Women have never had much cause for celebration on “independence” day. Beginning with Abigail Adams’ plea to her husband John to “Remember the ladies” in the Constitution and his reply, “Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems,” this has been a country of (white) men, by (white) men, and for (white) men. Women were useful for bearing children and raising them, but men did not regard us as capable of participating in government. Or even owning our own clothes.

Although women finally won the right to vote in 1920, it was not until the 1970s that we won bodily autonomy and other fundamental freedoms that white men had taken for granted for 200 years. Even then, many of our newly won freedoms were accessible only to the privileged.

Now, ironically, a Supreme Court dominated by justices who champion “liberty” and freedom from “burdensome government regulations” has stripped women of our liberty.

So this “independence” day we won’t be celebrating. We’ll be organizing.

Mary Mosley

Meridian

‘My body’

It is interesting to me that when asked to wear masks, or vaccinate some responded “it’s my body, or it’s a violation of my rights”. Yet some of these same people want to tell women what to do with their bodies and limit women’s right to decide. I feel both abortion and refusing to mask or get shots are personal decisions. You cannot have it both ways! Rights are rights! Personal decisions are rights for everyone or for no one!

Lyna Kittelmann

Payette

Gun restrictions

The latest crime report for Idaho shows that crime is down in Boise. And it also shows that arrests are down, probably because of a superb job being done by the Boise Police in de-escalating situations that might otherwise result in an arrest. Few cities have it this good. To combat this dreadful news, the Mayor and most of the city council quote stats from large cities run by their Socialist kin. Then they say that because of those stats, restrictions on firearms use and ownership for the citizens of Boise, Idaho are in order, and indeed, long overdue. Confused? Me too. They’re probably under fire from fellow lefties for not “doing something about guns.” This is precisely why we have state preemption law. As for the racist comment made by Ms. Sanchez, well, one trip to a gun show, just looking at the people going in, will show you how much of a lie that is.

Terry Fitzgerald

Boise

Skyscraper

Always being on the lookout for something new in my favorite city, I couldn’t help but bump into that 27-story luxury apartment monstrosity at 12th and Idaho Streets. Even craning my neck, I couldn’t see the top since it disappeared into the clouds. Projected to have retail stores on the ground level, 7 levels of parking with 396 spots, 18 residential floors with 297 units, and the top two floors for socializing. That comes to 16.5 units per floor and 1.3 parking spots per unit. Units range from 480 sq. ft. to 1000 sq. ft. I’m particularly interested in seeing what a 480 sq. ft. luxury apartment looks like. All on a 200-foot by 100-foot foundation.

Geared for the monied crowd who crave cramped quarters, it provides a taste of Chicago, but lacking the downtown crime. Is this the new Boise, bulging and bursting at the seams? Every city has an anomaly, and this as yet unnamed edifice will be Boise’s.

Tom Yount

Boise