OPINION
The Journal of the San Juan Islands | SanJuanJournal.com
Editorial
Wednesday, February 27, 2013 — 7
As I See It
Atwater alarm Deck stacked in debate over trail use
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ooks like the politics of divisiveness and disparagement have come to roost on San Juan County. Is that Lee Atwater at the
door? In the age of the internet and the anonymity it offers, perhaps a descent into virtual mudslinging was inevitable. But we think some of the “gotcha” politics we’ve seen of late is a problem. Maybe not for the candidates who are targeted by such smear tactics. They may actually benefit from it, as a backlash or the rule of unintended consequences often prevails. But it is a problem for voters and for young adults that bear witness to such gamesmanship and deception. They may know, like Homer did, the more drama, the less thinking. Is that what we want in our local campaigns and elections? Photo-shopping the uniform of a WWII German prison guard onto a candidate, even if it is Sgt. Schutlz from the television program “Hogan’s Heroes”, and circulating it digitally is far from okay. As is branding a candidate a “socialist” based on an excerpt from a bygone video clip, distributing via email and then calling on them to defend themselves. If you’ve been out of the know about these or other recent political tactics, consider yourself lucky. Even from our perch, wherein controversy often leaks into a headline, it’s been discouraging to witness. We’d rather see people challenge a candidate face to face, without the use of doctored photographs and edited speeches. Come to the forums and candidate events. Quit the anonymous postings. If you got a beef, say it in person, then give a candidate a chance to answer. Candidates ought to be legitimately questioned, if not challenged, on any number of issues, actions or legacies. But for the sake of the community, and for common decency if not common sense, and for present and future voters, knock the other stuff off, please.
PUBLIC MEETINGS n Friday Harbor Port Commission, Feb. 27, 4 p.m., Ernie’s Cafe, 744 Airport Circle Drive. n SJI School Board of Directors, Feb. 27, 6 p.m., FHHS library, 45 Blair Ave. n Friday Harbor Town Council, March 7, noon & 5:30 p.m., Town Council Chambers, 60 Second St., F.H. n Island Rec Commission, March 7, 5 p.m., Island Rec office, 580 Guard Street. n Ferry Advisory Committee, March 13, 3:30 p.m., Mullis St. fire station, 1011 Mullis St., FH n SJI Fire District Commission, March 14, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Legislative Building conference room, 55 Second St., FH n SJC Board of Health, March 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Legislative Hearing Room, 55 Second St., FH. n SJC Parks & Rec Commission, March 21, 8:30-11:15 a.m., Legislative Conference Room, 55 Second St., F.H.
Parks Service puts trails in jeopardy by allowing more for equestrians, horses
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By Mike Curley
y wife and I attended the public meeting, held at the library, on Feb. 13 to discuss the plans for expanded horseback trails in the national parks on San Juan Island. The presentation by the new parks superintendent, Lee Taylor, was full of slides and graphs detailing trail width, grade, radius of curves in switch-backs, and lots of historical facts about the parks. All of the information came from manuals or records with none from a common sense, practical assessment of the danger to the fragile ecosystem that exists here on San Juan Island. Little thought was given to the piles of horse manure and the invasive grass seeds leaching out of the manure allowing the grass to take over the delicate moss and wildflowers growing on the edge of the trails. No thought was given to the space needed for horse and walker/hiker to comfortably pass each other on these narrow trails, let alone a small family with a leashed dog. Right of way issues were also not covered, such as when and how should a runner signal that they are about to overtake and pass the horse and rider without startling the horse into dangerous behavior. Safety issues such as how close behind should a walker get before the horse becomes uncomfortable and perhaps kicks back at him. The superintendent said she will monitor the damage done to the trails by horses and decide on further access after the damage has been done. The end result will be degrading and widening of these trails that wind through the delicate forest floor. This damage can never be undone. Does the park open itself up to possible lawsuits by putting these large animals on narrow trails used by pedestrians, including children? It was clear that a small but vocal group of horseback riders had guided and influenced the
Letters:
Continued from page 6 Members and staff of the Friends of the San Juans serve on a variety of county panels. Apparently this association is not a problem, but being associated with Common Sense Alliance is. Finally there is the silly complaint that the appointment of Mr. Blanchard somehow creates an “unbalance” on the planning commission. With his appointment, the planning commission’s liberal Democrat tilt or “balance” remains unchanged. There are four members who generally believe islanders require more regulation and closer supervision. At least three members have good common-sense ideas about county planning. The final two commission members tend to be in the philosophical “center-left” on most issues. John Evans Orcas Island — Editor’s note: Former county commissioner John Evans is a board member and supporter of the principles expressed by the Common Sense Alliance.
