Bush, Sutherland hurting forests

If you think the Bush administration’s repeal of the roadless rule is the worst thing happening to forests in Washington state, guess again. Doug Sutherland, our public lands commissioner, is an even bigger problem. Under his new 10-year plan, 35 percent more of our state lands will be clear cut, leaving us wondering how our state went from evergreen to never green. Sutherland and Bush both talk about “balancing the economy and the environment,” but their words mask the truth of their actions.

Sutherland and Bush are rolling back our most important quality of life protections here in Washington. And please don’t be fooled. When they talk about programs like “Healthy Forests,” “Clear Skies” and “Biodiversity Pathways,” we need to call in the translator. In Bush-Sutherland lingo, that means “putting special interests before the public interest” and “sacrificing good science and legitimate community concerns for short-term profits.” That’s why we need to let the language of democracy have the ultimate say, and vote Bush and Sutherland out of office in ‘04.

Kathleen Dewhirst

Edmonds