Readers write: Letters to the editor, October 26, 2017

Stop Trump's bully behavior

Dummy, dope, clown, loser, total loser, dumb as a rock, disaster, zero cred, got problems, strictly third rate, wacky, overrated, irrelevant, hypocrite, spectacle wearing, needs new glasses, goofball, atheist, total lightweight, boring, poor, desperate, no imagination, sleepy eyes, carries her own bags, hokey garbage, terrible.

Yes, you guessed it. He uses these bully words not to describe ideas, but to describe people. Please, Sens. Murkowski, Sullivan and Rep. Young, denounce his use of personal insults. Do it loudly. You did it when he said the P word. Do it every time. Standing up for civility and decency will be difficult when your peers turn a blind eye. Be leaders. He will come after you but I have a plan. Take turns. Rep. Young, the most senior, goes first. Denounce an insult. He will say snide remarks about you. Sen. Murkowski, stand up for Rep. Young. The bully will attack you. Sen. Sullivan, disagree with his personal insults of your colleague. Young, speak up. Keep it going. It will get nasty because he likes a fight. He will try to block your attempts to make policy. We proud Alaskans will support you. The fake media and many others have spoken out, but it is time for our legislators.

Parents know how to diffuse bad behavior. State your position and walk away or stand and repeat a single sentence, like "What do you need to be doing now?" I have words for you: "Our job is to govern and make policy. We do not support personal insults." "Regardless of ideology, personal attacks have no purpose in government." "Words that demean others are unproductive in governing." "Government is diminished by personal insults." "Insulting words about another person have no role in government. Criticize policy." "As leaders it is incumbent upon us to demonstrate civility and decency for each other." Repeat these over and over.

Government has three parts. Supreme Court justices do not draw attention to themselves. Legislators, it is up to you to stop tolerating shameful bully behavior by the person who speaks for all of us.

— Patricia McLoughlin
Anchorage

Alaska should learn from Iceland

The Oct. 22 article about Iceland's reforestation efforts contained a surprising phrase: "Iceland has high per-capita emissions of greenhouse gases, largely because of transportation and heavy industries like aluminum smelting." Wait, what? Heavy industries in a remote far north location? Aluminum smelting on an island whose closest neighbor is Greenland? What about the truism we always hear that a place as northern and remote as Alaska can't support industrial activities? Off to Google "Aluminum smelters in Iceland?" Answer: Very cheap electricity, thanks to Iceland's wealth of geothermal energy.

Here's a thought: Maybe it's time to stop trying to export Alaska's natural gas reserves at cut-rate prices. We've been trying to do that for two decades or more with zero success. Instead, consider using our gas as the foundation of a new state economy. Explore building a state-owned gas line down to central/southern Alaska to power a state-of-the-art, high efficiency, clean-burning electrical generation system that could provide decades of competitively low-cost electrical power on an industrial scale. We have railroad service to tidewater, a port, world-class air freight facilities and a reasonable tax structure. It doesn't have to be heavy industries, though. Massive computer server farms are ideally located in cold climates and use massive amounts of electrical power. Why not put them in Alaska? We already have four fiber-optic cables from the Lower 48, we could certainly lay more. If Iceland can do it, we can, too.

— Ken Higgins
Anchorage

Solution to 1 section in paper

For Monday through Thursday papers, open it, tear it in half and voila! Two sections.

— Nancy S. Rogers
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.