Viewpoints
Opinions/Letters
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 Letter
of Resignation By Samuel Bergeron - To the Mayor and City
Council and citizens of Ketchikan,
Effective 5-18-09, I reluctantly
resign my seat on the Ketchikan City Council. I do so with a
heavy heart. When I left on work assignment in Kazakhstan, I
was supposed to be working in the large metropolitan areas that
had good high speed internet service. Due to a change in my work
assignment, I will not be able to continue participating without
impacting my work. My current assignment is in a location that
does not have internet and is remote. I said before I left that
if it became impractical for me to continue to participate, I
would resign. The circumstance has arisen that makes it impossible
for me to continue. - More...
Monday - May 18, 2009
The
Boys and Girls Club has a new home. By Chris Corrao - After
months of searching the Boys & Girls Club has now opened
in our new location 645 Jackson Street (more commonly known as
the National Guard Armory). - More...
Monday - May 18, 2009
Cruise
Ship Tax By Vic and Judi Vreeland - On September 13, 2006,
you published our letter concerning the cruise ship tax. We were
opposed to it and said; - More...
Monday - May 18, 2009
Last
Knot on the Rope to progress. By Don Borders - While Ketchikan
stands sliding on the slippery slope, fixated with both hands
firmly grasping the last stop, it has its back to the deep waters.
The cruise lines dropped one of its ships visiting our little
town, while adding one more to Anchorage. Sure, they cited the
cost of oil to run the ships, but in thought, it must take more
fuel to get the added ship visit to Anchorage. The fact two of
our local governments chose to spend the cruise ship passengers'
tax on stuff not adhering to the imposed head tax guidelines
must have been their problem. That is one aspect of the last
knot. - More...
Sunday - May 17, 2009
Open
Letter: Dungeness crab fishery By Rep. Kyle Johansen &
Rep. Bill Thomas - We are very concerned with the decision by
the Board of Fish (Board) to open the commercial Dungeness crab
fishery in Districts 1 and 2 of Registration Area A from June
15 to August 15 (summer season). - More...
Sunday - May 17, 2009
Foster
Care in Alaska By Lisa Bezenek - I certainly hope the state
will look into this information Mr. Jackson presented, and somehow
have Mr. Jackson's college fund be funded from that large amount
of money per month. What a great thing for him to come to the
public with information most people hide from or just ignore.
- More...
Sunday - May 17, 2009
Rental
costs in Ketchikan By Heather Wills - Let me tell you about
us. I stay at home during the week and waitress on the weekends
and he works full time at the hospital and is going to school
for Nursing. I consider us to be very good renters. We have two
small children, no pets, we don't smoke or stay out late, don't
play loud music, always pay our rent on time and take very good
care of our little apartment. - More...
Sunday - May 17, 2009
Tongass
National Forest By Charlotte Tanner - Mr. Stump you are indeed
an articulate, and well written person. - More...
Sunday - May 17, 2009
Appeasement
Jeopardizes National Security By Donald A. Moskowitz - President
Obama is making mistakes impacting our foreign policy. - More...
Sunday - May 17, 2009
RE:
Foster Care in Alaska By Charlene Burns - I am sorry that
Mr. Jackson has been hurt by this news of the mass amounts of
money that is being used in some facets of our foster care system.
I would be just as devastated as you are if I had found out similar
news about my caregivers. - More...
Thursday - May 14, 2009
RE:
Foster Care in Alaska By Melissa Muller - I have lived and
worked with the youth, in Ketchikan, for the past eight years.
Treating their mental health. At RYC, some of the kids come in
because they are having difficulty navigating adolescence with
their families. These kids are placed at RYC by their parents.
- More...
Thursday - May 14, 2009
Rental
Costs in Ketchikan By Maria Neufeldt - There have been several
letters about "slumlords" in Ketchikan. Well I have
the other side. Is my rent higher here than in Oregon? Of course.
The cost of living is about 30% higher here overall than Portland.
- More...
