Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 930 - 954 of 2578
To The Eagle: A humble rejoinder to Dennis Gordon’s challenge (Eagle 11/27): Venice was built on 118 small islands in the Venetian lagoon by Romans fleeing barbarian invaders (no doubt early Republicans) around 421 AD. Building technique on these low lying islands was to drive wooden posts into the ground (mud), build wooden platforms on top of them, and erect stone and brick buildings on the platforms. The buildings sink at an average rate of 2mm per anum, so the oldest buildings have sunk 19 feet. The area always floods several times a y...
To The Eagle: Ron Chernov makes it clear in his biography of Alexander Hamilton that the man was an advocate of strong executive power, yet also envisaged the rise of a demagogue who would put liberty and the rule of law at risk and place his own interests before those of the country. Hamilton seemed to anticipate our current moment, when he wrote to George Washington in 1792, that: “ When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents is seen to mount the hobby horse of p...
To The Eagle: Just wanted to pass along a big thank you to all the volunteers who made the Cathlamet Community Thanksgiving Dinner such a success. The food and company was wonderful. Like the best of Thanksgivings past, I left knowing I had eaten too much! I can only imagine the hours everyone spent preparing, and your efforts made it one of the highlights of our family’s weekend. Again, thanks and Happy Holidays! Chris Damitio Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: I wonder about the lack of common sense among some people and politicians in regard to our environment. A recent visit and stay in Venice brought focus to my point-concern. Having arrived in Venice Italy (work and pleasure) in the late afternoon of Nov 12, by 10:00 p.m., I woke to the noises of people on the street below my window walking in 18-inches of water. The record floods caused by the high tides continued into the morning of Nov 17 when I left Venice. In the morning of the 13th, the water was over two feet deep in the...
To The Eagle: I clearly did not make my point well enough. And looking back, stating my personal considerations about poverty did not help make my point. That said, my point was that to penalize those who have succeeded in living above poverty is not a solution for poverty. And yes, I agree whole heartedly the Money Changers of the world are a big part of the problem. As are the scammers, liars, cheaters, thieves and anyone who chooses to take advantage in any way of others. Ben Elkinton Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: I was watching Jeopardy last night, and they had a category Islands in the "C" and when there’s a letter with quotation marks, the answer will begin with that letter as I'm sure someone there watches Jeopardy or knows someone who does. The answer was Puget Island and one of the contestants said "What is the Columbia River, and obviously got it right. So thought I would share that one of our geological places up here in the lower Columbia region was on Jeopardy. Pull up the November 19 airing to find it. I think it was the D...
To The Eagle: A recent contributor posited the question “why are there poor at all?” and concluded that poor folk “want to be poor and choose not to work to support themselves.” The Feds classify an individual as “poor” if their income is less than $12,000 yearly, or if a family of three is trying to survive on $21,000. See more about the gradations of poverty online, if you care. There are currently 100 million people hovering between those thresholds in the U.S. A large number of that 100 million are children and seniors. Over 12 million of t...
Commentary by Darrell Alexander Theron Frame is a 15 year old sophomore at Naselle High School who was given the opportunity to enter the contest with 21 other entries. His hope is to make the wider world better in some way after he graduates while still keeping in touch with his family. He entered the essay contest because he felt that doing so would honor those who have worked tirelessly to protect our and others’ freedoms. He says that we are fortunate to live in a country that had such strong moral values in mind when it was created, and o...
To The Eagle: Many thanks to those that recently trusted me with their vote as Cathlamet Town Council nominee. Helping turn the town around has been a strong, personal focus of mine for a couple of years now. Together, with the four other committed councilors, I feel really good about our ability to shape Cathlamet’s growth and future. What we need more than anything to be most effective though is additional input from both the town (and county’s) residents. We need to know how residents and tax payers want “their” town to look like. This ca...
To The Eagle: First of all a person only becomes rich if he/she or someone in their family had a good idea or a needed product and went about developing it and marketing it. Which resulted in wealth from exchange for their products or services produced and delivered. “Tax the Rich” is not a new idea. Even the Beatles had a song about it. “Tax the rich and feed the poor till there are no poor no more.” Nice idea, but… Why should a person who has managed to gather some wealth be penalized by being required to support those who choose not to wo...
To The Eagle: Are you looking for a special venue for hosting a large family gathering or holiday party, a wedding and/or reception, public meeting or reunions? I was looking for a special indoor place this year, to celebrate my husband's retirement from the Town of Cathlamet Public Works, plus his 75th birthday party. Some persons might advise others to look in Cowlitz County. I believe in shopping locally when possible, so I chose the grand and historic Norse Hall on Puget Island. This local landmark is located at 444 SR 409, Puget Island,...
To The Eagle: “There was no crime committed,” according to the Inspectors General of both the Dept. of Justice and the Dept. of State who exonerated Hillary Clinton after a three year investigation into her use of a private email server during her term as Secretary of State. Investigators found no “systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information by Clinton or her associates, nor was there evidence classified material had been compromised,” according to a State Department report presented to Congress. Regardless, Trump persist...
To The Eagle: Just a little follow up about the $30 car tab I wrote last week. As we all know, the $30 car tab initiative passed and yet the Seattle mayor threatened the very voters that helped pass it by filing a lawsuit to block that initiative. She also threatened to cut more than 100,000 bus hours and would hamper free bus access for students and low-income residents. What a nice mayor. She and the legislators do not want to think that there are other alternatives such as eliminating unnecessary regulations, fees and taxes to private...
