Online-only letters

Elephant's pregnancy

Response from inside

Editor, The Times:

Disclaimer: I have been an employee of Woodland Park Zoo for more than 30 years. I specialize in birds and do not claim to be an expert on elephants. I am speaking for myself and am not speaking for the zoo.

In regards to the recent article in The Seattle Times about breeding endangered Asian elephants ["Elephant's pregnancy raises health concerns," Times, page one, June 20] and the letters to the editor ["Pregnant elephants," Times, Northwest Voices, June 22]:

Recently I was asked by a zoo visitor what changes have I seen in the past 30 years. It was a very thought-provoking question, and I gave two answers.

First, I said I've seen great improvement in the exhibits and animal husbandry. Each new exhibit is thoughtfully planned out, taking into account the needs of the animals, the service areas used to care for the animals, the education and training of the staff and, of course, the limited budget.

Frequently we discuss and disagree among ourselves about the best course of action. In my 30 years, I can honestly say that the disagreements I have seen are all for the betterment of the animals in our care. That is the bottom line.

Second, I said I'd seen the expansion of the zoo's conservation programs in range countries, such as Africa and Asia, and in our own backyard.

To respond to David Hancocks' letter to the editor, the zoo supports at least two elephant-conservation programs in range countries: Tarangire Elephant Project in Africa and the Huton Elephant Program in Sabah, Malaysia.

The elephants at the zoo, along with all other animals in the collection, are true ambassadors for the wild. With few exceptions, these animals and their offspring will not be released back into the wild. Their purpose is to instill interest and excitement in zoo visitors. They represent their species, providing a forum for supporting conservation programs in range countries.

The fact is, to improve the zoo's care of the animals and the continued support and expansion of the many conservation programs, the limited budget is always a concern. Certainly, the zoo does things to encourage more visitors and increase gate receipts, but the goal is to educate all visitors to the needs of every species in their own natural habitat.

One thing the zoo does not do is breed animals just for the sake of increasing gate receipts, as Nancy Farnam would lead you to believe.

Each year, the animal-management staff review and update the collection plan, which directly questions how well the zoo can provide for the needs of the animals. The underlying factors considered are the maintenance of genetic diversity in a long period of time and a demographically sound population of animals representing different age groups and proper sex ratios. If they do not breed, the species will die out in captivity. And, I am afraid, so will the species in the wild that need the most help from humankind.

— Eric Kowalczyk, Woodland Park Zoo employee, Seattle

Storm and Sonics

Bird is awesome

The more I see Sue Bird play, the more she solidifies herself as my favorite player ["Sue Bird leads Seattle past Indiana 78-70," Times, Sports, June 20]. She is an absolutely awesome leader. She is so brilliant in every aspect of the game, yet grossly unselfish — almost to a fault.

She's not a showboat, displayed by her knack to know when to pull up and take the shot, stopping on a dime at an incredibly high speed and faking her opponent out of the space-time continuum — if you were to freeze the frame as she elevates for her shot and releases the ball, the opponent has been left in another time from the past — or to simply feed the ball perfectly to a streaking Storm teammate, allowing for her to simply continue her rhythmic descent to the basket for an easy transition bucket.

Birdy is like a 911 Porsche, simply cruising down the freeway, smugly laughing at the futile attempts of others to show off their muscle cars in an attempt to get her approval and confidently knowing at any time the competition can be left in the wind at the blink of an eye. She doesn't need to show off, because she knows she's got what it takes, and plenty more, to seal the deal.

She has shown time and time again, regardless of the deficit, that she has so much more under the hood to carry us to a new level. I'm confident this team will go far, as long as Birdy's there. She's the heart, soul and engine of this powerful, classy team. The others know it and are trembling, as they imagine what this team will do once all cylinders are clicking.

Damn, Birdy — you're awesome and you're ours.

— David Martin, Seattle

Sonics a city icon

I must question the opinion of reader Troy Mink's regarding the Sonics situation, who said he has "seen no interest among the people" ["Sonic fatigue," Times, Northwest Voices, June 23]. Well, more than 600,000 people attend Sonics games every season. Include the TV audience, and you have quite a large group of people. On the first day of court hearings, 3,000 people showed up to make a statement. Where are you looking, Troy?