Thursday - May 14, 2009
Coastal
Alaska Forest Regrowth By Keith Stump - In response to Charlotte
Tanner's second request that I answer or otherwise enlighten
her: "Over-mature forests" include "dead and decaying"
trees, and healthy, growing trees. They are marked by a canopy
populated by gray, dead wood, and distinguished from a "mature
forest" by the substantial percentage of dead and dying
trees and more technically by the comparative lack of increase
or decrease in wood fiber. "Over mature" is a term
used to describe a forest, not a tree. A standing tree can be
dead or dying (i.e. decaying, rotting in part). A tree fallen
and turning to rot on the forest floor is not an "over-mature
tree," it's a dead tree, but it would possibly be in an
over-mature forest. - More...
Thursday - May 14, 2009
RE:
ON SECESSION By Eileen Small - A discussion of history is
always a good thing in my opinion since, as they say, those who
don't study history are destined to repeat it. Slavery was, infact,
a great evil in the world. This includes wherever it existed
in America in our past and in places where minorities (such as
women) are enslaved today and where innocent civilians are tortured
and beheaded for quasi religious reasons by Al Quaeda and the
Taliban such as in Iraq and Afghanistan --- and where our current
elected U.S. President and Congress seem to have HUGE issues
in showing a little backbone when dealing with these oppressors.
- More...
Thursday - May 14, 2009
RE:
ON SECESSION By Jeremy Price - I am sick to death of secession
being painted as such a dastardly act, when come to think of
it, our nation was born from secession. - More...
Thursday - May 14, 2009
Responses
to my letters By Charles Edwardson - For some reason some
of my letters make it to this publication and some do not. I
do not know if they are screened or not but it seems that some
of my more polite letters make it on right away and some of the
more sarcastic letters do not make it at all. In any case sarcasm
is not a reason to discount the content of an opinion. - More...
Tuesday - May 12, 2009
The
Theft of Taan ta Kwaan Lands in Ketchikan By Aan Kadax Tseen
aka Don Hoff Jr. - The low tidelands around Ketchikan, Alaska
belong to the Taan ta Kwaan (Sea Lion People), also known as
the Tongass Tribe. Encroachment or theft of Native lands in Ketchikan
actually started during the Alaska gold rush in the late 1880's
with so-called mining claims like Venetia Lode and Schoenbar
Lode. It was during this time that Alaska Natives were unable
to make mining claims on their own lands, because they were not
citizens of the United States. - More...
Monday PM - May 11, 2009
ANOTHER
CLIFF HANGER by Ken Bylund - Mr. Hanger, do you believe that
defending your political religion with the fervor of Pope Gregory
IX is persuasive, or productive? Many, especially non-partisans,
non-believers [like me] have had enough of this religious inquisition
rhetoric from all sides... leaves a bitter history, all this
constant sniping, the compulsive disorder to shout down, accuse,
and pitch divisive epithets; peculiar [as it is repulsive], is
the tone, that hollow echo of past totalitarianism. My recommendation;
provide logical, persuasive arguments for specific concepts,
[scientific method] to be studied, tested, and proofed; resist
all the blustery energy aimed at destroying the reputations of
them who disagree with you [not very scientific]. Listen and
think about what skeptics are saying, much of it is justifiable,
offer reasonable, constructive alternatives. - More...
Monday PM - May 11, 2009
Thank
You By Julia Guthrie - My son Christopher R. Stacy was involved
in a single car accident on South Tongass Highway on May 4th.
My family would just like to thank the South Tongass Fire Department,
the Alaska State Troopers, the Ketchikan General Hospital, Guardian
Flight, Harbor Veiw Medical Center, our friends and family, and
all the people of Ketchikan who offered their support to our
family. - More...
Monday PM - May 11, 2009
Foster
Care in Alaska By Mary Ida Henrikson - I must respond to
Matt Jackson's letter. First it must have been devastating to
learn that money was the motivation in your foster care. Your
letter describing your conclusion is full of emotional pain and
confusion. - More...
