Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Obama's election leads top stories of 2008 1/1/09   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 IN OUR VIEW It wasn't a great year, but it had its moments On Sunday, New Yorkers and tourists participated in a "new tradition," now in its second year, called Good Riddance Day. The idea would seem to have some legs. Industrial-sized paper shredders are set up in Times Square and people are invited to toss in the depressing dregs of the last year: Worthless stock notes, bank statements, late notices, etc. People emotionally cleansed themselves by tossing in cell phones, photos of cheating lovers, that on-sale designer baby doll dress that turned out to be nightmarishly unflattering, regardless of what decade it was rolled out and repackaged to unsuspecting women. A sledgehammer was also provided for those who find that having a machine slice things into complete oblivion is too hands-off to be satisfying. We like the concept. Especially this year, when people have particularly strong feelings about the past 365 days. In no particular order, we would toss into the metaphorical shredder: Every campaign commercial; melamine, BPA and all the other chemicals that don't belong in the human body; the bikini barista brouhaha and the Christmas/atheist brouhaha. The Sonics, or whatever they are called now; the Mariners' and Seahawks' seasons. All things "grande," gadgetry envy, and the jargon "game changer." Goodbye to "wide stance," "maverick" and "war" on anything. Cameras in classroom ceilings; cigarette butt mountains on the sidewalk, safely 25 feet from a door; the state's ineffective cell-phone-while-driving law. Perhaps because the bad things in 2008 tended to be extraordinarily bad, the good things seem especially good, and we are grateful. So to coincide with Good Riddance Day, we offer the alternative, minus a clever name. Amid meltdowns and bailouts, 2008 also brought us: Barack Hussein Obama and all the hope and goodwill he has inspired; political asylum for Muhammed "Hamoody" Jauda, the blind Iraqi boy living with his foster parents in Snohomish County; the selfless and generous Snohomish County donors and volunteers who helped their fellow citizens through flood, fire and freezing weather. There's the inspiring seasons of high school state champions: the Everett girls' soccer team, the Snohomish baseball team and boys' swim team, the Jackson girls' swim team, the Lake Stevens wrestling team and the Kamiak boys' golf team. There's the Mill Creek Little Leaguers, the University of Washington women's cross country team, and all the amateur athletes and teams that embody the true spirit of sports. Speaking of which, 2008 also brought us Olympic swimmers Michael Phelps and 41-year-old Dara Torres. In July, Herald writer Rich Myhre introduced us to Evangeline "Van" Shuler, the 102-year-old Snohomish County woman who attributes her longevity and agility, in part, to her love of dancing. Take time to tango, year in and year out, is her philosophy. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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