Comments were misinterpreted
My letter expressing my confusion with women's support of the GOP was published Dec. 2, and I was rewarded with compliments from women expressing their support.
Holly Hannah! Enter Pam Siegfried, a prolific letter writer to these pages. Her response confused me. She wrote that my comments supported using abortion as a means of birth control. OMG! My comment connecting birth control to abortion clearly indicated that the use of birth control tends to eliminate or greatly reduce the need for abortions. The overall tone of my letter clearly removes any need for individual interpretation.
Perhaps her personal agenda got in the way of clarity.
— Cecil Whitehurst
Anchorage
Kodiak is real victim here
This past July I had the pleasure of spending a wonderful week on the island of Kodiak. My wife and I hiked every day when we were there and saw first-hand the utter destruction that the Leisnoi Native Tribe was inflicting on the forests of Kodiak Island. Anyone who viewed what we saw would likely agree that this action is nothing short of environmental rape.
The greed of this group and their utter disregard for the land and the environment is disgraceful. The group's actions, such as I witnessed, which were described and illustrated accurately in ADN (Dec. 8), are not the sole provenance of large corporations. The Leisnoi Native Tribe should be better guardians of their land.
— Mark Bloch
Anchorage
Educate yourself, and see the many benefits of roundabouts
In response to "Roundabouts do not improve traffic": Thank you for your opinion, but roundabouts do improve traffic, according to many validated studies. Their popularity is largely due to the safety benefits of the configurations. It's nearly impossible to have a head-on or T-bone collision when using the roadways, and collisions that do happen tend to occur at much lower speeds.
Other benefits of roundabouts include reduced fuel consumption, due to a lack of idling, and a construction cost that is at least $150,000 less than installing traffic lights. If you cannot figure out how to navigate a roundabout, do a little research.
Go to alaskaroundabouts.com, a website that helps the public understand roundabouts: How they work and why they are becoming more popular throughout the U.S.
I understand that new things are scary, but don't hold up the progress of Anchorage because you're not accustomed to roundabouts. Do some research and educate yourself, it may help you become a better driver.
— Charles Lechner
Anchorage
Learned to love roundabouts
I sympathize with Mr. Carmichael in his Tuesday letter expressing his frustration with roundabouts. When they began being installed in Anchorage, I too found them perplexing — at first. But it was quick and easy to get used to them and I now love them.
They expedite traffic in a far safer and faster manner at appropriate intersections. Here in Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley area there are already more than 20, with many more planned. This is good traffic management. As an aside, did you know the first roundabouts were built in the Lower 48 beginning in 1907?
— Steven Williams
Anchorage
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.