Letters to the Editor

Lay off the heat
The Editor:
My response is to the Oregon man and his daughter who had a complaint about the speeding ticket that he received in Blaine, on his way to Vancouver, B.C.
I recently moved to Blaine from a large bustling city. I was looking for a quiet, small town to relax in and I am so happy that I have the opportunity to live here. The traffic is minimal, people are friendly, and the setting is just plain peaceful. Then the holidays arrive and hundreds of tourist come motoring through town. Speeding, drinking, littering and everything else that comes from people who don’t care, because, “hey, it’s not my town!”
On these holidays, I never fail to see someone come speeding down the street going at least 40-45 mph in a 25 mph zone. You say the police here are like the gestapo. Give me a break! You may drive like a bat out of hell in Oregon, which I can vouch for after many driving trips through your state, but it doesn’t mean that you can do the same thing here and get away with it. The police officers are just doing their job and, might I add, doing it correctly.
I personally think that this is one town where the police are friendly and really do care about what goes on around them. They want to continue making Blaine a safe, peaceful place to live, which is so rare in a city nowadays. You say that you didn’t know the speed limit - well, next time you might want to try looking at the right hand side of the road. You know, the big poles that hold the black and white signs that are spaced every so many feet?
Veronica Horwell
Blaine

Very scary...
The Editor:
While people like Murray, Cantwell, and Larsen are patting each other on the back for their push on the NEXUS cross border issue they have severely put this country in harm’s way, and here is why.
According to media reports, since September 11 there have been approximately 26,000 people who have entered Canada claiming refugee status. A lot of them had little or no documentation or identification. Given the ease of people getting status in Canada and the lack of manpower to track these people, the ease of obtaining false identities and the huge Muslim population in Canada, we should be worried.
The NEXUS program from the U .S. side will use a radio frequency system that will read the cards no matter where they are in your car, no matter what or whose car you are driving. It will flash the person’s picture that is on the card to an agent in the booth who will match the person on the screen with who is in the car. If they match they will be allowed to proceed. The computer will randomly choose a car periodically to send in for secondary inspection: now it could be every second car or every 500th car.
Now given the recent events of late where our intelligence network has uncovered a sleeper in our country who was planning to set off a bomb in the Chicago area, what’s to say that in Canada a sleeper gets a NEXUS card, rents a car, loads it with explosives, drives to the border with his NEXUS card, gets through without secondary inspection and drives to Seattle and sets it off, killing more innocent people and himself. With the ease of obtaining a NEXUS card, because he had no customs or immigration offenses and was not a sexual predator, or convicted of a D.U.I. and had no criminal record he or she will get the card.
The system will supposedly be up and running by the end of this month, so how extensive a background check do you think is going to take place?
The problem with NEXUS is that it focuses on the people in the car, no matter what car they are driving, and not on the car itself. Every car that enters this country should be searched not only for bomb materials but for high potency grass that is grown in Canada.
Canada’s lack of a security network like ours to detect terrorists or supposed terrorists and their lack of any military force to cover their borders leaves me concerned.
After the events of September 11 are we concerned about the ease of passage across the borders and the flow of commerce or are we concerned about the safety of our nation? Entering this country is a privilege, not a right, and after what took place in New York, our safety should be our first concern.
Our bags and our persons get searched at our airports and we put up with a little convenience for our safety, so why are we in such a rush to open our borders to rolling bombs that may or may not be sent in for secondary inspection?
The actions by the liberal democrats to ease border restrictions puts this country in very serious harm’s way and we as a target of terrorist attacks need to put pressure on our government to take a longer, more
thorough look at the NEXUS program and tighten it up before we open it up to every would be terrorist and drug dealer coming into this country.
Dave White
Blaine

Fabulous fundraising
The Editor:
What a fundraising year this has been. We started off in November with the poinsettia sale and finished off in May with the butter braid fundraiser. I would like to thank all the senior parents who worked so hard on the fundraising. Your efforts are what made the Alcohol and Drug Free Senior Graduation Party a huge success. It was a gift our seniors will never forget or experience again.
We were able to raise enough funds for the seniors to enjoy an evening cruise on the Victoria Star II to Anacortes and then a night of Thunder Alley bowling at 20th Century Lanes. There was plenty of food and beverages. The local businesses that donated door prizes were overwhelmingly generous and we greatly appreciate their help.
I would like to personally thank the businesses and organizations who generously donated to our cause, with door prize and cash donations
Many thanks to our chaperons Marvin Sargent and Christal Schamel’s relatives that made sure that our seniors came home safely. Your bravery to take on 86 excited teenagers was greatly appreciated. To the Mallahan’s for being our blackjack and roulette dealers, thanks for keeping it all straight.
A personal and heartfelt thanks to Anna Folk my co-chair for her help with all the fundraising and phone calling, I could not have done it without you. Kathy Hurd thank you for always being willing to help and always answering my e-mails. Debra Williams for researching our options. Debra Miller thanks for your help in transporting all the goodies to the charter company. A sincere and grateful thanks to Carol Liebert and Connie Pilon for keeping everyone informed and being our “go to” gals. You two are awesome.
Thank you to all the senior parents for their kind words of encouragement, you know who you are and it meant a lot to me. I wish I could name all of you.
Lastly, thank you to you, the community, for all your purchases of poinsettias, Valentine candy, easter lilies, and butter braids. Without your support we would not have achieved any of this.
Parents of Seniors 2003 you have your work cut out for you. My advice to you is to start early.
It is a great and caring community we live in. Please continue to support those businesses that helped support us.
Thank you.
Sheila Connors
Blaine

Border babble
The Editor:
Frequent news reports reveal INS incompetency. The performance of assistant district inspector Ron Hays at the NEXUS meeting on June 8 in Point Roberts provided an example of the type of official who sets these fiascos in motion. A self described “bureaucrat,” he admitted to “weaseling on answers.” He suggested we would have to resign ourselves to long border lineups unless we gave Point Roberts “back to Canada.” Mr. Hays owes the community an apology for that statement. As an old-fashioned American, I am embarrassed to have such a person representing my country.
Hays went on to boast that a couple of years ago he had tried to convince headquarters to remove inspectors at the border and have a couple at the marina. Who would be expected to visit the inspectors at the marina?
The INS bureaucracy needs to spring clean its drawers. I urge them to dump officials like Mr. Hays. Until they do, the INS motto should be SNAFU.
Ruby Gibson White
Point Roberts

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