Troops should come home

I want to touch on a few things about the Afghanistan war, but first a look at Pakistan. Among the Pakistani people, there’s 50 percent who like us and 50 percent who don’t. Also, certain sects in Pakistan support the Taliban.

Our primary objective should be to slaughter everything that lurks in the rugged hills and caves where Afghanistan and Pakistan meet, eliminating the inner sanctum of al-Qaida.

In terms of our aid to Pakistan, the chaos in their society must subside soon, or we should take back part or all of the assistance we give them. Right now, our help is only making the politico-military hierarchy rich and creating poverty and civil discontent. Is Pakistan trustworthy? Why no joint U.S./coalition and Pakistan operations or collaborations?

Now to Afghanistan. First of all, they don’t produce 90 percent of the world’s opium — maybe two-thirds or 75 percent. Where Burma, Laos and Thailand meet, high in the Shan Mountains, the “Golden Triangle” produces most of the rest.

Afghanistan is a barren wasteland where vigilante justice and anarchy rule the day. Tribal leaders are accountable to no one but themselves, switching loyalties whenever they want.

Even if we brought al-Qaida’s high command to extinction, a military solution alone is impossible, without political interaction between the warring factions. U.N. peacekeeping efforts could be helpful. When all is said and done, I think we should just bring our guys home. The region is very complicated and an absolute madhouse. It’s not our responsibility to sort it all out — and it never was.

Christopher L. Brown

Mount Vernon

Auditor’s office made mistake

OK, I’m on page 66 of the Voter’s Pamphlet. Top of the page, Mount Vernon City Council, Ward 3, Cheney vs Molenaar. The ballot itself show those two candidates running in Ward 2, which I’m in. At the bottom of the middle column on the ballot, Ward 3 shows Robert Fiedler running unopposed. I take voting seriously and research every candidate.

Somebody messed up in the Auditor’s office. They should issue an apology to the Skagit Valley Herald.

Go figure.

Keith Fisher

Mount Vernon

Punishment can teach lessons

Where did those people get the idea that spanking will jeopardize a child’s learning? What do they think that alarm system that every living creature is born with is for? It teaches creatures that carelessness can cause pain to some degree. On a scale of one to ten, a slight paddling at scale one will teach a child that rules must be obeyed, and no harm done and a lesson learned. Now, if we had a real justice system, we would set that alarm off by whipping a gang member on a scale of five to eight, let’s say. For more serious crimes, up to a ten would wake some dullards up. No jail time, no cost to the taxpayer and a lesson never forgotten.

Those saying paddling harms the ability to learn merely give credence to the saying “the world is full of uneducated fools.” I find those who come up with such ludicrous notions to be on the same intellectual level as some voters. Some are like squirrels — they like to stash some nuts in strange places, like the Senate, Congress and even the White House.

Matt Burns

Oak Harbor

C is for Community in the ACFL

I wonder if the Skagit Valley Herald would have printed the same Oct. 11, 2009, editorial if they had more information regarding the ongoing Anacortes Community Forest Lands draft plan process.

There are 342 pages of public comments responding to the new draft plan. There clearly is a large group of community members who want to be involved in caring for the Community Forest Lands. They have offered, in their comments, many technical methods to mitigate human impact on the forest and to lessen conflicts between user groups, yet most of these comments were not taken into account in the writing of this draft plan by either the Forest Advisory Board or the Parks Department. It is key to read the comments before making any judgment calls on those who respond to losing access to the Community Forest.

I attended the Oct. 5 Anacortes City Council meeting. Mr. Turner did not say he wanted to market the forest as a tourist attraction. He, along with other council members, did speak out about not alienating visitors to Anacortes.

The Critical Areas Ordinance allows for and includes recreational use. The introduction to the 1991 ACFL Management Plan, still in effect, reads as follows: “The overriding goal is to make these lands more accessible to the people of Anacortes and to enhance these resources for the future.” People have donated money to the conservation easement program under this 1991 plan.

