Letters to the Editor
Lynnwood is moving beyond
I read with interest your article on growth in North Snohomish County and the implications for sprawl and community development patterns ("Lynnwood Redux," April 30). It raised excellent questions regarding the pressures currently facing our region. However, in referencing Lynnwood it would seem appropriate to learn more about our community and the future plans we have in place.
Lynnwood's "redux" is focused on a mixed-use urban center serving Lynnwood residents, South Snohomish County and North King County. The model of our proposed "City Center" follows the smart growth principles of urban density, mixed-use, pedestrian spaces, transit and traffic management. Over the life of the plan, Lynnwood's landscape will evolve to achieve these policy objectives.
Demographic, economic and market forces have always shaped development patterns, and I understand where Marysville and Arlington are in their history. Lynnwood is moving forward to capture these dynamic forces and move beyond the stereotypes that are often used to describe our community.
— David Kleitsch, Economic Development director, Lynnwood
Cartoon insensitive
Although I frequently enjoy Callahan's cartoons (and, in fact, have one I cut out a few months ago on my bulletin board), I find the one in the April 9 Pacific Northwest to be in very poor taste. That day was Passion Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week for Christians. So to make light of Jesus' passion and death ("Why couldn't the Gingerbread man have died for our sins?") seems insensitive and needlessly offensive.
— Judith McDonald, Des Moines
Feeling plenty of pain
Regarding the article "The Long Slog" (March 12). I was pleased to see that it did cover both sides of the commuting issue and did not skirt the fact that there really is not a "suburb-to-suburb" commute system. For as progressive as the Pacific Northwest is touted to be, we are so behind in our transportation systems and are still building wider and wider freeways, which goes away from transit systems and to the very thing we are trying to combat, more traffic. It amazes me.
However, I do want to really respond to the comment made by Mark Hallenbeck, director of the Washington State Transportation Center, that "congestion is all about the sum of choices people make — and so far, most are not feeling enough pain to consider alternatives." I find that unbelievable and laughable, especially coming from the director of our state Transportation Center. With comments like that from someone in his position, it is no wonder that we do not have sufficient transportation systems that support daily living! What I feel is just the opposite. I am driven to driving because I cannot get anywhere I need to in a timely fashion, or in many cases, any fashion. We are trapped into our cars by the transportation department — not the other way around, and when the systems are there, the people will use them. Sorry, but it just does not cut it.
— Penné Richman, Edmonds
Peace is in the subs
Do Mary Hanson and her anti-nuke cohorts understand what the two-fingered peace sign means ("Beyond Apathy and Arrest," April 2)? Unless you worked on nuclear-weapons projects there is nothing you can do or say to explain their purpose. The attacks on Japan were enough to prove their destructiveness. For over 60 years the world has never seen the nuclear weapons found in the submarines at Bangor used in aggression. In that same time, however, there are millions of civilians and military personal killed by conventional weapons. They are protesting at the wrong gate. If they really want to protest against nuclear weapons I suggest they go to Iran.
The United States and the few others with the nuclear capability know and care what will happen in a nuclear war; Iran doesn't care. Even enemies Pakistan and India have no intent on using them against each other for fear of the consequences. Fact, the fear of the nuclear arsenals has kept us from an all-out world war, where conventional weapons may still get us there. Peace is in those submarines.
— Jim Morris, Renton
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