Island Guardian

Sunday, November 20th

Reader Says: "I'm Really Bugged!!"

To the Editor:

The population of illegal aliens is steadily increasing and many misguided local folks take pains to welcome them.

They came across the border illegally, got a WA drivers license, bought a fake green card, bought a fake social security card (or got a real one with their counterfeit documents) and garnered most of the benefits of tax paying citizens. You wonder what's gone wrong with social security – look at California and you'll get a pretty good idea. Ask if they have auto insurance & then wonder why uninsured motorist policies are so high.

I hear there are tremors of gang activity at Friday Harbor high school and that gang graffiti is starting to show up. Take a look in the internet at gang activity in California, as well as expansion into other areas, and you will see the direction we're heading.

Certainly, do-gooders think they're doing a wonderful thing, but they are really sending wrong messages that harm our society. They provide a function called "Know your Rights" at the public school and "English as a Second Language" at the public library and welcome all without regard to whether the participants are here legally.

What does this say to young people and those who took the time, trouble & expense to arrive legally? It is a clear message that it doesn't matter if you try to do things correctly or illegally – you will be "entitled" to the same benefits. After all, public facilities are used to give the message; it must be right with that patina of respectability.

I have no problem with programs for those who are in this country legally trying to improve their lives. If I knew the question of legal presence of the aliens seeking improvement were addressed and that illegal presences were not allowed, I could help in the improvement efforts.

However, I won't participate to make illegal aliens feel comfortable or that they belong here. They don't – just as trespassers don't get to live in my house, sleep in my bed and eat my food just because they snuck in while I was gone. If I suspect that they are here illegally and see them at local business establishments or public facilities, I'll probably ask to see their green cards and I won't do it quietly.

Those of you who hire them to clean your houses, work in your businesses or do your yard work should be ashamed. You're allowing wages for citizens and legal aliens to be reduced and increasing the impact on public facilities that cost all of us more.

If those in the U. S. illegally genuinely want to be a productive part of our society, they should go "back" and make efforts to return back to the U. S. the right way – even if it's inconvenient and costs a lot of time. Others do it.

Before you do-gooders dismiss this issue out of hand, ask yourselves whether you would do the same for groups of pickpockets or burglars? After all – they're just trying to improve the quality of their lives. Yeah – sure! And all the other criminals are trying to do is improve their lives by stealing from the rest of us.

Do I feel better by getting my nag out of the way? Perhaps so just by expressing it, but there won't be real improvement until we get real about the problem.

Dennis R. Hazelton
San Juan Island

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Thursday, November 17th

Ludwig Questions Need For Additional Cell Service

To the Editor:

Perhaps the most repugnant characteristic a person can acquire is to become insatiable. Users of wireless technology seem to be especially prone to this ailment. They cannot seem to accept the inherent limits to these systems; that they will always have "dead spots", be susceptible to interference and become overloaded during broad scale emergencies. The large sums of money offered by cell phone corporations to schools, churches, fire departments and utilities etc. do not help to clarify the reasoning of wireless enthusiasts.

Debating the merits of particular "scientific studies" just serves to obfuscate the issue, "science", after all, is just politics carried on by other means. "Science" goes where it is paid to go. You cannot be a scientist without the money, laboratories and staff provided by the systems that would be harmed by firm evidence of harm from RF radiation. Still, in spite of this thanks to courageous people like Dr. Lai and work done in countries that are less market-oriented than the US, the truth is gradually becoming known.

First, there is no longer any dispute about whether man-made radio frequency radiation causes biological effects other than heating of living tissue. It does have a wide variety of effects, often at vanishin

gly low power densities and at every frequency, mix of frequencies and modulation of frequency,

Secondly, even the lowest of so called "low power" devices produce power densities hundreds or even thousands of times greater than the earth's natural background RF radiation in which life evolved (or was created).

