Letters to the Editor: April 2–8, 2015

Posted

The Editor:

We human beings have such short memories, and our need to have immediate financial gratification puts blinders on us. Hanford is one of the largest and most difficult superfund toxic cleanup sites in the United States. The leakage of radioactive and poisonous chemicals into the ground and water will go on for hundreds of years or longer.

With Hanford as an example, why are we trying to create a superfund site for future generations to clean up in our own backyard? By allowing millions of tons of toxic coal to sit on our ground awaiting shipment to China and elsewhere, we will have a supersite disaster in the making. Every time it rains, poisonous chemicals will leach into the ground and eventually into our waters, both fresh and salt. It will take hundreds of years, if ever, to erase the damage this coal dump will cause to our environment.

And for what; a few jobs, so a couple of corporations can get even richer, so Chinese businessmen can get wealthier selling us more junk we don’t need, so we can breath the chemicals and fumes that are carried back to us by the winds when the Chinese burn our coal?

Like I said, we human beings have such short memories, and our need for immediate gratification puts blinders on us.

We at The Circle of Trees Studio and Homestead support the Lummi effort to keep coal dumps and their toxic chemical legacy out of our lands, waters and lungs forever.

Ron Snyder and Cathy Taggett

Blaine 

The Editor:

I feel compelled to add my support to earlier complaints about Blaine’s post office. I have a box in a cluster box that is clearly marked, but I have found my mail left under my doormat, under my windshield wiper, laying in the mud near my front gate and even out in the street. I assume the carrier dropped the piece left in the street and neighbors who got my mail by mistake left the other pieces of mail.

For a while, I wrote “wrong address” on mishandled letters and returned them to the post office. But lately, I’ve been delivering them to the rightful recipients and encouraging them to complain. What I’ve learned is that the problem is not limited to my neighborhood. Neighbors and friends all over Blaine share similar stories.

I have complained about lost, returned and mishandled mail at every level of the postal service. Locally, I was told that the regular carrier was sick. That was over a year ago, but mail delivery remains as unreliable as ever. Twice in the last two months I received mail for people who don’t even live on my street. It makes me wonder who got my mail. Nationally, I was told, “morale is low” and, “new hires have lousy work ethics.” What kind of help is that? In other words, they know the service is lousy but obviously nothing is being done about it.

I believe delivering mail accurately and in a timely manner is a sacred trust. Careless mishandling of mail violates that trust and borders on a criminal offence. That’s why I have joined others in sharing my experiences with the USPS Inspector General’s Office. I encourage other victims of this unacceptable service to do so here: United States Postal Service Consumer and Industry Contact Office, 34301 9th Avenue South, Room 304, Federal Way, WA 98003-7092.

We shouldn’t have to depend on the honesty and integrity of our neighbors to receive our mail.

John Yirak

Blaine

The Editor:

Once again, I read someone’s bitter and critical letter aimed at the Blaine postmaster.

I have known Daniel for years. He is an extremely hard-working man who is doing a superb job with the limited power he is given to change things at the post office. I guarantee that none of the nasty letter-writers could

do better.

The mail, including packages, is almost sacred to every postal employee. It’s part of their pride in their work. To say they constantly lose packages is a

flat-out lie.

The petty complainers should keep their untrue, poisonous remarks to themselves.

Rosemary Anker

Blaine

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