Monday PM - May 11, 2009
$414,000.00
plus $30,000.00 By Bob Jackson - The people I have talked
with believe the council made a costly mistake in the decision
to move KPU customer service out of its current location. - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
KPU
Telecom Sale By Michael Naab - Reading the recent letters
from Charles Edwardson and Rudy McGillvray, one might assume
that the sale of KPU's Telecommunications Division is a foregone
conclusion. Not so. Here are some facts: - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Dungeness
Crab in Southeast Alaska By Jackie Tyson - Briefly, I was
at the Petersburg Board of Fish (BoF) meeting. I spoke for the
people of Whale Pass who wanted to keep the little bay in front
of their town closed to commercial crabbers. My husband was trying
to get a small area in the Wrangell Narrows by Petersburg closed
to Dungeness because it's so depleted. We were shot down. It
was not pretty. - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Foster
Care in Alaska By Matt Jackson - Today, I learned what really
makes the "youth treatment system" go 'round in Alaska.
It's not love, it is not about the kids, and no one cares about
us. It is the money. I won't go into the many grievances Residential
Youth Care and foster care have committed against me. Rather,
today I will only talk about the numbers. - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Speed
Limits By Libby Oaksmith - I have read the previous two letters
and agree with both of them. In 2000, I wrote a letter to the
Daily News asking drivers to please slow down. I too live in
the same area as Jennifer, only right across from the ball park.
- More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
ON
SECESSION By David G. Hanger - Eileen Small would have us
believe that there exists a binding contract between the state
of Texas and the United States that allows Texas to secede from
the United States if it so desires. That so-called contract language
dates to 1845 and was voided and superseded by what is known
as the American Civil War. You might have heard of it, Eileen.
- More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Our
children's children's Forest By James Schenk - I have been
to the Maybeso experimental forest! For such a place to be chosen
as an example of a good one, is beyond my belief. The alder after
60 years in the Maybeso is still profuse, the reprod which was
never properly thinned makes human and animal passage difficult
at best. The reasoning of destroying our forest for profit of
corporations and publicly funded logging should be as dead as
a spawned out salmon. - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Coastal
Alaska forest regrowth By Louise Clark - I feel an obligation
to add my opinion to this discussion of old growth ugly versus
new beautiful human managed forests because it is refreshing
to know that man in his ultimate wisdom is better at this than
God or mother nature. - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Coastal
Alaska Forest Regrowth By Charlotte Tanner - Thank you Mr.
Stump for your attempt at "enlightening" me. I tend
to agree with you on your assessment of your grandmother, she
is over mature. Just as a tree that has fallen and decayed on
the forest floor for a few decades could be called over mature,
but to call a standing tree "over mature" is rather
pre mature in my humble opinion. - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Sidewalk
congestion By Julie Grimmer - This morning at the tunnel,
I witnessed two women get on their small electric wheelchair-type
vehicles and zoom on to downtown, using the sidewalk. Now, these
2 were not handicapped in any way. I saw both of them walking
around their vehicles prior to using them, stooping down, one
even running down the street to get something. - More...
Saturday - May 09, 2009
Slumlords
By Cecelia Johnson - On rent and landlords I really need to add
my two cents. I am a homeowner but have been involved with social
services which I was an advocate. - More...
Wednesday - May 06, 2009
Coastal
Alaska Forest Regrowth By Keith Stump - Charlotte Tanner
has requested me to enlighten her with locations of "better,
greener, healthier forests" in Southeast Alaska. OK. First,
check out Maybeso Valley on POW where the Maybeso Experimental
Forest is located. It was used for experimental logging by the
U.S. Forest Service when large-scale logging first began to provide
the timber contracted to the two long-term (50 year) sales to
the two pulp mills build in the 1950's (Ketchikan and then Sitka).
To evaluate and better understand the effects of more significant
harvesting of timber (particularly the effects on salmon streams),and
the natural regrowth capabilities and processes in Southeast
Alaska, over four miles of forests on both sides of the Maybeso
Creek were clear-cut logged, and within that area a square mile
(after being was first clear cut logged) had all remaining trees
(down to just sprouts) removed. In that regrowth (or second generation
forest), you will uniformly find an overall "greener"
forest canopy (over sixty feet tall about ten or twenty years
ago) without the grey dead tops of dead or dying trees found
in the or climax forest that was there when the logging began.
