LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Editor:
Remember when we used to have the church bazaar and we always had those way cool little raffles and the tickets were 10 for a buck and there were scads of prizes?
Well, I’m reviving our old tradition and doing a fundraiser at the Dockside Cafe on November 12, 6 to 9 p.m. and kids are welcome! Mark is doing dinner specials, and I will be the ticket girl and the “Big Fish” room will have a half a dozen big tables or more full of prizes.
So if you have anything valuable, quirky or kid friendly to donate, gimme a shout and I’ll fetch it. The proceeds go to the Point Roberts Arts Foundation to pay for things like the festival and music lessons and instruments for kids and the great Summer Children’s Art in the Greenhouse program that Heather Good did such a marvelous job teaching this year. We would like to run a year round program and are actively searching for a venue.
Anyway back to the dime raffle – I have a bunch of cool stuff already – a beanie baby collection, a massage, an astrological reading, some antiques, and some art pieces but of course I need more. So November 12, 6 to 9 p.m. Dockside Cafe for fun, fun, fun!
Over and out.
Pamela Oakley
Point Roberts

The Editor:
Perhaps you and some of the APB readers will remember Bill and Marg Knowles, who lived on the Point for a number of years. After being transferred to Nova Scotia, Canada, where they lived for almost two years, they re-located to Waveland, Mississippi. After trying to reach them to no avail following Katrina, I finally heard from Marg. They lost everything in the hurricane – Waveland really was inundated. Their house is gone completely, but they are all right, as are their much-loved dogs. I am sure that there are people wondering about them.
Shelley Gitlitz
Nova Scotia

The Editor:
Message in a bottle – no, this isn’t about the movie of the same title, this is a true story about our grandson, Braeden Wilson.
My daughter, Catherine and her husband, Mike while vacationing in San Francisco were browsing through an eclectic gift store when they came upon a gift box neatly decorated with the oceans and continents of the world. Tucked inside was a bottle, cork, sealing wax and message paper. It was appropriately titled, ‘message in a bottle.’
On July 23, Braeden wrote a note to, ‘whoever may find this bottle,’ with his name, age and Point Roberts address. He tucked the note inside, sealed the bottle, then he and his father took the bottle to Lighthouse Park on the west side of the Point and threw it in the water. We told him not to get his hopes up, as it would probably end up on a beach in Tsawwassen, White Rock or maybe Blaine and probably no one would ever write him back. As it turned out, we were all wrong. It washed up on the shores of Lummi Island on August 7. This was a 19.5 nautical mile journey from where it was launched.
A very special person, Erin, while whale watching off the island with a group of friends found it. She is working in the northwest (originally from Arizona) as a nanny. We wish to thank Erin for renewing our faith in human kindness and making our grandson very happy, by not only taking the time to write him a note, but also sending pictures of her holding the bottle and one of her with her friends. Thank you, Erin.
The Brackman & Wilson families
Delta, B.C.

The Editor:
The lead article in the September issue – “Local associations succumbing to burnout?” No!
Witness the creation of the Aydon Wellness Clinic, a hospital district, skateboard park and a summer kayak program.
Moribund organizations are those whose agendas are not the agendas of the people whose operand is “lobby the county.”
The successful associations are those that sense a need, create a means of fulfilling that need and seeking county support when required. Resident organizations with a sense of the future are essential.
I retired to Point Roberts 30 years ago and have enjoyed each day.
Syd Wallace
Point Roberts