Thirdly, at it's core, this issue is not about "science", but rather ethics and morality. On Oct. 28, 2003 the BOCC adopted the proclamation "supporting the principles of the Earth Charter as a guide for our efforts to assure a healthy future for our community and the fulfillment pf our Vision Statement". Empty words, of course, but part of the Earth Charter is a statement of the precautionary principle which says, in essence, that people should not be exposed to any man-made chemicals or radiation unless it is proven safe. This is the fundamental axiom that must be obeyed if life is to be preserved in a technological age. That Roger Crosby and others feel comfortable exposing thousands of their fellow citizens to radiation with unknown consequences without their consent, shows a fundamental lack of understanding of democratic citizenship and ethics.

Since Mr. Crosby is an OPALCO board member the question needs to be asked: How much will OPALCO get from allowing cell phone antennas on their power poles?

Finally, SJC's cell tower ordinance Chapter 16.80 UDC does need to be revised. It denies equal protection to people living in "activity centers". Those in rural areas get the benefit of a 500ft. setback from antennas (still not enough), while those in other areas are apparently considered expendable and get no separation at all! The changes could be made on esthetic grounds since the cell phone corporations bribed the US govt. to make it illegal for local governments to even discuss health effects in their regulations!

Steve Ludwig
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Wednesday, November 16th

Thank you Freeholders.

As a voter and citizen of San Juan County and this great Country, I want to thank all those that participated in the Home Rule Charter process. I appreciated the dialogue both for and against the Charter, and I especially appreciate all the time and energy that went into the process from those that gave freely of their time.

We live in the most wonderful country on the planet, where people can agreeably disagree and still move forward without violence, hatred and civil unrest. Not everything in America is perfect, but this Country it is still better by far than any other Country, and our ability to come together and solve our problems without trying to destroy each other, really says something about our character. I am proud to be and American, a Veteran and citizen of this great land.

Ray Bigler
San Juan Island

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Thank You! Thank You!

To the citizens of San Juan County who voted for the Basic Charter and for the Amendment in large numbers, we thank you for your support.

To those who wrote letters, signed petitions, publicly endorsed Home Rule, stood out in the rain to distribute informational materials on the charter, hosted neighborhood meetings, went to the League of Women Voters debates and seriously listened to both sides, thank you for participating in this great exercise in democracy.

To the service clubs who enthusiastically opened their meetings to Freeholder presentations of the charter, thank you.

To the media, who followed the story and presented both sides fairly, understanding the importance of their role as the Fourth Estate, thank you.

To our Freeholder colleagues who put in hundreds of hours of work at sometimes inconvenient times and places, who debated fully, freely and openly with admirable candor and took on what was akin to the writing of a Constitution, thank you again. This was a model of civic involvement for the young people on our islands.

The transition to charter government will not be easy. There may be bumps in the road, some degree of initial disorganization, and perhaps some frustration, but in the end we will have a county government that has new blood, new ideas, and a new way of operating. As citizens, we must retain our interest in government, ensuring that what we voted for is what we get. As Benjamin Franklin famously replied when asked by a woman what kind of government he had given us, "A Republic, Madam, if you can keep it." Our collective task as citizens is to keep the promise of the charter alive and well, and for that we need to stay involved and committed to the principles that brought us to the voting booth to make Home Rule a reality.

Sincerely,

Susan Robins
Dick Keefe
Les Gunther
Richard Fralick
Charlie Bodenstab
Jeff Bossler
Lola Deane
Stephanie O'Day
Linda Tretheway

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Thursday, November 3rd

Pod Nod ScholarshipThanks

Letter to the Editor

Pod Nod ScholarshipThanks

The scholarship fund for this year's Pod Nods at The Whale Museum benefited the local children thanks to grants from the Friday Harbor Elementary School PTA, Hard Clay Café, and John and Sharon Boyd. Thank you all!

Fifteen percent of the 64 Pod Nodders participated in the grants program this year. A special thank you is extended to Tami Ashcraft, President of the Friday Harbor Elementary School PTA and Diana Stepita for their help in recommending students under the scholarship program.

This year the Pod Nod season was extended to include a special Halloween Pod Nod on Saturday, October 29, 2005. Adding this special Pod Nod proved successful as we had the highest number of participants than any of the dates over the summer.

When a community shows such care for its youth, it is rewarded and enriched by the presence of its youth. Thank you islands businesses and families for your support of Pod Nods!

Marcy Kober
The Whale Museum

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