“Hopefully, Seattle voters aren’t so naive.”
Political association
Pope is fallible but wholly electable compared to others
Editor, The Times:
Attorney Richard Pope, King County Council Position 6 candidate, is doing exactly what a good parent should do - he is raising an autistic child. He admits to being depressed, which is entirely understandable, but not a disqualification for serving on the council.
The Democratic Party used to take pride in protecting the disabled and even putting them in public office (e.g., FDR). Instead of promoting the need for a social net, the party has failed to endorse Pope, who is also a veteran [”Richard Pope’s latest run for public office gains notice few ever expected,” Times, Local News, Oct. 24].
Opponent Jane Hague, the incumbent, has a drunken-driving charge against her, which is much more dangerous than being a responsible parent with a short temper.
A professor at the UW School of Law even found Pope to be smart. How many Democrats can say that about themselves?
- John Freeburg, BremertonVenus hype trap
Venus Velázquez, candidate for Seattle City Council Position 3, can’t in good conscience proceed with her pursuit of a position on the council after her arrest for driving while intoxicated.
One only has to consider her observed performance behind the wheel and the fact that she refused to consent to a blood-alcohol test while at the West Precinct.
Perhaps she thinks she can employ her skills as a PR strategist to spin her way out of this mess, since no “official,” documented blood-alcohol record exists to challenge the allegations against her? Hopefully, Seattle voters aren’t so naive.
- Harlan Erickson, SeattleNo head for figuring
If Seattle City Council candidate for Position 7 Tim Burgess, the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild and the Seattle Fire Fighters Union Local 27 are not [according to Ryan Ellis, president of the firefighters union] “changing [their] support in any way, shape or form” for Venus Velázquez’ candidacy for City Council (after she was arrested having a .115 percent blood-alcohol level), for her “stance on public safety” (?!), I do believe, clearly and candidly, that they’ve got their heads screwed on backward!
- Denise Crie, Mountlake TerraceAn unattainable ideal
The sad but true reality is that if I didn’t vote for candidates who never made mistakes, then I’d probably never vote.
Yes, Venus Velázquez made a mistake. But in my opinion it does not change her commitment to issues that matter in Seattle, like fighting for affordable housing, better schools and human services.
Voters obviously may judge her for themselves. But for me, Velázquez’ history of accomplishments weighs heavier than events of the past week.
- David Meinert, SeattleThe Hague standard
Both Jane Hague (a Republican) and Venus Velázquez (a Democrat) were arrested this year for drunken driving. Both should bow out of their respective races.
My prediction: Hague will not be elected because the Republicans realize that public servants should be held to a higher standard. Velázquez will be elected to her office because Democrats don’t care. They just want as many Democrats in office as possible to continue to run this tax-plagued county.
- Karen Gabrielson, Normandy ParkA rare find
I wasn’t yet decided on how I’d vote on Seattle City Council Position 3. Venus Velázquez made my decision easy [”Velázquez pleads not guilty to DUI,” Local News, Oct. 21].
First, she didn’t take a belligerent attitude with the police (i.e., suggesting they catch other violators, or speaking abusively).
Second, she publicly accepted her responsibility for “a bad decision.” She also didn’t try to stall the consequences or ignore the voters.
That shows me that Velázquez is a person of integrity, a rare animal in the political arena. She has my vote.
- David Ludden, SeattlePrehistoric voices
The people that science forgot
When are evolutionists going to get around to admitting the fact that Neanderthals are simply people, human beings like any other? As the evidence mounts that this is indeed the case, they come up with one story after another to stuff the data into their evolutionary paradigm.
First portrayed as hirsute, hunched-over ape-men by the evolutionary world, the Neanderthals were then found to have a larger average brain capacity than modern man; to ritually bury their dead; to have art and tools, and now to have the capacity for language [”Scientists: Language gene not unique to humans,” News, Oct. 21].
Scrambling to cover their tracks, evolutionists come up with interbreeding as an excuse for why these “primitive ape-men” bore so much resemblance to us. Try the obvious: They were (and are - their genetics are likely still with us to some degree) us. The degree of genetic variation within Neanderthal specimens is no greater than that found among the various people groups in existence today.
Of course, we also should not be surprised that evolutionists believe the DNA being used could survive for 43,000 years, given that this same bunch would have the world believe the ludicrous idea that T-Rex DNA could survive a staggering 65 million years!
- Glen Howard, North BendClan of the cave parrot
Regarding “Dear Abby: Say what?” [Woman to woman syndicated column, Oct. 23]:
Because I spend a lot of time in chauvinist circles, it’s not surprising that most people I interact with disagree with allowing any civil rights for women. But I’ve never run across a single one who viewed women as a threat, and never met anyone who had some amorphous “fear” that needed a good debunking.
What I find is that most women oppressors simply have a different opinion, with reasons ranging from religious or moral values (since many religions espouse the male as head of the family) to formal public-policy considerations (since experiments with female emancipation have had a negative impact on traditional families).
But when we have acquaintances or relatives who are women, it doesn’t change our friendship. We usually handle it thusly:
“You and I just disagree on this issue. What are you going to fix me for dinner, and be sure to clean up after.”
Dear Abby’s vocal support for women reflects a cultural shift, but I doubt it will shift to complete comfort with women obtaining any real rights. While I disagree with Abby’s politics, I appreciate her compassion and respect for women, and hope she will extend the same respect to misogynists who respectfully disagree.
- Cave-Man (aka Mark England-Markun), Seattle