Letters to the Editor

Legion lends hands
The Editor:
My wife Joyce and I returned Sunday after spending three days at Fort Lewis, Washington representing the American Legion, Peace Arch Post 86, for the 2001 Summer Special Olympics. This is the ninth year we have been representing the community at the Special Olympics for disabled children and adults from our whole state.
A staff captain from Fort Lewis and I presented colors at Soldiers Field Auditorium and proceeded to collaborate with the Handball Tournament.
Besides attending the opening ceremonies at McChord Air Force Base we assisted contestants and helped with feeding the many entrants along with the many volunteers during their breaks and lunches.
This is the 28th year that Fort Lewis has hosted the Special Olympics and many military personnel volunteered many hours of their time to this worthy event.
Gordon Anthony
Blaine

Defining the problem
The Editor:
To people who leave unwanted kittens and puppies in boxes with “for free” signs:
Random House Dictionary: Neuter, page 890; spay, page 1259; irresponsible, page 701; lack of sense of responsibility, not capable of or qualified for responsibility.
Irritate just happens to be on the same page. Stupid, page 1301. Get it? Oh, by the way, compassion is on page 271.
Kathy Elsbree
Blaine

Genetic engineering: pros and cons
The Editor:
My name is Kevin Hastings and I am a senior at Blaine high school. For my World Problems class, we had to choose a current world problem, research it and write a paper. My research was done on genetic engineering and I wrote a paper arguing that the benefits of genetic engineering outweigh the dangers and problems.
The generally negative opinion of genetic engineering causes people worldwide to be worried which, in turn, slows the industry’s growth. To help the problem on a community level, I decided to create a website that explains the benefits of genetic engineering. On the web right now, there are very few sites that discuss genetic engineering in a positive light.
With access to both the negative and positive potentials of genetic engineering, hopefully people will be able to make an educated decision on their own. People who make the decision based on their own findings will also be stronger advocates for genetic engineering. I would like people to visit http://www.geocities.com/taydatay304 and e-mail me with any questions.
Kevin Hastings
Blaine

Right about everything?
The Editor:
Kudo’s to the gentleman from Birch Bay who had the guts to say the same thing I have been saying for eight years. Ms. Onyon’s comments are baseless at best. She and the rest of the council deserve the condemnations they receive because they have done nothing to improve Blaine’s situation in the county except to raise rates when it was not justified, plunged us further and further into debt and stifled growth, all while raising the salary and benefit package of the city manager and raising our taxes when they got a clear message from the voters that said no new taxes, which they ignored.
You, the voters of Blaine, need to look real hard at this idea the council is trying to sell you on with the regional wastewater treatment plant. This will cost you more than most of you can afford in sewer rates. Also, they are under the impression they are going to get up to 70 percent funding to pull this off, and from my contacts both in Olympia and Washington D.C., I can tell you they will be lucky if they get any funding because of the actions previously taken by Mortillaro and Hobberlin, as well as their own actions.
Also, we will be held hostage on rates for sewer because Birch Bay will be the primary owner of the plant and we will be a wholesale customer, even though we will be paying for most of the start up costs, and they will use those rates to blackmail us for water to them for their development purposes.
One final comment, Ms. Onyon. If I could put up with your criticism of me when I was on the council, then you should be able to put up with it from the people who pay the bills, the taxpayers. If you can’t take the comments for your actions then you should resign.
You all may not like me but none of you are willing to debate me on the issues or prove me wrong, and so far I have been right about everything.
Dave White
Blaine

Food drive thanks
The Editor:
The employees of the Blaine post office would like to thank the community of Blaine for their generous support and donations during this year’s food drive. On May 12 the carriers collected 3,100 pounds of food for the Blaine food bank. A special thanks to Pelican Press for their donation again this year of the flyers used for the food drive.
Patricia A. Briggs, postmaster
Blaine

Driving in dollars
The Editor:
The Blaine Dollars for Scholars would like to thank all those who helped with the May 19 Dollars for Scholars Golf Tournament. The tournament raised almost $6,500, which will be used for high school scholarships. The second annual golf tournament was a big success and plans are made for next year’s tournament, which will be held on May 18, 2002.
A special thank you to all of our sponsors – too numerous to mention.
The tournament was won by Jerry Amundson and his team with a score of 11 under. Cam Weber and Lynn Grant won the longest drive contests. Les Okonek won the $1,000 closest to the pin challenge.
Again we want to thank all those who helped in one way or another, and hope to see you next year to our tournament. If you would like more information about Blaine Dollars for Scholars, feel free to call any board member listed below.
Shannon VanderYacht, Doug Cross, Marta Kazymyra, Bill Wright, Rhonda Bresnan, Larissa Dhanani, Peggy Kent, John Smrke or Todd Berge.
Todd Berge and the
Blaine Dollars for Scholars Board

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