In the editorial, Evergreen Islands threatened to sue the City of Anacortes if it does not cut back on recreation use and focus more on preservation. With all due respect, Evergreen Islands has gone too far.

Recreation and conservation can co-exist. It takes effort. It is clear that the community will make that effort.

Maggie Sullivan

Alger

A look at MV council hopefuls

I received my November ballot last week and thought I would get straight to getting my voting accomplished. One that got my attention was a couple of the city council races. I expect that it’s time for some new thoughts on the council and that for sure Gary Molenaar could give John Cheney a chance to enjoy his retirement and give a lifetime resident a chance to take the reins. If I figure correctly, Cheney has been on board now for about 20 or so years. I know Gary and trust him and I think he could do our city some good. Having grown up here can help.

One of the other races puzzled me. Here again comes Doris Brevoort trying in earnest to get onto the city council after a crushing defeat as a candidate for mayor. Her Web site shows that she is active in downtown Mount Vernon preservation, and I quizzed her last election on her accomplishments. She promised more events for downtown and it seems to me she hasn’t delivered. Fiscal policy from what I see from her past ties to her followers means “tax and spend.” Part of that crowd that wants to plow up our streets and give everyone a bicycle to ride. Nice but not very practical.

I guess the one that really got me and by her own admission, is that she only resides in Mount Vernon on a part-time basis! She apparently works in Bellevue and resides there and that is where she calls home. Mount Vernon is just part-time. We have heard her story before and that of her followers but come on, really — a part time resident wanting to be on the city council versus a long time trusted resident and business owner like Dale Ragan!

David Smailes

Mount Vernon

Forest conservation still vital

I was shocked at the close vote of four to three by which we are able to keep our forest lands primarily for conservation and habitat and secondarily for recreational opportunities.

In the 80s, many local citizens worked long and hard to stop the logging in the forest and to write a forest plan that would best protect this precious possession.

From there, we went on to work out the Conservation Easement Program (CEP), which is gradually putting the forest lands under permanent protection, managed by the Skagit Land Trust. The CEP was deemed necessary as we realized the forest’s protection could be undone at the whim of a new set of city council members. And here we are! By a narrow margin, the forest remains protected. The CEP has been an amazing success, raising far more money than expected. We did not donate this time, money and land with the expectation that it would be turned into a dog park or a source of revenue for local businesses.

With our rapidly increasing local population, we cannot protect the forest and actively solicit use from out of town. We must limit bicycle and motorcycle use; they can do irreparable harm to terrain and to wildlife.

Thanks to the Skagit Valley Herald for their fine coverage of this topic.

Kathryn Alexandra

Anacortes

Single payer the only way to go

Single payer medical insurance is the only way to ensure that the pool of those covered is not hand-picked to maximize profits at the expense of the excluded. Health care in this country needs to be recognized as a right for all, not a source of revenue for a few.

Greg Lucas

Coupeville

Stepping through the door

It’s an inside job.

It does seem to be true that doors open from time to time to allow changes to occur within ourselves. It also seems, with some doors opening, a sense of urgency rears its head to spur us on, even though the change has been coming for a long time.

The confused feelings of oppression, of being dominated and sick to our stomachs when our leaders do things like take us into war without a true cause. And disregard the needs of our citizens and call us “the poor” while they draw fine paychecks (on our money) to be our leaders.

Those who decide our lives’ allotments and the values for which we stand — they’ve been deciding wrong and in their own favor, as if there is not enough to go around. After all, there may some fear that needs rising and a war to start that hasn’t already been started.

Those days are over. The majority of good people in this country believe in justice, fair play and want true opportunity and equality more than they want money.

They believe in the basic decency of people everywhere and know that’s how we’ll continue to lead in the world, not by bluster and threats.

The door is wide open and we’re stepping through; it’s the only way we can live with ourselves.

Maggie Boston

Clear Lake