Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, May 29, 2017

Don't celebrate; contemplate

Memorial Day is not a day of celebration.

Memorial Day is a day of contemplation and remembrance.

We contemplate and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice unto this great nation.

Those that have given their own lives within not only the defense of this nation, but its own citizens who are allowed to live under the freedom that those have given their lives unto.

We should honor those who have made that supreme sacrifice, as well as their families.

There is not a "happy" Memorial Day, and never shall be.

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Memorial Day is one of sober perseverance that honors those who came before us, and gave their lives within support of an ideology, — that is, freedom.

I honor those who give unto me the ability to express my own views.

I honor those who gave unto my own life the life of freedom within their own sacrifice.

I honor those who have made a sacrifice so that I may live freely.

I honor those who have fallen within my own scope of freedom.

Honor.

They, those who have fallen, deserve such honor, and always shall.

— Randy Lee Harkins
Anchorage

Practice your religion, but don't interfere with others' liberties

I read Jim Minnery's opinion about Drew Phoenix (Commentary, May 24). He seems to be missing a very important point about freedom of religion. Those laws are there to allow you to practice any religion you choose at home, outside of your house or in any public place that you choose, so long as it doesn't impinge on the liberties and pursuit of happiness of another American. Allowing gays, lesbians and transgenders the right to exist, to marry and to pursue happiness in no way impinges on the religious freedoms that he enjoys.

However, his religious views and standpoints do impinge on an entire group of Americans' right to pursue happiness and liberty. Allowing same-sex couples to raise adopted children does them no harm, certainly less harm than allowing any drunkard, drug addict or other ne'er-do-well straight couple to raise as many unwanted children as they can breed though lack of birth control and education.

Can anyone who would refuse liberty and happiness to another truly be considered a Christian? Would Jesus refuse birth control and health care to an entire population? If Minnery's is truly a mission of love, he has fallen very, very far from his path.

— James Ungerecht
Anchorage

Dear Sen. Murkowski​ …

Thank you for your service and particularly your good sense in joining others in the Senate to call for the investigation of potential ties between President Trump and Russian operatives. In fact, we see the Washington Examiner reports that you "became the first Senate Republican to call for an independent commission or special prosecutor …" We are proud of you for this!

Here in Anchorage we are echoing and amplifying your call for answers by joining communities across the country with our March for Truth.

We will be asking that an independent commission be created with sufficient scope and the resources necessary, including subpoena powers, to carry out a complete investigation of the circumstantial evidence presented by the FBI and investigative journalists regarding the Trump campaign's connection to Russian interference in our 2016 presidential elections.

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As a leader in the call for this investigation, we invite you to join our March for Truth on June 3 in Anchorage. We would like to honor you for your position on this critical issue and support you in helping to return dignity to the office of the president of the United States and restore faith in American government. You will be the most honored guest of this nationwide March for Truth as the country looks to your leadership in finding the answers that this administration works so tiringly to keep from us.

Before returning to Washington, D.C., after the first weekend in June, please join us in our beautiful downtown Anchorage community to share your experience and your courage as we join you in this call for truth from the White House. Allow us to celebrate your courage in leading the call for an independent investigation and highlight the important work you've done this session in standing up for Alaskans.

— Raymond O'Neill
March for Truth — Anchorage
Anchorage

Thank you, Rep. Gara, for trying to do the right thing

Dear Rep. Les Gara,

Please urge your colleagues in the wonderful (new and refreshing) House caucus to stand firm against the entrenched ideologues of the Senate majority. I hope that you can get Gov. Walker to become more proactive in support of his own "sovereign wealth" proposal presented last year. He must do more than send his excellent administrative and budget representatives to front for his own power of the office to which he was elected. He must be prepared to veto any bill that arrives on his desk that does not stop the hemorrhaging that further major cutting will produce, and to maintain the state's responsibility to continue providing for an excellent place to live and prosper for all the residents.

