Letters to the editor

Hold the door

Try not to slam it in Sen. Clinton's face on the way out

Editor, The Times:

Regarding "Media's message: It's over" [Times, News, May 8, and see "Clinton's end: time to yield and unify," editorial, May 8]: Maybe if we left Sen. Hillary Clinton some dignity, she would be able to exit the presidential campaign stage gracefully. As it stands now, snickering pundits and other so-called "journalists" are piling on with mean-spirited sniping at this amazingly smart, competent, tenacious and public-spirited woman who dares to believe in her own American dream.

I am a Barack Obama supporter, and a Hillary admirer. I cannot imagine how much personal pride, dedication, energy and spirit it takes to embark on a presidential campaign — and to come so close — only to be backed into a corner by these media snipers whose names have never once appeared on a ballot.

Ancient civilizations have customs of allowing a loser to "save face," and exit with dignity. Perhaps that's how these civilizations became "ancient"!

So, let's back off, folks, and give Hillary some space to make her decisions, plan her strategy and exit gracefully without further damage to the Democratic Party or her personal self-esteem. After more than 30 years of public service, she has certainly earned that much respect.

— Paula Joneli, Des Moines

Right behind you

There is no argument that Hillary Clinton has brought millions of voters into the Democratic Party primaries. She has worked hard and has earned the right to stay in this election process. She has a huge support base and her volunteers have worked tirelessly to see this through ["Clinton's tactic now: Hold on and smile," page one, May 8].

The Democratic Party should encourage her continued participation, especially after disenfranchising so many voters in Michigan and Florida, not to mention the many disenfranchised voters in this and other states who were unable to participate in the flawed caucuses.

The constant whining about Hillary needing to get out [of the race] now and allow Barack Obama to move on is insulting, to say the least. Obama needs to stand on his own merits and quit blaming Hillary for his failure to close this election out. If Obama were such a strong candidate, he would have the 2,025 delegates he needs to be declared the nominee — and he would have reached that number long before now, especially with the large amount of money he has spent on this campaign.

Wherever we go with this campaign, I am with Hillary all the way. She can count on me to be there for her as she forges ahead in our name. She is the only candidate who speaks to my heart, my intellect and my soul. She is a leader of leaders and is by far the best candidate to run for president in 2008.

I have witnessed her dignity, her grit, her strength of character, her pride in America, her confidence in us as a people, and her ability to rise above the rhetoric of politics to send her message loud and clear: We can do better, and we will.

She has earned my admiration and respect. She is a fighter and has brought out the fighter in me. She has been loyal to her word, and she has my undivided loyalty. She has spoken to my strengths and has instilled in me the belief that we can do better, and we will.

I'm with her all the way.

— Cathy Wittel, Redmond

Aged before duty

Who would have thought that many Democrats would plea for one presidential candidate to concede defeat (while victory remained possible) before citizens of several primary states have been able to vote — in the interests of harmony and common support of the chosen Democrat Party leader?

Yet only two presidential elections ago, the same party challenged and protested the reported presidential election results, until and beyond Inauguration Day, with the mantra that every vote should count — with no concern for harmony and common support of the chosen USA leader.

The excessive duration of the campaign harms both candidates and the public. We should not decide on candidates so long before elections, by which time the nominees may lose their allure.

— Bruce Martin, Bainbridge Island

Water damage

A drop becomes a flood

Is Mayor Greg Nickels bored? Doesn't he have enough on his plate as the mayor of this fine city without micromanaging our daily lives with his latest harebrained scheme at environmentalism ["Nickels: Tap your tap to quench that thirst," Local News, May 7]. When I first heard of, then read of Nickels' "small effort to save the environment" while driving around aimlessly in my gas-guzzling Ford SUV, I was tempted to give in, do my part, out of blind fear. But then I listened to other people's reactions, including a notable radio personality, KIRO-AM's Dori Monson.

A lot of them are [steamed] that Nickels is even asking us to stop drinking bottled water and drink from the tap. Aren't plastic bottles recyclable? And wasn't it only two months ago that we were bombarded by news reports of leftover medications, including antibiotics, found in our tap water?

I am so sick of these scare tactics. One day, it's spinach, the next, it's bottled water, tomorrow it'll be the air we breathe.

— Carol Banks Weber, Edmonds

An airtight container for our liquid assets

I appreciate Mayor Greg Nickels' stand on not buying bottled water.

However, I think his idea to tax plastic grocery bags is an arm-twister with little value. One supermarket (Fred Meyer) gives a 10-cent rebate for each cloth bag used [in lieu of plastic]. That is an idea that is better than a tax. Why not propose something like that, which would put money back in the consumer's pocket?

If Mayor Nickels really wanted to make an impact, he should propose a tax on bottled water instead.

In Lynnwood, we have an artesian well owned by the city and tested often by the state for water quality. It is heartening to see all the people filling up with this good water rather than purchasing bottled water.

— Robert Johnson, Lynnwood

Cooler heads prevail

Unfortunately my tap water becomes slightly oily tasting after a few hours, so I can't "tap my tap," but I have found a way to use fewer plastic bottles. I buy a case of bottled water at a time, then refill each bottle from my employer's water coolers for about a month.

I last bought water a year ago and still have half a case to go.

— Connie Trier, Everett

Half-empty or half-fooled?

The Times quotes Mayor Greg Nickels as saying, "Seattle residents use the equivalent of about 354,000 pint bottles of water a day. That equals about 41,000 barrels of oil ... "

OK, so a pint bottle of water requires roughly a ninth of a barrel of oil. At $120/barrel, that would make a pint bottle of water cost more than $13 ... plus a fraction of a cent for the water.

Any chance The Times could do limericks instead of math jokes?

— Dick Startz, Seattle