Sounder Letters to the Editor

Thank you – For special acts of sypmpathy and kindness

We wish to express our appreciation to our friends for the special acts of kindness and sympathy in the passing of our mother and grandmother, Ruth Resch.

Also, special thanks to Pastor Dave Van Boven for the most memorable service.

The family of Ruth Resch, Orcas Island

Change – Knee-jerk opposition here

(Cumulative Baggage Retention Syndrome (CBRS) - Pervasive Emotional Malady or Hallmark of Local Culture

I have a theory. Based upon my own keen, unbiased, and scientifically objective observations of how the stereotypical “local” responds to even the least suggestion of change to the perceived “status quo,” I believe I have identified a unified constellation of behaviors which I shall refer to as the Cumulative Baggage Retention Syndrome (CBRS).

Time after time, whenever an individual or group of individuals trots out a proposal, the emotional guns start blazing. As passions flare, there is no particular target, Everybody and every idea gets shot up immediately, painted with the broad tar brush of suspicion and anxiety, and misrepresented from the get-go. Facts, reason, and consequences be damned. The societal benefits of this unthinking behavior are that evil people and bad ideas readily abandon the public process, and our pent up passive-aggressive impulses are let loose to do their dark magic. The down side is that the good people and the good ideas are subjected to the same abuse with the same result.

The resentments and injuries start accumulating, and the paybacks and never-forgets add up. This cumulative baggage just waits for those inevitable, bulging, passive-aggressive hot buttons to be pushed again, and off we go. As the “Chicken and Egg” debate rages, nobody notices that both the chicken and the egg are the road kill of the shenanigans. Nobody “wins,” ever.

It’s kinda like the never happy child who whines about all the meals you serve tasting the same as he/she continues to pour ketchup on all offerings to hide the offending taste. Nobody wins, ever.

The behavior “CBRS” justifies and reinforces itself so long as the accumulated baggage is retained. There is much rationalization, but it’s not rational. Any behavior model where “Nobody wins, ever,” is by definition irrational and should be abandoned. (Or, pursued for the sake of mutual self-destruction, if that’s your cup of tea, bin Laden.)

So why would anyone retain this accumulated baggage? Well, first of all it’s the passive thing to do. Somehow, it’s just there and it’s “mine” in a personal ownership sense. Then, we get invested in it as we carry the weight of it around and nurture it out of proportion. And retention really gets a life of its own when the accumulated baggage becomes part of our identity. So like all that real valuable stuff cluttering the closet (or costing money in storage) that has no beneficial use, we keep it around “just because and just in case.”

For me the least understood aspect of Cumulative Baggage Retention Syndrome is whether it is a pervasive emotional malady which could be addressed per individual (much like my own near-sightedness), or is it integral to our local culture and I’d better get used to the abuse?

Mike Stolmeier, Eastsound

County – Government employees impress

The following letter to the Board of County Commissioners was submitted to the Islands’ Sounder for publication.

Early this month I had occasion to call the Public Health Department about the availability of flu vaccine. My call was answered promptly and politely and, in addition, the person answering the phone asked me to stay on the line while she made an appointment for me to get my shot at the Orcas Island office within the next 30 minutes. I was impressed!

That very positive encounter made me think back over the past six or eight months during which I’ve had some business to do with several other county departments: the Sheriff’s office to report a hit-run accident, the Road Department to report road flooding on a rainy night on Deer Harbor Road, the Auto Licensing office to register a car from another state, the District Court regarding jury duty, and my weekly trip to the solid Waste Recycle Center on Orcas Island. In each and every encounter I’ve had a courteous and helpful response from the county employee or employees involved. Without exception I was treated as a friend and neighbor.

From time to time one reads in our local papers or hears from a neighbor about some unsatisfactory experience with the “county bureaucracy.” As all of you are well aware, the bad news stories circulate widely and promptly in our small communities. I suspect the good works of our hard working county employees are much less frequently noted. So, from at least one tax-payer, I wanted you to know that I feel we are getting our money’s worth and then some from the first class people who do the day-to-day work that keeps San Juan County’s government services running.

Bob Lundeen, Deer Harbor

Government – County commissioners ignore laws

Check out the minutes of the BOCC in the Jan. 16 Sounder: One commissioner tells of a court ruling that bans the expansion of failing sewer and water systems. After some discussion, another commissioner says, in effect, that they will have to see about getting the ruling changed!

This little vignette perfectly illustrates the true nature of our county government. No interest or willingness is shown in complying with a law designed to protect people’s health. Time after time we have seen officials break federal, state and county laws, violate procedures and ignore our vision statements and plans whenever these might restrict development. In short, our county government is a single purpose, single-minded machine for development, totally unsuited to the needs of county residents.

This urbanizing system was set up by the state back in the 19th century, a time when the idea of ecology was unknown and people only desired to conquer nature. It was shaped by a belief in the crude monolithic ideas of 18th century market ideology that predate America’s nationhood. The human components of this antiquated mechanism still have only this handful of pathetic, palpably untrue prejudices to guide them. Development is their only deity, and they will incinerate the earth to keep their decayed god alive.

