Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 401 - 425 of 2578
To The Eagle: I’ve got to tell you that some people tend to put abortion into two simple categories, one being pro-choice people and the other they seem to think are just religious zealots. Well there is a third group of which I am a charter member. The one that doesn't like seeing one of their own kind being ruthlessly murdered because two people were too stupid or lazy to use contraceptives if they didn't want a baby. In a letter last week a writer referred to the unborn as a blastocyst, a fetus, and an embryo. I guess you need to refer to an...
To The Eagle: The latest Republican statement on the January 6th riot-insurrection-attack on our capitol and Democracy, by the Republican National Committee, deems that attack as "legitimate political discourse." Some elected Republicans who were there now, too, agree with that, while they did not a year ago, when fresh in their minds. The Canadian trucker protest is by a minute section of truckers. Ninety percent of them are vaccinated, their union was against it. While distribution of parts and materials is causing work and production...
To The Eagle: I like good news, and covid-19 good news is always welcome. WA State reached 72.8% fully vaccinated, exceeding their stated 70% vaccination goal to obtain herd immunity. Wahkiakum has 301 PCR confirmed cases. Washington University says 60% of Covid cases are unreported. In Wahkiakum it means 301(40%) + 451(60%) = 752(100%) total cases, and these folks now have natural covid nucleocapsid protein antibodies from their infection. FDA Approved SpikeVax for ages 18+, joining FDA Approved Comirnaty for ages 16+. FDA website shows Modern...
To The Eagle: While the National Democratic Redistricting Committee called for a “Fair Districts Pledge” to “commit to restoring fairness to our democracy,” these politicians have instead adopted Oscar Wilde's trope that “the only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” Both parties have engaged in gerrymandering this year. We are left, yet again, with a gang of arsonists espousing fire safety in our political system. Despite voters calling for an end to gerrymandering, their leaders continue to lie to them and frustrate efforts to e...
To The Eagle: Thank you to our generous donors and RM38 for their donations for our Warm Winter Clothing Drive. Our 2-day event was a huge success. Puget Island Fire Auxiliary Sherrill Bollen & Liz Beutler...
To The Eagle: It's kind of sad when education comes up against those that see Jesus on a piece of toast. Human development comes in a series of stages ending with a baby once the fetus is born and breathing. Until then, starting with a blastocyst then on to embryo and finally fetus until live birth at hopefully 39 weeks. It's true that the heart will start beating at 5 weeks gestation but that does not a baby make. All of this information is readily available for anyone that has an interest in anything but denying science. May I suggest a...
To The Eagle Do you ever wonder what our education system would look like without the support from levy funds? Imagine this: You are a parent of two children so you must pack food, snacks, supplies, personal hygiene products, and drive your children to school. When you arrive, the grass is overgrown, the playground is fenced off and the gate is locked. Nobody greets your children at the door. You glance in the office and wave into the darkness. You escort your children to their classroom where you find the teacher. She/he is waiting for their...
To The Eagle: Amongst the letters a few weeks back was a tutorial on constitutions. Comprehensive as it was, it omitted the crucial fact, the singular feature, that makes the U.S. Constitution absolutely unique among similar documents, both now and historically: It confers sovereignty upon the individual citizen; not a king or governor or politburo, but We the People, you and me. From this basic concept comes the passel of freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights. For over two hundred years we’ve pretty much stuck to those rules (with a few m...
To The Eagle: Looking back 25 years, in 1977 the levy request put before Wahkiakum voters was $375,000 ($6.19 per thousand) and it was easily approved by 80% of the voters. Every levy request since then has been approved, even in 2010 after the recession hit. That’s important to note, because Wahkiakum County had the largest percentage drop in employment of any county in the state during the 2008-2009 recession. But the levy passed. Generations of Wahkiakum County voters have recognized that voting to support school levies is a vote for the f...
To The Eagle: We recently voted by mail on the school levy and did so with complete confidence in the integrity of Washington’s postal voting system. Folks using the ballot drop box didn’t have to worry about it being suddenly moved to a distant inconvenient location the day before the polls opened, as has happened in several “red” states. Washington voters don’t have to worry about craftily biased voter I.D. requirements as in Texas, where state issued student ID’s are not accepted at the polls, but a handgun license is. This is to disenfra...
This week, I received a ballot in the mail to vote on a tax levy for the Wahkiakum School District. I marked the box to support the levy. They call it an enrichment levy. The state legislature has determined that the state is paying for the cost of basic education, and voters in local school districts can use these special levies to enrich their programs. For the Wahkiakum School District, enrichment means future technology needs; music instruments; transportation to band competitions and athletic events; safety equipment; for grass and water...
To The Eagle: Last week’s Eagle had two particularly well written articles. James, to your rhetorical question of “why,” I think the answer comes down to the age-old balance beam of “fear and greed,” and then often justified with religion. When you peel the onion back, this is the political metric that is usually at the core. You call the religious aspect a cudgel, I call it a crutch. I think the last line in the other Eagle article about denial and CRT is a great example of this supposed justification. PS: Regarding your PS: I wonder ho...
To The Eagle: Folks should have received a ballot in the mail this week for a levy to replace an existing educational programs and operations levy. That's it! Nothing else on the ballot. Boring. Boring. Boring. But it's pretty darned important, and I'm writing to encourage people to return those ballots. It's not a slam-dunk that it will pass. Our schools operate using a combination of state dollars (about 80%) and local school levies (20%). We have the third lowest levy rate in the state at $1.90 per thousand dollars. In fact, the rate will dr...
