Dipping into lies
If someone told me the future of the China Poot dipnet fishery depended on signing a petition, I’d be the first to sign. The problem is political: Rep. Sarah Vance is tying a bad idea (transferring 123 acres of Tutka Bay lagoon lands out of the Kachemak Bay State Park) to a very popular dipnet fishery. As politicians do, she confuses the issues.
You don’t need to have the hatchery (the biggest polluter in the park, pushing a monoculture of pink salmon) to have dipnetting in China Poot. There was a dipnet fishery in China Poot for 10 years when the hatchery was closed. This is the Dunleavy administration pushing the idea of pulling the best lands out of state parks and awarding it to private concerns.
The watchdog of Kachemak Bay state park (the Citizens Advisory Board) wants nothing to do with this. Yet Sarah Vance pushes the House Bill 52 land giveaway (to benefit 17n seiners) as fishery fun forever.
Gordy Vernon
Biden’s omicron hysteria
Dear Editor,
In a speech before Christmas, President Joe Biden warned about a dark winter of illness and death for the unvaccinated due to the 0micron variant of COIVD-19 and blamed them for the omicron outbreak. He forgot to mention a few things.
• The first country to face an omicron outbreak was South Africa, and although omicron Covid cases initially spiked, case counts have now plunged by 85%, and COVID-19 deaths there are at an 18-month low.
• The omicron variant hospitalization rate in South Africa is 80% less than the delta variant COVID-19.
• Omicron is found in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. For example, in Denmark, 91% of cases are in fully vaccinated people. In the United States, 80% of initial 0micron cases were in fully vaccinated people.
• Biden warned omicron is coming soon, but it is already here and is widespread. The CDC reported on Dec. 18 that 73% of new CoOVID-19 cases in the United States are now of the omicron variant.
• Even after all these cases, only one American is reported to have died of omicron and because of his comorbidities, we don’t know if he died “from” omicron, or “with” omicron.
• Evidence suggests all three US COVID-19 vaccines are largely ineffective against omicron without a booster.
What is Joe Biden is trying to accomplish? Is he concerned about our health, or is he trying to use fear to advance his failed political agenda? Decide for yourself.
Respectfully,
Greg Sarber
Stock up and garden
25 pounds of pinto beans was priced at $21 at Coe’s market last month. The same amount now costs over $30.
Supply lines are deteriorating due to vaccine mandate issues and the rising price of petroleum.
Things are liable to get worse before they get better. Now might be a good time to stock up, and consider gardening in the spring.