We are ruled by systems, but no system is what it claims to be or does what it is supposed to do. Keeping this in mind is the first step in stopping destruction of our planet and moving toward cooperative self-government.

Stephen F. Ludwig, Lopez Island

Music! – Concert to help Orcas School

Join in celebrating music at the fifth annual Music! Music! Music! Benefit Concert Sunday, March 3 at 3 p.m. in the Orcas School K to 8 gymnasium. Donations will support our rapidly growing choral and instrumental programs for all children in the Orcas Island School District. There will be performances by The Choral Society, Community Band, Orcatraz Swing Band, Orcas High School Instrumental Ensemble, Island Sinfonia and professional musician John Kimura Parker. This wonderful event is a great celebration of our diverse community, its many talented members, and the lifelong joys of music!

Susan Gudgell and The Music Advocacy Group, Eastsound

Levy – It will help our school

Soon we will have the opportunity to mail in our vote for the Orcas Island School District Maintenance and Operation (M&O) levy. This levy will replace the current levy when it expires in Dec. 2002.

The M&O levy provides approximately 20 percent of the district’s annual budget and pays for staff to keep class sizes small, curriculum materials and special educational programs, all of which contribute to our students having successful experiences in school.

As a person in the elementary school that sees the positive impact this levy funding creates, I urge you to vote “Yes” for the Maintenance and Operation levy.

Michele Judge, Elementary School Counselor, Orcas Elementary

Levy – Students deserve your support

In the next few weeks, residents of Orcas Island will receive a very important mailing that will determine the fate of 19 percent of our school district’s budget and, ultimately, the quality of many district programs. I encourage you to support the district’s Maintenance and Operations Levy by completing the mail-in ballot you receive on or after Feb. 20. Orcas students deserve no less than our complete support.

As Aristotle notes, “All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” Please assist the Orcas Island School District in our goal of creating self-directed, compassionate, responsible world citizens by approving our levy.

Thank you for your continuing support.

Maurice Austin, Teacher, English, Orcas Island High School

Cambodian babies – INS intended to save face

The following letter was forwarded to The Sounder by Caroline Zoerb of Lopez Island.

How convenient of the Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner James Ziglar (Sounder letter to the editor, Jan. 16) to say he granted the Cambodian babies humanitarian parole. He was “encouraged” to make this decision by Attorney General Ashcroft after President Bush talked with him, also, after members of Congress contacted him after seeing the 20/20 story. I think he decided to suspend adoptions in Cambodia to justify INS previous actions.

It would have been nice (and made his “independent decision” look so much more nobler and less “saving face”) if this decision had been made and publicized before the 20/20 story aired on Dec 19.

As for Ziglar’s statement that the INS never denied the families the right to adopt the babies, how petty! Since the families live in the US, once the INS said it will deny the visa application or intend to deny the visas, it makes the child unadoptable to American citizens who don’t wish to live in Cambodia with their child for two years. This is splitting hairs in my opinion.

The embassy could have told the families there was a problem with their child’s adoption paperwork and that an investigation would have to take place and be concluded favorably before they would issue visas for the children. They could have told the families this before they took physical custody of the children. Taking physical custody of the children is the last step in the Cambodian adoption process.

And never once in the families’ dealings with embassy personnel was there ever any hope that the investigations would end positively for the adoptive families. And the investigations that were completed were done so shoddily that the INS was publicly embarrassed when the findings were questioned and published. How do you respond to “noids” (Notices of Intent to Deny) that are so poorly worded and vague? 20/20 covered this dilemma very well in their story.

Patricia Davis, Adoption Advocate

Cambodian babies – Here are our facts

My name is Kim Sferes. My husband Greg and I were one of the families that were stranded in Cambodia for three months while trying to adopt our daughter.

I just read your article regarding your conversation with Mr. Strassberger of INS.

I would like to share with you our facts. Greg and I were the first family called by Ambassador Weidemann. While Greg spoke directly to Ambassador Weidemann on the telephone as 20/20 taped in our room, Greg reiterated word for word what the Ambassador said to him. Quite clearly, Greg repeats “not an adoptable orphan,” as you will hear on the taping of 20/20. That is exactly what the ambassador told him; there was absolutely no mention of the term NOID.

I am also going to forward you a little history that I have put together regarding our experience in Cambodia.

In our situation, we believe that this started with someone in the State Department. Now many government departments are defensive. If they would stop protecting “their own” and honestly seek out the truth, I think that we would all see that this mess was started by a few bad apples and the majority of their colleagues had no idea what they were doing or what their agenda was.

