Letters to the editor, June 24, 2009

Limit your letters
The Sequim Gazette welcomes Letters to the Editor as one of the most cherished exercises of freedom of the press.
Letters have grown livelier throughout this year. However, they also have grown longer.
In the interest of presenting as many points of view as possible, we ask that starting July 1 writers limit their letters to 250 words or less.
Longer letters will be subject to editing to shorten them.

Swinging
the vote
Since the elections are right around the corner, they must be because the “Vote For Me” signs are up already, I have an idea.
The state and the school board say that we cannot afford the full school library staffs. Nor can we afford First Teacher, where children are introduced to books.
Actually we can’t afford not to.
Where to get the money ?
Simple. Each politician or head of a political campaign donates half of what they would have spent on signs to a child’s reading program.
In the rest of their campaign notices, they can mention what they have done.
As for me, it would definitely swing my vote.
Mike Egan
Sequim

Watch out
We had better pay attention to what is going on in Washington, D.C.
We are losing our freedoms.
Enid Russell
Sequim

Training
paid off

Great article about concussions and how dangerous they are (“Concussion hit home with Sequim family,” page B-1, June 10).
I was coaching for Sequim High School the night Adrian Gault was injured during warm ups and again during the game. Adrian came out of the game that night and immediately began throwing up and falling to the ground, screaming his head was killing him.
I still can’t get the screams I heard that night out of my head, plus the look his mother gave me when she ran down to the field.
Because I was in a class in Alabama to teach coaches what to look for, I knew exactly what was happening to Adrian that night. I knew he was bleeding somewhere on his brain because that is a major symptom we are trained to look for. We were taught to call the hospital and speak to the doctors and give them as much information about the hit to the head as we can.
As a result of my training, I called the hospital in Port Angeles and advised the doctors Adrian was being brought in with a major head injury. I also called Harborview Medical Center and advised the doctors about Adrian’s severe hit to the head in pre-game and again during the game.
I will say several things worked in our favor that night. First, the paramedics were on hand for the game. Secondly, we had a doctor on the sidelines, which allowed Adrian to receive prompt medical attention. I could not imagine us waiting several minutes for the medics to arrive. Thirdly, I had the training in Alabama to recognize Adrian’s injury and what to do.
Relaying the information to the doctors is very important and reduces the time the doctors must spend trying to find out what happened on the field. Every second counts and to this day I feel very lucky that everything was in place to save Adrian Gault’s life that night.
John Stephens
SHS assistant football
coach 2006-2007
Birmingham, Ala.

Sail under
true colors
Last week, the editor posted a correspondent’s scathing and personal critique of my ideas and my person, after e-mailing us both to “stop your dueling.” He’s the editor; that’s his privilege; I complied.
This letter is on another subject.
He also published a guest editorial by Roger Stark, MD, titled, “What’s Not Wrong With Health Care in the U.S.”
Dr. Stark presented six talking points refuting popular criticisms of our current health care system and defending the status quo.
Dr. Stark writes under the banner of the “Washington Policy Center, a nonpartisan (underscore nonpartisan) independent policy research organization.”
A Google search disclosed this group is characterized as a “right-wing think tank.” It does not divulge its finances, but its biggest donor is reported to be the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, “The largest and most influential right-wing foundation in the United States.”
It is reported the center has a 27-member board of directors and advisory boards with 39 members. Their names comprise a who’s who of Washington business leaders, plus several retired or active Republican politicians.
If the composition of its advisory boards and its funding source are accurately reported, why does it hoist a “nonpartisan” banner instead of proudly sailing under its true colors?
In view of all the above, I also wonder if our editor is now using his position to foster his own political leanings.
Roy F. Wilson
Sequim

Editor’s note: The letter Mr. Wilson refers to was the last in the “dueling” between him and Don Boensel of
Sequim (see following letter). It was inevitable that one of these gentlemen would have the last word.
As for political leanings, the Sequim Gazette’s opinion pages are nonpartisan and welcome expressions of all colors in the spectrum of opinion, provided that they do not violate statutes regarding libel or standards of good taste.

Simply
annoying

I think it’s time for Mr. Wilson and Mr. Boensel to either move on or make their feud private. At first their letters were interesting, then amusing. Now they are simply annoying. Neither one is going to convince the other he is right/wrong.
By the way, I thought that the Sequim Gazette had a policy of only accepting one letter a month from a person. These two have been in the paper every week for over a month. Give us a break!
Marti McAllister Wolf
Sequim