Kenyan family good for Skagit

Certainly there’s no one more concerned than me about the threat to the power of the white male majority voting bloc caused by wanton immigration, but the ignorance shown in the Dec. 28 letter from Conrad Rodney, just plain makes all us white power rednecks look bad.

Mr. Rodney is apparently upset because humanitarian agencies in Skagit County have taken on a family of immigrants from Kenya and that the father of this family was educated in our colleges. He tells us it doesn’t take a college education to be a farmer, and that these people should just stay home and build their own country.

I happen to have had the opportunity to speak a few times with the father of this family. I know him only as “Edward,” and I’m sure he doesn’t remember me, but I can assure Mr. Rodney that Skagit County could not have taken in a better man.

Unfortunately, farming is not as simple as popping a couple of seeds in the ground and sprinkling on some water. Edward went to school in our country to learn modern-day scientific methods of farming. His goal was to return to his own country and grow enough food to feed his starving countrymen — building his own country, just as Mr. Rodney suggests.

How was Edward to know that when he returned home, he’d find a civil war and his family members living in fear for their lives?

Granted, we can’t just throw our doors wide open to the whole world, but we can be selective in finding qualified, productive people to come here, and I don’t think Skagit County made a mistake with Edward and his family.

Jerry Hansen
Burlington

My resolutions for 2009

Cynics say that resolutions are made to be broken, but I think making resolutions provides you with the opportunity to take stock of your life and reassess your goals.  Upon reflection, I have compiled the following desirable improvements to my behavior and character.

For the coming year, I resolve:

• To refrain from celebrating the recent election results when among Republican friends;

• To actually read a letter by Ward Ellsworth or Leland Mellott;

• To stop rolling my eyes when Ronald Reagan’s name (blessed be he!) is reverently uttered;

• To not grimace when encountering  a televangelist while channel-surfing; 

• To be more patient with those whose political views are inferior to mine;

• To be more humble;

• To confront those having stupid, irrational beliefs;

• To be more tolerant;

• To seek compromise while holding firmly to my moral absolutes and non-negotiable demands;

• To silence racist, homophobic, neo-Nazi right-wingers;

• To engage in more civil political discourse; 

• To read the Bible more;

• To read the Christian Examiner less;

• To be content with what I have; and

• To win the Washington state lottery!

Larry Edwards 
Burlington