The Seattle Sonics are as iconic to the city as is the Space Needle and Boeing. The Pike Place Market, with the recent popularity of fish throwers, and Microsoft are other Seattle icons that have gained worldwide attention in recent years.

The Seattle Sonics are as much a part of our city as the Yankees are to N.Y. New York City without the Yankees? Seattle without the Sonics? I have found that friends and clients from around the world associate the Sonics with Seattle.

One question I have for Troy and others is, how long have you lived here and where did you come from? I have lived here longer than the Sonics. They are our offspring.

— Douglas Mays, Seattle

Middle East

Peace agreements not fleeting

Your metaphor of the "fleeting" duration of Middle East peace agreements is cute, but completely false ["Mideast talks, cont.," Times, editorial, June 21].

Israel has signed two peace agreements with its neighbors: with Egypt in 1979, which has been in effect for 29 years, and with Jordan in 1994, in effect for 14 years. (I challenge any entomologist to identify a species of butterfly or moth with a life expectancy one-twentieth as long.) In fact, Israel's peace treaties have held, to the benefit of both sides.

Israel is willing to talk to Hamas, as it has demonstrated by reaching, with Egyptian mediation, this cease-fire agreement. Talking is a necessary but not sufficient condition to reaching a peace agreement.

Also required is mutual recognition, a willingness to compromise and respect for the norms of the international system. These are all nonstarters for Hamas, which rejects Israel's very existence, demands its destruction and systematically targets civilians (while putting its own civilians in harm's way as human shields) in violation of both international law and human morality.

— Nevet Basker, Bellevue

Oil and gas consumption

Proposed mpg bill

We must cut our consumption of gasoline. The following three measures could be written into a bill called the Miles Per Gallon Awareness bill:

1) All new vehicles sold in the United States must be equipped with a mpg meter displayed on the dashboard. This will better alert buyers of a vehicle's mpg during test drives and when driving rental cars. After acquiring a new car, it will enhance the driver's fuel-saving driving habits, show him or her the effect of speed and tire inflation pressure on the mpg and will alert the driver of possible maintenance needs that are causing a decrease in mpg.

2) All advertising for new vehicles (in radio, television and print) must state the Environmental Protection Agency's mpg figures for the vehicle in a prominent manner.

3) The window sticker displayed on new vehicles must show the cost of the fuel consumed in a 100,000-mile life. This cost of the fuel must be added to the sticker price of the vehicle to give a total fuel-plus-vehicle cost to operate the vehicle for 100,000 miles. The price per gallon will be a national average and the ratio of city to highway driving will be based on standards developed annually by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Detroit would resist these three measures, but consider other federal requirements that benefit the consumer and society: Stickers on refrigerators in stores show the annual cost of the energy consumed, advertisements for prescription drugs tell of the possible side effects, cigarette packages have a warning, food labels list the contents and nutrition levels and vehicle standards cover seat belts and bumper strength.

— Stan Lane, Normandy Park

Offshore drilling not solution

The White House recently proposed opening U.S. coastlines to drilling for oil, purportedly as an answer to our energy crisis and the high price of gas ["Bush urges Congress to lift offshore drilling ban," Times, News, June 19]. In reality, it's to sell the American public that the Republican Party has an answer to their woes in this election year. The offshore drilling that's proposed would take years to develop and would have minimal impact on reducing gas prices.

Rather than plundering more of a finite resource, efforts should be made to adapt to our limited resources and develop renewable energy sources. The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008, recently passed by the House, was a step in the right direction to address a troubled environment and economy. It was blocked, however, by Senate Republicans because the bill would close-loop tax loopholes used by conglomerate oil companies.

The final nail in the coffin for those who dismiss the effects of global warming was a report released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies last week, which concludes that "we are now witnessing and will increasingly experience more extreme weather and climate events."

The mindset that more oil is the answer is like burying our heads in the sand, exacerbating the problem and laying it at the stoop of future generations.

