Let's open our minds
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 1:19 AM PST
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E-mail this articleNov. 26 Letters to the Editor
Let’s open our minds
In response to Crystal D. Shellenbarger’s letter (Nov. 21), thanks for saying what many of us were thinking. The Schumacher rhetoric is beyond reasoning. It’s simply disgraceful.
As a substitute elementary school teacher in the Longview, Kelso and Castle Rock school districts, I have had the opportunity to participate in and enjoy some great political discussions and mock elections in recent weeks. Yes, the kids are very much aware that electing the first African-American United States President is historic.
However, I have yet to hear a single concern from these young people about how the color of a person’s skin would affect how he/she will govern. That idea generally seems to be coming from adults and the older generations.
Would it be too much to ask that we, as adults, set a better example, considering that these are the future leaders and problem solvers of our country?
And, if we were listening and a little more open-minded, we might actually learn something from them. Imagine that.
Daniel R. Jones
Longview
Show some tolerance
I am a daily reader of letters to the editor of The Daily News.
I enjoy reading the various opinions of the letter writers.
I do find myself agreeing with the Schumacher’s opinions more so than the more left-leaning writers. I say let all voices be heard.
Have more tolerance of either side in a debate over opinions. After all, this is still America and we should all feel free to opine, no matter our opinions.
If you are so intolerant, don’t read those opinions, skip to the ones that won’t challenge your thought process and don’t allow yourself the possibility of learning something new and actually maybe even benefiting by another person’s thought process.
Cheryl Knotts
Silver Lake
Stop the crying
The most recent letters from Linda Schumacher and Per Johansen (Nov. 22) were “OMG.”
Per Johansen states Obama’s genealogy can’t be changed. I’ve been doing genealogy for more than 30 years, and it’s always in a state of change.
Johansen’s blood line percentages would have taken several years, on the ground, and in Kenya. Probably untrue.
He states Obama’s mother spirited him out of Kenya and reported his birth in Hawaii. Why? His mother would have gone to the American Embassy in Kenya.
She would have been given a U.S. Citizen Birth Certificate and a U.S. Passport for Obama, the same as McCain’s parents got when he was born in a foreign country.
In any case, his entry into the U.S. would have been documented. No documentation? Untrue.
Several news media investigations have proven Obama has always been a Christian. I won’t get into the stupid African/American thing.
The Republicans lost the election; quit crying about it.
Don Brown
Kelso
The facts are out there
This letter is in response to Per Johansen’s letter (Nov. 22). In this letter, he claims that President-Elect Obama was born in Kenya.
I have found a great Web site to check rumors, and there is a specific article pertaining to this lie: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
You can see pictures of his birth certificate and even his birth announcement. It just takes a little research to find the truth. You can’t believe everything you read in the blogs.
Kortney Burpee
Kalama
Time to move on
Well folks, we are in interesting times. We need to pray for our president-elect.
I did not vote for him. I do not like some of his policies. We will see how he governs.
I had a friend call me Wednesday morning, asked how I was doing. I told him I was at peace with this election. I voted. What happens, happens. I will give him a chance. God is in charge.
To my fellow Democrats, a job well done. History is being made, he did a very smooth operation, one of the best in history.
To my fellow Republicans, it was just an election, there will be another day. Let’s move on.
This month we had Veterans Day, a great day for our veterans. I went to assemblies at our schools.
My first was at Kelso High School. They had a breakfast — a fine one — then they had an awesome assembly, it was one to two hours with 1,800 students listening and being very respectful of the veterans. It was a very emotional time for some of the Vietnam veterans. Mr. Davis and Mrs. Marshall did a great job of welcoming the veterans.
The second assembly was at Kessler Elementary School. It was a great assembly put on by the students, with lots of good songs in the assembly.
I was very impressed with both assemblies.
Ray Van Tongeren
Longview
Fishing season messed up
In regards to the spring sports season for 2008, what is the matter with these departments? A March through April 15 season is the worst time to be fishing if you are going to protect the Willamette run.
The fishery departments know that the Willamette is an early run, yet they set the season to target them.
The Upper Columbia and Snake River fish come at a later time. As a past commercial fisherman, I know that the bulk of the Willamette fish were above Kalama by the first of May.
My question is, why don’t they open the spring season on the last of May up to the closure. For the fall run, they had closing to the Columbia River from the lower end of Martin Island to Kelly Point.
This would protect the last of the Willamette fish run.
In short, there would be a lesser chance of a Willamette fish being caught than if they were fished for in the March and April opening season.
Ross LaRoy
Kalama
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