- More...
Wednesday - May 06, 2009
Old
Growth Trees - worthless? By Shelley Stallings - About the
only sentence in Mr. Dornblasers letter I can find any agreement
with is the one which states that trees, like all living things,
grow, mature, then die. After that it becomes more complicated
and most of these issues have be hashed and re-hashed many times
over in the media and at countless USFS public meetings. - More...
Wednesday - May 06, 2009
Take
the Money By Rick Ferguson - I think our governor should
get off her high horse and take the money. -
More...
Wednesday - May 06, 2009
HELP
SAVE OUR DUNGENESS!!!!! By Kimberly Peters - The Alaska Board
of Fisheries has decided to open commercial Dungeness fishing
in the Ketchikan area on June 15th, 2009. This just happens to
be when the crabs are breeding and have soft shells, this hasn't
been done since the 80's because they almost WIPED the species
OUT!! - More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
25
MPH speed limit neighborhoods By Michael Moyer - I will have
to agree with Jennifer Tavares that there is no intelligent reason
why the neighborhood streets of Ketchikan should have speed limits
as high as 25 mph. I live on upper Water Street and I have witnessed
near fatal accidents with pedestrians there including a child
who was simply stepping out of his street side home directly
into the path of an on-coming car. - More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
Re:
KPU (Telephone Division) By Alan R. (Rudy) McGillvray - It
has never been incumbent upon the City Council to do anything
in governing Ketchikan that would REALLY benefit its citizens
and or customers. KPU Telephone Division is the only division
in KPU that makes more money than it spends; that would be called,
by any other name, PROFIT. KPU Telephone Div, is constantly called
upon to give monies to the Electrical Division, if you read the
minutes of City Council Meetings very carefully you will note
that on occasion the Council is asked by the Managers of KPU
to do so and they do. - More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
RE:
Enlightment By Jim Dornblaser - Ms. Tanner, I find your choice
of words ironic. - More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
High
Rent?? By Sonia Streitmatter - I am a homeowner who currently
has renters in my home. I'm fairly new to the game (just a few
months), but I have to say if anyone thinks I am making money
off the deal, they are just plain wrong. The rent covers the
mortgage payment, the property manager's fee and the little bit
extra goes to paying the increase in insurance from a homeowner's
policy to a landlord's policy. If there is anything left, it
will go towards a fund for repairs/alterations. - More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
Ketchikan
Tea Party By Eileen Small - I thought Mr. Hanger's tirade
against Ms. Emmert's letter in support of the nationwide tea
parties to be a tad elitist and unjust--a characteristic which
that writer shares with many of our currently elected officials
and a fact that helped incite the grass root protests leading
to the tea parties. I know I am not a racist but I can see unnecessary
spending occur and I hate to see my kids and others' kids paying
for debts occurred in this generation. Frankly, I hate to pay
for it either and if I wanted to own Chrysler or GM I'd buy stock
personally! I guess I can determine right from wrong. Why is
the "race card" always played when someone disagrees
with liberal politics? I think it is silly--sort of like grade
schoolers calling each other baby- name-insults on a playground!
I don't think Ms. Emmert is a racist either and I am certain
of one more thing that neither she nor I are: WE AREN'T SOCIALISTS!!!
- More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
Iranian
Nuclear Missile Threat By Donald A. Moskowitz - Iran tested
the launch of a Scud missile from a ship in the Caspian Sea,
which was designed to provide the capability of launching intermediate
range missiles from cargo ships sitting off coastlines. Also,
within a few years Iran will have long range missiles capable
of striking North America. - More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
Airline
Travel Costs By Jerilyn Lester - I have to agree with Chas
Edwardson on this one, if Alaska Airlines thought in terms of
volume instead of gouging each individual that crossed the Narrows
it would be better all around. - More...
Monday - May 04, 2009
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