Hackles on high over health care
I have some childhood memories I would like to forget, including four nuns holding me down while a fifth one jabbed a needle in my butt. They showed a remarkable lack of compassion for a terrified little girl, and as an adult, whenever I have had a choice of a Catholic versus a non-Catholic hospital, I have always seemed to choose the latter. Now it looks like avoiding Catholic-affiliated hospitals just got a whole lot more difficult. I can’t imagine what the local hospital board thought it was doing in effectively limiting our medical care to procedures sanctioned by the Catholic hierarchy of this state. What were they thinking? Thank heavens I am beyond reproductive age and don’t have to worry about the notorious Catholic strictures in that area, but of course hundreds of local women do have that concern. But with my senior citizen membership card comes
Journal file photo
A horseback rider and her mount take a tour of the woods, strolling along on a National Park Service trail.
new superintendent’s decision to allow horses to use even more miles of horse trails than those already allotted to them. The influence of the riders group became even more apparent as several questions or statements were clarified or answered directly by the horseback riders’ spokesperson. I believe the superintendent would have served the community better by having more meetings with the general public before making her decision. I have no idea why the meeting solicited comments regarding the trail use, as permit applications were ready and handed out at the close of the meeting for use of the trails under discussion. Because of this it seems that the meeting was a waste of our time, as our input was disregarded. In these tight economic times it seems that the National Park Service has little enough money to operate without adding to their expenses by repairing damage done by horses to these narrow trails. The addition of a few miles more of trail access to horses does nothing to enhance the National Park experience for the general public. — Editor’s note: Retired from the U.S. Air Force, Michael Curley is a 20-plus year resident of San Juan Island. He and his wife hike the backside of Mount Young almost daily.
the concerns surrounding end-of-life care, and I have to tell you that this local PeaceHealth issue has put my hackles up. Apparently I will have to have a Plan B in place, and possibly even a Plan C. Our state constitution makes it plain that religious entities cannot receive funds derived from state taxes, so why do we allow the metastasis of the Catholic influence in our health care? I am glad that at least the ACLU and some of our legislators see that this threat must be stopped. Rita M. O’Clair San Juan Island
Criticism off-base; stand by selection
I am writing to express my concern about the letters that have been written criticizing the council for its appointment of Tim Blanchard for the Planning Commission. I have known Tim for many years both personally and professionally and I am very confident that he is an extraordinarily competent person for this position and
we are all fortunate to have him in that role. While Tim’s “politics” may lean toward a more conservative direction, he is what I would consider a moderate, certainly not an extremist. He is also very willing to listen to and consider all perspectives on issues and choose the direction that seems to make the most sense. That is a most important quality for planning commission members. I believe that a balance of perspectives is essential to such a body as the planning commission. That balance exists among that group with Tim as a commissioner. My greatest suspicion is that those who are expressing disapproval of Tim’s appointment by the council and making accusations publicly might actually be of a different political persuasion and therefore wishing to “stack the deck” with commissioners of like mind. If there is any accuracy to that suspicion, such conduct is not in the best interests of our community and its governance. Such a circumSee LETTERS, Page 8