Aberdeen Rain Glow Festival was exceptional

Bravo to Aberdeen Mayor Douglas Orr, the Harbor Art Guild and all the individuals, businesses and organizations who worked together to envision, build, and deliver an exceptional experience last Saturday night.

This was the first time my wife and I attended the Rain Glow Festival, and we are so looking forward to next year. I volunteered with a local nonprofit to staff their “world” so I had an opportunity to watch and engage with passing attendees for two hours.

I was surprised at the broad spectrum of joyous festival goers that passed through. I saw couples with strollers, families holding hands with young children, groups of teenagers and retirees, all gazing in wonder at the transformed streets and alleys of Aberdeen.

Some wore lighted costumes, some had lights in their hair or around their necks and all of them were having fun. Rain Glow was good for our citizens, good for local businesses, and good for our reputation as a community.

This kind of unique, engaging, family-friendly event is part of what makes a community special. We hope other members of our community who explored the worlds of Rain Glow will share their images and experiences on social media, celebrating what a wonderfully fun and creative community we live in.

Thank you again to everyone who helped design, set up, staff and take down this exceptional four-hour extravaganza. See you all next year.

Les Bolton

Aberdeen

I’m voting no on Initiative 2124

There are more than 820,000 family caregivers in Washington. Of those 820,000 people, many have had to leave their careers or upturn their lives to care for their loved one who fell ill or became injured.

As someone who has built a career in the healthcare industry, I know all too well that caregivers need and deserve all the help they can get. Caregiving is often laborious, around-the-clock work that people aren’t trained for and aren’t paid for. Unpaid caregivers sometimes endure astronomical strain that causes them to fall ill as well.

That’s why I’m voting no on Initiative 2124 which will be on our ballots in November.

This destructive initiative would bankrupt our state’s long-term care program, stripping coverage from millions of Washingtonians and forcing them to buy into expensive, unreliable private insurance if they need coverage.

If I-2124 passes, caregivers would lose access to a crucial program that could offer vital financial support when they need it most, making the role they play as a caregiver just a little bit easier.

I urge Washingtonians to vote no on Initiative 2124

Mark Stensager

Aberdeen

‘Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing’

When you hear the phrase “Christian Nationalist” you might think, “Oh that’s just a patriotic Christian. I’m for that.” But Christian Nationalism is neither Christian nor patriotic. Christian Nationalists have no commitment to feeding the hungry, caring for widows and orphans nor most assuredly, welcoming the stranger. They do not aspire to live out the teachings of Jesus; they aspire to rule the nation.

Christian Nationalism is a power-grabbing movement that has been around since the 19th century. The idea simply put is: if you are strong and wealthy you are chosen by God to be among the Elect; therefore you and those like you (and no one else) are meant by the Almighty to rule, and the “you” in question is a white, male protestant Christian.

They are not patriotic because they do not believe in American democracy. They do not accept the First Amendment of the Constitution, rather Christian Nationalists contend that their loosely Calvinistic interpretation of scripture is right and that their adherents should hold all offices of the U.S. government, imposing the demands of their Christianity by law.

Joanie Arnold

Ocean Shores

Trump’s ‘Fight, fight, fight’ not appreciated

In the late ’80s, I started to read lips fairly well as I had worked around a lumber planer since 1962.

When you start losing your hearing you have to learn to read lips or you miss out on what’s being said.

The other day I saw a man, who was shot in the ear and not the skull, stand up and raise his fist and say, “Fight, fight, fight.”

Reminds me of Jan. 6.

Is that all that person thinks about?

Look at the judges he appointed. All for him. The hell with the rest of us.

Lonnie Yucha

Aberdeen