Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, Dec. 11, 2014

Let’s buddy up on Glenn Highway

In response to Mr. Frank Baker's letter concerning the Glenn Highway commute: One of the biggest problems has to be single-occupant vehicles. Look around on your next commute home and I would bet at least nine out of 10 vehicles have only one occupant. RideShare, People Mover. Problem solved. Buddy up, people.

Marvin Hadenfeldt

Anchorage

Keeping the

community safe

Thank you to investigators with the Anchorage Police Department and the technical unit of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation for the work you do in arresting child sexual predators.

In a recent experience, APD officers responded quickly and the thieves who stole from our building were arrested the next day. We do not give our police officers enough credit for the job they do in risking their lives every day to keep our community safe.

Margaret Hansen

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Anchorage

McCoy’s editorial cartoon misrepresented the facts

I take exception to Glen McCoy's cartoon depiction, in Saturday's Opinion, of the NYPD officer chokeholding the black man on the ground, clearly a reference to the recent unintended death of Eric Garner. We have all seen the video and outtake photo that clearly shows the officer taking Garner to the ground from behind, not in a chokehold as depicted, but in a shoulderhold, not normally a life-threatening maneuver. Garner's significant obesity, his clear resistance to police officers, and his other medical conditions, notably asthma, contributed to his unintended death, not the shoulderhold misrepresented in the cartoon. It is common knowledge that failing to obey law enforcement can result in death, including one as needless and tragic as this one.

While there are plenty of legitimate examples of the contemptuous subculture of racism in this country, a false depiction such as McCoy's cartoon does nothing to educate the public, is not amusing, and serves only to exacerbate the racial tension promulgated by such ridiculous characters as Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Chris Matthews and the grossly biased liberal media resources, including ADN. Oh, but it sells more "news" papers. Opinion editors should be sanctioned for this misrepresentation.

Terri Reynolds-Rogers

Palmer

Fish and Game appointees must be based on science

Stephen Stringham's recent column (ADN, Tuesday) highlighted the need for a well-qualified Department of Fish and Game commissioner who could ensure science-based management of Alaska's precious fish and game resources. But well-qualified deputy commissioners and division directors are essential too, as are competent fish and game board appointees.

As Stringham correctly states, recent high level fish and game appointees have lacked the necessary qualifications to meet the challenge of curbing politically grounded management decisions that trump sound science. During the past three administrations, fish and game appointees at all levels were chosen mainly for their political loyalties with predictable results—unprecedented levels of poorly grounded management programs.

We need to return to management processes that have a biological basis. The first step is to conduct a widespread search for the best commissioner candidates available, to have the fish and game boards interview them, and for the boards to submit names to the governor. The commissioner must then appoint deputies and directors who can do the job. And the governor must search for good board members. We deserve better management of our fish and game resources than we've had during the past 12 years and the Walker administration can provide it with the right appointees.

Vic Van Ballenberghe

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.

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