Homeless leave tiny footprint
Craig Medred's May 19 column was about the homeless defecating in the woods. He states, "... human waste isn't just stinky and unsightly, it's a health hazard."
Craig, why not write about how small an impact the homeless make on our city and world? They're not going on cruises where their wastes are flushed out into the open water. They don't drive Hummers that create health hazards to the air we breathe. If they want to read a newspaper, they find one at the library or from a garbage can, creating less waste from production and recycling.
I see doggy bag dispensers in parks around town. If we taxpayers can afford that, can't we afford to give homeless camps some porta-potties, or at least buckets, waste bags, TP and a place to put that waste? Aren't our homeless worth at least as much as people's pets?
Perhaps instead of sitting indoors typing stinky columns, you could get out and get to know some homeless people. Maybe the result would be your thinking could be healthier.
-- Mel Holden
Anchorage
Gay rights ordinance is bad
Here are just some of the reasons I am against the homosexual ordinance.
It would allow any man to dress like a woman and use any public women's restroom. Ladies, do you want that to happen? If not then you should contact the Anchorage Assembly and show up at the June 9 public hearing.
A man in a highly visible sales job could come to work dressed like a woman.
A person of either sex who indulges a taste for extreme sexual promiscuity and pornography during working hours could not be stopped or fired even though it damages the company's image.
Maybe, worst of all, this ordinance would allow a man who teaches a second grade class or any grade to show up as a woman in the classroom and the School District could do nothing because of this ordinance.
This is a poorly written ordinance. For more of my explanation can be found at www.SOSanchorage.org
-- Dr. Jerry Prevo
pastor, Anchorage Baptist Temple
Three cheers for firefighters
Thank you to all those who made an effort and succeeded in the extinguishing of the fire that struck 16 miles east of Homer. You have no idea how grateful everyone is. Thank you -- you all kick ash.
-- Zinon White
Voznesenka
Handouts brought the bears
I would take issue with Mr. Weber ("Ditching fillet tables is twisted," May 20) that bears have always used the Kenai-Russian rivers as a major food source. From 1954-1966 I worked for Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service at Skilak fire guard station. Although my main job was fire control, my duties included cleaning campgrounds and dumping the refuse into two maintained dumps.
I never saw a brown bear in them but did see them on hiking trips into the surrounding mountains. I also patrolled the roads, rivers and lakes. In all those years I saw only one brown bear near the river.
I hiked the Russian River trail numerous times and even spent time above Upper Russian Lake helping divert a glacial stream from emptying into Russian River. Never saw a bear along the Russian, except blacks.
The Russian River ferry serviced fishing and to the best of my knowledge fishermen took their catch home -- whole!
So were there fewer bears then or were they mostly in their natural habitat and not feeding on handouts from humans?
-- David Schroer
Homer
Prevo has a gay agenda
As a straight ally of the GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning) community, I would like to say just one word about Elise Patkotak's opinion piece, "If anyone has a gay agenda, it's Prevo": AMEN!
-- Edie Bailey
Eagle River