Attacking education
Dear Editor:
Early in the presidential campaign, I thought that “make America great again” was a code phrase for “make America white (and male) again.” But now there’s a whole new twist on those phrases.
Historically, the United States has been a leader in public education, medicine and science. It welcomed (more or less) so many immigrants (all of us, in fact) who together contributed to making America great. All this seems to be changing.
We already know that science is under attack by the Republican Party. We still have excellent medicine, but the government is trying to make it less available to the middle class and poor. And what happens to medicine without science?
What is new — and so bizarre that it is almost impossible to believe — is that even mainstream Republicans are now attacking higher education. A recent Pew Research Center poll shows that by a 22 percent majority, Republicans think that higher education is bad for the country. Just seven years ago, a 26 percent majority was in favor of higher education. And what happens to science without higher education?
Couple the attacks on the free press and truth in government with reducing education. Less-educated citizens will be less-capable of judging the acts of their leaders and more easily manipulated by unscrupulous politicians. That is exactly what the far right has always wanted. But now this anti-democracy feeling is spreading into mainstream Republican thinking.
If you care about your children’s and your country’s future, look out for attempts to reduce funding for public colleges and universities. When there are only private schools, only children of the rich will get a higher education.
So, here are two new, catchy phrases for the Trumpists: “Make America stupid” and “make Americans sheep.” I won’t say “again,” because we have never been what these Republicans seem to want us to become.
Randy Brook, Twisp
A bill we can support
Dear Editor:
Dear Methowians, would you like to make history? There is a bill in the Washington state Senate (SJM 8000) aimed at returning power to the people by pulling the rug from corporate campaign donors. The bill is part of a national movement to force our federal Congress to take action. If two-thirds of the states pass bills similar to SJM 8000, then under article V of our U.S. Constitution, Congress must convene to discuss the specific topic (one topic only) regarding campaign finance reform. Any decision will then need to be ratified (passed by a vote) again by, two-thirds of the states.
No more “real” could this issue be than for those of us in the 4th Congressional District. Dan Newhouse was heavily funded by the Koch brothers. The Koch brothers are billionaires, who deal in coal and oil mining and refinement. The 4th hasn’t any coal or oil reserves. Dan is supporting big oil interest in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge though. He’s happy with Snake River salmon restoration efforts resting in the hands of power companies. And if someone cares to pay for page in this paper I would gladly fill it with more examples of Dan’s mega-donor repayment efforts.
What Dan is doing for big corporate interests is only the tip of our melting icebergs in comparison to what Dan’s lack of focus is “not” getting done in the 4th. Our kids need pathways to college — census data shows only 20 people of people in the 4th have a college degree. Corporate donors, such as those supporting Dan, like an uneducated working-class pool, nonunion apprenticeship systems and lots of big banks around to cash in after layoff-spawned credit failures.
State Sen. Brad Hawkins is awaiting your email right now. With me, Brad said he knew very little about SJM 8000, when one of his constituents explained to me that they personally attended an explanatory meeting about this bill with Brad, I was disappointed in Brad’s lack of honesty. Rather than accept defeat I continue to send emails, and I hope you will send Brad an email too: Brad.Hawkins@leg.wa.gov.
Brandon Sheely, Twisp
Keep public access open
Dear Editor:
I am writing to remind rural neighbors along forest roads that fire season is upon us. This is a great time to explore your escape options, check out those back roads behind your places that may provide your only escape in an odd wind and raging flames. Take a chain saw and help clear those roads that the county no longer maintains. Those public roads, some of the first into this valley, are well known to those of us up Texas, Benson and French creeks and the Chiliwist. In the past we were secure knowing we had fire escape choices as long as we traveled prepared to make the way passable.
The families that live in my rural neighborhood have rarely asked the county to increase the limited services provided here, but now I would like to emphasize the that fact fire escape issues have worsened since the Carlton Complex Fire and floods. Falling trees on the roadway will continue for decades in the blackened DNR/USFS lands and some culverts are still undersized for the sediment load on the recently logged burn areas.