— James Doro, Bremerton

Drill Puget Sound ASAP

For years now, we have known that there are some excellent possibilities that oil in large amounts exist in Puget Sound. I think we need to begin the process of oil exploration in the Sound as soon as possible. This could be easy drilling and fast oil recovery. A major oil discovery there could guarantee an oil supply for Western Washington, so we can continue our high rate of economic growth and help give Boeing more energy.

I think we should also build another refinery and some coal-fired electrical generation plants and reopen the many coal mines in Western and Eastern Washington. They could be built in the forested area just east of urban King County in the place set aside by Ron Sims, where the CO2 from those plants could help tree growth.

We have a great opportunity here, let's not blow it.

— Bob Clark, Monroe

George Carlin obit

Thanks and farewell

A eulogy for George Carlin ["Comedian George Carlin dead at age 71," Times, News, June 23]:

You were a high-wire artist in a free-fall world,

Tuned in, turned on and cable-ready.

You surfed the geek-free zone.

You cut close to the bone,

You were a highflier and a lowrider,

A free-range spirit in a fenced-in world.

You had a love for the word

And an eye for the absurd.

You weren't straight-laced or straight-faced.

You were drug-friendly but reality-based.

You were down with the lingo but free of the spin.

And now you're over and out

Sorry it had to come to an end.

Thanks for the reality check and the laughs, George. Rest in peace.

— John Ariel Murphy, Seattle

Washington's gas tax

We need the revenue

Louise Pasche wants the final gas-tax increase that was approved by voters when they overwhelming defeated Initiative 912, a whopping 1.5 cents per gallon, to be canceled ["Washington's gas tax," Times, Northwest Voices, June 23].

At present prices, that would be a mere one-third of 1 percent the cost of a gallon of gas.

The price of gas has risen locally by more than $1 in the past year, which has effectively reduced the state's tax rate on a gallon of gas by 28 percent in that time.

Washington voters recognized the need for investing in our transportation infrastructure three years ago, and that need has not gone away. Gimmicks such as calls for a federal gasoline tax "holiday" have been seen for what they are — pandering — and even worse, reckless energy policy.

Cancellation of a 1.5 cent gas-tax increase will only starve us of much-needed revenue for hundreds of projects statewide.

— Daniel Kirkdorffer, Redmond

Gregoire's donors

Not newsworthy

The story "When Gregoire won, so did her donors" [Times, page one, June 24] and The Times' decision to splash it on the front page with that insinuating headline, implies that something scandalous is going on here.

To point out one example, Gregoire made a "campaign promise to restore funding for two voter-approved initiatives that give teachers annual cost-of-living raises and put money toward reducing class sizes." The Washington Education Association naturally supported and made donations to a candidate who believed teachers are underpaid and that smaller classes aid learning. Then, when she was elected, Gregoire kept her promise to the voters to fulfill their desires and address these issues.

Not much of a story there, is there?

The whole story is full of examples like that. As long as campaigns are not publicly funded, groups will give money to candidates whose positions ally with theirs and, once elected, the candidates will work to enact those positions.

However, there is a glimmer of a story: Because the Democratic Party needed money after the 2004 election for one candidate only, the groups' donations to the party were, in effect, donations to one candidate. That's an interesting example of how campaign-financing regulations can be thwarted.

Please, next time think about whether your story is news or just an attempt to find impropriety where none exists.

— Jane Levine, Seattle

Seattle school budget

A few suggestions

I have two suggestions for the Seattle School Board to reduce expenditures in schools and improve academic success ["New school budget at $556M," Times, Local News, June 24].

1) Replace the expensive WASL with MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) tests, which do not require weeks of preparation. These tests are more flexible when new students enter the school system and can prevent them from falling behind.

2) Fix the math curriculum. This is the single biggest weakness in the Seattle Public Schools and will get worse with the expansion of Everyday Math in the elementary schools. Our students have not been well-served by the decadelong experiment with inquiry-based reform math. It is time to pick a better curriculum such as Singapore or Saxon Math to give students the practice and skills they need to succeed, especially in algebra. Stop trying to tweak the present math program with expensive math coaches and summer extension courses.

Improved evaluation plus effective math equals more successful schools.

— Georgi Krom, Seattle