Letters

Presidential race

Media’s assessment of Dean misguided

As a Dean supporter, I have to take some exception to Bill Sheets’ Feb 20 commentary.

Most pundits, as media observers, are viewing what’s going on from inside an echo chamber, where insightful observation of reality is impossible.

Dean’s campaign made some serious mistakes, but the media’s inability to correctly assess the context for the Iowa speech ranks as blatant propaganda masquerading as journalism. Several people from our area were actually in the room when Dean spoke. Have any of them actually been queried about what they saw? What – ask actual sources, when you can repeat repeated repeat?

If an alien probe landed in order to ascertain whether there was intelligent life on this planet and looked at this, the report back might well be negative.

I still think Dean was the best candidate in the Democratic field. But what I’m concerned about most rises above candidates now. It seems possible that as a culture, we have actually come to prefer calculated mediagenic and scripted TV characters that do not threaten to actually get too real. Could a Washington or a Lincoln or a Jefferson get elected today?

Perhaps the question is not who will win the election this November, but when will we all wake up? Do things have to hit the wall at really high speed for this to happen?

STUART HEADY

Edmonds

Animals

Edmonds finally

fixes pet policy

A few weeks ago Edmonds finally joined every other municipality in Puget Sound by voting to ensure that all animals adopted from the Edmonds shelter are altered prior to adoption. This is a historic and important achievement for Edmonds (and Mountlake Terrace, which contracts with Edmonds), helping to end the killing of perfectly healthy animals in our community. But it would not have happened without the tireless dedication of Edmonds Council member Michael Plunkett.

I have followed Plunkett’s efforts to see the pets of Edmonds protects for the last four years. It was truly inspiring for me as a citizen to see a government official work so tenaciously in the face of such harsh opposition. I was a volunteer in the effort to gather the 5000+ Edmonds signatures needed to get the issue put on the Edmonds ballot because the Edmonds City Council had refused to pass it earlier. Time and time again I would get quizzical looks from Edmonds voters: “You mean we don’t alter our adoptable animals already?” they’d ask. “Who in there right mind is stopping this from happening?”

Well, for the longest time the only folks stopping it was a slim majority on the Edmonds City Council. But thanks to the tireless dedication of Michael Plunkett, and along with the support of Edmonds residents, PAWS, volunteers, and of other outstanding Edmonds City Council members like Dave Orvis, Edmonds pets are now protected. It’s about time!

RICHARD HUFFMAN

Mountlake Terrace

Thank you

Donations helping

local food banks

We wish to express our appreciation to the many individuals, schools, churches and organizations who donated so generously during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. We received food and financial gifts that keep us going during the winter months. Together we fed nearly 1,300 families Thanksgiving week and more than 1,200 families the two weeks just before Christmas.

Thank you for being our partners!

In service,

PEG KENNEDY

Edmonds Food Bank Director

PEG AMAROK

Lynnwood Food Bank Director

JOAN HENJUM

Mountlake Terrace Food Bank Director

Edmonds buildings

City taking quick action on design

I want to commend Edmonds City Council Member Jeff Wilson for scheduling a discussion on building design guidelines at this at (a recent) meeting of the Development Services Committee.

The committee correctly decided to initially resolve the code areas needing more clarity, and then to use a longer period to review the entire guidelines.

RON WAMBOLT

Edmonds