Opinion – The Columbian

Opinion – The Columbian https://www.columbian.com Fri, 05 Jun 2026 23:58:21 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://www.columbian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/columbian-insignia-2025-1-150x150.png Opinion – The Columbian https://www.columbian.com 32 32 In Our View: Fund board investigating Longview disaster https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/05/in-our-view-fund-board-investigating-longview-disaster/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:03:17 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2777073 Shortly after 11 workers were killed at a pulp and paper mill in Longview, officials from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board announced they were launching an investigation into the tragedy. The problem, however, is that the Trump administration would prefer to eliminate the board.

Read more...

]]> McCloskey: Trump’s pattern of indifference https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/05/mccloskey-trumps-pattern-of-indifference/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:01:53 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2777171 ‘I don’t care about the midterms,” President Donald Trump said last week. Conventional wisdom says he must. But maybe we should take him at his word.

]]> Letter: Battle Ground action is stupid https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/05/letter-battle-ground-action-is-stupid/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:40 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2777236 In a time of great division in our country, it takes a real ideologue with moronic tendencies to get Battle Ground’s government in the thick of the ICE controversy. Instead of addressing real issues (like funding education) these folks chose to stir the pot of civil unrest with their “proclamation.” Really stupid.

]]> Letter: U.S. must get out of Iran https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/05/letter-u-s-must-get-out-of-iran/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:37 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2777174 The United States and Iran are engaged in a war that makes no sense. President Donald Trump got us into this mess that now looks like he cannot find a way to end it. Trump’s only legitimate argument for attacking Iran is that he doesn’t want Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon.

]]> Letter: Raise awareness of gun violence https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/05/letter-raise-awareness-of-gun-violence/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:24 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2777232 June 5 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day marking the beginning of Wear Orange weekend.

]]> Letter: Trump digs in https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/05/letter-trump-digs-in/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:03 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2777229 So, President Donald Trump is adding sniper nests to his ballroom/bunker/hospital. Good luck getting him out of there when he loses.

Read more...

]]> Letter: Council ignores public feedback https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/05/letter-council-ignores-public-feedback/ Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:00:02 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2777238 Monday, the Vancouver City Council voted to approve the “preferred alternative” comprehensive plan that will totally destroy the character of my neighborhood, Ellsworth Springs.

]]> In Our View: Coverage drop highlights healthcare policy issues https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/04/in-our-view-coverage-drop-highlights-healthcare-policy-issues/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:03:10 +0000 The implications of Republican changes to healthcare are starting to be felt. As the fallout continues, it will be essential for the nation to take an honest look at policies and the future of American healthcare.

Read more...

]]> Vora: U.S. should help contain outbreak https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/04/vorau-s-should-help-contain-outbreak/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:01:03 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776810 Ebola is a diabolical disease. The virus, which can cause severe hemorrhaging, spreads through blood and other bodily fluids. Patients, as they grow sicker, become a ticking bomb, endangering anyone compassionate enough to provide hands-on care.

]]> Letter: Battle Ground move is anti-Christian https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/04/letter-battle-ground-move-is-anti-christian/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:23 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776814 Apparently, the mayor of Battle Ground thinks he is promoting Christian values by discriminating against people of color, other than pure white, of course; of different sexual orientation, other than the one espoused by those ignorant about human biology; and those less fortunate who are trying to make a better life for their families by moving to the U.S.

]]> Letter: ICE support is un-American https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/04/letter-ice-support-is-un-american/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:22 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776843 I strongly oppose Battle Ground’s un-American and immoral proclamation supporting ICE and defining anti-fascism protesters as terrorists. In communities across the country, ICE has been a destructive force when they violently attack peaceful protesters and terrify many in the community.

]]> Letter: Boycott Battle Ground https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/04/letter-boycott-battle-ground/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:19 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776845 The Battle Ground City Council is going out on a far-right limb. It is issuing proclamations in favor of ICE and Christian nationalism, and opposed to LGBTQ Pride and “antifa,” which is just a blanket term for anti-MAGA.

]]> Letter: U.S. is guilty of murder https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/04/letter-u-s-is-guilty-of-murder/ Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:03 +0000 When he was running for president in 2016, Donald Trump claimed, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?”

