Operation Christmas Child
Generosity benefits children worldwide
Thanks to the generosity of our neighbors in Poulsbo, many children around the world have something to smile about. Operation Christmas Child, the world’s largest Christmas project, collected 6,510 gift-filled shoe boxes from local residents during last year’s collection season. These gifts from right here in our community are now on their way to hurting children around the world.
With the donations of shoe box gifts from churches, individuals, businesses, and community groups, Operation Christmas Child will be able to hand-deliver more than 7.6 million gifts to children in more than 100 countries. Many of these distributions are taking place right now. On behalf of our community, I would like to thank all the local collection sites for providing locations for collecting the gifts and all the volunteers who served with this amazing project for children.
To everyone in the Poulsbo area who packed a shoe box gift, please be encouraged by the fact that these simple gifts will serve as powerful messages of joy and hope to needy children around the world. Thank you for joining our community in this amazing outreach, and for giving to others at Christmas.
Though the Poulsbo drop-off locations are closed until November, it is not too late to send gifts to children overseas. Gifts are received year-round at Samaritan’s Purse, 801 Bamboo Road, Boone, N.C., 28607. For information on packing a shoe box, call 1-800-353-5949. Thanks again to everyone who participated in the project. We look forward to seeing you next year!
Erin Forsythe
Regional Director
Operation Christmas Child
County commission
Will party politics prevail again?
I consider Mr. Culleney’s use of the expression “Sour Grapes, Sour Grapes” in his letter of Jan. 5, as applied to Jack Hamilton, to be the equivalent of a juvenile school-yard taunt. What I am really concerned about, however, is the staffing situation transpiring in the county commissioner’s office as a result of political maneuvering during the last election. I refer to those old headlines about bringing in the Democrats’ “Heavy Hitters,” thus enabling the Young Democrats’ organization to override their candidate’s absence of experience and his questionable residency qualifications. In the end, party politics trumped all reason, age and experience embodied in and offered by the losing candidate and Kitsap County is reaping the results.
Recent developments leave us with Central Kitsap’s young commissioner Josh Brown as chair, North’s recent appointee, Steve Bauer, and south’s seat a pending vacancy as Jan Angel pursues a seat in state government. If history, background and continuity are important for our county, we could be in trouble next election should party politics again trump reason.
Marion Larm,
Poulsbo
Poulsbo Place II
Proposed dwellings will tax infrastructure
Editor’s note: This is an open letter to the Poulsbo City Council. This proposal to change the density of dwelling units from 50 single family and duplex units to 211 condominium or alternative 211 senior independent living units will severely impact the traffic, supply of water and sewer, and all of the services that the city provides to the present citizens of this city. Our infrastructure is sorely lacking for this size of development and the infrastructure needs to be completed before any more additional infill is done in the city.
A suggestion is to put this type development into Olhava where the infrastructure is close to freeways, services, grocery stores, and the size would not dwarf the surrounding area.
I heard the architect for the builders say that ‘this will be built’ at the end of the meeting on the 17th of January. So sadly this leaves me to believe that this is already a done deal. I sincerely hope this is not true.
It is important that the initial Master plan for Poulsbo Place be continued for the ‘village’ and ‘cottage’ atmosphere of ‘Historic Poulsbo.’
I sincerely hope that calmer heads prevail and that the health and welfare of the City of Poulsbo is put first and foremost as the deciding factor regarding this proposal and that the Master Plan amendment for Poulsbo Place II will be denied.
Jean E. Ford,
Poulsbo
Presidential election
States’ rights
must be protected
For years we have elected presidential nominees whose first act was swearing an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. Those presidents then proceed to “do that which is right in their own sight.” That oath, made before God and the citizens, is the contractual agreement to protect states’ rights, which limits the federal government to exert only those powers authorized by the Constitution.
States’ rights protect us in several ways. First, a state cannot make international agreements/treaties. That is reserved for the federal government. The unconstitutional act of establishing a U.S. Department of Education, as only one example, has allowed us to receive curriculum from foreign nations and UNESCO, with propagandizing globalist worldviews.
Second is economics: For approximately 7 percent of our state’s education budget, we receive over 90 percent of the mandates. Not only do we pay for the salaries and pensions of federal employees, but a huge state education office staff to comply with the mandates. Remedial education has escalated, while grades have dropped under all these experimental programs.
Third is the loss of representative government. President Nixon, defying the 9th and 10th Amendments, divided the nations into 10 regions, setting up appointees over the regions. Bypassing the Constitutions has allowed enforcement of powers over our lives and properties through appointees, which was never allowed by the Founding Fathers.
Fourth, we now have over 34,000 lobbyists in Washington D.C., corrupting government by purchasing votes. Restoration of states’ rights would greatly reduce corruption.
Unless we elect a strict constitutionalist president, the sovereignty of the United States will soon be greatly reduced through the North American Union agreements with Mexico and Canada. President Bush, promoter of NAU, mentioned those agreements in his State of the Union message. Just as NAFTA, GATT, and CAFTA have impacted jobs, the North American Union agreements will have preeminence over the United States Constitution.
I will be voting for the candidate who has always stood for states rights, and who understands we must have a money system backed by collateral, or our economy will collapse. His record proves that statesman is U.S. Representative Ron Paul.
Cris Shardelman
Poulsbo
Breakfast in Poulsbo
Wild Horse
BBQ dragged
breakfast away
I’m so sorry that I didn’t write this a couple of months ago when the “breakfast hoopla” began. We found a great breakfast menu, cheerful servers and casual atmosphere at the Wild Horse BBQ. While many of you have already enjoyed their ribs and pulled pork, their breakfast has been wonderful as well.
Sadly we learned today that they will no longer be serving breakfast as it didn’t pay them to be open. I noticed they weren’t on your breakfast list either! If people really were searching out a new place for breakfast I don’t know how they skipped this great restaurant.
Thanks Wild Horse.
Marcia Mack
Poulsbo
Poulsbo Lions
Poulsbo residents are grrreat!
This is a grrreat place to live. The Poulsbo Lions would like to thank all of you who helped push the Christmas Bellringer past our goal of $35,000. As of this week the total reached is $37, 969. Phenomenal! Awesome! Incredible! Choose your own adjective here. Here’s the point — whether with your pennies or your thousands of dollars you have showed that this community cares very much for those around us in need. You came through big time when they needed you most.
As an aside, we have already disbursed over $12,000 of your contributions to those needing a hand. As a further aside this reminder that our fund-raising does not stop in January. Contributions can be mailed year ‘round to Bellringer Fund, PO Box 1244, Poulsbo, WA 98370 throughout the year. Again, the Poulsbo Lions thank you all for what you do in making this a grrreat community.
John Macdonald, Project Chair
Poulsbo Lions Raab Foundation
Jim Stark, President, Poulsbo Noon Lions
