Letters to the editor: Handmaid’s Tale, Yenor no RINO, the old days, after Roe and homelessness

Handmaid’s Tale

I write today in my shock and true indignation for the comments made by one Dr. Scott Yenor, political science professor at Boise State University. His privilege seems to have eluded him, as he feels he should be able to determine what is proper and correct for the entire population of the United States, according to traditional gender roles.

To suggest that women have not contributed to the good of this earth and humanity after centuries-long struggles to even broach a measure of equality is not only uninformed – a major gaff for an educator in my humble estimation – but positively barbaric.

Perhaps, Dr. Yenor was just nostalgic for a time when women could not vote, divorce, have custody, their own credit, or even sign themselves into a hospital while in labor. Perhaps, Dr. Yenor forgets that he worked for a woman, who happens to be the current Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. So, just a tad hypocritical when he asks to keep our sex out of medicine, law, and engineering so that we can “focus on our feminine goals.” Whose goals would those actually be, Sir? Yes, women used to have many more children, before birth control was readily available. In fact, many had one a year until their uterus fell out. Now, what woman wouldn’t want to be a baby mill, with no say in the matter?

Someone may wish to inform Dr. Yenor that “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a dystopian novel, not an instruction manual. What he considers a “better society” isn’t. We tried that. It was a tremendous failure.

Tracie Leiterman, Nampa

Yenor no RINO

Scott Yenor is no Republican In Name Only. No, he’s the real deal. He is a perfect fit for the radicalized and fringe Idaho GOP. He has found a home.

Yenor and his far-right views will be welcomed by the Kootenai GOP Central Committee which unanimously endorsed the John Birch Society.

Yenor can now be elevated in the ranks of the Idaho Freedom Foundation for his anti-education views. Yenor may be invited to the newly constituted Canyon County Republican Women’s group for his professed misogyny.

Yenor can campaign alongside Ammon Bundy, Janice McGeahin, Priscilla Giddings, Heather Scott and Chad Christensen to misinform and outrage Idahoans.

As Idaho Republicans test the fringiest of beliefs, Yenor can serve as their intellectual beacon. Yenor has arrived.

What a shame.

Larry LaRocco, Boise

The old days

When I entered the University of Idaho in 1966 there were dress codes, curfews and course requirements for women that were not required of men. Thankfully that institutional discrimination is gone.

On a personal level, as a science major, I received disparaging remarks from professors and students about why I was taking courses mainly filled with men. I finished my degree, but it appears the Scott Yenors of the world survive. Mr. Yenor has the right to his speech, but the university has the duty to provide teachers of required courses that don’t openly profess discriminatory views. If Mr. Yenor can fill his classroom at a higher rate than a competitive class he stays, if not let him find a job in the home economics department.

Scott Yenor’s problem appears to be that he surrounds himself with meddlesome quarrelsome women, not that all women are such. The fact that Mr. Yenor would be a member of a task force with Janice McGeachin and Priscilla Giddings makes my point.

Carol Haddock, Meridian

After Roe

“We won’t go back” is the Planned Parenthood motto. If the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, we will go back to dead women, orphaned children, grieving fathers, full-term dead fetuses, babies born from incest or rape, children becoming moms, babies born into domestic violence, and poverty.

Outlawing abortion will not stop it. It never has. Desperate women will take desperate actions. The legislator is not impacted by these laws. The fetus has never breathed a breath of air. It is the pregnant woman who suffers. If Legislators love children, where is affordable child care, housing, living wages, education, and free contraceptives? These laws are not right to life, but control of women. Why are women the criminals when men made them pregnant?

Women with means will get safe abortions. Poor women, including some mothers, will be killed and maimed. If they cannot afford a safe abortion and cannot afford another child, abortion becomes an unwelcome but necessary choice. Legislators don’t care about the mothers but they do care about Conservative votes.

Women know their bodies, their minds, their ability to mother and nurture a child. The pregnant woman must be allowed to make her own choice.

Linda S Pike, Moscow

Homelessness

Despite Boise’s popularity, growth and emerging national reputation, somehow we are failing the most needy, unlucky citizens amongst us. The homeless, jobless, veterans, economically distressed, mentally disabled and those who fill the homeless shelters each night, deserve more than a “planning board” detour or other meaningless distraction from the fastest-growing, wealthy, most popular city in America.

It’s nice that our mayor and politicians can peek out their windows from the North End, the Foothills, the Bench and issue statements about the “community impact” of shelters which are not even close to where they live. Maybe they could demonstrate some genuine, sincere, thankful leadership -- some class -- besides on one or two major holidays and provide some positive, sincere, dedicated action to assist those most in need. If Boise is so popular, Mclean and her crew need to demonstrate that a famous, burgeoning place like this takes care of every citizen, does something for those most in need. Boise has thousands of expensive luxury homes, more each week. We also have unlucky human beings -- citizens -- who are regularly hungry and sleep out in the cold. God bless Boise Rescue, Interfaith Sanctuary and Corpus Christy.

So, where are our elected officials?

Frank Juiliano, Boise