Quit trying to find blame

Like everyone else in our state and the world, I am heartbroken over what has happened in Oso. This landslide has destroyed so many lives I can hardly bear to listen to the news. Lately the media is going out on a witch hunt, looking for “someone” or “something” to blame for this natural act of nature and it really makes me angry. Sometimes horrible things happen that can’t be stopped. Some things can’t be predicted. There was no way to stop Mother Nature from stretching her muscles and dropping a couple hundred tons of dirt on us. It’s called “life” and it can be very cruel.

I think the media is making this even more painful by inferring it could have been prevented or predicted! The media needs to stop wasting their energy and time looking for someone to blame for this and start trying to do something positive to help those in need. There was no way in hell we could have predicted this horrible event. There is no one to blame for this! Trying to infer and suggest that someone knew this was going to happen and yet chose not to do anything or warn anyone is just ludicrous. What kind of monster would that person or people have to be to allow that information to remain idle?

The people in Oso and Darrington are a very close-knit community. The loss they are all suffering is beyond comprehension and I say stop trying to blame someone and start volunteering to help these poor people. For every minute wasted trying to find someone responsible for this is another minute wasted not helping these people out. Sometimes the media can be a bigger monster than the witch they are trying to hunt. Knock it off!

Now excuse me I have more sandwiches to make to take up to the volunteers. Those people need hope and love, not conspiracy theories!

Susan Martin

Everett

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

RGB version
Editorial cartoons for Friday, May 9

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Liz Skinner, right, and Emma Titterness, both from Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, speak with a man near the Silver Lake Safeway while conducting a point-in-time count Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, in Everett, Washington. The man, who had slept at that location the previous night, was provided some food and a warming kit after participating in the PIT survey. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: County had no choice but to sue over new grant rules

New Trump administration conditions for homelessness grants could place county in legal jeopardy.

The Buzz: We have a new pope and Trump shtick that’s getting old

This week’s fashion question: Who wore the papal vestments better; Trump or Pope Leo XIV?

Schwab: Trump isn’t a lawyer, but plays president on TV

Unsure if he has to abide by the Constitution, Trump’s next gig could be prison warden or movie director.

Klein: Trump’s pick of Vance signaled values of his second term

Selecting Vance as his vice president cued all that what mattered now was not just loyalty but sycophancy.

Ask what Trump gets out of his tariffs

Just before Trump’s first election to the presidency, my wife and I… Continue reading

More moderates needed in politics today

It looks like both the MAGA people and the liberal Democrats are… Continue reading

EATS Act would overrides state protections for animals

I urge Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, to oppose the EATS… Continue reading

Scott Peterson walks by a rootball as tall as the adjacent power pole from a tree that fell on the roof of an apartment complex he does maintenance for on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Communities need FEMA’s help to rebuild after disaster

The scaling back or loss of the federal agency would drown states in losses and threaten preparedness.

FILE - This Feb. 6, 2015, file photo, shows a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine on a countertop at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, Calif. Washington state lawmakers voted Tuesday, April 23, 2019 to remove parents' ability to claim a personal or philosophical exemption from vaccinating their children for measles, although medical and religious exemptions will remain. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
Editorial: Commonsense best shot at avoiding measles epidemic

Without vaccination, misinformation, hesitancy and disease could combine for a deadly epidemic.

County Council members Jared Mead, left, and Nate Nehring speak to students on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, during Civic Education Day at the Snohomish County Campus in Everett, Washington. (Will Geschke / The Herald)
Editorial: Students get a life lesson in building bridges

Two county officials’ civics campaign is showing the possibilities of discourse and government.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, May 8

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.