Letters to the Editor

Election ‘07

Mayor’s column a service to community

I really like knowing what is happening in and around Edmonds. A major source of this information is columns written by the port director, the mayor, city council members, or heads of other agencies. We have a years-long tradition of this type of column — it’s not like these authorities just recently decided to communicate with us, the citizens.

It was my understanding that the paper, in the past, stopped publishing commentary from and about people running for office (supporters or detractors) a couple of weeks before an election. I fully support that position.

Shutting off the mayor’s column for four months before the election? That is a disservice to the citizens of Edmonds.

The mayor, in his column, tells us what is happening in city government. Occasionally, he gives us advice about such things as emergency preparedness or changes in procedures, or he recognizes groups or individuals who are providing community service. What “fairness” is involved, therefore, in your decision to shut off communication between the mayor and the people for whom he works?

I believe the citizens and voters of Edmonds are intelligent enough to discern the difference between information provided for the public and political rhetoric with no substance.

Efforts of opposing candidates to curtail the mayor’s column reek of censorship and media manipulation. It also suggests that those candidates have nothing specific to bring to the political race, so must resort to attempts to silence their opponent.

Please restore the mayor’s column.

John Quast

Edmonds

Mayor’s column not election propaganda

As a proud resident, property owner and former business owner of Edmonds, I have always taken an interest in what goes on in my town. Through membership in the Chamber of Commerce and talking to other citizens, I keep up with the goings on in my community and the mayor’s column in your paper comes up for discussion quite often. I feel it is important that our mayor continues to contribute his weekly column and for you to continue printing it in your newspaper without regard to election season. This will help keep us informed of important city issues — all the way from building heights down to cat leashes.

I do not see his column as “self-serving campaign propaganda” but merely among his many responsibilities and duties. It is an important communication vehicle for those of us who pay his salary.

Nancy Fleck

Edmonds

Fairness, disclosure important in letters, too

This letter is in response to one printed from Ms. Rita Flynn in your June 22 edition. Ms. Flynn, citing “fairness,” requested that the mayor’s column not be printed from now until the election, effectively cutting off communication between citizens and the person they hired to run their city.

In that spirit of “fairness” and full disclosure, I wonder why Ms. Flynn didn’t think to mention that she is the best friend of one of the other mayoral candidates — in fact, her roommate.

Let’s keep this campaign honest!

Laurie Dressler

Edmonds

National news

Death toll of Iraq air strikes going unnoticed

As the Iraq catastrophe grinds on one critical component of this, our greatest foreign policy tragedy, has gone largely unnoticed. Perhaps unreported is the better word.

Virtually no attention has been paid to our relentless and brutal air wars in Iraq. The U.S. is conducting approximately 45 air attacks in Iraq daily. CENTAF-U.S. Central Command Air Forces will post comments like this on their public interest site: “In Iraq this week, coalition aircraft flew 327 close air support missions for Operation Iraq Freedom.” A CAS-close air support mission is a euphemism for dropping massive bombs on people.

Obtaining an exact death toll for this ongoing daily carnage is not possible, but a reasonable estimate is 150,000 dead. And this tally does not take into account the thousands of people injured, maimed and blinded by our unrelenting air strikes.

Bertrand Russell once commented that the citizens of empires were the last to know or care about the actions of the state. I believe Russell is only half right. I think people do care a great deal, and in this case if they knew the true scope of their government’s involvement in this wholesale slaughter of foreign people they would demand that it stop.

This is why these daily air strikes on Iraq receive no U.S. media coverage. As a citizenry we need to consider the real impact of deadly air strikes on the Iraqi people. We are subjecting the people of Iraq to daily 9/11’s. Though this hidden bombing component of our protracted occupation receives no media attention or review we have in fact exacted a death toll that eclipses literally 45 Sept. 11’s.

Perhaps by shedding enough light on this hidden component of “Democracy building” in Iraq we will be able to stop this unrelenting bombardment that has left tens of thousands of Iraqis dead or maimed and our nation’s reputation in shambles.

Jim Sawyer

Edmonds

EverythingEdmonds.com

Web site serves as city bulletin board

Technology can make old ideas exciting again. Years ago when towns were a small community bulletin, boards announced upcoming events, offered local products and services, linked us to local government and public safety, and told us what worthwhile projects were being performed by the various service clubs. Edmonds has grown so that a single centrally located community bulletin board is no longer practical.

Enter the Internet and the Greater Edmonds Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has developed a Web site, EverythingEdmonds.com, which functions very much like a community bulletin board but better. It lists every licensed business in Edmonds by category and offers a database free to all local businesses so they can input their products and services. The database is searchable by anyone using the Web site.

Upcoming events can be announced for free within the calendar section. The Chamber checks that all announcements are appropriate. (No keggers, please.) All kinds of events can be included: recreation, entertainment, festivals, education, art, history, Chamber, local government, business and more. All service clubs and local groups are welcome to post their events and activities for free on the calendars.

A click away, linked to the EverythingEdmonds Web site, will be the city, the port, the library, the ferry and many others. Additional advertising opportunities are available to everyone for a fee regardless of Chamber affiliation.

Now is the time to enter your business information, post your calendar of events, and check out the Web site for local products and services. With the click of a mouse and a flurry of keystrokes, you’ll be able to use the community bulletin board from your computer at home. Bookmark EverythingEdmonds.com and come back often to see what’s happening in Edmonds.

Don Kreiman

Edmonds