In the final analysis it will be up to the governor what the outcome will be. If it comes to a shutdown of state operations, I hope that those fair-minded elected officials will stand firm and show the people of Alaska just what the ideological resistance to a comprehensive solution means and focus the blame and opprobrium where it belongs, i.e., the Senate Republicans.

Thank you, Les, for your efforts to do the right thing. Also give my sincerest kudos to your caucus colleagues and especially to Paul Seaton, who has proved beyond any doubt his ability to stand for fairness and equity in public policy rather than follow in lockstep with the selfish, misguided ideology of his party affiliation.

I appreciate receiving your most excellent newsletter.

— Clinton Ross Mullins
Cordova

HB 199 will give us a voice

As a Native Yup'ik, salmon is a very important part of my culture. My ancestors have been subsistence fishing salmon in Alaska for 10,000 years and we still do. Salmon also play a huge role in the natural food chain, a main source of food for bears, bald eagles and hundreds of other species. If the salmon population ever depletes or gets poisoned, by industrial or developmental activities, my family and many others will lose our way of life.

I am Emily Charles, a 13-year-old living in Anchorage. Wild salmon is a part of my identity, provides food for everyone and thousands of jobs for Alaskans.
I am writing to express my support for House Bill 199. HB 199 will update Alaska's fish habitat permitting law that will let Alaskans have a voice in decisions and protect salmon from modern threats, like the Pebble mine. I would also like to thank Louise Stutes for introducing HB 199.

I support HB 199 and the House should too.

— Emily Charles
Anchorage

Educational TV? Not for us

For a long time I have felt that the generally poor quality of the content on television is part of a government plot to get Americans to watch shows with a more educational aspect, say, the History Channel or Nature. As is the norm, the government has seriously miscalculated in their efforts. They grossly underestimated the number of people who actually want to keep up with the Kardashians.

— Jack Morris
Wasilla

Don Young shows disdain for Alaskans by supporting AHCA

I wrote Congressman Young after his vote in support of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), stating that he should be ashamed of that vote for two reasons.
First, the bill would have significant negative impacts on Alaska citizens, especially those with lower incomes who rely on Medicaid and thousands of others who would not have health coverage without "Obamacare" and who would now likely be deprived of that coverage under AHCA.

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Second, I noted that the House in its rush to pass the bill did not hold a debate on the legislation or wait for an analysis of its economic and social impacts by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). I commented that many GOP House members, including Congressman Young, likely did not read the bill in whole or in part before voting. As such, they failed to conduct good governance that is a duty of the office when considering and passing such important, life-impacting legislation. Now the CBO analysis is out and, as many health care experts had predicted, AHCA will likely significantly increase the number of uninsured Americans — not to mention the increased costs that will impact mainly older citizens.

Don Young, as he has regularly done in the past, has shown in my opinion an arrogant disdain toward the interests of many Alaska citizens. This attitude is evident, for example, in his opposition to holding town hall meetings. As a member of Congress, Don Young has a gold-plated health care plan the envy of many Americans whom he now wishes to deprive of health care or affordable health care. It is now up to Sens. Murkowski and Sullivan to gut the AHCA and pass sensible health care legislation that preserves the principal benefits of "Obamacare" and addresses those provisions that need reform. It is long overdue to get Young unelected.

— Peter T. Hanley
Anchorage

Add cigarettes to meat ban

The May 24 letter by Art Doddermeyer is right on: "Every one of us can shut the meat … industry … by checking out the rich collection of plant-based entrees … in our supermarket." But I'll go further. We should also shut down the cigarette and nicotine smokeless products industry. These industries have been making people suffer their last 20 years in great sickness and die early. This is costing us billions in needless medical costs. Benzene, for example, from browned or charred animal fat and from cigarette smoke, is one of the most carcinogenic chemicals known to man. This has been well-known for many years, but many of us continue to pollute our bodies with it by eating meats and by smoking. By buying only vegetable-based products, and by refusing to buy cigarettes and meats, it is likely that many more of us could enjoy our retirement years for a change. Let's do it!

— Daniel Russell
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 under 200 words 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.

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