To The Eagle: Last year I wrote to our legislators about why our renewal for car licensing had risen from $30 to $63.75 (this year went up to $68.25). I received a response from Damon Monroe who is the Rule Coordinator for DOL. This is his reply: “We apologize for not getting back to you sooner. We have reviewed the list of fees and concerns noted in the email sent to Governor Inslee and various legislators. We understand your concerns about the fees; however all of these fees are required by state law and can only be changed through l...
To The Eagle, Let’s straighten out one twisted fact mentioned in an opinion piece last week. I refer to the repeated lie that “Hillary Clinton sold 20 percent of our uranium to Russia,” Folks who have casually smeared Clinton’s reputation by Trumpeting fake facts about her performance at the state department will no longer be receiving a free pass to traffic in such innuendos. The verifiable facts are these. In 2010 Rosatom, a Russian nuclear power consortium, purchased controlling interest in Uranium One, an American uranium mining company...
To The Eagle: Egads! Gadzooks! The neighborly contretemps over fact versus opinion has at last slipped the bonds of civility, and we stand accused of both uttering untruths and bearing false witness. Exegesis follows: Hillary’s crimes are real and well-documented, the prime exemplar being her illicit server in which she stored classified material and which was hacked by numerous outside actors. She was investigated by the FBI and exonerated by then-Director Comey who lacked authority to do so. Indeed, the whole fact free Trump/Russia witch h...
To The Eagle: There will be two Veterans Day ceremonies tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 8. The first one is at the Wahkiakum High School at 10 a.m. in the high school gym. All community veterans and spouses are welcome. After the assembly, there will be a luncheon available for veterans. Washington State Representative Jim Walsh will be speaking. The second one is at the Naselle-Grays River Valley School at 1:30 p.m. in the gymnasium. Again, all community veterans and spouses are welcome. After the ceremony, there will be refreshments available. United...
To The Eagle: Many are concerned about our President’s unilateral trade policy decisions. There’s an old saying that trust is “gained in drops and lost in buckets.” On an almost daily basis, we see our government undermine years of hard work and the goodwill shared with our allies to placate a few voter blocks. Our current administration’s trade stance looks like the makings of the “Smoot Hawley Act,” which started the trade war in 1930, and intensified the Great Depression. Whether by design or default, it’s clear to anyone paying attentio...
To The Eagle: No U.S. President has ever approached Trump’s blatant and constant attack on democracy and the constitution. President Trump, though that’s an honorary title of which he’s entirely unbecoming, has only one agenda: Utilize the presidency to serve his personal interests. Why did he support U.S. troops in northern Syria in 2018, yet, has given Turkey the green light thereby welcoming an attack on our Syrian Democratic allies whilst granting ISIS support to reorganize? It’s quite simple--Trump Towers. Trump doesn’t mind lasting t...
To The Eagle: This air of political and cultural turmoil is tearing America apart. I know many want to blame our president. It is not his fault if we, as American citizens cannot tolerate opposing views. The fact is, he was a very admired man until he became president. Hillary Clinton herself said in 2013, she would like to see a man like Donald Trump run for president, because he cannot be bought the way other politicians can. Mueller’s investigation was expensive for the American people, and the conclusion was that there was no collusion. Y...
To the Eagle, I was amused by the commentary here last week regarding how noisy dogs can get while chasing coyotes away from the herds of cows that range our island pastures. I have a slightly different take on the noises in the country issue. I hardly notice the dogs anymore. The cows are making most of the racket! Particularly around weaning season, the cow moms bellow all morning, all day and well into the night. I’m sure I hear distressed calf moooooos as a counterpoint, too. The distant howling, growling, booming, screaming and groanings I...
To The Eagle: Who should vote "no" on I-976? Nearly everyone. The argument in the voters pamphlet to vote in favor of I-976 primarily says that the state has too much money in this year's surplus, therefore vote "yes" to reduce taxes. This is short-sighted. The Democrats in the state legislature have agreed with the Republicans that this year's extra money needs to be set aside for a rainy day. If this initiative passes we lose nearly two billion dollars over the next six years (per the fiscal impact summary statement). In particular, with a...
To The Eagle: We are lucky to have a Chiropractic Physician choose our little town. After many trips to doctors’ offices, I am feeling much better after seeing Dr. D at Care 31. Carol Geil Cathlamet...
To The Eagle: Last week’s Candidates Forum at the DeBriae Room was a success in my opinion for two reasons: the audience-half of the forum was respectful and civil in raising issues of local concern, and thereby the candidates seemed at ease to respond intelligently and eventually offer some creative ways to improve our community. The experience may have been the beginning of a new culture of civil demeanor at town council meetings. I do recommend better notification of future candidates forums and a venue that can accommodate a larger a...
To The Eagle: Last year I wrote to our legislators about why our renewal for car licensing had risen from $30 to $63.75 (this year went up to $68.25). I received a response from Damon Monroe who is the Rule Coordinator for DOL. This is his reply: “We apologize for not getting back to you sooner. We have reviewed the list of fees and concerns noted in the email sent to Governor Inslee and various legislators. We understand your concerns about the fees; however all of these fees are required by state law and can only be changed through l...
