Marking their 50th
Monday, July 28, 2008 1:00 AM PDT
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E-mail this articleJuly 28 Letters to the Editor
Marking their 50th
Recently members of the Lower Columbia Woodcarvers participated in the Castle Rock Fair. It was their 50th-year anniversary.
It’s always an enjoyable fair, with a lot of people from Castle Rock and the surrounding area. Many of our members have taken part in this fair for many years. Everyone is so friendly. It’s a good time for our members to show some of their artistic talent, woodcarving in various forms — relief and carving in the round.
People coming into our area were very positive in their remarks and seemed to enjoy our show very much. Members who participated were Jean Lancaster, Al Kessler, Vern Colt, Carmen and Jean DeFlumeri, Cris McBride and Kris Hansen.
Carmen DeFlumeri
Kelso
LNG isn’t corrosive or toxic
Clearly, Leonard L. Brock (July 22 letter) knows very little about natural gas. All natural gas is impure and requires extensive processing before it can be used as an energy source — not just foreign natural gas, but natural gas found anywhere in the world.
Liquefied natural gas, or LNG, is natural gas in its liquid form. When natural gas is cooled to minus 259 degrees Fahrenheit (-161 degrees Celsius), it becomes a clear, colorless, odorless liquid. LNG is neither corrosive nor toxic. Natural gas is primarily methane, with low concentrations of other hydrocarbons, water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen and some sulfur compounds. During the process known as liquefaction, natural gas is cooled below its boiling point, removing most of these compounds. The remaining natural gas is primarily methane with only small amounts of other hydrocarbons.
Natural gas accounts for approximately one quarter of the energy used in the United States. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. Because the combustion process for natural gas is almost perfect, very few by-products are emitted into the atmosphere as pollutants. Also, with the introduction of new technologies, nitrogen oxide, a pollutant targeted by the Clean Air Act, can be significantly reduced. The blue flame seen when natural gas is ignited is a sign of perfect combustion.
Dale Foster
Rainier
Don’t allow LNG plant
We are writing to thank the elected officials who have taken a stand against LNG on the Columbia. Growing numbers of Oregonians are following the issue and are opposed to building LNG facilities on the Columbia River. Among many things we are concerned about are the expense and preparedness of our local emergency response teams, should there be a breach of security on an LNG tanker or a regasification plant, especially with the shipping channel so close to Astoria’s downtown, hospital and schools. Our rural fire departments are mostly volunteer.
A need for natural gas in Oregon has not been demonstrated. We are totally opposed to a 3-foot-wide pipeline snaking through family farmlands, vineyards and recreation areas of Oregon.
We have been working long and hard on the renaissance of our community, the preservation of our historic buildings and the designation of National Heritage Area for the mouth of the Columbia River. This is the direction we see Astoria moving in, a direction that will enrich our residents and visitors with an authentic experience of Oregon’s beauty and history.
Industrialization of this great river of the West is a crime. One only has to look at the Mississippi. Please don’t allow this travesty to happen.
LaRee Johnson and Andrew E. Cier
Astoria
Race shouldn’t be an issue
As an independent observing closely the campaign for president, I note that it is fast becoming a campaign on racial lines. It is not so much an out and out campaign, rather one with subtle inputs. Polls indicate that, on racial grounds it, is about 50-50 and that is too bad, since it reflects how little we have grown since our ancestors decided to become wealthy on cotton and slavery. We can thank them for pounding it into our grandparents’ and parents’ heads that black people were inferior to whites, even though the evidence was to the contrary.
As we look at the candidates, we see on the Republican side a stumbling, fumbling, forgetful person who is clinging to the old, and pretending to be new. An individual calling for change, where one is forced to ask where was this individual for the past 20 years or so.
On the other hand, we see a well-articulated Democrat offering a multitude of changes, so many, in fact, that one wonders whether these promises could be kept. A youthful individual who we note presents himself as presidential material despite his lack of experience in the Congress.
What is glaringly missing in both candidates is: What do they intend to do about problems in Social Security, a flat-tax income tax, the destruction of the environment and many other issues?
Robert Denman
Longview
Appreciate instead of complain
We have a very concerned U.S. congressman for the Third Congressional District. Our district has an ocean, forestry, I-5 corridor, fisheries, rivers, exports, just to name a few of the complexities of the district, all of which Congressman Brian Baird does the job with firsthand knowledge. He doesn’t sit in Congress and wait for others to bring him the answers. He is out being a leader and getting information on global warming and other problems needed to make educated decisions for our area.
Union members need to start watching how the other congressional delegates are voting in their state and other states. They will see a big difference between Democrat votes and Republican votes. These are votes that affect their jobs and families. Baird has a high 97 percent voting record on labor issues. Here are the Web sites to check out the votes: www.wsic.org/cope/index.htm for the Washington Legislature and www.aflcio.org/issues/legislativealert/votes/index.cfm for Congress and Senate voting records.
I can’t say I agree with everything Baird votes for, but no one agrees on everything. I do know that what Baird does, he truly believes that it is right for our district and our country. I trust him to make these decisions for me.
Vote for Congressman Brian Baird.
Betty Firth
Kelso
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