciding anyway. This "freedom of religion to persecute others" is a phenomenon common in the Dark Ages, but was something the founding fathers were dead set against. And I find this marriage of hyper-capitalism and Christianity that we see today to be quite at odds with the true teachings of Jesus, and quite distasteful.
In Matt Shea's "new Washington," "Jesus will be exalted, unions will be banned, etc." as recently appeared in the Inlander ("299 Problems," 9/26/19). What the hell has Jesus being exalted have to do with banning unions?! Would you not think that Jesus himself would want workers to get a fair shake?! There's a new kind of foolishness which pervades our land, and it's quite dangerous, and seems to be contagious.
Rick Meyerson
Spokane, Wash.
THE COMPANY YOU KEEP
When I was a young man, my mother would tell me to choose my friends wisely and that no matter what I said, I would be judged by the company I keep. Fast forward to the Spokane mayoral race on Nov. 5.
Although I respect Nadine Woodward and Ben Stuckart for their passion to serve the people of Spokane, they run with a different crowd. When Woodward is bankrolled by outside big-money realtors, developers, builders and bankers, to the tune of $137,000, you have to wonder what they will expect in return. Could it be the end of open space from here to Coeur d' Alene? I think my mother was right.
Frank DePasquale
Spokane, Wash.
