Online only letters to the editor

Editor, The Times:

Immigration and Iraq

I would like to thank whoever is responsible for making immigration the "hot button" issue it has become, for awhile I was almost distracted enough to forget my brother was still fighting in Iraq.

Smoke screen anyone?

— Lorraine Thomas

Fishy Business

Perhaps none more than fishermen understand that sound environmental policy is vital to their pursuit. Without sensible conservation long-term opportunities for commercial and sport fishing will vanish. And without fishermen billions of dollars of annual contribution to the United States economy will diminish.

It is essential that Congress get it right as legislation to update federal fisheries law is considered. The current law, known as the Magnuson-Stevens Act, actually does a pretty good job at balancing fishing opportunities with protecting the marine environment. It's not that the law could not be improved, especially by using the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy. But, as pointed out by an editorial in the Times "Extend law of fisheries, without fishy changes," [Editorial, May 7] misguided strokes of the legislative pen could easily damage fishing communities.

For example, amendments to fisheries law introduced by Representative Richard Pombo would exempt decisions of federal managers from provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA requires the government to analyze their proposed actions and to explain the expected effects on communities. Federal agencies must also examine the cumulative effects of related actions. They're supposed to do this in a way that citizens can understand, while providing the chance for fishermen and the general public to comment — and receive responses to their comments.

For over 30 years, the NEPA regulations have been refined to better serve the public. Fisheries managers have learned to use this process, and community participation in decisions has increased – even if the results are often controversial.

It would be a significant step backward to accept Representative Pombo's attempt to reduce public involvement in fisheries management, and shield federal officials from accountability. We should demand more transparency in government, not less.

— Peter Huhtala, Astoria, Ore.

Voting and Elections

Did you know that more people vote on American Idol than in the presidential election? As if that isn't sad enough, you have to pay in order to phone in a vote for an American Idol contestant. People sit around and complain about how the government is too big, how the government is taxing us too much, or how liberals/conservatives are ruining the country.

If our citizens took the initiative to educate themselves rather than watch mind-numbing reality television, then our country would be much better off. It's depressing to see that only 58 percent of our nation actually votes during presidential elections. Only 32 percent vote during the mid-term elections.

What is wrong with this picture? The problem should be obvious. Election Day is done when the majority of Americans are at work. By simply moving Election Day to a weekend, we can increase involvement, increase voter numbers, and overall participation in the electoral process. Not only is this important for America, but our future.

— Matthew Cornwall, Puyallup

I-937

Hats off to the folks at the "Yes on I-937" campaign ["Renewable resources focus of I-937," Times, Local News, May 9]. Their initiative will put our state on the road to energy independence. Investments in renewable resources, like wind and solar, will not only free us from the pollution and volatile prices of fossil fuels, but it'll keep our energy dollars in our state, particularly in rural communities.

Unfortunately, groups like the Association of Washington Businesses seem trapped by their own short-sighted thinking. Despite initiative fine print that'll help smaller utilities use more renewable resources without financially burdening their customers, these groups cling to last century's energy sources. And with major new Washington wind and solar projects coming on-line each year, already falling wind and solar costs will continue to fall while the costs of fossil fuels will keep climbing.

The time is now to take control of our future energy supplies, and support this forward-thinking initiative. Decades ago, Washingtonians tapped our home-grown hydro resources. Today, we can buy local again by investing in a new breed of renewable resources. This initiative is a critical and realistic step in making renewable resources a larger part of our energy mix.

— Rory Retzlaff, Kirkland

International Affairs

A few years ago Afghanistan was going through drought and people were starving. Instead of helping the people we imposed sanctions to punish Taliban (then the government in power). The result was an influx of Al-Qaida money.

Now to punish Hamas we are starving Palestinians. Let us not forget that it was Bush administration and Israeli government who kept telling Palestinians how corrupt and inefficient PA was under Fatah leadership. So Palestinians voted for the only alternative that was available. We can not punish people for following what we preached.

