Showcase local musicians
First, I want to say I love Vancouver, I enjoy the many events around the city, and I appreciate all of the hard work good people put into the events to make them happen — and they are for the most part well done. But as I read through the musical lineups for the entertainment at these Vancouver events, I notice a problem. I see lots of Portland entertainers and almost no Vancouver artists. From Six to Sunset to the renewed 4th of July, we feature Portland. I did find some very talented Vancouver singer/songwriters performing after the hula dancers and just before the puppets on a side stage at the 4th.
I know for many events the area uses Portland booking agents. I also understand that being a business, you want to promote the bands you make money on all year as opposed to artists who are not on your roster, and Portland is the bigger market. Yet there are a lot of talented musicians from Vancouver and we should be proud to showcase them. We should strive to promote local talent. We should be proud of creating our identity.
Please encourage our city and county event planners to promote us.
Gerald Hatcher
Vancouver
Keep service progressing with levy
Emergency medical services are essential in saving lives in our community. As residents within Fire District 6 for more than 50 years, we have watched emergency medical care improve drastically. Our personal experiences calling 911 and having the professional care of Fire District 6 paramedics only serve to make our convictions stronger. Advanced Life Support service began in 1980 with the first EMS levy passage. We can’t afford to go back.
Bill and Louise Lothspeich
Vancouver
Libraries are worth saving
Recently I was in my local library branch. As I waited to check out my book, there were five mothers with children in arms, full of books, waiting to check out the books and be a part of the summer reading program. This reminded me again of why our libraries are so important to early reading, and how this leads to better learning in the schools. On Aug. 17, our library district will be seeking a yes vote on a levy. This levy will restore library hours to 2008 levels, and increase the book budgets. I ask you to vote “yes” for our libraries — one of the last places you can go and not be asked for an admission charge.
Greg Flakus
Vancouver
Are we ready for more change?
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Vancouver, but I always thought of this city as a quiet little community away from the hustle and bustle of Portland. We had moved here from the peace and tranquility of Welches, Ore. Then came the 4th of July. Like Jim and Andrea Buchmann said in their July 9 letter, “Limiting to one day is more neighborly.” I hate the 4th of July, it’s like a World War II war zone. But that is change.
Now, the federal government is suing Gov. Brewer and Arizona over their immigration law that takes effect July 29. Arizona has been frustrated for years with the killings, drug trafficking and an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants. The federal government is continuing to change.
And, get this. In the June 19 Columbian story, “Gas station eateries add new meaning, profit to ‘fill ’er up,’” the spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, Jeff Lenard, says, “We’re changing from gas stations that happen to sell food, to restaurants that happen to sell gas.”
What’s next in this “Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” we live in? And, are we really ready for the change?
Grant W. Bigelow
Vancouver
Harsh criticism is free speech
I read with interest David Dansky’s July 8 letter, “Mockery disrespects highest office,” decrying a sidewalk display depicting Barack Obama with a Hitler moustache. He goes on to blame the “vast right-wing conspiracy” for the breakdown of civil discourse, then does exactly the same thing — he decries as he connects the words “Limbaugh-Beck” to “totalitarian” to “Kristallnacht.” No hate or mockery there, none at all. It seems only yesterday that we were being told that “dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”
The opposition to George W. Bush was just as furious and tasteless as that to Obama today. Was Dansky dismayed? Did he deplore Pat Oliphant’s racist cartoon of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice? If he did, it’s slipped my mind.
Harry Truman was fond of using the saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Today’s hand-wringers should keep that in mind. The notion that Obama or any other politician is above criticism is nonsense, and should be rejected out of hand. Tastelessness is unfortunate, but seeking to stifle the freedom of speech is far worse.
Bob Harper
Vancouver
Anti-government label is misused
Can the July 6, story “U.S. Census worker taken to court for trespassing,” about a Hawaiian census worker arrested for trespassing while trying to get an off-duty police officer to fill out census forms, be legitimately characterized as an expression of “anti-government sentiment?” Hardly. The term “anti-government” here, implying the anarchistic rejection of all government, is absurd. That a policeman could hold such views and that he could get his colleagues to make an arrest based on anarchist sentiments is ridiculous.
The AP, and the other media who follow its example, only display its own ignorance and bias by the casual use of abusive language like “anti-government” to characterize census protesters, Tea Party activists, or other manifestations of Constitutional conservatism. These activists do not oppose government as such. Instead they oppose its abuse. They challenge what they take to be the usurpation of constitutionally unwarranted powers by government. To the extent they are correct, they are true patriots — they maintain government within its proper limits. To the extent they might be in error, persuasion and, ultimately, the legitimate exercise of government power can keep them in check. Constitutional conservatism isn’t anti-government; it’s good government.
John Burke
Vancouver
Early detection is crucial
July 17 is Bladder Cancer Awareness day. Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer in men, fifth most common overall. Because it’s highly recurrent, it’s the most expensive to treat, and yet, it is 19th in funding. Not enough star power talking about it, I guess. The good news? Caught early, it’s very treatable. There are around 500,000 people living with bladder cancer in the U.S. It is estimated that over 14,000 died of bladder cancer in 2009. Common causes? Smoking and chemical exposure. If you smoke, you now have one more reason to quit. For more information, go to the website http://www.bcan.org.
Jackie Lane
Battle Ground