]]> In Our View: Americans must learn to embrace unity https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/03/in-our-view-americans-must-learn-to-embrace-unity/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:03:31 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776624 Like it or not, we’re all in this together.

]]> Jacobson: Immigration crackdown bigger, not better https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/03/jacobson-immigration-crackdown-bigger-not-better/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:01:05 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776354 Funding for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agencies was at the epicenter of the recently resolved budget impasse. This roadblock, resulting in a record-long 75-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, was focused on how ICE was staffed and directed by the Trump administration.

]]> Letter: Scrap light rail plans on I-5 Bridge https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/03/letter-scrap-light-rail-plans-on-i-5-bridge/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:33 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776243 The Columbian’s view of fair tolls on the Interstate 5 Bridge shouts loudly to rethink light rail (“Tolls for new I-5 Bridge fair; how much is the key,” In Our View, May 27).

]]> Letter: Vancouver is welcoming https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/03/letter-vancouver-is-welcoming/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:30 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776440 I am writing to express my admiration and appreciation to the Vancouver community. I am a refugee from Battle Ground. I no longer feel safe or comfortable in my own town since it was taken over by Christian nationalists (“Religion, power and business converge in Battle Ground,” The Columbian, May 23).

]]> Letter: B.G. proclamation inappropriate https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/03/letter-b-g-proclamation-inappropriate/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:14 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776436 The proclamation that is set to pass the Battle Ground City Council is inappropriate, divisive, and contrary to the democratic principles that local government should uphold. The First Amendment protects the rights of Americans to speak, assemble, and protest. A city council should not use its authority to label broad political movements or protesters as terrorists simply because it disagrees with their views.

]]> Letter: Get I-5 Bridge built https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/03/letter-get-i-5-bridge-built/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:05 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776433 Would people please stop whining about the cost of building a safe interstate bridge? The same group that is complaining now is the same group that managed to kill the bridge project years ago when it would have cost a fraction of the current cost. The bridge we have won’t withstand a big earthquake.

]]> In Our View: WSUV cuts reflect out-of-whack priorities https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/02/in-our-view-wsuv-cuts-reflect-out-of-whack-priorities/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:03:15 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776340 Washington State University Vancouver is facing a $15 million budget cut for fiscal year 2027. While the reduction will impact students, prospective students, faculty and staff at Southwest Washington’s only four-year college, it also triggers questions about how our nation approaches higher education.

]]> McCray: Agreement is not understanding https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/02/mccray-agreement-is-not-understanding/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:01:09 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776249 During a recent conversation, my 16-year-old son told me I did not understand him.

]]> Letter: D.C. clown show continues https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/02/letter-d-c-clown-show-continues/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:00:46 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776412 The current administration is trying to erase vote by mail, a highly valued system that increases voter turnout. No widespread fraud has ever been found in vote by mail. Republicans tend to do better the lower the turnout, so no wonder. Strangely, claims of fraud only seem to occur when they lose.

]]> Letter: Raise awareness, save lives https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/02/letter-raise-awareness-save-lives/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:00:32 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776418 Friday, June 5, is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and it kicks off Wear Orange Weekend, June 5-7. I’ll wear orange because we can and should do more to reduce death and injury by guns.

]]> Letter: Focus on women’s rights https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/02/letter-focus-on-womens-rights/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:00:05 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776409 It is very important to talk about women’s rights and the issues being ignored right now. For example, the United Nations reports that 676 million women and girls live within 50 kilometers of deadly conflict, fueling massive spikes in conflict-related sexual violence and marginalization in peace-building efforts.

]]> Letter: Habitat provides hope for housing https://www.columbian.com/news/2026/jun/02/letter-habitat-provides-hope-for-housing/ Tue, 02 Jun 2026 13:00:02 +0000 https://www.columbian.com/?p=2776244 I am writing on behalf of Evergreen Habitat for Humanity in response to the article “ ‘Nothing is ever enough’: Despite two incomes, Vancouver couple find homeownership out of reach” (The Columbian, May 27). We are grateful for the exploration of homeownership in our community and how the Curtis family is navigating the challenges of trying to buy a home.

]]>