Anchorage Daily News

Cowardly note disrespects veteran

My car was parked in a Costco parking lot with a "Veterans for Obama" bumper sticker on the back. Someone wrote in the dirt on the side of it "Nobama Sarah 2012." The message made me see three things, and two of them I am grateful for.

First, my car needed washing, so before I got out of the parking lot, it was done, thanks.

No. 2, you obviously spent money at Costco and they give money to the Democratic Party, thanks again.

The third is more disturbing. You have denied me the right to free speech by retaliating on my car. You have made it clear my car is not safe, even in a public parking lot. You are a coward for not confronting me with your opinion, and I would be glad to discuss it civilly. To what lengths will you go to spread your own opinion? You could see by the sticker and the license plate that I am a veteran. I fought for your right to free speech. But that freedom does not give you the right to express your opinion in the dirt on my car!

By the way, happy Veterans Day.

-- Skip Dunn

Eagle River

Election was a message to all

Congratulations to all of you who voted to retain Ted Stevens and Don Young! You've sent a wonderful message to the rest of the country about our beautiful state. Not only can we not police our own politicians but we actually condone and admire their lack of ethics, greed and illegal activities. We are "real Americans" and true "mavericks!"

You've also given a powerful lesson to the youth of Alaska. That's right, kids, lie, cheat and steal to get the money. We don't care how you get it just so long as you do get it and spread it around a little. In fact, while you're at it, go out and commit a bunch of felonies! You too can be a politician and represent Alaska!

This would all be funny if it weren't so tragic and sad. And we wonder why our country is in the shape it in. Some joke, huh?

-- Sheridan Brogdon

Kenai

Next generation of voters gets it

Even though I was sorely disappointed in my fellow Alaskans for supporting Ted Stevens after his felony conviction, my faith was renewed when I saw that only 34 percent of our children, the future of Alaska, supported him in the youth vote election, while 53 percent backed Begich ("Students learn democratic participation through mock elections and discussions." Nov. 5.). At least our children know a criminal when they see one.

-- Viva Esquibel

Anchorage

Mine won't be good in long run

I think the Pebble Mine would be bad for the environment. It could release sulfuric acid and heavy metals. Plus, mines like Pebble have never been very successful in the past with the environment. A lot of times they disrupt animals' natural habitat. If Pebble is constructed it could kill the fish that come back every year, for only 40 to 50 years of mining. So when the mine is done, we will just end up with a big pit that will never go away. So stop the Pebble Mine!

-- Jessica Adler, 11

Anchorage

Refineries need local competition

In many markets in the Lower 48, gasoline is selling for less than $2 per gallon. The going rate for regular unleaded here in Kenai is $3.40, a 70 percent difference.

I realize that production costs are somewhat higher here, but why are we being gouged an extra 50 percent? Because, among Alaska's oil refiners, there is a lack of competition.

Competition rarely develops when there are only two suppliers of a product, so Tesoro and Flint Hills are able to charge about the same amount for a gallon of gasoline as we would pay if we had to import that gallon of gas from Outside. Their pricing strategy has very little to do with the costs of production. And this explains why Peninsula residents pay about 10 percent more for gasoline than Anchorage residents even though it's produced down here. What a humiliating rip-off, eh?

Sounds like we need to put capitalism to work and foster some competition. Next year, instead of another energy rebate, why shouldn't the state invest money on a down-payment toward a state-of-the-art refinery that could produce reasonably priced fuels? Please discuss this idea with your friends and legislators.

-- Eric Treider

Soldotna

Guns aren't scary; it's the morons

I read in the paper there is a huge increase in gun sales attributed to Sen. Obama getting elected. Like Sen. Obama has nothing else to think about right now. Earlier the same week, there was a story about an eagle needing rehab for a gunshot wound to its beak.

Anyway, it would reassure me if the NRA stood up and offered a reward and took an active part in bringing this moron who shot the eagle to justice.

Perhaps the NRA could offer a mentor program to assist the courts by suggesting appropriate reprimands for some offenders.

Stop the fear-mongering and get proactive. In turn, I would support any legislation for your gun rights and probably sleep better knowing good citizens are armed.

-- Emma Milkeraitis

Anchorage

Author has hunters all wrong

As a lifelong Alaskan and hunter and trapper, I took pause at Toni Faubion-Truesdell's Nov. 3 article, which asks, "why glorify hunting ...?" Toni got lost in the forest for the trees.

Hunting is necessary for survival -- if not every human's survival, then the animals'. Hunting is essential to manage healthy game populations. When people who have never seen animal populations out of balance can still condemn hunting, it points to a scary, illogical place in their brains.

