Letters to the Editor

Memorial Day Weekend

Were you able to visit the Ritzville Cemetery this week? It's more than impressive, it's spectacular. I've never seen the cemetery look better. I can only imagine the hours the city crew put in mowing, cleaning off graves, pruning, raking, hauling away rubbish, and watering. And now with all the flags honoring the veterans and the gorgeous spring bouquets, it's a sight to behold. As the wind picks up, loud clattering sounds from the flags seem like horse hooves pounding the ground. I can just imagine hearing a cavalry galloping up the hill to pay their respects to our heroes.

This year as we hunkered down in our homes, we missed so much: the Wheatland Fair, the Christmas Bazaar, school activities, government offices, the swimming pool, the LRHS Alumni Banquet, the rodeo, churches, museums, restaurants, banks, and many more.

But after witnessing the huge throng of volunteers installing the flags, I was sincerely grateful for how our community came together to make a spectacular Memorial Day weekend.

Marsha Smith

– Ritzville

Editor's note: This letter was submitted May 31, but due to an early deadline with the holiday weekend, it was not included in last week's issue. The Journal apologizes for the delay.

Four council members filed

In the past 20 years there has been, perhaps, one contested city council election. In this century, the typical way to the city council has been through appointment to a vacant seat. If you wished to stay on the council, you simply filed for election. Odds are no one would get in your way so re-election has been pretty much a sure thing.

Until 2021! Four city council members have filed for election to the offices they currently hold. Three challengers also file for election. Strangely, all three file for the very same city council position.

Mark Weigand, the target of the challengers, is, the council member least deserving of this honor. While the answers do not have to be sinister, the question nonetheless arises, why Mark Weigand and why now?

Mark is one of two current council members who were opposed to closing city hall. The then mayor and one of the current members of the city council made their displeasure clear and it was not pretty. There are other matters where Mark Weigand has tried to improve or correct things. The majority of the city council has consistently resisted change.

There are many issues in Ritzville that deserve the attention of citizens who believe they care about our community. Mark Weigand is not an architect of these problems nor has he been a willing accomplice.

Replacing Mark Weigand will not likely make Ritzville City Council a better place, likely the opposite.

Barry Boyer

– Ritzville

Confiscated vehicle matter

A citizen sent an anonymous letter to the County Commissioners stating the Sheriff’s wife was driving a vehicle confiscated by the County. The County Commissioners advised the County Prosecutor, and during a State audit I asked the auditor to investigate the matter, but their findings were “INCONCLUSIVE." The County Prosecutor did nothing, but during the next regular State audit we talked about it again. The State Auditor was reluctant to review it again.

Thankfully, an Othello resident called the State and insisted they review this matter.

A special audit was done to look into the handling of disposal of confiscated property. The Sheriff was found in violation of Washington State ethics law and had wrongfully received a vehicle his wife was driving.

As a County Commissioner I counseled the Sheriff that no members of his department be on the receiving end of any of these properties. He argued, but then said “Fine," no one in the department would receive anything that had been confiscated.

Did he decide to break the law and have his wife take possession! Could it be that the highest paid lawman in Adams County did not know any better? Does this man deserve a raise or fired? Is taking possession illegally of a vehicle worth more than his almost $100,000-plus per year job?

This man is not to be trusted and certainly does not deserve a raise.

A special Prosecutor has been appointed to investigate this matter.

Former County Commissioner John N Marshall

– Ritzville

State reopening

On June 30, 2021, the state is supposed to open, according to our state dictator, Jay Inslee.

Let's allow the public, "normal face-to-face access and direct participation" and follow all of the open public meeting laws of Washington state.

Let's not play Inslee's twisted, illegal games anymore.

The largest election fraud in U.S. history was created by Joe Biden and President Trump will be back very soon.

We need to demand all RINO's resign and/or vote them all out in 2022.

Respectfully submitted,

Glen R. Stockwell

– Ritzville

A letter to America

Americans are frogs in the pot of water being brought to the boil and cooked. We ignore incremental chunks of our freedoms being chiseled away by Marxists determining our social mores.

A co-founder of Black Lives Matter is a self-avowed Marxist and fan of Mao.

Left-wing Antifa is so anti-fascist they have, themselves, become the official Brown Shirts as they burn, riot, loot, pillage, and harm Americans for fun.

A trans-sexual sitting as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services appears to favor puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors. School curriculums target sexualizing our children.

800,000 children go missing annually in America (FBI); almost 8 million worldwide. You need to ask what happens to our most precious resource. Now. Not asking allows child sex traffickers to flourish; the result, a horror beyond the scope of this article.

We go blithely about our business, entrusting our country, on all levels, to politicians. More than a few are child molesters and traffickers, from both political parties. Arrested, charged, serving time.

Traditional values are undermined/eradicated from society, replaced by a Luciferian hymn extolling evil. Politicians, Mainstreet and social media are complicit via scripted lies.

All is not well in America. The stock market artificially propped up, inflation rising, the border crisis replenishes child trafficking, wars bubble to the surface worldwide, attempted brainwashing of our military to the Marxist mantra…ditto Critical Race Theory in schools.

Awake, Americans! Your country needs you! Get involved in the running of your communities before the goose is fully cooked.

Lucinda Guthrie

– Greeneville, S.C.