As for who exactly made the “phone call,”, this was our experience: around 10 a.m., Thailand time, on Dec. 23, we received a telephone call from Linda A. O’Donnell, Immigration Officer, United States Department Of Justice, INS, American Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. Ms. O’Donnell told Greg that we had a miracle on our hands; she had received a telephone call at 1 a.m. Thailand time instructing her to notify us of our release. Prior to this, Greg went to the Embassy in Thailand on Thursday Dec. 20 and Friday Dec. 21 trying to find out if we could possibly get home before Christmas. On Dec. 20, there was no one available to speak with him. On Dec. 21 he spoke to Lola K. Parocua, Deputy District Director, United States Department of Justice, INS, in the presence of Ms. O’Donnell. During this meeting Greg tried to find out when our NOIDS would be responded to. He was told they did know, but DEFINITELY it would NOT be before Christmas.

Kim Sferes

Bank – Am I alone in my worry?

Recently I was informed by my bank that they would no longer be sending back my personal canceled checks, but would be returning computerized photostats from their “check imaging system” to me. I was told not to worry as the federal government had passed a law saying the check imaging system was “valid legal proof of payment by the IRS, Courts of Law, and the Federal Reserve Bank.” Needless to say, I’m worried.

My first thought was that they will miss copying a check, then destroy it, followed by “I’m sorry.” I’m sure it would have felt better if they had said, “Don’t worry, banks don’t make mistakes.”

I called the person who signed the letter , after finding out from the local branch that the plan was to keep checks for 45 days, then shred them; but he couldn’t help me. I requested that my personal, canceled check—aka my “personal property” —be returned to me and not destroyed. He said he couldn’t help me, that a blanket decision had been made by the bank to do this to everyone.

He also explained that this decision was made to align with the federal policy soon to be implemented where all checks will be forwarded to a federal branch, photocopied for federal record, then destroyed so that the federal government would not be inconvenienced by moving paper (my canceled checks) around. Oddly enough, this seems to create the need for more paper, which opposes the federal mandate for using less paper.

I am now writing the ACLU, my congress person and senator, along with the Attorney General concerning the return of my personal property.

Am I alone, or is anyone else out there not comfortable with this?

Sincerely, I remain, “totally” American.

Frank Michels, Eastsound

Sustainability – Entangled in delusive thoughts

I’d like to add some facts to the savory sauce of good ideas for a sustainable community here in San Juan County that I’ve been preparing for about five years. First, we have to all recognize that, for multidimensional reasons, we on Orcas, as well as on the other islands have become completely and absolutely “entangled” in delusive thoughts.” (For example: There’s nothing we can do.” “I don’t think we can do anything.”) To rid ourselves of the consequent, unnatural, uncomfortable feelings of limitation, we need to start living with a new awareness, a new and empowering paradigm. (This cannot happen in the state of perpetual anarchy we are currently self-involved in, here in San Juan County. We need to impose a county-wide building and road building moratorium on ourselves until further notice!) So, for at least 10 years, we’ve been peppering ourselves with wrong self-identification; wrong thinking; “wrong shui”! The way our so-called planners and commissioners have been mishandling the GMA (Growth “Management” Act) process, since its inception here in good old Washington State in 1991, is largely to blame, and so are the Realtors, especially one, and the unbalanced influence of the Builders and Home-Owners Association, as well as the San Juan County Public Works Department. Because of the misguided thinking of a few, we have have all been mislead, like sheep or lemmings, to believe that we are all alone (little woolly or furry packages of individualism living here, there, high, low and uncomfortably everywhere) all over our recoiling islands. Thinking we are all “individuals,” and being somehow duly represented by three “district” commissioners on San Juan Island as such, is, simply put, wrong. Hey, if you’re a lemming, please don’t jump off the cliff!! The others will think they have to do the same! Becoming aware of what is true is our mission, as human beings here on Planet Earth. Would you agree? There’s got to be some unifying principle to keep us from sinking our own ship, or, if you will, spoiling the yummy, yummy sauce. Why can’t we be friends? What a concept! We’re not teaching our kids how to cook, how to care for food, medicine producing trees and plants, how to discover, discern, enjoy and care for the abundance this paradise might continue to provide the world, if we are very careful. (A U DUB student of Fisheries recently remarked that nothing from the Northwest straights should be eaten!) Instead of educating ourselves and our children, we are harrowing our attention to concentrate on the negative, on coy, small-minded, and deadly views of life, as well as community and self-government.

Last spring, I sent a small but potent stack of meaningful books to each of our three county commissioners: John, Rhea, and Darcie. The books were entitled Ecology, a pocket dictionary; Better, not Bigger, which systematically debunks the 12 myths of growth (on page 40); and either Voluntary Simplicity or The Ecology of Commerce, both of which also warn of global famine by the year 2020! (Please don’t believe anyone who says “There’s really nothing to be done!”) The responses I got through the mail were very telling! Do you want me to continue? I’ll tell all next week, so stay tuned. And be good! This takes positive action as one of our original local mentors, Louis, has said before, “Love is an action.” (So let’s all do no harm!)

P.S. “Some things have to be believed to be seen.”

Dorothy A. Mudd, Eastsound

Mail your letters to The Sounder, P.O. Box 758, North Beach Road, Eastsound, WA 98245. Fax your letters to The Sounder at (360) 376-4501, or send by email.

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