Food far from fresh
The Editor:
I have just made my second trip to the Blaine food bank. I found myself in need so availed myself of this valuable program. On my first trip on the morning of February 23, listed groceries donated by the local grocery store as followed: Two quart container of low fat, skim milk, fortified. Pull date of February 23, 2001 and had started to curdle already. Dumped it. One small box of raspberries. Moldy. Dumped it. One small container of Mexican, rice soup. Starting to go rancid. Dumped it.

My trip on February 27 yielded: three apples, badly bruised and rotting; one mango, rotten; one rotten nectarine and two good ones; and one quart of spoiling milk.

I don’t know the dollar value of the food items donated but it probably should be of no value due to the unusable amount of fresh (supposedly) food items being written off. Just list this as a citizen of Blaine and I think the donations from the stores should be of a quality that is at least usable and will possibly last for at least two days in the refrigerator.
Name withheld by request
Blaine

4H has super plans
The Editor:
Get ready! Get set! Mark your calendars! On March 10, the Whatcom County 4-H council will hold their annual super Saturday event. Super Saturday is, of course, on a saturday – namely March 10, this year. It consists of a series of fun, educational classes designed for youths, parents and 4-H leaders. Registration starts at 9 a.m., and the last class ends at 2:35 p.m. This event will be held at Vista middle school in Ferndale.

There is an amazing array of classes ranging from beginning calligraphy to guide dogs and karate to beginning swing dancing. There is truly something for everyone. For lunch, you can either bring a sack lunch or buy a meal at the 4-H food booth. If you are interested in super Saturday but haven’t yet registered, you can do so Saturday. Many classes are still open, and remember: you don’t need to be in 4-H to attend this great event! Please bring a canned food item to share with the local food banks; the Whatcom County 4-H council will deliver the collected items. Thank you.

For more information, please call the county extension office at 676-6736. Hope to see you there!
Stephanie Hiner
Lynden

Bullying makes schools unsafe
The Editor:
Another school shooting. In California this time. A common thread running through all these recent reports is that these kids are being “picked on” and “bullied.” They are described by their peers as “dorks” and “freaks.” This in no way excuses them from this extreme method of getting even.

However, they are a small percentage of the children who go to school day after day enduring the slow humiliating taunts of their schoolmates. People have to understand the pain and the psychological or sometimes physical damage that this causes. It can range from teasing kids about their looks or what is perceived as “weird” behavior to ridiculing their personal and religious beliefs to actual physical action such as beating kids up or stuffing them into lockers, etc.

Most of these kids will keep this abuse to themselves and suffer internally. Some will discuss it with their parents. Some parents will talk to teachers and administrators, and get responses like “Oh, it is part of going to school” or “I’m sure it’s not that bad” or “Let’s wait awhile to see if it takes care of itself” or “Maybe your child needs to stand up to them.” Some kids don’t want their parents to do anything for fear that will make it worse.

Of course the knee jerk reaction to these shootings is to step up security and the obligatory hysteria about the need for more gun control. I say it is high time that we start looking at a system that supports compulsory attendance and the requirements that schools must accept all students regardless of whether or not they are learning anything. It’s time that school teachers and administrators start protecting the children that are being emotionally abused by their peers just because they are looked upon as being “different.”
Terry Pilant
Blaine

Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com