Letters

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   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: Thursday, July 2, 2009 HUMAN RIGHTS County ordinance deserves support Kinuko Noborikawa's comments in her Sunday guest commentary, "'Human rights' include more than just civil rights," are well-taken, and in a perfect world, her recommendations would help make a perfect Snohomish County Human Rights Commission. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world, and no human or civil rights commission anywhere in the United States has adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as statutory law. We must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. And the proposed Snohomish Human Rights Commission and ordinance are very good. It is true that it re-emphasizes much of what is already in the Washington Law Against Discrimination. But it emphasizes local effort, local alternative dispute resolution and local enforcement by local people. That's the way democracy is supposed to work -- resolve local issues locally. Besides, the State Human Rights Commission took an 18 percent cut in budget and staff during the last legislative session, and won't be able to carry out its former duties. Isn't it always true that self-reliance carries the day? I don't live in Snohomish County, but I know many of the very good-hearted souls who worked on the Snohomish County Human Rights Ordinance. I strongly recommend supporting them and the ordinance. Marc Brenman Former Executive Director Washington State Human Rights Commission Olympia

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