Here in Sitka?
Dear Editor: This is a long letter and I have been strongly advised not to submit this Letter to the Editor. I have been cautioned that I will become the target of those who see virtue in silencing, intimidating, and punishing others with whom they disagree. Included in that advice was the very real fear that I would be castigated not only personally and professionally, but also as a businessman I might have to pay with a detrimental effect on my business wellbeing. “Wait a minute” I said. “This is still America, isn’t it, and unlike any other place on earth we have the right and privilege to express our beliefs and opinions?” No answer!
Well, as my grandmother used to say, “I’d rather be shot for a lion than a lamb.” And following my own suggestion, I would invite anyone who is offended by my letter to contact me to have a civil dialogue about your thinking and mine and so we can figure out what we can do to our mutual best interest and for the good of our community.
This is about the Assembly’s decision not to invite President Trump to Sitka, which is of little or no consequence really, except that in my opinion, the decision appears to be acquiescence to expressed and implied threats which prevail here in Sitka and in certain locations across the nation. Threats you say? Yes, like “it might cause a lot of harm” and “it will set us back as a community,” and implied menace of protestor’s demonstrations, and “the invitation would be divisive” and because the “community is so divided.” Not to mention the not-too-subtle shunning that is knee-jerk reaction elicited at any even neutral expression about the current president. Mind you, we are talking about simply issuing an invitation to the duly elected leader of our country which may be received and acknowledged but also has as much chance of occurring as Iran becoming the world’s leading producer of Christmas ornaments.
So the Assembly decided not to issue an invitation. That decision IS, in my opinion, acquiescence to the real and implied threats of some members of our community who want to and get control of the community dialogue through intimidation. Here in Sitka? Yes here in Sitka. By the way, for those who are inclined to retaliate against independent thinking, this letter is not in the interest of supporting Trump or not Trump but is in the interest of encouraging our community to recognize that the divisions in this community did not spring spontaneously from the head of a lotus blossom. The divisions were there all along and have more prominently surfaced in the context of this latest election. In fact, Sitka, as a microcosm of our nation, reflects a broader national division that has existed for decades.
In my opinion, the Assembly and the Sitka community would have been better served by the Assembly taking the “high road” by respecting the office of the presidency, extending the invitation, and separately encouraging the community members to engage in civil dialogue about the very real problems that face our community, our state, and our country. That is to engage the members of our community in real things we can do something about and not in endless and volatile quarrels about who’s good and who’s bad but what is being done and what can be done and what we Sitkans can actually do. A civil dialogue involves the cooperative/collaborative energies and talents of the participants talking about real, measurable and observable things, and solving problems that can actually result in a successful and measurable outcome that we can all agree to and about which we can all take satisfaction, and especially the satisfaction of working together for our mutual best interest. Again, as grandma used to say, “let’s keep our eye on the donut and not on the hole.” Love my Grandma!
Rob Parker, Sitka
Youth Sports Thanks
Dear Editor: On behalf of Sitka Youth Sports, we would like to thank the following business, organizations, and community members for their support and contributions to the Denim and Diamonds Beer and Wine Tasting that was held Feb. 3.
The Sitka Elks Lodge 1662 went above and beyond hosting the event. They provided staff time, permits, location, and our D.J. Meat Head for the evening. Chef Jo shined at the event with her outstanding food and décor – no one left hungry. Of course, a beer and wine event can’t be done without our distributors, Baranof Island Brewing Co., Odom, Specialty Imports and K&L. House of Liquor provided the support for participants to purchase items that they enjoyed throughout the evening.
Seafood Producers Cooperative sponsored the event with an in-kind donation and support. Jana Suchy, photographer, donated a portion of her proceeds from the art auction. The Coast Guard Chiefs Association helped run the show by keeping everything in order.
This community is truly amazing having so many different groups and people to come together to provide a safe, fun and giving event. Thank you, Sitka!
Sitka Youth Sports
Presidents Day
Dear Editor: On this past Presidents Day, I thought about fond memories of when I was in elementary school and learned stories about the presidents that we honor this time each year. Specifically, I remembered the legend of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree and then admitting it because he “couldn’t tell a lie.” Fast forward to our current president who seems to tell lies in every statement or appearance he makes.
I, like many other Americans, hoped that the new presidential administration would have a different tone in office than they did during the campaign. This last month has shown that this isn’t the case. In fact, it has gotten much worse (like our new relationship with Russia? A country we cannot trust.) For me, the best case scenario is that what we are seeing is just incompetence in leadership and inexperience running a complex operation like the U.S. government. The worst case scenario is scarier. The worst case scenario for me is that we are all getting scammed by an experienced con artist who is distracting us while he is enriching himself, his family, and his colleagues. The super-rich in this scenario are freely able to take from the middle class, force out small businesses, and take advantage of the poor so that the CEOs, boards of directors, and hedge fund shareholders accumulate all our nation’s wealth. Meanwhile, middle America is left arguing about if a terrorist attack really happened in Sweden, if 3 million undocumented immigrants voted and that is why Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, or if we really are going to do something as misguided as spending $21 billion to build a huge wall across the entire border.
A Republican Congress member from Texas said last week that it’s “Better to get your news directly from the president. In fact, it might be the only way to get the unvarnished truth.” Is there any statement that could be more Un-American, more disrespectful of our Constitution and the rights that it guarantees us (including freedom of the press), and more blatantly pushing us to a place where we all put our heads in the sand while a con artist takes advantage of us?
We are at a moment in our country’s history that is clearly beyond party politics and Republican or Democrat. The dysfunction happening now in our government is a threat to the greatness of our nation and our democracy itself. John McCain – a decorated veteran who suffered for our nation in Vietnam and was savagely insulted during the presidential campaign – has been brave and exemplary in speaking up for the patriotism and American values that I thought our country stood for. He’s been courageous enough to stand up to our president and stay true to his American values. Where is our Alaska delegation and why aren’t they calling out this administration’s failures like John McCain has? Our country is better than the example our current president is setting. Our Alaska delegation who represents us in Washington needs to show us they’re brave enough to stand up to the lies and corruption and put our country ahead of party politics.
Andrew Thoms, Sitka