The Editor:
This e-mail note from the office of congressman Rick Larsen indicates how two years of correspondence concerning the inadequacy of our local post office service has been dismissed.
“We received a response from the D.C legislative office of the U.S.P.S. The basic response is that there is currently no plans for any renovations or construction in Point Roberts due to capital budget constraints, but that “Seattle district officials report that the Point Roberts community is receiving satisfactory postal services” and will continue to do so. The letter also says that Rebecca Perry, the local postmaster has been notified as well.”
Of course, the officials out there in bureaucrat land find no problem. They do not have to stand in the lines local residents do.
Hey do they have to go to the post office before breakfast to arrive before the large Canadian originated commercial shipments plug up the small service area. They do not find their post offices closed in early afternoon. From where they live, it is easy to decide we are doing just dandy.
Arrogance abounds in the Seattle office which tells us we are receiving satisfactory postal services. The supervisor of that office neither replies to letters or kept the one appointment he made to visit us.
The D.C. legislative office of the U.S.P.S. appears ignorant of the fact they do not own this building so they could not plan any renovations or construction here. All that was originally requested was that they agree to increase their rental payments and prevail upon the landlord to improve the service area. Over time, it has become evident that the building, constructed when Ronald Reagan was president, has outlived its usefulness and should be replaced.
There might not be such “capital constraints” if the postal service had not spent many millions of dollars sponsoring Lance Armstrong, and paying for that annoying holiday jingle, “I’m gonna wrap myself in ribbon and daub myself with blue,” as well as the commercials telling us what services they offer. They really do not need to advertise. Postal service officials receive large bonuses, based on the bottom line. It would be understandable if that took priority over providing service to small communities, even those which generate a lot of that profit.
The voters association circulated a poll a couple of years ago, which indicated general dissatisfaction with our local post office.
We have pleasant, competent people working there under poor circumstances. They deserve better and so do we.
It looks as though we need to unite and let the arrogant bureaucrats know we are “mad as hell and ain’t gonna take it any more.”
Ruby Gibson White
Point Roberts

The Editor:
We have been enjoying the late summer days at our cottage. Unfortunately, beach users from the marina to South Beach to the last cabins on the east point of the beach have been shocked and disturbed at finding dead seals on the beach. There are at least six bloated, stinking corpses washed up at the water’s edge. There were reports of gunfire from the vicinity of pleasure craft and fishing boats offshore on or about Friday, September 9.
The proximity of boats, gunfire and dead seals makes us wonder if someone shot the seals and left them to float onto the beach. Does Washington state allow people to shoot seals? Is there any way to prevent future occurrences?
Marguerite Silvertz
Salmon Arm, B.C.

The Editor:
I strongly suggest that anyone voting in the next county election think long and hard about what we just witnessed in our southern states. When an equivalent disaster strikes Whatcom County, as those who know about those things say it is not if, but when, who would you trust to take care of the elderly, the weak and the under-privileged?
Would you trust those who backed by real estate and development interests, are currently attempting to upset the balance on the county council or would you trust the incumbents who are pledged to continue working to manage growth effectively, leave a clean water legacy for future generations, listen to public input and implement responsible budgets.
Think long and hard about the kind of leaders who have a history of taking care of others rather than those who are simply looking after themselves. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should be a wake-up call to all voters as to the kind of government that takes care of its constituents versus one that simply abandons you until it’s too late and then tries to compensate by staging deceptive, shameless, superficial photo-ops.
Thank goodness we at least have good options here in Whatcom County. Let’s make sure we choose the one that is best for all walks of life – not just the chosen few.
Ted Mohr
Point Roberts

The Editor:
The WTA shifted its meeting regarding the Blue Heron Express to 8 a.m. on October 13 in the board room of their headquarters building at 4111 Bakerview Spur Road. I am hoping that as many people who can make the trip will take the time to show up and by weight of numbers, let the WTA know how important the community use van is to Point Roberts.
We are very close to meeting the standard they set us: two trips a day, six days a week. We are currently at two trips a day, four days a week; and we are running at least once a day five days a week, sometimes six days a week. Our ridership per trip is well over the 2.5 persons per trip standard. To say that we have not met our commitment to the WTA could be fair, if the initial standard was based on reality, not on a standard set by a city bus route. As it is, we have worked toward making that standard a reality. We are so very close to achieving that goal it seems a shame to take the van away.
The argument that the community use van is not an efficient use of taxpayers’ monies raises the question of inefficient for whom? The van is certainly a useful and necessary adjunct to local public transportation for the Point. The Blue Heron Express crosses two international borders four times a day, at least four days a week, with a ridership of at least three passengers every trip. Certainly a city bus could do the same thing, but not with the same efficiency as the van.
I hope that everyone who has ridden or hopes to ride the van will write a letter, call the WTA comment line, or take the time to go to the WTA meeting on October 13.
Cheryl Fitzgerald, volunteer van driver,
The Blue Heron Express
Point Roberts

Letters Policy
The All Point Bulletin welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 450 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality and good taste.
A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis.
Thank You letters should be limited to ten names.
Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to: P.O. Box 1451, Point Roberts, WA 98281
or fax (360) 945-1613.
E-mail:editor@allpointbulletin.com

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