Readers Write: Ukraine, Allina lab transfer, absentee voting, name-calling

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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The talking heads constantly ask Ukraine to negotiate a peace with Russia right away. Perhaps we should ask a different question. If a stronger, bigger enemy attacked the U.S., which states would you abandon to the invader to buy peace? Which states are not worth defending? Which of our fellow citizens should we leave behind for that invader to imprison, torture or kill? It is only fair that we should have to answer the same questions that we expect the Ukrainians to answer.

Phyllis Ballata, White Bear Lake

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The Harris-Walz campaign has been reaching out to Polish American voters, reminding them that the country of their ancestors is once again at risk of invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin might well do to Poland what he has done to Ukraine. For most of the 20th century, Russia was a major aggressor in Europe and Central Asia. After World War II ended, Russia, under the flag of the Soviet Union, occupied and/or dominated virtually all Eastern European countries and several Central European countries, along with several Central Asian countries. Putin has said that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century. He seems eager to restore Russian dominance in the countries that were Soviet satellites during the Cold War. In today’s Europe, after conquering Ukraine, he would likely stir up troubles on the Ukraine-Poland border and use that as a pretext to invade Poland. The Harris-Walz campaign is wise to remind Polish Americans of that threat.

I can understand how Polish Americans might feel about seeing the homeland of their ancestors invaded and occupied by Russia. Many Polish Americans maintain strong connections to their ancestral home. The thought of it coming once again under Russian dominance is repugnant to them. Interestingly, all four of my grandparents emigrated to the U.S. from three countries (Finland, Sweden and Ukraine) that are all too familiar with Russian threats to their freedom and sovereignty. Finland and Sweden only became members of NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Putin’s full-scale invasion shattered a longstanding sense of stability in northern Europe, leaving Sweden and Finland feeling vulnerable. Both countries had previously been neutral and did not join NATO when it was formed in 1949. Meanwhile, Ukraine has wanted to join NATO ever since the Cold War ended.

Like Polish Americans who feel a kinship with the country of their ancestors, I also feel a kinship with Finland, Sweden and Ukraine because of my own heritage. I would hate to see those countries become vassal states of Russia. A second Trump administration would opt out of NATO, abandon Europe and (according to Trump) let Putin “do whatever the hell he wants” to NATO members that do not increase their defense spending. His comments have shocked and worried European allies and demonstrated that a future Trump presidency could lead to a weakened NATO. A Harris-Walz administration would ensure that the U.S. remains in NATO and that European nations remain strong allies of the U.S.

Michael Kluznik, Mendota Heights

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As a former community college history instructor and lifelong student of European history, I am appalled by America’s tepid and sluggish military support for Ukraine in that nation’s fight for survival against blatant Russian aggression. This conflict has now reached a critical stage, and there is grave doubt that it can be sustained very far beyond the end of the year. Not only have we denied Ukrainians crucial long-range weaponry necessary for their defense, that which has been promised on paper is often slow in actual delivery. The seven-month pause in meaningful assistance previously engendered by Trump and his congressional supporters has been nothing short of disastrous. His re-election in November will seal the deal. If checking Russian expansionism is the main purpose behind the creation of NATO, our time — and Ukraine’s — is running short.

Charles Cleland, Brooklyn Park

Regarding Allina outsourcing of medical lab work to New Jersey’s Quest Diagnostics (”Union doctors call Allina lab transfer a ‘disastrous, chaotic mess,’” StarTribune.com, Sept. 23): As an engineer I look at that decision and think about the multiple points of failure, any one of which could injure the patient. Was the lab order correct? Was transportation on time? Did the sample stay cold (if needed) during transportation? Did sample identity remain accurate and consistent after being mixed with thousands of other samples from perhaps 10 other hospitals? If the results were sent back via email, were they received, or did they go to the spam folder? Etc., etc. Whoever did the failure analysis on this should be fired. I understand hospitals are in a tough spot financially. But patient safety must be the No. 1 goal. Perhaps the CEO and the board should be compensated based more on patient outcomes and not solely on financial performance. In my opinion, this decision is a significant mistake.

Martin Lunde, St. Anthony

Having worked in elections, I read with some interest the article “Most say they trust vote accuracy” in Wednesday’s paper.

The information for absentee voting by mail is verified multiple times: when a ballot is mailed to a voter, when it is received and during audits during the days ballots are held in a secure vault.

The Absentee Ballot Board is a team of party-balanced judges that does a final audit of all ballots, and another verification as each team processes ballots precinct by precinct. When complete and checked by elections staff, the ballots are tabulated.

After each election, Hennepin County selects precincts at random for an additional audit.

I was responsible for supervising the Absentee Ballot Board for Minneapolis elections from the 2018 primary through the 2024 presidential primary. During my service, working with trained and dedicated elections staff and election judges, we tabulated 364,237 ballots.

To the 38% who believe mail-in absentee voting is vulnerable to fraud, and the 12% who are not sure, let me assure you that mail-in absentee voting is safe and secure.

Erik Scheurle, Minneapolis

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Wednesday’s voting trust story caught my eye and piqued my curiosity: Has voter trust in elections changed over the years?

As an environmental scientist studying contaminants in drinking water, I explore contamination processes, effects and remediation effectiveness over time. Parallel considerations are relevant to understanding voter trust. How do today’s voter trust measures compare to mid-2020 and earlier? For example, what were the voter trust measures in 2016, when early ballots accounted for more than 41% of nationwide ballots cast in 2016 — and the election had no associated sensationalist headlines?

How much has the election-process contamination introduced in 2020 affected voter confidence? How have four years of lies about our election process polluted perceptions about early voting and election integrity? How deeply and widely have the election-process lies tainted voters’ confidence of elections in general and early voting specifically? Will the poison of election-process lies lead to civil unrest or civil war if the liar’s team loses the election? Can factually accurate voting process information and critical thinking education inoculate newly skeptical voters against lies?

The contamination of lies is permeating our society and nation just as surely as “forever chemicals.” This fall, our votes can remediate the pollution of lies.

Melinda Erickson, Roseville

I read the Sept. 26 letter to the editor about name-calling and the trouble with liberals comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.

While among those disgusted with name-calling and false information by both sides, I find it necessary to remind the letter writer that the GOP’s vice presidential candidate himself, Sen. JD Vance, used this comparison in a Facebook message to an associate in 2016, so these are not the feelings of just one side.

A plea, and hope, for civility by everyone at this time.

Jerry McNeal, Duluth