Letters to the editor

Domestic reconciliation

Continued harmony requires accepting partners as they are

Editor, The Times:

So, Tim Eyman failed in his attempt to get his referendum on the ballot that would have effectively paved the way for discrimination in Washington state ["Measure repealing gay rights won't be on ballot," Times, Local News, June 7]. I hope his failure sends a message.

I've heard the argument over and over again, "We shouldn't have special legal protections for a lifestyle choice." Hmmm, last I checked, we have legal protections based on religious freedom and marital status. Am I missing something? Or in the context of the argument, wouldn't those be considered "lifestyle choices," too?

Fact is, the only "choice" I've made about my orientation is to be true to who I am. No amount of rhetoric or religious fervor is going to change that.

— Bonnie Rae Nygren, Seattle

Fear of commitment

I'm glad to see that the real story of "gay marriage" is finally coming out, so to speak. Gay marriage is, of course, not the issue at all. The real story is that, with 45 days left in the legislative session, the Republican-controlled Senate and the radical Republican House choose to waste our money and time for the sole purpose of obfuscating the truth.

The truth is that Republicans cannot govern without bigotry, Republicans cannot govern without fear, Republicans cannot govern without hatred, and finally, that the Republican Party has put itself completely in bed with radical zealots like Pat Robertson, Jack Abramoff, Jerry Falwell and Kenneth Lay, who claim to be Christian while supporting fascist, decidedly non-Christian values.

Next up? I predict a flag-burning amendment, security levels climbing to orange without any palpable evidence to support such a move, and, of course, late-term-abortion votes. All this while our underprotected troops die in Iraq.

You may not be a bigot, but in voting for a Republican, you support bigotry, and really, what's the difference?

— Alan Harrison, Shoreline

Respect the other's views

The constitutional amendment on marriage is a good thing, yet is wrongly perceived by many as nothing more than a "ban" on gay marriage.

This "ban" language suggests that any attempt to define marriage as between a man and a woman is taking away something that belongs to homosexuals, limiting their rights, etc.

Yet the situation is quite the opposite. Homosexual marriage did not even exist in this country until the Massachusetts Supreme Court invented it in 2003. "Gay marriage" is a strange and relatively new idea, and the very suggestion that it is a timeless right is laughable!

Keeping marriage the way it has always been — between a husband and wife — is common sense, not a bigoted restriction.

Of course, I love homosexuals, but love does not mean unconditional agreement. It is homosexuals' right to argue for gay marriage, but it is just as much (if not more) my right to argue against it.

Please, don't call me a bigot for holding a different point of view. There is nothing hateful about believing marriage should remain between a man and a woman. Quite the contrary, I support male-female marriage because of my love for people and for God.

— Brendan Payne, Edmonds

A church divorce

Maybe there is some opposition to the Tim Eyman-sponsored initiatives. I hope for that too. But this time, even the churchgoers could not get enough signatures for their discriminating agenda. Thank God.

— Lisa Graham, Seattle

Reversing nature

Trees come from paper

I was disappointed that "A war in the woods" [page one, June 6] on "brush picking" devoted less than two column inches to conservation aspects of these relatively unregulated practices. Forest greens are harvested with little thought about their ecological effects.

Native shrubs and herbs furnish food and shelter for various mammals, birds and amphibians, and assure the steady delivery of clean water to fish-bearing streams. They discourage growth of invasive plants and promote forest re-establishment after logging. Overharvesting of "greens" interferes drastically with the services that these plants provide for us.

Illegal harvesting makes it impossible to achieve a sustainable harvest level. However, if the individual harvester's commercial harvesting permit required identification of the contractor or warehouse to which the greens were to be delivered, if each bundle of legally picked greens bore a unique identifying tag, and if the warehouses or contractors were likewise licensed, with limits on how much each could take from specific forest stands, then the up-and-up side of the equation would be regulated.

With these provisions in place, there would be much less incentive for unregulated harvesting to occur.

— Michael Marsh, board member at large, Washington Native Plant Society, Seattle

Spirits of cooperation

Canadian must

The recent news out of Ontario, that Canadian counterterrorism agents and law-enforcement officers apprehended suspects allegedly intent on carrying out terrorist acts, highlights the importance of recognizing Canada's role as a key ally in the global war on terrorism ["Hostages, bombings, beheading allegedly part of plot," page one, June 7].

Just as North American cooperation in the form of NORAD during the Cold War was crucial to the successful defense of our continent in a previous generation, we must continue to regard Canada as our vital ally in order to successfully prosecute the war on terror. To this end, our governments and intelligence services must work closely and cooperatively in their efforts to defend North America.

Additionally, Canadian oil is projected to be more abundant than that of any nation except Saudi Arabia — if Alberta's tar-sands endeavor develops as expected. Thus, Canadian oil should play an important role in the crafting of our energy policy, because meeting American oil needs closer to home could enhance our national security by reducing our dependence on resources in unstable regions of the globe.

— Elliott Smith (student, Center for Canadian/American Studies, Western Washington University), Bellingham

Yukon phone jack

Congratulations to Canadian anti-terror agencies for disrupting a terrorist plot in Toronto.

But just to be on the safe side, Canada should implement a massive domestic spying program anyway.

— Michael Blake, Seattle