The Editor:
Twice, I read Mr. Agnello’s November 8 letter relative to the U.S. military. Initially, and for a while, I was irritated – very irritated. Eventually it morphed into disappointment – serious disappointment. Disappointment that there are reasonable adults in our community (local and abroad) that harbor such contempt for an entity of our society that has sacrificed so much for our, and much of the world’s, freedoms. And, sadly, to present it on the week recognizing our veterans. My hope is that we can develop a better understanding of each other, and of our nation‘s functioning and objectives.
The U.S. military is a huge and very complex entity, with extremely broad duties and objectives, and as such, accomplishes them (or not) in not necessarily universally understood or accepted methods and outcomes. It makes mistakes. However – make no mistake – it has been one of, if not the most, national-and-self-sacrificing secular entities that has ever functioned in the world! It has effectively provided Mr. Agnello and others the freedom to present what I believe to be very distorted views of our U.S. military and the
individuals who provide, and have provided, for its functioning.
As a 78-year-old five-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps – I invite Mr Agnello to join us some Friday evening for country dancing at the Birch Bay Legion. Any one of us will sign you in. You’ll find us to be very disarming individuals – and you will have an opportunity to review some of the historical good associated with the United States military. Thank you.
Peter Werner
Blaine
The Editor:
Whatcom County had 76.9 percent of registered voters vote in this month’s election. That is something we should all be proud of. Democracies only succeed with involved citizens.
Whether the turnout was the result of our wonderful system of voting by mail with drop boxes in convenient locations, or because county voters felt adamant about the issues and candidates on the ballot, or because of an urban vs. rural sentiment or as the result of massive amounts of dollars spent on ads and signage, something worked here.
What was also amazing was how close the races for our state legislative seats were. When you have the greatest difference being about 1,000 votes and the least being less than 60, all three positions (state senator, state representatives) were clearly astoundingly close. So whoever the victor is in each of these races, let’s hold him or her accountable to represent the entire electorate and find common ground. We can do that by insisting they represent us first rather than the party they ascribed to during the election. At every opportunity, we should ask what they are doing to “cross the aisle,” and remind them they need to be Washington state legislators first and Democrats or Republicans second.
Susan O’Malley
Blaine
The Editor:
The Community Assistance Program would like to thank everyone in our community who donated coats and other winter clothing to the annual CAP/Interfaith Coalition Winter Coat Drive. By the end of the distribution, over 600 coats had been donated, along with many beautiful handmade hats and scarves. After receiving coats, hats, gloves, and/or socks, 487 people in our community will be warmer this winter thanks to your generosity. Items that were not distributed will be given out at the Blaine Clothing Bank through the winter.
We also want to thank the churches, businesses, and other organizations that were collection points for the coat drive, as well as the volunteers who helped out. Every year we are amazed at the generosity of people in this community. Thank you all for helping to keep our neighbors warm through the winter months ahead.
Linda Bennett
CAP Coat Drive Director
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