Seek wisdom in candidates
To the Editor,
Abraham Lincoln is regarded by many republicans as the party’s first president, and he certainly was among the greatest of all presidents. Lincoln’s pre-presidential personal experiences are strikingly similar to Barack Obama’s.
Lincoln was a lawyer, and so is Obama. Lincoln had virtually no military experience (51 days of noncombat experience in a local Illinois militia), and Obama has none. Lincoln served multiple terms in the Illinois General Assembly, and Obama has served multiple terms in the Illinois Senate. Lincoln served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Obama has served part of a term in the U.S. Senate.
Based on Lincoln’s pre-presidential record, today’s McCain republicans would conclude that he was not qualified to be president, much less commander in chief. In fact, he was great in both roles. The point of this is not that Obama is necessarily another Lincoln, but rather that Obama should not be rejected based on a simplistic enumeration of his personal experiences.
In addition to considering a candidate’s personal experiences, voters should be looking for high intelligence, analytical ability, good education, emotional stability, sound decision-making, and other signs of that elusive quality — “wisdom.”
Jim Kirk
Goldendale
Cherish the final days of life
To the Editor,
Those in support of physician-assisted suicide argue that by providing lethal medication they are showing compassion to the terminally ill. Yet when offered the choice of death, instead of feeling less pain or fear, patients actually had increased feelings of anxiety, pain and worthlessness. Studies, in fact, have shown that in areas where physician-assisted suicide is legal, severe pain and distress increased.
I have a close friend suffering from Parkinson’s. Watching his condition decline rapidly is very difficult, but to think there are those who would like to offer him death instead of loving care disgusts me. What the terminally ill need is love, true compassion, and support. The last days of life should be cherished as the first days of life, not discarded. After all, aren’t we all terminal?
Kira Clark
North Bend
Three calls and still no response from sheriff’s office
To the Editor,
Over the course of the summer I have been increasingly unhappy with the speed of the traffic that goes by my house. I live in Bickleton on the main road just west of the school. The speed limit is 25 mph right at my house, but slows to 20 mph within 150 feet. No one drives the speed limit - not the locals and not the out-of-towners. In fact, it is not unusual for the traffic to be picking up speed going either direction. This may seem like a trivial matter, but it is not, especially when the traffic is doing 10 to 20 mph over the speed limit.
Because of this issue, I have placed three calls to the sheriff’s office to discuss what could be done about the situation. The first two calls, I left voicemail messages with the sheriff directly. The third call, I left a message with an administrative assistant’s voicemail. (This was after I said I would like to speak to someone who might actually return my call.)
To this date, I have not received a call back from anyone in that office. I wonder what a person has to do to get any response from our law enforcement personnel. I voted for Sheriff McComas, but if this is how he responds to the needs of the people in this county, you can bet I won’t be voting for him in his next run for office.
Patsy Nygaard
Bickleton
One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch
To the Editor,
I remember being in grade school when the whole class had to put our heads down on the desk instead of going to recess because some troublemaker had misbehaved. The whole class suffered for the acts of an individual. So is the case with our festivals here in Goldendale. Due to the actions of a very few, our township is going to pay the price.
I was one of the volunteers that loved being involved and interacting with the IGSA visitors. Four days in a row I was up early to help with the pancake breakfast and I also helped at the dinners. All of the athletes and their friends were gracious and appreciative, constantly mentioning the hospitality of Goldendale. What a shame neither the current mayor, our City Council members, nor anyone from city hall made time to volunteer and mingle with our guests. They would probably have a very different viewpoint than the one surfacing from our city leaders.
Most people today have heard of Sturgis, which Harley-Davidson riders put on the map, or Branson, Mo., which has gone from a minor crossroad to “the” family entertainment spot. These cities picked an experience and turned it into a world class event. Goldendale is missing our golden opportunity. If only our city fathers and mothers could see the opportunity we are tossing away by not inviting IGSA back.
It seems the adult world is very much like grade school: Those in power are punishing the masses for the actions of a few. I wonder how much other punishment will take place in the next three years.
Lynda Wojt
Goldendale
Minor damage should not stop events
To the Editor,
Citizens of Goldendale take a deep breath, sit back, and look at the Festival of Speed objectively. The event held on Maryhill Loops two weeks ago was a great event! We hosted over 200 athletes from 12 foreign countries and their many followers. We welcomed these people, we fed them, and we entertained them. A few volunteers worked very hard to make this event a world class event, which it was.
The World Championships in Goldendale! The World Championships to which our mayor, City Council and city administration did not even see fit to attend — not even the awards ceremony. Our city administrator could not even make time to meet with a prospective tenant for our industrial park or to find an alternate “if” he was too busy. What an insult to our guests.
Much has been said about the “damage and vandalism” at the Klickitat County Fairgrounds. Did it happen? Yes. Should it have happened? No. But the severity has been grossly overstated. Most of it was a normal weekend at the city parks. There was some damage to some signs and a gate, I am told, but hardly enough to warrant the discontinuance of the event.
The businesses of Goldendale, the volunteers, and Lorraine Reynolds have worked hard to bring events to town that will attract out of town people and their money. As we grow, I am confident that more businesses and volunteers will step up to the plate and that we will learn from our mistakes.
Jim Allyn
Goldendale
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