The Editor:
Senator Ericksen’s latest PR piece is titled “Senator Doug Ericksen’s environmental successes you may have missed in your local media.” This may be because they didn’t really happen.
As Ericksen’s piece claims, he did indeed co-sponsor SB-5939. But instead of “saving the solar industry in Washington” it was actually a tax incentive bill and provided a method of recycling renewable energy components. But it also ended the Renewable Energy Cost-Recovery Incentive program effective two years ago. This was a significant boost to the renewable energy industry in Washington, so instead of saving it, he actually helped curtail solar energy’s appeal.
The PR piece also claims sponsorship of SB-6248, that he says protects rate payers and workers at coal-burning facilities as they are closed down. But the workers are all in Montana coal mines.
Plus, SB-6248 actually has nothing to do with coal. Instead 6248 was a bill that allows community colleges and technical schools to award high school diplomas to qualified students.
I guess mistakes happen when people in Texas fund (and write?) your campaign material.
Jack Kintner
Blaine
The Editor:
The days of Earth are numbered. And yet what emerges, grows, and blossoms here is immeasurable, a gift from the infinite journey of existence. What are Earth’s moods and expressions as it orbits the sun in a seemingly endless cycle of day and night?
Earth can be happy in sunshine and blue sky one moment and cloudy, wet, and cold the next. Yes, just like us, Earth can cry tears, can be icy and cold, and can be sunny and warm or darn hot! And Earth can be petulant beyond words in her earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and forest fires.
What care does Earth need from me, from you, from all human beings? How do we protect and honor all of Earth’s gifts to life? For example, how can we begin to appreciate the role of trees on this planet, the role of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and its effects in water, the effect of toxic human waste in Earth’s air, soils, oceans, rivers and lakes? And do we appreciate the gifts of all of Earth’s other creature such as insects, spiders, worms, birds, fish, other mammals, flowers, trees and weeds – essentially the Tree of Life which also includes all human beings.
As summer ends and we experience a change of the seasons, reflect on the “gifts of care and renewal” you can give to Earth and to others.
Kay Burrough
Birch Bay
The Editor:
We are helping reclaim the future for millions by participating in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Our Team name is NARFE District 2. The Walk to End Alzheimer’s event will be held on Saturday, September 15 at Pine Square (First and Pine) Mount Vernon, WA, 98273. Registration begins at 8 a.m., the opening ceremony is at 9 a.m. and the walk starts at 9:30 a.m.
I am very fortunate to belong to an organization, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) which was financially supported Alzheimer’s research since 1985 through donations to the Alzheimer’s Association and are again sponsoring a Walk to End Alzheimer’s team this year.
Currently, more than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. Our future is at risk unless we can find a way to change the course of this disease.
The end of Alzheimer’s disease starts with you. Please join our Walk or just make a donation to help the Alzheimer’s Association advance research into methods of treatment, prevention and, ultimately, a cure. You can also register or donate online at act.alz.org.
Hope to see you there!
Steven Roy, Everett chapter team captain
Blaine
The Editor:
What’s happening at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce?
The all-volunteer, unpaid, Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce works hard to put on wonderful events that draw thousands of people to our area. The kite festival, sand sculpture competition, rollback weekend and Discovery Days events enhance our summers and benefit our economy, so it’s important to have a well-functioning chamber board.
However, at its August 20 board meeting, several vendors registered concerns and complaints about aspects of rollback weekend, two boardmembers resigned verbally and left immediately after the public comment session (hopefully they’ll return), its vice president was removed from his position during the meeting after the public comments, the chamber president has had serious complaints filed about him with a call that he be removed from office before the Discovery Days event, and there was discussion about cutting summer events to two from the current four. The general membership may not be aware of recent board issues, but to maintain the good work done in the past should perhaps start asking, “What’s going on?” Chamber board meetings are open to the public.
Chuck Kinzer
Birch Bay
The Editor:
John McCain excelled at being a human being. As a statesman, he held to a code which included truth, justice and fair play. As a politician, he was a rarity! His most valuable asset in this arena may have been his ability to admit he made a mistake. And survive.
He wanted to solve problems and errors do not accomplish this. To make fewer of them, he sought to understand, and sometimes withstand, opposing points of view. When he turned out mistaken, he fixed it openly. He then set forth to solve a new problem that arose from the new facts.
If only this behavior could inspire the rest of us. We might then stop jumping to conclusions in thinking the worst of our opponents and trying to gain at their defeat. We could work to make a better system where trust can become a reasonable option again. As it is now, any admission of guilt even by an honest mistake is usually pounced on with accusations, outrage, manipulations, slanderous suggestions, lawsuits or even jail time. And this is true for all those in power and becoming true for us all.
Such actions can cause people to hide their errors, take defensive action or cover for each other – all of which make justice even harder to find; this leads to harming the innocent with no corrections made, letting the guilty go unseen and free, and keeping the problem intact or making it worse. In short, John McCain was an honest man with enough courage to behave like one. That should not be only for a maverick!
Sharon Robinson
Blaine
The Editor:
Justin Boneau is the Democratic candidate running to become our 42nd District state representative, Position 1. He is a U.S. Navy veteran, Western Washington University graduate, father of a young daughter and supervisor of a crew of Ecology Youth Corps.
Justin personally experiences the situation of working families struggling to pay increasing rent in Whatcom County. He supports living wage jobs, increased health care access, affordable housing and child care, and public pre-K. He understands the need to protect our environment and is a gun owner who supports common-sense safety measures.
His incumbent Republican opponent has voted against equal pay for women and a ban on bump stocks. Against phasing out toxic chemicals from food packaging and measures to reduce the escape of non-native fish from fish farms. She also voted to exempt state legislators from public records laws. We need a change of representation!
Justin is not a polished politician. He is authentic and plain-spoken. We need his values and fresh perspective in the state legislature. I invite you to join me in voting for Justin Boneau!
Myra Ramos
Lummi Island
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