Say WA? Evergreen State ping
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Posted on 04/22/2008 3:36:21 AM PDT by NCDragon
FRIDAY HARBOR, San Juan County — The people of the San Juan Islands tend to be independent sorts, espousing a do-it-yourself, leave-me-be ethos as natural and ever-present as the tide.
But for many of the 17,000 people of this island county, the normal rhythms of small-town life have hit a dissonant chord lately.
A couple of months ago, the U.S. Border Patrol began occasional "spot checks" of every vehicle and passenger arriving in Anacortes off state ferries, the lifeline between these islands and the mainland.
For some here, it seems like a good idea or, at worst, a minor inconvenience. But for a vocal and active faction, the federal agents' aggressive questioning and demands for identification have spurred outrage.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Say WA? Evergreen State ping
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Yes and thank you Inspectorette for noting that here.
THESE (or some people from this county) are the ones who tried to shut down the free speech of a local conservative leaning radio station (KVI) with a lawsuit a year or so ago. The station/hosts are still trying to pay legal bills - but, I think they won.
Imagine my surprise to learn that Anacortes is on the mainland. I wonder why the state spent all that money building those twin bridges I cross going to work every day.
People getting off the international run have always been subject to searches or questioning regardless of where they boarded. What bothers me is that this inter-island checking started several months ago during the winter when there is no international service. Why?
I’ve lived in Anacortes since the day I was born, sixty-two years ago. If I had my way, there would be a gate in the west-bound lanes of the bridge coming onto Fidalgo Island and I’d be pretty picky about who I let on. Life here has changed way too much for my liking the last thirty years.
About four years ago, just before we retired, we looked at real estate there, up in the Skyline area. The prices were already going out of sight, and real estate agents were encouraging bidding wars. We were not interested in getting into bidding wars, so ended up on the Oregon Coast and had a house built.
You Fidalgo Islanders are even more touchy about your “island” status than the Camano Islanders ... (/sarc)
Camano is an island? Why, next you’ll be telling me that Samish is an island. I wasn’t born yesterday, ya know.
The Oregon coast is a wonderful place to be. I try to get down there just about every summer, either my wife and I with our little trailer or sometimes just me and the Harley. Last year it was about a dozen of us on motorcycles for four days.
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