Letters to the Editor

National news

‘Veteran’ wasn’t what he claimed to be

Assuming Richard Potter actually believes what he wrote in his June 8 letter, it is a safe bet he was one of Iraq war “veteran” Jesse Macbeth’s strongest supporters. Macbeth, who wasn’t an Army Ranger, didn’t earn a purple heart, didn’t witness war crimes in Iraq, was knocked out of boot camp after 44 days, claimed he participated in killing hundreds of Iraqi civilians and mutilating their bodies, in 2003 became a star for several years of the anti-war movement, particularly on the Internet where all the kooks hang out. Macbeth has confessed in court it was all a lie.

Nick Shultz

Lake Forest Park

Aurora Corridor

Aurora Hybrid Plan is best for everyone

We support the Flexible/Hybrid Plan for rebuilding the Aurora Corridor as recently presented by the city.

In our opinion, the Flexible/Hybrid Plan is the best option — it constructively addresses the concerns of a broad spectrum of Shoreline citizens and businesses and it erases the points of contention that have so long divided our community these last five years. It will provide safety for pedestrians and vehicles, transit lanes and lighting (street and pedestrian), preserve and enhance our current and future community business district, improve stormwater treatment/retention and water quality, and create a better and more economically viable Aurora project.

The hybrid plan will have the transit lanes necessary to encourage alternatives to automobiles. It will have room for natural drainage along most of the north two miles of Aurora, which can improve the quality of water going into Echo lake. It will also maintain and enhance the small businesses that have been in Shoreline and paid taxes here for a long time and deserve some consideration.

This hybrid plan for the next two miles of phase #2 Aurora leaves the street profile portion nearly identical to the street profile of the phase #1 first mile, but with some modest adjustments in street alignment and sidewalk/amenity zone widths at strategic locations to avoid forcing some long standing and key Aurora businesses to close. It expands Aurora to obtain a 120 foot right of way by taking portions of mostly vacant properties mainly on the east side of Aurora and avoids taking some occupied properties on the west side of Aurora — with some narrowing of the sidewalks and amenity zones at strategic locations. And the plan appears to provide for an equitable accommodation for those properties which must give up frontage to the project.

Our compliments to city manager Bob Olander and his staff for listening to the citizens and then crafting a plan that works for all.

Clark and Dorene Elster

Shoreline

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