Online-only Letters

Sharing the tough times

Then and now

Editor, The Times:

So moving was Don Duncan's "Hard times at 1st and Pike" [Times, Local News, Aug. 11] about his childhood memories of the Pike Place Market that I read it to my wife and 13-year-old son.

They sat transfixed as Duncan vividly portrayed the pain so many endured with dignity during those awful times. By no fault of their own -- for the most part -- later generations have little, if any, idea of what has preceded them, or what may befall them.

Thanks to Duncan for a superb piece of writing.

-- Jeff Duncan

Thanks for the memories

My husband and I, both Depression-age children, born in 1926 and 1929, thought Duncan's article was the best we have read in The Times' "Pike Place at 100" series.

We can certainly relate to some of his experiences. However, our mothers, who certainly knew how to scrimp, were supported by husbands who did have jobs. I remember the castor oil bottle on the kitchen shelf, and my husband remembers picking up coal in Minnesota along the railway tracks to take home to his mom, who was cooking then on a wood stove.

Thanks for a great story!

-- Barbara Monks, Poulsbo

A precarious balance

Impossible to attain

In response to "Spotted-owl count down despite huge cost to communities" [Washington Voices, Aug. 10], I was quite aghast at the suggestion that we should strive to "achieve a balance" between the environment and human needs.

If we were to achieve such a balance, the world population of humans would have to be decreased to somewhere around 100 million, our economies would have to be deconstructed, we would need to largely abandon the Pacific Northwest, save for a few tribes with stone-age tools and, maybe, fire. That was the last time humans were "in balance" with the environment. Since then, we've run roughshod over it.

Is it such a big surprise that the spotted owl hasn't made a resounding comeback when remaining old-growth habitat is only 2 percent of it's original size? Is it really too much to ask for a few folks to retrain in other jobs, or move, to preserve some of the remaining 2 percent of coastal old-growth forest in the lower 48 states?

-- Daniel J. Doran, Seattle

Recipe for gridlock

Too many cars, not enough lanes

Letter writer Craig Marker, who wrote that the current Sound Transit proposal represented "solutions today to solve problems for tomorrow," is either ill-informed or not planning any future commute into Seattle along the I-90 corridor "Plotting a getaway".

Light rail across Lake Washington will result in closure of the two HOV/bus lanes on the center section. The plan calls for narrowing the three car lanes to squeeze one of the HOV lanes onto the outer structure. The resulting reduced speeds on the narrowed lanes, the addition of all the Mercer Island traffic -- which currently uses the center section -- and the expected increase in traffic from future growth are a recipe for gridlock.

The only thing people living west of I-405 along the 1-90 corridor and south I-405 corridor will get if this proposal is approved is more congestion and higher taxes.

The real salt-in-the-wound feature of the plan is Eastsiders will probably have to pay a toll to cross the bridge, along with the higher taxes and increased congestion.

-- Bill Hirt, Bellevue

A transportation solution

Everybody on the school bus

In response to "Metro has no extra buses to put on roads during I-5 work" [Local News, Aug. 7], why couldn't King County Metro Transit borrow or rent school buses that are sitting idle during these 3½ weeks?

School buses are the backbone of the public-transit system in Mexico. Surely, while they may be less comfortable than the normal Metro buses, they could transport a great number of people during this time, thereby further relieving the "crunch" while I-5 is virtually shut down.

-- Arch Whisman, Edmonds

Great injustice

Use them and lose them

With the immigration crackdown, not only are we sending away hardworking people who have filled jobs no one here would take, we haven't even said thank you to them for caring for our elderly, or doing any other undesirable job.

We take their sweat, pay them less and then kick them out. Now the ever-increasing U.S. Immigrations and Customs raids and racial profiling leave whole communities fearful of leaving their homes.

No one, legal or illegal, deserves to live in such fear.

Stories like Virgilio Fule's wake us to the injustice, and should motivate just immigration reform that does not separate families, offers a reasonable way to obtain legal status and does not allow scapegoating, demeaning or victimizing any human being [ "Worker can't stay, can't leave" Westneat column, Aug. 12].

-- The Rev. Beverly Hosea, Seattle

The truth about the Sonics

Thanks for your honesty

A thank you should go to Aubrey McClendon for telling us the awful truth about plans to move the Seattle Sonics to Oklahoma "Sonics minority owner says team destined for Oklahoma City" [Local News, Aug. 13].

We've all feared and suspected this since the moment Clay Bennett and his Oklahoma City cronies bought the team, but finally, someone has the guts to come out and say, "We never planned to keep the team here."

Wasn't it obvious from the start that the ownership group was just doing the song and dance to try and appease us while pulling the team out from underneath our noses? Now I've seen two good offers -- one from real-estate developer David Sabey for a convention center near Boeing Field, and one from the Muckleshoot to put an arena near Emerald Downs.

If Bennett were so sincere about keeping the Sonics here, why was there no action taken on his part to take a closer look at the two viable arena deals?

As for Mayor Greg Nickels: Thank you! Thank you for making sure that Bennett can't break the KeyArena lease and bolt before 2010. We have a deal until then, and there is no way he should be able to weasel his way out of it!

-- Joseph Veyera, Seattle

What's wrong with this scenario?

The punishment doesn't fit the crime

The world has gone crazy if former NBA referee Tim Donaghy could face 25 years in prison while Michael Vick, the dog killer, may get only six. The worst part is, his lawyers are trying to get Vick less than a year in jail [ "Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleads guilty to felony charges" Sports, Aug. 15].

What is wrong with society? Since when is gambling a worse crime than murdering dogs?

Vick should be getting six years for each dog that was tortured and killed.

-- Eb Crawford IV

Daily miracles

Believe it or not

The "surge " is working, Gen. Petraeus will tell the honest-to-God truth in his upcoming report, Karl Rove is a prince of a man and, yes, pigs can fly.

-- Michael Sorlie, Seattle