Thousands of people still depend entirely upon hunting for sustenance. And even if, like me, I could buy my protein from Farmer Joe instead of Mother Nature, why is that any better, especially when hunting is crucial to maintaining healthy populations?

I, like Toni, spiritually do believe in the connectedness all life forms share. But to hunt and fish and trap shows an understanding of life and death, and the quiet understanding that we, too, like the animals we harvest, will die.

Hunters don't glorify the fact that they kill; hunters glorify the fine line between life and death, and the constant, renewable cycle of life. Animals aren't "lesser" to a hunter. They're food, and food means life. To truly understand and appreciate the impact of what taking a living, breathing creature from the earth means, I think shows the greatest compassion for life, and animals -- domestic or wild.

-- Kaydee C. Scarola

Anchorage

Sen. Stevens should step aside

The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of retirement.

Roger Lang, deceased Sealaska board member, introduced me to Sen. Stevens a long time ago in 1979. That's a whole political life gone by. I have treasured that introduction.

Sen. Stevens served Alaska well during those years and Alaska has given the senator our all. We made him famous and we have prided ourselves on having a friend in D.C., the walrus of the Senate. But today our walrus should talk to us of other things: shoes, sealing wax and retirement incomes.

Alaskans don't want to share in appeals court and new trials. We don't need the strife of appeal, retrial and banishment. I predict the senator will lose this election one way or another.

It's time to retire. And do it with dignity. Time to move on to other things.

But the senator owes us. We need an opportunity for farewell, to say goodbye without the U. S. marshals. A great party cake is what we need: Retirement is good indeed.

-- Jim Crippen

Anchorage

Bear-proof trash cans backfire

In my neighborhood and most others on the east side of town, we have some new garbage cans. They are horrible. The point of them is to increase the use of more bear-proof garbage cans. Now that's sounds pretty OK, but it has a lot of faults.

They're too small. They can't fit all of the garbage. There is tons of leftover garbage and it's piling up! The trash people won't take any other trash cans, so people can't use their own trash cans. With all of the leftover trash the smell might attract bears. If that happens, then it would defeat the whole point.

People should either take away the new garbage cans or let people use their own trash cans.

-- Mari-Celia Tavoliero, 13

Anchorage

I made a mistake voting for Palin

After seeing in the news today that Sarah Palin is looking for a higher job again, and after watching Palin help kill the clean water initiative in the August public vote, and after her run with Sen. John McCain to reach the White House using extremely negative, dangerous campaigning, I feel uncomfortable with Sarah at the helm.

I helped replace Frank Murkowski with her at the last election, and I have regretted it ever since. Palin seems no different than Frank Murkowski. I was hoping for a governor for all the people, who really wanted the job for the right reason and had plans to stay and help us carefully move the state in an honest, rightful way to the future.

Instead, I feel I have watched Palin work in a more destructive pattern when it comes to accountability, laws, personnel, best interests of the state. In addition, I see Palin having little focus on Alaska at a time when we are at a crossroads for our future, not hers.

-- Richard Sparks

Wasilla

Times editor deserves our thanks

Bill Tobin, along with fellow Alaska newspaper pioneer Lew Williams Jr. of Ketchikan, did more to inform Alaskans on economic development issues than many of our state's politicians. Bill's writing laid out facts, sometimes about major policy questions, at other times simply about who was visiting the state and who was going to work for whom. At a time when newspapers were indispensable for the delivery of information, he, every weekend, if not every day, provided the informational glue that helped to knit Alaska society together and help form a consensus for action in a young state. And he did so as a true gentleman.

He provided the one ingredient that a democracy requires to flourish, an informed electorate. He deserves all of our thanks and all of our prayers as he faces his battle with cancer.

-- U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Anchorage

Electoral system too manipulative

In regard to Ms. Byars ("Our presidential vote means little," 11/7/08) I have to agree that the way we vote here in America is foolish. Electoral voting is a manipulative way for control-freak politicians to keep control of who gets voted in, rather than counting each hand.

We should stick to the popular votes, even if it takes a little longer to count, because that way each of us American citizens will know that our vote actually does count.

This last election was a tight race in regard to the popular vote, but the electoral votes were a landslide. So which was it?

I have to say that I think the early voting helped skew the process as it is, and helped make it a little more fair. What we need to do is devise a way to allow each and every vote count, and be counted before a final decision is met.

But as it stands now, Americans are being cheated. I am thrilled that Obama is now the president-elect. However, I am disappointed that my vote did not help him get there.

-- Chris Diel

Wasilla

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