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Fin is Just the Start by Alex Uber Seattle Times, December 5, 2007

"To them, any intervention of the federal government must be a bad thing."

Editor, The Times:

We should all be very thankful for U.S. District Judge James Redden's critical examination of the "extinction by delay" tactic being used by hydro-system operators and federal agencies responsible for management of Columbia and Snake River salmon. It seems there is now only one branch of government willing to stand up for the public good and not cave to expedient politics when it comes to saving these fish.

As global warming bears downs on us, causing storms to get crazier, snowpack to shrink and ecological stresses to mount, I'm reminded that the fate of the salmon is also our fate. The fish have been telling us for a long time now that we have gone too far in our efforts to industrialize the Pacific Northwest. We must let some critical parts of our rivers flow free to give us all a fighting chance to weather the storms ahead.

As the status quo of endless studies and lawsuits grinds on and these fish disappear, the deafening silence of Washington, Oregon and Idaho politicians should not be used as a reason to keep the lower four Snake River dams in place. After all, they are the same people who have been silent as we've suffered through a bogus war in Iraq, eavesdropping on our phone conversations and a sweeping attack on our environmental laws.