Letters to the Editor

One of the good guys
The Editor:
My husband and I would like to publicly thank Richard Sturgill for his kindness towards a little girl.
Our great niece was visiting us this summer and we wanted to take her for a ferry ride on our famous Plover. We had to wait 45 minutes for the ferry to return to Blaine and little Robyn was so excited never having been on a boat of any kind.
We were first in line when the boat docked but were shoved back by other passengers who wouldn’t move out of the way of passengers getting off. Robyn, who is only six years old, was so disappointed and cried her heart out.
We older ones were quite angry at the rude behavior of the passengers. Mr. Sturgill came to our office one day and I told him the story and this nice man sent Robyn a letter of apology and pictures of him and the Plover and a model of the ferry and especially invited her this next summer on a certain date to ride on his boat. What a thrill this was for a young girl.
Mr. Sturgill, you’re an exceptional man and a good example of good citizenship in this town. Thank you.
Toni and Gene Peller
Blaine

Smarten up, will you!
The Editor:
I wanted to write this letter because of something I witnessed in Blaine on November 22. I was driving my kids home after picking them up from school and had made a quick errand in Blaine. On our way back up H Street police officer Landis was on his motorcycle with his lights flashing so I pulled over.
He proceeded on his bike to the crosswalk at Mitchell and H streets where he had to stop because of a large group of Boys and Girls club kids crossing the street. To my amazement and horror, instead of waiting for police officer Landis to go through the crosswalk the kids started to run out and cross the street. He had to come to a complete stop even though he had on his emergency lights. I watched kids run out in front of him laughing and challenging his right-of-way by coming out into the crosswalk, hesitating and then running across in front of him.
Officer Landis put his arm out and gestured for kids to stay back but some still crossed. At this point vital time was being wasted and because of the way the kids had reacted to the officer approaching them on his motorcycle someone could have been killed including officer Landis if he had had to stop any quicker than he already did.
My outrage is this, where is the supervision for this large group of young kids? Are they just expected to stay together and cross the street on their own because they obviously don’t know how to do it. This was a group of about 20 or so kids.
These kids seemed clueless that the officer was trying to get to an emergency and seemed to think it was funny to run out in front of him to get across the street. They were all laughing and smiling like it was a game.
I don’t blame the kids since kids will be kids and officer Landis is well liked, but who I do blame is the Boys and Girls Club for lack of supervision and for what could have been a devastating situation.
And by the way, people need to pull over for emergency vehicles. Very few cars pulled over to the side and as more police cars came along H Street they were forced to drive in the left lane because of blocking, clueless cars.
I also would like people to know that we passed by officer Landis and the other police vehicles a little farther up on H Street and they weren’t going to any every day run of the mill call. The officers had two men lying on the ground at gunpoint. Who knows what would have happened if any of the officers had been held up any longer by kids or cars.
Krista Unser
Blaine

Up the revolution!
The Editor:
Recently I had the privilege of visiting a foreign country. I was shocked by the differences between their public servants and ours; especially when it came to the police.
I am Whatcom County born and raised. I recall a time when I felt proud to live in this beautiful area. Unfortunately, those days have long since passed. Having seen changes, which I have seen, I now hold my head with shame.
I remember the police when I was young and as I recall, they were all very nice and caring people, quite similar to the police I saw during my recent travels. Police who approached you with a smile, spoke directly and continued to smile when you drove away. They reminded me of that ole’ Andy Griffith-type. The non-threatening sort, who took their oaths seriously, committed to serve and protect.
So what caused them to transition from our friend to our foe? Why must they intimidate and harass? Whatever happened to good ‘ole fashioned manners and respect? What has happened to our country folks?
Not long ago I discovered that our country has the highest return rate of prisoners. In other words, of all the countries in our state, ours is convicting the largest number of innocent people to prison. People who regain their freedom through subsequent appeals.
Isn’t it time that we take action against this injustice? I urge you to reply: Citizens for Change, P.O. Box 1335, Blaine, WA. 98231.
T.J. Linn
Blaine

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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

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 are limited to five individuals or groups. 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 email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com