To The Eagle: It is not an extra tax and its approval by voters will not increase your property taxes. Instead, by voting for the renewal of the existing levy, voters indicate that they want a certain amount of their existing property tax to be used to fund, for example, school projects (sports, drama, band) and the purchase of safety equipment (defibrillators). In past years, based on the consent of voters, as much as $2.36 per $1,000/assessed property value (APV) was allocated to such projects. This time, the school board of the Wahkiakum...
To The Eagle: On social media we are seeing some folks campaigning against the levy whose end goal appears to be that Wahkiakum school district ceases to exist. They are possibly misinformed about the costs of doing that. According to Washington State, Wahkiakum currently has the third lowest special levey rate of all counties in the state, at $1.90/$1,000. Source: https://dor.wa.gov/about/statistics-reports/average-levy-rates-county-interactive-data-graphic. Our estimated levy rate if the levy passes is $1.78/$1,000. Source: Voters pamphlet. I...
To The Eagle: The Wahkiakum Lions Club wishes to thank Diana Zimmerman for her great article about the LC Medical Equipment Loan Closet. It has already created help for several people in this community who needed items to help in their recovery. Also, we have received donations of equipment from Kelly Head, Hannah Booth, Linda DeHart and others who’s names I did not get. Thank you all. Because of you I can now add a hospital bed and transfer poles to my list of loan items. Carol McClain Keeper of the Loan Closet...
To The Eagle: We plan to vote “yes” on the replacement levy for the Wahkiakum School district (February 8 special election) and urge our neighbors to do the same. This simple, minimal measure carries forward the existing school levy and helps provide critical funding to address class sizes, technology, safety equipment, Mule athletics and necessary staff. The school district is not asking for an increase in funds, in fact district tax rates are projected to decrease over time. Families, children and quality of life improve when schools are ade...
To The Eagle: The ballots are out for voting on the renewal of our school district levy. Yes, renewal, not a new levy or tax, but replacing the expiring 4-year levy the school district is currently collecting. The estimated levy rate is $1.78/per $1,000 of assessed value according to the Official Local Voters Pamphlet. The previous 4-year levy was approved at $2.36/$1,000. The amount the levy currently collects is $997,000, the same amount the replacement levy will collect beginning in 2023. Yes, property values may continue to rise and if...
To The Eagle: A writer in last week’s paper suggested that the reason many good people don't want to run for office has something to do with religion being used as a cudgel (stick). The real reason many good people don't run for office is that the two parties have at the ready, a professional smear machine designed to destroy anyone that dares to challenge the political establishment. I think good people should run for office and point out to the voters that when the smears start, and they will, the words of Jesus Christ apply, “Let him amongst...
To The Eagle: My number1 hope for this country and continued democracy, is to pass the two voting rights bills currently in Congress. Sadly did not happen. Some years ago, it would have been a large bipartisan vote, now zero Republicans will vote for it! Sad! Next, I hope the roughly 15+ percent of the adult population that remains stubbornly unvaccinated, who are at the greatest risk of severe illness and death from the omicron variant, will somehow change their minds. My hopes also come in the form of appreciating, where we have so much...
To The Eagle: The school levy for Wahkiakum School District will be voted on February 8, 2022. Every school district in Washington State has a school levy that provides for maintenance of basic needs - books, teachers, teacher assistants, special education tools, extra curricular activities, and school building maintenance to name a few. A school levy is not just for schools but helps define the community it is in. If this school levy does not pass, the school will not have money for basic needs. Eventually, if not immediately, families will...
To The Eagle: As a recent writer adroitly pointed out, you’re not likely to read about American Communist activities in the local paper. They’re simply not exciting enough. You’d have to subscribe to the People’s World newspaper which informs the 5000 members of the American Communist Party. Connecticut’s World People’s Committee is a branch of our domestic Communist party and they met recently to present the Amistad Award to four dedicated labor organizers for their tireless efforts to advance worker rights, equality, and social justice. Th...
To The Eagle: The people who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January don’t understand that radical nationalism is not patriotism. Not wanting to be considered as rioters, or insurrectionists, they claim to be “patriots.” It is a strange modern definition of patriotism that includes flag-waving hypocrites who proudly proclaim their loyalty to a country they seem determined to kill. A true patriot would accept stricter gun laws favored by 70% of Americans. Instead, patriotic nihilists helped make the National Rifle Association the official spons...
To The Eagle, I fancy the readers of our paper to be articulate well educated souls. Given that, allow me to posit this. Perhaps I can get an answer to a question that has been lurking at the edge of my consciousness for some time now. We live in a society of something over 240 million so why is it that we are left with the choices for leader being only between a moron and a bully? There are so many intelligent and experienced people being shoved aside by the most ridiculous of reasons that prevent them from being in positions of power. We...
To The Eagle: Is there any person more pathetic or foolish than the man or woman of 40-50-80+ years who is “woke,” who is the recipient of the privileges and capabilities from the most free and open society in the world, but who hates it and his fellow citizens who wish to keep it free? Who insists on racial quotas, shaming the majority of people because of the evils and mistakes of our past history, or members of the hated red party? Who goes along with the destructive divisive policies of power from obsessed authoritarians [the Karens of gov...
