The Editor:
Regarding the letter to the editor from Harold “Tom” Thomson in opposition to raising the minimum wage to $15. First, you are pointing your finger at the wrong people. In the 1960s, a head of a corporation made 25 times the salary of an employee; now the head of a corporation makes around 300 times the salary of an employee. Corporations don’t need to raise prices, they need to cut CEO salaries and raise the wages of the workers.
Second, many highly qualified people have had to take low-paid service jobs because high-wage jobs have been outsourced. And third, if service jobs are all we’re going to create in this country, we have to mandate that those jobs pay a living wage.
Theresa Zukovic
Point Roberts
The Editor:
The powerful electromagnetic ground wave from KRPI goes deep into our bodies.
Two years ago we learned about KRPI’s plan to build their 50,000-watt AM radio antenna array directed towards Canada just across the border in Point Roberts. The more we learned, the less we liked it. The relocation of station KRPI 1550 AM from Ferndale to Point Roberts is unethical engineering and its application for a construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was obtained under false pretenses.
The BBC Broadcasting Inc. (BBCBI) site selection report was knowingly parsimonious with the truth. By excluding Tsawwassen, it did not reveal to the FCC the total dense population that would be impacted by harmful blanketing interference across the border if the towers are relocated to Point Roberts, 1,000 feet from the border. As a result, the FCC approved the application. This border blaster station will expose 23,000 people in densely populated Tsawwassen to unwarranted harmful cross-border blanketing interference (BI).
From this powerful directional antenna array, in addition to its sky wave, its ground wave skin effect penetrates the soil. At 1550 kilohertz, in wet soil, the signal skin effect depth is 4 meters deep at which it has 37 percent of the energy level at the surface. In your body, the skin effect depth is about 30 centimeters. Unless you shield your rooms by enclosing them with conductive paint, mesh or foil to create a Faraday cage, this BI ground wave will also penetrate our homes, offices, schools, and our bodies, disrupting our lives day and night.
This border blaster station is unfair competition to Canadian radio stations serving the same East Asian market in metro Vancouver since KRPI’s programming content and advertising, directed to Canadians, can subvert the Canadian Broadcasting Act.
FCC demands high standards of truthfulness and candor as well as of character. This bad antenna location violates the FCC code for the allowable nearby population density. The proposal violates engineering ethics on protecting people from harm. These violations should invalidate the application for the renewal of the KRPI license.
We’ve won two rounds on height restriction, first with the hearing examiner and then with Whatcom County Council. But BBCBI is appealing the decision to the Washington Superior Court in Skagit County. We have great attorneys representing us but this fight is becoming very expensive. Please consider sending a check to: PRTA-FTT, P.O. Box 158, Point Roberts, WA, 98281 or go to notowers.webs.com and select the “donate” button. There’s a big fundraising event, the Delta Lifestyle Art and Travel Auction on June 7, 1–5 p.m., at Harris Barn in Ladner. Save the date and if you have an objet d’art or a travel package you would like to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. You may contact us at: lrwilk@telus.net or call Lois Wilkinson at 604/943-1821.
Jim Ronback and Steve Wolff
Tsawwassen and Point Roberts
The Editor:
Regarding the letter about workers receiving $15 an hour: writer Harold “Tom” Thomson has not learned from history. His arguments are the same ones used to defend slavery.
The present minimum wage represents economic slavery. A person working full time must be able to live above the poverty level, which is currently not the case.
In the last century Henry Ford doubled the wages of his employees, much to the chagrin of his fellow industrialists. His employees could then afford to buy the cars they built.
Pushing wages down does nothing for the economy but increase the misery.
Larry Talson
Point Roberts
The Editor:
Both sides of the border, Tsawwassen and Point Roberts, are supporting each other in our common goal of having Point Roberts free from 50,000-watt AM radio towers. Regardless of our nationality, we are all blessed to live in our shared Tsawwassen peninsula. We want our environment to be free from harmful electromagnetic radiation to avoid the possibility of ill health and serious future diseases for our children and ourselves.
A large study done in South Korea concluded that “there was an increased risk of lymphocytic leukemia among children with higher levels of exposure to radio frequency radiation from nearby AM radio broadcasting (stations) than among children with lower levels of exposure,” (Ha et el, 2007). Martin Blank, PhD, an expert on electromagnetic radiation effects on the human body has recently published research on this topic. He concludes that in our cells, “The reduction in stress protein synthesis as a result of continuous exposure to electromagnetic frequencies would predispose an individual to the accumulation of DNA damage and the development of cancer.” (Prof. Martin Blank PhD, “BioInitiative 2012-The Cellular Stress Response: EMF-DNA Interaction 2012 Supplement.”)
