Seniors need parking provided
I dont live in downtown Vancouver, but I can understand thefrustration the seniors are feeling after reading the June 7 storyCouncil OKs disabled parking limits downtown. I have been followingthe stories about limiting the parking for disabled people who liveat the Lewis and Clark Plaza, and its pretty clear that money talks.
Why does that building have no dedicated on-site parking forresidents? How could the city council be so insensitive as to allowthat? If your mother with a medical condition lived there, would youwant her to park two blocks away and have to walk?
Its all about the dollar. Seniors are on a fixed income, andmaybe $34 (the price of the citys senior monthly parking pass) is asmall amount to some, but to others it can be a weeks worth ofgroceries. As far as the developer Elie Kassabs comment that Theresno free lunch in this world; we all have to pay our share, mind yourmanners. Some seniors have worked their whole lives, are war vets,etc., and they have paid their share. We are always willing to helpeveryone else. What about our own senior citizens? Stop being soselfish.
Gynene Lane
Battle Ground
Apology, retribution was extended
In a June 3 letter, Lest we forget, Wilbur Wood wrote, regardingthe 1967 attack on the USS Liberty by Israeli forces, that to myknowledge, no apologies have been made.
According to The History Channel, Israel later apologized for theattack and offered $6.9 million in compensation, claiming that ithad mistaken the Liberty for an Egyptian ship. (See http://www.history.com under This Day in History, June 8).
Also, according to the long and complex article in Wikipedia, InMay 1968, the Israeli government paid U.S. $3,323,500 as fullpayment to the families of the 34 men killed in the attack. In March1969, Israel paid a further $3,566,457 in compensation to the menwho had been wounded. On 18 December 1980, it agreed to pay $6million as settlement for the U.S. claim of $7,644,146 for materialdamage to the Liberty itself.
It was a tragic mistake made in the fog of war. Unfortunately, wesee this in Afghanistan almost every week.
Karen Kohler
Vancouver
Allegiance undeserved
The D-Day anniversary seemed a particularly appropriate date toacknowledge Wilbur Woods June 3 letter, Lest we forget, regardingthe Israeli attack on the USS Liberty during the 1967 Israeli-ArabWar.
I had never heard of this incident; and, as an American Jew, feltcompelled to research it.
What I found at http://usslibertyveterans.org truly dismayed me.I realize much Internet content is questionable, but the evidenceportrayed there seems to pass the sniff test.
Supposedly, according to some reports, Israel premeditatedlydestroyed an American ship for the purpose of blaming it on Egyptand drawing America into the war.
Ive long dismissed Israel as just another Middle Easterntheocracy, capable of committing any atrocity under the imaginedaegis of an approving god. Ive thought this ever since I read thatunder the religious authority for Jewish marriages in Israel, thereare no provisions for a marriage between Jews and non-Jews. Now, myopinion is cemented.
We need to yank every American from that corner of the globe andbuild a huge wall around it. Use the money we save on wars andforeign aid to find new energy sources and protect current ones.Everyone will be better off.
Ellen Putman
Vancouver
Consider effects of vaccines
Do you know whats in some flu vaccines? A mercury-basedpreservative called Thimerosal. Mercury is dangerous because when itgets in your body it hardens, and your body cannot get rid of it.Vaccines should not be allowed for people of any age.
As a sixth-grader who has researched the subject, I believevaccines can have a lot of bad things alive and dead in them.Vaccines also contain animal products and other chemical compounds.All of these can be bad for the body. Vaccines are not 100 percenteffective. I know people who got the flu shot and still got the flu.My whole family did not get the flu shot, and none of us got theflu.
Although research doesnt show a link, many people believe autismincreases with more vaccines. In 1983, one in 10,000 kids gotautism. At that time, there were only three vaccines, and you got 10shots in all. In 2008, one in 150 kids got autism. In that year,there were 10 vaccines, and, in all, you got 36 shots. Today, thereare 38 shots for 21 different diseases.
My mom and I have a very strong opinion about vaccines. My littlesisters have not been vaccinated, and they are very healthy babies.I think vaccines are making people less healthy.
Juliette Semro
battle ground
Regulators shouldnt apply deception
I have several friends who own restaurants, taverns and bars.These friends are hard-working, law-abiding residents who pay taxesand contribute to the economy of the community, and they instructemployees to follow the law.
So why is the Washington State Liquor Control Board allowed torun sting operations to deceive these establishments into sellingliquor to minors? What good is it to try and trick these owners andtheir employees to shut them down? When that happens, owners,employees and the community all lose.
Dont get me wrong; if these establishments routinely break thelaw and sell liquor to minors, they should be punished, but whyshould the liquor board have to bait these establishments by sendingin a minor who a district court judge described as deceptivelymature-looking in appearance. The liquor board has to do its job,but it should be done in a professional and above-board manner.
Duane Burckhard
Vancouver
Go, Bears, go ... to Vancouver
In the early 1960s, I lived in Yakima. My husband was one of thedirectors of the Yakima Bears. I managed the concession stand forabout three years. At that time, I believe the Bears were a farmclub for the Milwaukee Braves. It was always exciting to see some ofthe players move up to the majors. It was also very disappointing tosee some of them come back the next week.
The concession stand was hard work but fun, too. We had about 10to 12 kids vending in the stands. Another fun thing was the ladiesteam made up of directors and players wives, who got to play someexhibition games before the main game.
If Clark County Commissioner Tom Mielke does not change his mind,I might not be able to vote for him next time.
Go, Bears, go.
Lema Bond Dorst
Vancouver
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