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The Northern Light • December 30, 2021 - January 5, 2022
Opinion
The Northern L ght The Northern Light is published weekly by Point Roberts Press Inc. Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, and the summer recreation guide Waterside as well as maps and other publications. Point Roberts Press Inc. is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Chambers of Commerce of Bellingham/ Whatcom County, Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts and the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau. The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors. Letters Policy The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor. Please include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters are limited to 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Consumer complaints should be submitted directly to the business in question or the local chamber of commerce. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published. Email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com.
Blaine Community Theater’s holiday spectacular
Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com
s Blaine Community Theater performed a live radio play of Miracle on 34th Street on December 18 at the Blaine Boating Center. Photo by Ruth Lauman
Letters
Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com Reporter Ian Haupt ian@pointrobertspress.com Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser production@pointrobertspress.com Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Gary Lee sales@pointrobertspress.com General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com
The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVII, No 28 Circulation: 10,500 copies
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Next issue: Jan. 6 Ads due: Dec. 31
The Editor: The flag of the United States is a tangible representation of our country, and, representing the United States of America is entitled to respect. It is so entitled to respect, in fact, that it is accorded its own section within U.S. Code. Section 1, Title 4, of the U.S. Code concerns the flag, its treatment, and display. One of those elements of display concerns the condition of the flag. It says, “When [a flag] is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, [it] should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.” Looking around Whatcom County, even before the recent bad weather, I saw many flags, both on poles outside homes and businesses and in the backs of pickup trucks, which were tattered, torn or stained. Those flags should be taken down, and if desired replaced by clean and wellkept flags. People wanting to turn flags in for disposal should contact a local veterans’ organization, such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans or Vietnam Veterans of America. Some of those organizations can also recommend a source for replacement. Other contacts for disposal would include scouting groups. It would be better to have no flag at all displayed than to have one that is tattered. J.G. Phillips Custer The Editor: To give Birch Bay a “sense of community” as my friend Doralee Booth said in the December 9-15 issue of The Northern Light, in support of gerrymandering school district redistricting. These folks in Birch Bay need to incorporate. Pay their
own bills, rather than demanding city services from the county and a neighboring incorporated city. If I were God, which I now know I’m not, I’d merge Birch Bay and Blaine and call it all Birch Bay (Blaine was not a nice guy). And then grow the coming urban growth between the two, on flat buildable land, and leave northeast Blaine and its irreplaceable habitat alone. Jack Kintner Blaine
We are so thankful for your support, your faith in our mission and your commitment to ending hunger in our community. We are so proud to partner with you in a united effort to feed the hungry. Thank you everyone! Wishing you all the magic and joy of the holiday season, and thank you for caring. Sally Church Blaine Food Bank operations manager Blaine
The Editor: It is with sincere gratitude and great pride in our community that we announce that the Blaine Food Bank has met the $30,000 goal set by a generous benefactor in our 2021 Matching Funds Campaign. This amazing community has never let us down. Our goal was not only matched but exceeded, and we ended the challenge with over $36,500 in donations. When the challenge was announced to the community, our local residents, churches, schools and businesses responded. Who comes to the food bank? Your neighbors, your friends and people who attend your church are all among those coming to visit the food bank. They are people who are out of work, low-income families, seniors, veterans of the armed services, disabled individuals, single moms and dads or anyone who temporarily needs help. We are incredibly grateful for the leadership support from this very generous donor who invested in the well-being of our community and inspires others to do the same. We are humbled by the donor’s trust and confidence, and by everyone who has rallied to meet the goal and ensure that everyone has enough food to eat.
The Editor: I was extremely disappointed with this paper and its recent articles about Doug Ericksen and Sharon Shewmake. The article about Sharon was positive and left-leaning. Information about Doug was negative and judgmental. Here we go again. Carefully read Sharon’s proposed bills. Be informed of what the Democratic Party is up to. Doug served our state for many years. He will be missed. I would advise the paper to be better informed when gossiping about people. Susan Werner Blaine The Editor: The Blaine/Birch Bay Community Toy Store leadership team would like to say a huge thank you for the outpouring of love and support this community showed to our local families in need of holiday gift assistance. Over 1,000 toys and 100 gift cards were donated this year, in addition to over $4,400 in monetary donations. This allowed us to help the parents of 374 chil(See Letters, next page) Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