It would be wiser to permit direct help to Palestinians and by pass Hamas and thus avoid a rise of another "al-Qaida".

— Riaz Amin, Seattle

Liberal definition

In a recent article, you referred to dissent regarding her position (or lack of one) on the Iraq occupation as coming from "some of the city's liberal activists" ["Cantwell speaks to party faithful, then meets with critics in private," Times, Local News, May 7]. I'm sure that much of the opposition comes from liberal activists, but I'd like to remind you that a fair amount of the opposition to the continuing Iraq occupation comes from folks who've considered the matter and come at it from other perspectives.

We know full well that this war was launched on the basis of deceptions and misrepresentations. That much is clear from a variety inside sources, including the Downing Street memos, various dissenting insiders, and recent revelations from a CIA analyst who has recently come forth to state unequivocably that this administration was briefed quite directly on the tenuous nature of intelligence they were choosing to put forth as fact.

On the other side are authorities such as General William Odom, Reagan's former chief of the National Security Agency, by no stretch a liberal activist. General Odom has put forth on several occasions an analysis of the common stated reasons for continuing our presence in Iraq and advances each of them as solid reasons for terminating our presence there as soon as possible.

If by liberal you really mean folks who've paid attention to the facts and have formed their opinions based on the realities that have emerged around Iraq, then please be clear, because that category includes a fair number of individuals who'd otherwise be considered rational conservatives.

—Greg E. Thomsen, Seattle

Alaskan Way

While I understand the spirit behind the suggestions by some structural engineers that retrofitting the viaduct is a viable alternative, there are some pretty big issues that they fail to address.

Steel sheet piling is a short term solution to replacing the aging seawall. It does not have a very long life cycle, and a rusting steel ribbon on the waterfront will neither present a good image of Seattle, nor will it provide a positive environmental image. More importantly, it doesn't address the rotting mass of wooden piers that currently struggle to hold up Alaskan Way.

Reinforcing the columns of the viaduct doesn't address the real problem either. The viaduct isn't shifting 4inches to one side because the columns don't meet earthquake standards, although by all accounts they don't come close. The problem stems from the tens of thousands of rotting piers beneath the viaduct and Alaska Way that were installed at the turn of the century when Alaskan Way was a long wharf supporting eight parallel rail lines. Which is really the heart of this whole problem.

The rotting piers will have to be addressed at some point. With holes large enough to fit people in, any long term solution on the waterfront will require digging up the entire Alaska Way and filling in with stable soil. The wood has been rotting for many years, but the latest published accounts have shown the insects have accelerated the process. If we fail to address it, we risk sinkholes along a heavily traveled commute and transportation corridor. Those holes have also weakened the concrete seawall, providing no solid backing to support the seawall against the battering pressure of waves and tides. Choosing an alternative that doesn't address the buried piers, such as a surface road or a short term reinforcing, means that we will be facing a much more costly fix down the road.

The tunnel option is a nearly fully funded option that addresses the serious issue of a collapsing Alaskan Way, money that cannot be used on reinforcing the existing structure or an Aurora style surface street. The tunnel option provides the construction efficiency of incorporating a seawall, elimination of the rotting piers, and a high capacity highway all in one structure. We will have to dig out the waterfront eventually, so instead of wasting money by filing it back in with dirt, building a viaduct in the ground at that time just makes sense. If it is built beneath Alaska Way and adjacent to the viaduct, it can be built with little disruption to the existing commute, unlike a new viaduct structure.

As for cost, considering that all of the money proposed so far is tied to either a new viaduct or a tunnel, any discussion of cost should be on the basis of how much the local region will have to contribute to the final solution. With that in mind, all of the proposed options result in costs to the local region of $500 million to $1billion range. Only one proposed solution addresses all of our problems along the waterfront: from the seawall, to the rotting piers, and the need for transportation infrastructure that won't gridlock our fair city.

— Mark Griffin , Bellevue