Letters to the Editor

It seems Ron Sims wants to add more buses to our streets. I have no problems adding transit, providing it is actually used. But, what I see on the King County Web site disturbs me.

The "Transit Now" plan calls for 200 hybrid buses. Have we not learned from these more expensive, yet less efficient pieces of equipment? I have an idea: Why not spend $200,000 less per bus, get even more buses with the savings and get more miles per gallon of diesel fuel? Sounds like a no-brainer to me, but this is a logical member of the private sector doing the thinking. I can't think like a government bureaucrat, at least not with a clear conscience.

Brent Malesich
Seattle

FREIGHT CORRIDOR

Stretch between port and I-90 is paved with greed

Regarding the Tuesday article, "Plans for the Sodo freight corridor stall," we're building a wall of greed between one of our economic engines, the Port of Seattle, and its lifeline and reason for being, Interstate 90. While Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels lines the pockets of his developer friends and ignores the entire concept of city planning, the citizens of Seattle will be the ones who pay years from now for this shortsighted, get-rich-quick approach to development.

The city needs a diverse economic base, and the port is an important part of that base. Why is our mayor so disinterested in finding a solution?

Andrew McDonald
Seattle

SUICIDE ATTACK

Palestinians don't show much interest in peace

I am again shocked and outraged to read "Suicide attack on restaurant kills 9," Tuesday's informative article by Greg Myre and Dina Kraft of The New York Times.

Hamas is showing its true colors as a terrorist organization in approving the bombing and refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist. Not surprising, Hamas has been promised financial aid from oil-rich Iran and Qatar.

The Bush administration should support Israel to take strong decisive action in rooting out this despicable and inhuman form of terrorism being taught and promoted by Palestinian terror groups and supported by terror states.

It is unacceptable to have Israel continually bleed with barbaric acts that must be ended.

Palestinians must realize that this is not the way to achieve a Palestinian state and a better future for their people.

Josh Basson
Seattle

TROOPS

Spend pork-barrel money on better equipment

Regarding your "Geared down" editorial of Sunday.

The solution to re-equipping our troops returning from Iraq and other places is a very simple one. Reduce the federal and state project money for pork spending.

This would have the further beneficial effect of demonstrating support for U.S. troops who are defending our borders abroad, and demonstrating a salutary sacrifice of our people at home for their safety and ability to do the job well. Currently, virtually no sacrifice is made at home compared with that made by our troops abroad. It's a shameful attitude of our society.

M.W. Ochsner
Bothell

SALMON

Dams have a lethal impact on fish runs

I am deeply troubled by two aspects of the April 13 article about the depressed returns of salmon on the Columbia-Snake Rivers. First, the article's title, "BPA's salmon run declines again," would be ironic if it wasn't so tragic.

Salmon do not belong to BPA -- although BPA certainly acts as though it can do whatever it wants with them -- including drive them to extinction.

Salmon runs -- like the Columbia and Snake rivers -- are a public resource. They belong to all of us. BPA and the federal government have a responsibility -- ethical and legal -- to protect and restore this endangered public resource to healthy levels. And by any measure, they have failed to do so.

Second, I am appalled by a state Department of Fish and Wildlife staffer's casual comment that "there are ups and downs in the fish world." She suggests that this year's returns are somehow normal and they are not. The predicted returns for 2006 are extremely low -- if they in fact show up. And so far they haven't. As of Tuesday, only 135 fish had appeared.

The 10-year average by this time is 19,000. Recreational and commercial fishing seasons have been suddenly and unexpectedly shut down. We are in the midst of a salmon crisis caused by devastating river management policies that defend all dams at all costs.

And once again, the fishermen are asked to sacrifice in order to compensate for the lethal impacts of the dams.

Eilean Davis
Edmonds

PROTESTERS

Cheney's objectors are so predictable

The protesters during Vice President Dick Cheney's Spokane visit were hilarious. These are the same people who show up for all the left-wing marches. Is there a local chapter of Protesters R Us in Spokane? Gay rights, PETA, global warming or rallying against free trade at a G8 summit, it's all the same 300 people. News flash for my liberal friends: No one in this country or this administration is going to force you to serve in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan against your will. Mostly young conservative men and women are doing that for you. We have a volunteer army so just relax.

On Sept. 11, 2001, when Bush had been in office for barely seven months, 3,000 Americans were murdered in a savage terrorist attack on U.S. soil by Muslim extremists. America has declared a long overdue war on terror and with or without your support, it must be fought by patriotic Americans that of their own free will volunteer for service.

Jay Matous
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

OIL

U.S. addiction could stop Bush from bombing Iran

Yes, we are addicted to oil, but note this craving is not all bad. It might even save us from more Bush bombing madness. If he proceeds to bomb Iran as he wants, it and its many oil-rich Arab neighbors likely will stop selling oil to us. We probably would have to buy it from the Chinese and pay a huge tax to them. Then we will have a real painful problem at home; rationing gasoline and skyrocketing prices will hit us and our economy hard.

Thus we see dimly that the global economy is not all bad -- it might even force us to make peace with other nations and discard our wild cowboy go-it-alone ambitions. True, the wild sexy cowboy myth of conquest, pillage and rape (in the name of democracy) was fun for a while, but all good things must come to an end.

But, to be on the safe side, I suggest filling some oil barrels in reserve, now, while it's still cheap.

Jeff Douthwaite
Seattle

PORT SECURITY

Safety of Americans cannot be negotiated

The head of the Retail Industry Leaders Association defends Wal-Mart's role in blocking congressional efforts to improve port security by arguing, "If commerce is disrupted and our economy damaged -- the terrorists win" (Tuesday guest column).

Clearly, RILA's priority is unrestricted commerce, not national security. Its 2005 lobbying report to Wal-Mart and other clients boasted of its "continued industry leadership in opposition to ill-advised and onerous port security measures (i.e., cargo fees, increased physical inspections)."

RILA says retailers "have invested heavily in security-related initiatives, spending hundreds of millions of dollars through federal tax (and) port/terminal security fees." While we're all quite grateful these patriotic corporations have agreed to pay their taxes like the rest of us, that hardly demonstrates a renewed post-9/11 commitment to port security.

Wal-Mart is putting profits before U.S. security. And that's a big reason why the government has spent just $630 million -- less than 4 percent of the $18 billion-plus we have spent since 9/11 on airport security -- to make ports safer.

Shame on Wal-Mart, and shame on Congress. The safety of the American people is not something to be negotiated away in the name of "supply-chain efficiency."

David Groves
Washington State Labor Council

AFL-CIO

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