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The Northern Light • October 29 - November 4, 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.
Photo of the Week: Vote!
Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com
s Election Day 2020 is Tuesday, November 3, and the League of Women Voters encourages everyone to vote.
Editor Oliver Lazenby oliver@pointrobertspress.com Reporter & Copy Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com Reporting Intern 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 Contributors In This Issue Doug Dahl The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVI, No 20 Circulation: 10,500 copies
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From the archives LWV.org
Letters The Editor: I would like to thank our local UPS driver and a lady motorist for helping me with a traumatic incident yesterday on H Street and Ronald Drive. I was walking my dog at the nearby cemetery, when she took off after a deer, tried to cross H Street and got hit by a car. These two good Samaritans kindly carried my dog and stayed with her while I ran to my house to get my car. They then helped me carry her gently into the back of my vehicle. Unfortunately, my Molly passed away this morning as she had been hit hard and her injuries were severe. My heart is broken, but I am so grateful for the kindness of these two strangers, that got me through the initial shock of the accident. It’s comforting to know there are still many good people today. To the UPS driver and lady who helped me yesterday, I just want to say thank you. Eloisa Townsend Blaine The Editor: Newspapers, television, magazines, and social media present endless remedies to change political and social platforms for leaders, followers and the in-betweens. I reminisce the days when signs read, “Peace not war,” and songs chorused, “All we need is love,” and that infamous Coca-Cola commercial where a chorus crowd sang, “I’d like to teach the world to sing (in perfect harmony).” We all knew that drinking Coca-Cola would not stop the world’s problems, though some would debate this, but the message was clear: Love one another. There lies within all of us three commonalities: Our blood is red; our heart has
the ability to love regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and political and social stance; and in the deepest reaches of our heart is soul, that incredible place that defines us as a unique individual unlike any other. It is here, that the heart of man births love and guidance of thought and action. A current theme in communities is the statement, “We’re in this together.” Yes, despite our differences or commonalities, we are. The ’80s song writer, Wayne Watson, penned, “Baby, it all comes back to you and me.” What does? The prevailing wind of our radical love for one another. There is a story told that in 1900, The London Times posted a question to its audience of readers: “What is wrong with the world?” Of the responses received, one held the reader captive in thought. G. K. Chesterton, English writer, philosopher and poet, replied, “Dear sirs, I am.” Shirley Sell Blaine The Editor: On Tuesday, October 20, my friend and I were meeting in front of Starbucks to walk our dogs. I had three in the car and was leashing my whippet when my saluki leaped past me and onto the sidewalk. He proceeded to run at a slow pace down the sidewalk and then decided to cross the street a few times back and forth. People who were outside tried to corral him but no dice. I noticed a Border Patrol truck coming toward where we were. He saw what was going on and immediately parked his vehicle and stood in the middle of the street to try to control traffic. Eventually, we got my saluki back into my vehicle and I thanked everyone for their help. However, I did not get a name of the
Border Patrol agent who stopped traffic and tried to help. Whoever he is, if he reads this, I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart. Traffic was not going fast but if a dog darts out, it is still dangerous being hit by a car. I am grateful for all the help. It was very scary. Marie Anti Custer The Editor: More than 69 million babies have been aborted since the 1973 Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision. Here are a few facts regarding one of the most contentious and profoundly important issues of our time. Less than 8 percent of abortions are performed due to medical risk to mother or child, or rape and incest. More than 93 percent of all abortions are elective. Quoting from an Alan Guttmacher Institute source, a staunchly pro-choice organization, “The reasons most frequently cited [for having an abortion] were that having a child would interfere with a woman’s education, work or ability to care for dependents (74 percent); that she could not afford a baby now (73 percent); … she did not want to be a single mother or was having relationship problems (48 percent). Nearly four in 10 women said they had completed their childbearing, and almost one-third were not ready to have a child” Prior to 1973, less than 6 percent of women who were considering abortion chose to put their baby up for adoption. By 2002 that number dropped to less than 1 percent.(National Council for Adop(See Letters, page 5)
