Republican/Democrat discussion deserves more investigation

Regarding your “correction” to Charlie Burrow’s letter about Adele Ferguson’s Nov. 14 column, Charlie was correct in noting that “both Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams ran in the 1824 presidential election as Democrats, not Republicans.” There is, however, still confusion over early Democratic and Republican political parties because of the naming of the early political parties.

In the 1790s, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison formed an anti-federalist party in opposition to Alexander Hamilton’s aristocratic Federalists (advocates of a strong central government and the first political party). Jefferson and Madison called themselves Republicans (as in republic, a representative democracy).

The Federalists countered by calling Jefferson and his followers Democratic Republicans in an attempt to discredit them by linking them with the chaos of the radical democrats of the 1789 French Revolution. The name stuck and it was this party, the Democratic Republicans that became the modern day Democratic Party. With the election of Jefferson in 1800, the Democratic Republicans led the nation for the next two decades.

Charlie correctly noted that in the 1824 election both Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams ran as Democrats (Democratic Republicans), not as Republicans (as we know the modern Republican Party). The Federalists Party faded away and Jackson, after his election as a Democratic Republican in 1828, dropped Republican from the party’s name. Remnants of the Federalists and anti-Jackson factions formed the National Republicans in 1832, a short-lived party whose former members joined with other dissidents to form the Whig party in the 1834. Unable to field a presidential candidate for the 1856 election, the Whig party, too, faded away.

The modern Republican Party was formed in 1854 by anti-slavery forces. Its first presidential candidate, John Fremont, as noted by Charlie, was defeated by James Buchanan in the 1856 election. Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election, becoming the first Republican Party president.

(My sources are primarily from two college texts: the sixth edition of both “The Challenge of Democracy” and “The Struggle for Democracy;” chapters 8 and 9, respectively. Numerous credible sources are available on the Internet as well.)

Sincerely,

Charles Bickel

Poulsbo

Tribal Government

Letter to the editor leans toward bigotry

On Nov. 18, Susan Null of Kingston states that she is “sick and tired of the ‘Native Americans (NA)’ and their casinos and tax free ventures.”

So, not only is she sick of the of the “tax free” ventures that we allegedly cruise through on a daily basis, but also of the Native Americans?

This statement in itself, although precedently tagged with a disclaimer by the paper, is leaning dangerously towards bigotry. The fact that it was printed is sure to draw equivocal opinions of the integrity of this well-liked community paper, not only by Kitsap tribes, but also from those with unbiased mindsets.

We all know the history of Indigenous peoples and the stumbling upon of this land by Europeans, so I will refrain from the narration of the time of attempted genocide, although I am sure this is the route a lot of readers would expect a tribal member to go, I do not feel the need to.

Still, I would like to express my difficulty trying to fathom her quotations when referring to our land; this is the land that we were confined to, moved to, the land that we were “given” to call our “own,” onto which we would be a sovereign nation, as per the adjudication of the U.S. government.

Now, tribes are taking steps toward rebuilding a foundation to a stronger future for our people, and we are labeled as “takers”?

Giving back to the people and community is and always has been a number one priority in tribal nations. Profits from tribal enterprises are handed over to tribal foundations for education, health care, elder care, early childhood, community gatherings, and prevention events, not to mention the healthy contributions given to various non-tribal charities/foundations annually.

It seems to me that anyone who cannot understand the meaning of sovereign and refers to “fair being fair” while whining about “rules,” does not have the intellectual standing to even attempt discussing an alleged issue of county tribulations, let alone one that could launch a war of words amongst neighboring communities.

As far as I am concerned, anybody who wishes to blame a reservation with the population of 900 for the tribulations of a county with the population of roughly 244,000 needs a serious reality check.

Chevonne DeCoteau,

Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribal Member

Thank You

Herald should have given event some ink

I haven’t written a letter to the editor since I was in college (more years ago than I care to admit!), but I wanted to send out a countywide thank you to the many, many individuals and businesses that supported last month’s Kitsap Humane Society Animal Krackers fundraising auction.

I volunteered for the auction for the first time this year, helping to obtain donations, and was overwhelmed by the generosity I encountered throughout Kitsap County. I received donations from Bainbridge Island, Kingston, Bremerton, Silverdale, Suquamish and Poulsbo; the auction committee as a whole brought in donations from many other parts of the county as well. As a Poulsbo resident, I was particularly heartened by the support of many local shops, restaurants, service providers and friends, particularly along Front Street and Anderson Parkway and in my neighborhood, Meredith Heights.

Thanks to this outpouring of support, we raised over $100,000 to provide care for more than 6,500 homeless, neglected and unwanted animals in Kitsap County, including funds to provide medical care for critically ill, injured and abused animals that come to the shelter. What a huge difference this will make in the lives of animals and their humans in our county!

My only regret is that we didn’t receive more press — and I’m not entirely sure why. I’ve heard that some local newspapers may not have publicized the event because it was held in Bremerton, outside the papers’ area of focus. I don’t know if such a policy or practice actually exists, but if it does, I hope it can be revisited the next time a countywide organization such as the Kitsap Humane Society, or another of the many wonderful organizations serving all of Kitsap County, seeks to publicize an event.

My own personal experience demonstrates the geographic reach of such organizations: our dog Maggie was a stray found in Port Orchard and brought in to the Kitsap Humane Society in Silverdale, from which we adopted her.

We brought her home to live with us in Poulsbo, where she can frequently be seen running from neighbor to neighbor in Meredith Heights giving an enthusiastic greeting and sometimes a big, sloppy kiss.

It’s clear to me that support for and beneficiaries of the Kitsap Humane Society run countywide; I hope that future publicity for Animal Krackers and the shelter in general will, too.

Thank you very much Kitsap County, and happy holidays!

Amy Weissman and Maggie

Poulsbo

Holidays

Poulsbo isn’t being Chanukah friendly

Help! I can’t find Chanukah candles in the local Poulsbo area stores. Last year I got so frustrated I finally sent e-mails to the head offices of Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid and Six Star. Within twenty-four hours the managers of the first two stores called. After searching the endless aisles of Christmas merchandise at Wal-Mart I discovered that they had nothing for Chanukah, but the co-manager said she would try to find a box of candles for me in one of their other stores.

Then it was on to Poulsbo Village. The cashier in Six Star said, “We never carry that kind of stuff.” When I asked to speak to a supervisor, she told me one wasn’t there. At Rite-Aid I spotted a sign that had the words “Merry Christmas” under a picture of a star and the words “Happy Chanukah” under a picture of a dreidel. So I asked an employee where the Chanukah items were.

He replied, “We don’t have anything for that.” I showed him the sign, he glanced down a few aisles, and then repeated, “We don’t have anything for that.”

I’m all in favor of supporting our local stores. However, when the managers personally make a promise and then don’t keep it, I can’t help questioning my obviously misguided efforts to “shop Poulsbo.”

If anyone else is having this same problem, I’ll make it easy for you. Forget Poulsbo. You can find all the Chanukah merchandise you need in Silverdale. Next year I’ll go there first. In fact, maybe I’ll go to Silverdale first for all my shopping.

Honey Catriz

Kingston