Tsawwassenites are battle-weary from the many challenges we have already faced. We are tired and don’t want to engage in yet another struggle. But helping in our legal battle with KRPI to prevent the powerful 50,000-watt signal radiating from the proposed AM radio towers is a good fight and one we must engage in to avoid the risk of ill health and disease of our families as well as the daily frustration of not having our electronic equipment working in a satisfactory manner.
The Cross Border Coalition of dedicated people is working tirelessly, diligently, freely giving of their time, energy and talents to preserve our way of life and health. We need your help to help you and your family. Please consider sending a check to: PRTA-FTT, P.O. Box 158, Point Roberts, WA 98281 or go to: notowers.webs.com and select the “donate” button.
A fundraiser Art and Lifestyle and Travel Auction will be held on June 7, 1–5 p.m., at Harris Barn in Ladner. Save the date and if you have art or a travel package you would like to donate, it would be greatly appreciated. As well, be sure to attend the auction and enjoy the fun. Contact us at lrwilk@telus.net or call Lois Wilkinson at 604/943-1821.
Beverly Alder
Tsawwassen
The Editor:
In the 1976 movie, “Network,” actor Peter Finch’s character Howard Beale utters one of the most classic lines in movie history. Beale’s on-air rant galvanizes the nation by persuading his viewers to shout out of their windows, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”
This sentiment is how I feel every day with the impending threat of five towering radio antennas beaming down on all of us. This invisible force field has been called a rolling tsunami of electromagnetic radiation that goes through buildings, people, pets and well, just about everything.
Scientists have said that we should not stand in front of our microwaves, not live under power transmission lines, and that we should use earphones to keep cell phones away from our heads. We are exposed to all kinds of invisible forces but this one has the potential to directly interfere in our health and well-being, besides completely messing with all of our home electronics. This project is too close to too many people. Period.
And it is unfair for so many reasons. Unfair that the applicants didn’t inform our community of their impending grandiose plans, unfair that both communities have to organize and raise money so we can hire the appropriate lawyers to fight this battle in court. Unfair that we can’t enjoy our homes without the constant threat of disruption from those who have more money and make it their mission to accumulate more to the detriment of others. Life isn’t fair but it’s not stopping me from fighting for what I believe in and I believe this project has to be stopped. It just has to!
But after nearly two years of fighting and fundraising, we need to replenish our legal fund to continue this battle. So please join the Stop the Towers Coalition by attending the Art and Lifestyle auction fundraiser at the Harris Barn in Ladner on June 7 from 1 to 5 p.m. Come, enjoy and help our cause. You’ll be glad you did. More information is available on our website: notowers.webs.com.
Renee Coe
Point Roberts
The Editor:
I have attended the charter review commission meetings, and have been impressed with the quality of its members. Their convictions are divided about 50/50, as you might expect. But all of them want what is best for the county.
When people stand up to testify and accuse them of ulterior motives and financial skulduggery, it shows only that the speakers are uninformed. They can look up the laws governing financial intake and outlay during charter campaigns. And remember this is a local group – interested citizens can email the commissioners or phone them up. They can probably sit down with them if so desired.
At least at the local level, accusing our government representatives of evil motives and financial misdeeds seems simplistic. Are they strongly motivated? Yes. Do we disagree? Yes. But I have not met an elected representative here in the county who is up to no good.
Karen Brown
Bellingham
The Editor:
I am thinking about a young woman locked of her own will, locked by her strong spirit, to the anchor chain of a support barge for Shell’s arctic drilling project; thinking of kayaks and canoes splashing the port of Seattle in vibrant confrontation of the Shell’s Polar Pioneer drilling rig.
Now, when we are faced with a glut of waste, toxins and disastrous deadly error I am thinking about a May 12, 2015 letter from SSA Marine/PIT to the Army Corps of Engineers. SSA/PIT, in an effort to build a huge coal terminal in Whatcom County on Lummi sacred land, alleged they could study enough to potentially promise away the poison coal dust and vessel crashes, the herring extinction and desecration of hallowed ground.
They suggested they would be calling into question Lummi fishing practices and needs. They’d be amassing studies and expert opinions, running numbers, constructing pledged reforms for reducing Lummi objections to become less than anything to care about.
Companies who have no heart and do not understand the meaning of sacred obligations and commitments cannot conceive of the types among us who would lock them down and block them off. Get ready. We are here.
Dena Jensen
Birch Bay
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