The Editor
“Those that can give up essential liberty to gain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
These words would bring scorn and contempt from many if they were uttered today.
And yet the man who spoke these words and others who joined with him to fight for their freedom in the American Revolution made possible the freest and most prosperous nation in history.
They were bound not just by a love of liberty but by a common system of values. There was much they disagreed about but much more that they had in common.
Today, this is no longer true.
One thing is true: our country is worth fighting for. What we now have, and too often take for granted, has come at great cost in suffering and death. These are realities we have been so far removed from for so long that we have unlearned the true worth of our freedoms. We have forgotten that what we have is not normal; that it is rare and precious … and easily lost.
“The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.”
There will be a few who read these words and understand the threats we face. To those few I say get involved. We can begin by learning what we have and how it came to be. Read Catherine Drinker Bowen’s outstanding account of the Constitutional convention of 1787 “Miracle at Philadelphia.”
We need to learn to feel the love of liberty like those who made it possible. “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.”
The quotes are from Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine; men who were willing to risk everything to give us what we have.
The election is over but the fight for the Republic must go on.
Dan Rudolph
Blaine
The Editor:
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the amazing outpouring of love and support during the Blaine Food Bank’s annual 2020 Matching Funds Campaign. Thanks to you, we did it. We not only met, but with a flurry of last-minute donations, exceeded our goal of $30,000, that was set by our anonymous benefactor.
These vital funds allow us to provide nourishing milk, eggs and other protein, for the next year, to friends and neighbors in our community who struggle to feed their families.
To each individual, each business and each church that responded to our appeal, thank you. To the staff and students in the Blaine school district who held a virtual ‘Let’s Make a Change’ campaign, on our behalf in lieu of a food drive, thank you. To all who tirelessly shopped for, and hand delivered shelf stable food to fill our pantry, thank you.
This wonderful community is our life-line. You have never let us down. Thank you for supporting our mission, for your faith in our commitment, and especially, thank you for caring.
Sally Church
Blaine
The Editor:
The Kitsap County Health Department officer gives new meaning to “a call to arms” in this guest column: Vaccines Present a Community Challenge.
Few people realize that prior to the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine to their locality, vaccine administers must enroll in our state’s provider program to receive any allotment.
The U.S. has experience with mass vaccine distribution, but delivering Covid-19 vaccines is at a much greater scale than all past efforts. To ensure the greatest health and societal benefits accrue from the vaccination program, providers must answer the “call to arms” by signing up to administer the vaccine. If there are insufficient provider participants, the vaccination effort will not be rapid, effective or equitable.
I encourage every eligible provider to enroll in Washington state’s Covid-19 vaccine program as soon as possible. It would give our personal health and our economy’s health a welcome “shot in the arm.”
Micki Jackson
Bellingham
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