I believe that the inhabitants of the Wildland Urban Interface have a responsibility to work together with various government and civic organizations to build a community as protected from wildfires as possible. As private homeowners, we must take the first steps and set the example in preparing our homes and primitive roads for wildfire. The county must take responsibility to defend access to our public roads for escape routes. DNR and USFS must help protect and maintain access to public land for all users.
Our county will profit considerably by defending access to hunt, gather, travel and recreate on public land. Our commissioners should act boldly against any further vacation or quiet title action in this vast and scenic backcountry. Many thanks to the more than 1,000 friends and neighbors who have signed the Okanogan Open Roads Coalition petitions submitted to the county commissioners. Please help maintain historic, well documented public access to public lands across the Okanogan.
Paula Mackrow, Carlton
A positive change
Dear Editor:
Both my parents and my grandparents were devoted church-goers, worked hard their whole lives to do good, and I am sure never would knowingly have done a thing to hurt any other human being. Nevertheless, they used, and I grew up hearing, words that today we know are offensive to others. They didn’t know any better and I didn’t know any better either.
Today we all work to make the world a better place for us, our children and our grandchildren. One of the simple things we can do is to cease using words that are found offensive to others.
Today, we have a chance to make a small change that will eliminate an offensive place name from state road signs and replace it with a word that celebrates the heritage of this valley.
The Methow people were in this valley for many, many generations before any white people arrived in the region. There is a creek down valley that was especially important to the Methow people. A Methow elder, Elaine Timentwa Emerson, whom I have known for about 20 years, said this: “Swaram Creek and the related fishing techniques of torch light fishing at night were considered a rite of passage for stages of youth. The young ones who were given the task of collecting the light colored stones and placing them in the water were of a certain age celebrating a rite of passage, as was the young person who was selected to light the torch.”
I have worked with Indian tribes in the western United States for about 50 years. The road signs identifying this creek today use a word that is offensive to Native Americans. Today that creek and road name can be changed to “Swaram.” This change will celebrate, in a positive way, the heritage we all share in this valley, whether we are white, Native or any other ethnicity. It is something we all should support. Supporting this change does not mean we in any way are criticizing those who originally gave the creek its current name.
Richard Hart, Winthrop
Favoritism continues
Dear Editor:
The revelations in Ms. Spohn’s letter of July 12 regarding a developer’s apparently successful attempt to use a neighbor’s well as his guarantee of water adequacy, and thus receive preliminary approval and vesting by the Okanogan Planning Department, reminds me of a similar case several years ago near Tonasket.
A series of exempt wells was planned for a 112-home subdivision. The first stage of the project involved digging a well to supply eight homes just across the fence line from the neighbor’s well. Although the neighbor contested that his water supply and his senior water rights would be threatened, the planning director and then county commissioners refused to honor his request and approved the project. He was forced to a legal challenge, resulting in $60,000 in legal fees. The subdivision was vested and re-vested by the county, but didn’t go through due to other circumstances.
The same unelected official who approved the Tonasket subdivision is still in office. And although the present county commissioners seem to favor listening rather than litigating on land and water use issues, the real action still goes on in the planning department, where those in charge continue to favor developers and minimal regulation, secure in the knowledge they can defend their position using county funds for the legal challenges that may result.
Jessica McNamara, Tonasket
Relief and appreciation
Dear Editor:
To all the individuals and agencies involved in extinguishing the Canyon Creek Fire, our family would like to express our relief and sincere appreciation. Having experienced the ravages of the Minnie Mine Fire in 1985 and abject terror of the Carlton Complex Fire, the fire that began south of our place last Saturday loomed large. The dark wisps of smoke north of Carlton carried both fear and fire with the rising hot south wind.
While over 1,200 acres have been consumed so far, no lives have been lost and property damage has been severely limited, thanks to the rapid response and cooperation of all agencies and individuals involved. Frequent updates by the Okanogan County Emergency Management Department, notices on Facebook and our own Methow Valley News were greatly appreciated. With the warmest and driest season still before us, this most recent event should serve as a “chilling” reminder of what can happen in a brief moment of carelessness.
Buck and Nancy Jorgensen and family, Canyon Creek Ranch, Twisp
