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Real deer, real deal
We’re tired of “almost.” We’re bored with “not quite.” “Nearly” makes
us yearn for “ka-ching”! Do kids see our wild life on “the tube” and
that’s it? Don’t smell the lake, get the surprise of a deer? The
sudden scramble of a couple of turtles?
“I remember that!” is too sad, when “the real deal” is close enough to
touch. Here’s one. Coming home from the lodge, I pulled into the ice
cream drive-through in Cascade Locks and asked for a raspberry swirl.
I took my first lick. Then, how my tongue woke up! Faintly remembered
“real” vanilla was swirling with sweet raspberry …
You can do that, too. And you can just park by the golf shop at
Skamania Lodge and walk the short lake loop trail. See a beaver? Hear
frogs? Catch a summer breeze? See deer? Loads of turtles? Yup. Real
deal.
In the first of summer, how ‘bout in your cereal, three kinds of fresh
berries you picked yourself. What else? You tell me.
Donna Gray-Davis
Hood River
Where are letters?
There must have been dozens of folks who wrote to the Hood River
News condemning our treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Okay, fine. Where are their letters condemning al-Qaida’s
treatment of our soldiers as prisoners of war? Oh, I get it: that
condemnation of the U.S. was merely a continuation of age-old
leftist nonsense about us being the great evil power of the world.
Brian Steeves
Hood River
Put fee to vote
Having read the proposed Hood River (HR) Business Ordinance (No.
1901) to add to the HR Municipal Code, I have some questions and
comments.
Since I have a prior commitment on the day of the hearing and
won’t be present, I’m presenting questions/comments in this
fashion.
Questions
1. How many documented cases of harm have occurred in Hood River
because businesses didn’t have licenses?
2. What specific laws require that businesses have licenses in
Hood River?
3. Isn’t some of the desired information already available under
state and/or federal licensure?
4. Aren’t other ways available to provide flow of information from
businesses to the City of Hood River and vise versa without
licensure?
Comments:
It appears that, with questionable reasons, the City of Hood River
would be adding another bureaucracy, an indirect tax (fees) and
intrusion into businesses. Unless the City of Hood River can
strongly justify their reasons for licensing of businesses or if
they don’t cancel the idea, voters in Hood River should decide the
matter.
Don Rose, M.D.
Hood River
Democracy usurped
What is conservative about a $9 trillion deficit?
What is conservative about borrowing from children’s future and
spending it on death, destruction and misery today?
What is conservative about making the world more and more toxic
for ourselves and our children?
What is conservative about consuming the world’s finite resources
(including forest ecosystems hundreds and thousands of years old)
with wild abandon and leaving children with fewer options for the
future?
What is Christian about dropping bombs and all the other tools of
evil on children, or anyone for that matter, in Afghanistan and
Iraq?
What is Christian about sanctions that have killed over one
million people in Iraq since the first U.S. war with Iraq? How can
someone be pro life ... and pro war?
In my upbringing, conservative and Christian meant living
frugally, caring for one another in time of need and creating a
better future for generations to follow. Today, by all the obvious
evidence, conservative has come to mean selfishness and evil. This
is very sad to say the least.
The sovereignty of the United States of Amnesia has been so
usurped by the transnational corporations and people of greed that
there is less difference between the two parties than would be
healthy. The Republican and Democratic parties both chase after
the same corporate donations and do the same bidding for their
corporate masters.
However, until we break the stranglehold transnationals and the
two parties have on America, and reclaim real sovereignty of
government by, for and of the people, the Democratic party is
modestly the more just and humane way to vote. Republicans! It is
OK to vote Democratic! It won’t be the end of the world.
Anyone campaigning under the Republican banner should be held
accountable for being part of the Bush party of fanatics and
Armageddonists. I will not vote for any Republican in this year’s
election, nor the next, until the GOP comes to its senses.
In the past 34 years I have voted for Republicans, Democrats,
Libertarians, Greens, Natural Law and Independents. You can
imagine how successful my choices have been in the sports-modeled
politics of America we blithely call a democracy.
Ideally, we would have a wide spectrum of parties in state houses
and Washington, D.C., as the current dominant two parties don’t
truly represent many of us commoners. Until we claim a national
ethos of honesty, integrity, courage, compassion, altruism,
ecological sustainability and vision for a better world for
everyone the Democratic party is modestly the best choice in
coming elections. We need to realize, “Everyone will do better
when everyone does better.”
Keith Harding
Mt. Hood
No casino for Gorge
This is my first letter to your lively and wonderful paper! But I
read the letter from Lynae Hansen (June 17), of Cascade Locks, and
had to respond to her barbed comments about those of us who oppose
any casino(s) in the heart of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic
Area.
The Gorge is no place for any casino because the ecosystem is
fragile and the impacts would be too harsh on our environment and
all the wonderful habitats and wildlife that occupy this most
beautiful niche. And anybody who opposes any casino in the Gorge
is welcome to join our group and give of their time and effort to
prevent this desecration of a sacred place (to native Americans
and all Americans who appreciate its beauty and wonder).
There are no hard questions here and there is no need for sarcasm
and innuendo. It is very simple and there are no ulterior motives:
The Gorge is no place for any casinos. The environment won’t
support this type of huge and monstrous development. Simple.
Mary L. Repar
Stevenson, Wash.
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