4
The Northern Light • October 1 - 7, 2020
Opinion
The Northern L ght The Northern Light is published weekly by Point Roberts Press Inc. Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, and the summer recreation guide Waterside as well as maps and other publications. Point Roberts Press Inc. is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Chambers of Commerce of Bellingham/ Whatcom County, Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts and the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors. Letters Policy The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor. Please include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters are limited to 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. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Consumer complaints should be submitted directly to the business in question or the local chamber of commerce. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published. Email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com. Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com
Blaine’s fall display contest starts October 11
s The Blaine Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 fall display contest is coming up and entrants must have their displays ready by October 11 for a chance to win a prize. The Railway Cafe won last year’s contest. Send a picture of your display to info@blainechamber.com to have it shared on Facebook. Learn more at blainechamber.com
File photo
Letters
Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com Editor Oliver Lazenby oliver@pointrobertspress.com Reporter & Copy Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com Reporting Interns Kyra Planetz, Ian Haupt prpintern@pointrobertspress.com Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser, production@pointrobertspress.com Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com Advertising Sales Molly Ernst sales@pointrobertspress.com General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com
The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVI, No 16 Circulation: 10,500 copies
Circulation Independently verified by:
Next issue: Oct. 8 Ads due: Oct. 2
The Editor: We are the biggest supporters of Alicia Rule, a lovely woman who is running for 42nd District state representative in Olympia. Sharon Shewmake is the incumbent representative for the other 42nd district position. They are a good pair. They are running positive races and will not go negative. These two balanced candidates run as Democrats but would represent all of us. Policy will be formed with concern for all. Alicia Rule is a capable woman who accomplishes a lot. She has her own mental health counseling business, is a Blaine city councilwoman, is raising three sweet boys, while she runs for this position. Alicia enjoys teamwork, will listen to you and she is not extreme. We believe other candidates running are extreme. As our state deals with Covid-19 and after, we need this kind of ability, talent and leadership to help move our state forward. We hope you will vote for Alicia Rule. Vote for Sharon Shewmake if you are in her district. Paula and Michael Smith Blaine The Editor: As a Lutheran pastor for 30 years, I find it disturbing that so many of my Christian brothers and sisters are planning to vote for Donald Trump, supporting his continued sinning, even if they are following instructions from their churches. I am including his support for legally outlawing abortion. Many studies have shown that keeping medical procedures legal, safe and rare, and reducing their number is best accomplished by keeping government out of the decision. Don’t pass a law, get to know these people and persuade them it’s wrong if that’s how you feel. That works better. Then a law is seen more as a reminder and is followed, as with seat belts and smoking. This has to do with people not liking to
be told what to do, which may be your reaction to this letter. But like it or not, it’s the truth, which according to John 8 will set you free, even free from voting for such a blatantly and deliberately sinful man as Trump who now admits planning to steal this election. How much of our country “under God” do we want to lose? Jack Kintner Blaine The Editor: I would like to thank you for all the kindness shown to me over my nearly 30 years as a Blaine post office rural carrier. Many customers have become more like friends who I will sorely miss, and the smiles I always got via their four-legged buddies will stay with me. Thanks also to the Blaine postal family, we’ve been through a lot together over the years and I choose to focus on potlucks and kind gestures shared when life wasn’t going so smooth. It’s been a great career and I’m looking forward to the future and to tossing my alarm clock. Cathy Dent Blaine The Editor: For those people out making the argument that we should wait until the American people elect a president before we nominate or confirm a Supreme Court justice to replace Justice Ginsberg, let me point out that we did. He is president until January 20, 2021. Calvin Armerding Blaine The Editor: Every morning at about 7:30 a.m. I walk my dog from our home on Morgan Drive, down Harborview, right on Birch Bay Drive, and up Cottonwood back to Morgan Drive. I have been watching the side dumps haul in load after load of rock for
the Birch Bay berm project. Right now, the rock has been dumped from the southern end of the project roughly to Harborview. I know engineers are smart with their formulae and slide rules and all, but I cannot for the life of me see how this rock material is going to stand up to the fury of the sea when unusually high tides combine with unusually strong winds, such as occurred in the December 20, 2018 storm that took out a portion of Birch Bay Drive, destroyed a restaurant and flooded numerous properties on the landward side of Birch Bay Drive. I will be really glad when my dog and I can walk safely atop the berm from Harborview to Cottonwood. I certainly hope the engineers are right and this berm does not end up as rocks strewn all over the tide flats, or worse, washed up onto Birch Bay Drive. Pat Anderson Blaine The Editor: Heartfelt thanks to Girl Scout Troop 42415, who put up the little free library box on H Street. As a lifelong voracious reader, one of the most dismaying closures for Covid-19 for me was our library. Those of us who love physical books and are unable or unwilling to access them digitally were really hard hit. This tiny box has allowed us to exchange actual books that have provided many hours of pleasure during this confined period. Thank you so very, very much. Bonnie Ventura Blaine The Editor: I am writing in response to the letter from Joel Green in last week’s The Northern Light regarding the upcoming Semiahmoo Residents Association (SRA) annual meeting and elections. The writer’s frustration with the actions of past boards is understandable on the
