The Editor:
You want to save the salmon. You want to save the seals. You want to save the orcas. I am sure you realize none of the seals, salmon or orcas play well together.
Representative Vincent Buys has continually sponsored and cosponsored bills and amendments to increase hatchery production of salmon to provide more food for the orcas.
This year he cosponsored a southern resident orca recovery bill (HB 2417) to increase hatchery production of salmon and establish an orca recovery task force. This would have promoted orca recovery by providing 10 million more fish for them to eat, but the bill never made it to the House floor.
We also need to look at the causes of salmon depletion. How does a salmon, a seal or an orca survive when other countries across the Pacific overfish salmon? Why do we protect harbor seals when orcas enjoy inviting the same Chinook salmon to lunch that the seals love to eat as well?
The seals decimate the salmon yet are a protected species. How do we protect salmon when they are netted with wild abandon by Native American tribes? If representative Buys can wind his way through this legal and political minefield, bless him.
Gail Gallant
Blaine
The Editor:
I look forward to sipping on a latte next to that lovely (lit) gas fireplace at Starbucks on chilly northwest days, discussing all of the great changes that have been made to Blaine’s downtown core.
Linda Bennett
Blaine
The Editor:
The U.S. government and the European Union pulled financial support for the Cambodian election after Cambodia dissolved the main opposition party last year. Neither the U.S. or E.U. sent election monitors for the election that was a landslide victory for Prime Minister Hun Sen, in power since 1985.
In an interview with The Seattle Times published September 23, senator Doug Ericksen discussed his time in Cambodia, saying, “Nobody is going to claim it’s a perfect Jeffersonian democracy […] America’s not a perfect Jeffersonian democracy, you know?”
Four Republican legislators from Washington state decided to take it upon themselves to travel to Cambodia and watch the election, even though the Cambodian National Election Committee has been known to recruit fake monitors in the past to lend credibility to their elections.
Republican representatives Drew MacEwen and Brandon Vick cut their trip short after meetings with the U.S. ambassador to Cambodia and hearing his concerns representing U.S. policy. Our District 42 legislators senator Ericksen and representative Vincent Buys stayed to praise the 80 percent turnout that international experts have loudly denounced as an illegitimate vote to support the strongman government that Ericksen admires.
We do not need this kind of leadership in our county and district. Vote for Pinky Vargas to replace senator Ericksen and Sharon Shewmake (the agricultural economist professor) to succeed representative Buys.
Donna Starr
Blaine
The Editor:
The upcoming election gives us voters an opportunity to make needed changes to our state representation in the 42nd District. Our current state senator Doug Ericksen and representatives Luanne Van Werven and Vincent Buys have not served us well.
They have taken nearly eight years to fund traffic solutions at the intersection of Blaine Road and Portal Way. Senator Ericksen was able to transfer funding for this project to a Lynden project a few years ago. All three voted no on a bill to raise the legal age to owning an assault rifle from 18 to 21. Then they try to tell us they are making us safe.
The Democratic candidates are for common sense gun reform and funding for needed infrastructure. I urge you to vote for Pinky Vargas, Justin Boneau and Sharon Shewmake in the upcoming election.
Layne Boyce
Birch Bay
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