Letters to the editor

July 3, 2007

Speak up about power plant ordinance

When the Mat-Su Borough Assembly took a deep breath and plunged into writing legislation regulating coal bed methane, some screamed it would kill the borough economy and CBM development forever.

Now, only a few short years later, we see environmentally acceptable CBM being developed. It was a win-win.

I believe the proposed ordinance to regulate the location, construction and operation of power plants will also be a win-win for our community.

A project like a power plant will be with us for generations and has the potential to significantly impact the health and safety of a huge percentage of the population of the borough, so we should know in advance what we will have to be living with.

A responsible power generator should know this - or shouldn't build!

If the analysis required by this legislation is considered onerous by the applicant that is proof of how much it is needed.

The borough's planning commission will hold a public hearing on this ordinance at a special meeting at 6 p.m. July 12 in assembly chambers.

The assembly's public hearing will be July 17. Please testify if you can. If you can testify only once, it's probably best to opt for the assembly.

Or, you can send an e-mail in support of this ordinance by sending it to the borough clerk, Michelle McGeHee, at Michelle.McGehee@matsugov.us and asking her to distribute to it to the planning commission members, assembly members and mayor.

You know that corporate interests will be applying all sorts of pressure, predicting doom and gloom, and threatening lawsuits. Help our elected officials stand up to them.

Speak up! Time is short!

Anne Kilkenny

Wasilla

Don't misrepresent Kohring debate

When Vic Kohring announced he would resign his position as the House District 14 representative, I thought that would be the end of the matter for me. However, I could not let the letters from Linda K. Anderson, Debbie Wright and Phil Chandler printed in the Friday edition of the Frontiersman go unanswered.

To Ms. Anderson, It is true that reporters can inject bias into a story with their descriptive word choices, but the articles I've seen about Kohring have been fair and in no way have indicated that he has been found guilty of the charges against him.

In contrast, your choice to refer to the recall effort as a "lynch wagon" is inflammatory and a mischaracterization.

As a supporter of the recall effort, I met quite a few reasonable people who simply do not think Kohring could adequately represent us in his current circumstances.

Most, like myself, had been surprised and saddened when they heard he had been caught up in the latest round of indictments and are not the kind of people to stoop to personal attacks, lies or profanity directed toward Kohring or anyone else.

They certainly don't fit the picture of a rabid mob out to lynch anybody.

As to who it was that started the recall effort, who better than a community leader that lives in Kohring's district and is aware of the issues there? Mark Ewing's Wasilla City Council involvement does not make him any less entitled than any other resident to use the due process of the law to ensure that he and his fellow residents are adequately represented. For his efforts in this matter, I thank him.

Since you mentioned blogs, I searched briefly. I found some postings with thoughtful irony, but consider myself fortunate not to have found any with the offensive content you described.

Should your searches turn up any more ugly sites, please be careful to avoid inadvertently spreading any of the nastiness or rumors yourself by sharing either the address of the blog or the content you found there. Kohring has always been pleasant to me and I'd just as soon not hear any more unsubstantiated gossip about him from his friends.

To Ms. Wright and Mr. Chandler: Is it possible that we were not at the same event? I arrived outside the Lake Lucille Inn on June 19 after some of the recall effort supporters, but before most of the media and the few "I Like Vic" and "No VECO" sign-wavers.

What I saw was not a group of reporters who mobbed, attacked or otherwise zeroed in on supporters.

I did see was a group of his supporters who walked down a long line of sign wavers suggesting Kohring resign to get to the reporters who were standing at the end of the line closest to the Parks Highway.

I did not hear anyone from our group say anything to them as they passed by.

Certainly at no time did I see any of the people outside urging Kohring to resign by "yelling, screaming and using foul language in the presence of women and children."

In fact, a number of the folks urging him to leave office brought their own families with them and it seems unlikely they would have chosen to engage in or condone such behavior in front of their own children.

To all three of you: It is disappointing that none of you have exhibited the dignity and grace under fire Kohring has shown himself.

He has not resorted to name calling or distortions of the truth and has instead addressed his constituents directly with civility in print and in person.

I also find it disturbing that his so-called supporters keep bringing up the issue of his guilt or innocence as if that were the sole factor that should have been considered in his ability to fully represent us.

Kohring acknowledged there was more to it than that in his published letter regarding his decision to resign, so I suggest it is time for all of us to leave that debate entirely to the court system and spend our time considering who should be representing us while he readies his defense.

Dianne Woodruff

Wasilla

Vic Kohring's time is up

Considering that in 1994 Vic Kohring ran on a platform of term limits, I'm amazed it took 13 years and a federal indictment for him to consider resigning from the state Legislature. When this finally happened he made it clear he did not want it to become a public spectacle.

To the suprise of no one who really knows Vic, this was followed by numerous and very public Vic-written swan songs in local newspapers, prime-time news coverage at the Wasilla chamber luncheon and letters to the editor from family and the odd unenlightened supporter - everything but a billboard on the flats and skywriting above District 14.

This makes perfect sense when you think about it: our hardworking conservative only worked hard at making it look like he worked hard and got reelected.

Just check his record.

Personally, I'll believe Kohring has resigned when I see his replacement sworn in by the governor. And that's why it is still important to support Mark Ewing's recall effort.

Sorry Vic, one way or another your time is finally up.

Bill Siedler

Wasilla's

Not all mushers wear Carharts

Matt Tunseth wrote a nice article about the Iditarod event. It would have been even better had he not put the 71 mushers attending in a visual people may retain. I did not see a single musher wearing Carharts.

Carharts now are mostly relegated to the hard work in the dog lot, on the trails or over vehicles needing repair. The musher in 2007 wears jeans/slacks, with a T-shirt or sweatshirt and sneakers most of the time. Granted, he or she might not be off the rack that day and it might show some wear, but the Carhart days are long gone for the most part.

These effervescent people let their personalities bubble over in a crowd and their enthusiasm is catching. Please write about them with the dignity they really have.

You may even see Lance Mackey in a tuxedo come July 11 in Hollywood as he attends the ESPY Awards.

Good luck, Lance, we voted for you and know most of the Mat-Su Valley is pitching in to win the award for Best Outdoor Athlete.

Maureen Morgan

Wasilla

Scrambled science?

I was amused at the article &#8220Solstice science” on last Friday's front page, which proved an urban myth.

It seems eggs began to balance for students at 10:06 a.m. and mysteriously failed to balance 15 minutes later.

In reality, eggs may be balanced at any moment of any day all year long. It does not require a solstice, just patience.

I would be happy to demonstrate for reporter Greg Johnson.

This experiment may have proved the Pygmalion effect, more commonly known as the teacher-expectancy effect.

This refers to situations in which students perform in a certain manner because of teacher expectations.

Regardless, I give kudos to the teacher, Mr. Colegrove, for motivating students to do science.

Greg Miller

Wasilla

Editor's note: It was also reported with last Friday's story that eggs can be balanced at any time of year, not just on the summer solstice.