Cheers: To free pancakes. The Clark County Fair kicked off Friday morning with its traditional pancake breakfast — along with a few sausages. Thanks to support from Fred Meyer and a battalion of volunteers, the breakfast provided the ideal launch to the nine-day fair despite the presence of some rain.
As detailed in an editorial in Friday’s Columbian, the Clark County Fair will offer a little something for everybody as the event celebrates its 150th anniversary. County fairs hearken back to a time when the world was a little simpler and the United States was still largely an agrarian society, and they have managed to retain that old-time charm while adding modern attractions. Along the way, they provide an experience that helps define the meaning of community.
Jeers: To bottle bombs. Jeering bottle bombs doesn’t quite capture the depravity of an act that resulted in injuries to a 13-year-old girl last week in Vancouver. A plastic bottle reportedly was thrown from a green SUV at Fort Vancouver Way and East 26th Street. When the girl picked up the bottle, it exploded, causing significant injuries to her hands and arm. “The child witnessed this (and) went to collect the bottle to discard it when it exploded in her hands,” according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Randomly discarding a bottle set to explode is an act of idiocy in itself. The fact that a young girl was injured while simply trying to do the right thing is maddening. Video footage was provided to investigators, and anybody with information is encouraged to contact police. We hope the perpetrators are caught and prosecuted.
Cheers: To Gov. Jay Inslee. After long being silent on the issue, the governor this week acknowledged Southwest Washington’s opposition to Oregon’s plan for tolls along Interstate 5 and Interstate 205. “I can report to you those voices have been heard . . . and they will be heard to make sure our residents’ interests are protected in any tolling discussion,” he said during an appearance in Vancouver.
Oregon’s tolling proposal would unfairly target Clark County residents, who have no options other than the bridges for driving to Portland. U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, has been a critic of the plan, and other Washington officials should join Inslee in standing beside her in opposition.
Jeers: To white nationalists. Cecily Wright has resigned as chairman of the Spokane County Republican Party after video surfaced of her defending a white nationalist. In introducing James Allsup for a speaking engagement, Wright had said Allsup was invited to speak to dispel claims he is a racist and white nationalist — despite his involvement at a 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. — and said he was a victim of “label lynching.”
Calling out white nationalists for their views has nothing in common with the torture and murder of people simply because they are black, and the comparison is patently offensive. It is essential that all Americans stand up against the abhorrent beliefs of white nationalists; somebody who fails to do so has no business being in a position of power for a political party.
Cheers: To making memories. Akhil Jhaveri, 52, who is suffering from ALS and has been told he has weeks to live, got to watch his three daughters walk down the aisle. They weren’t getting married; they were simply celebrating the power of love with their father, family and about 80 guests.
“Love is not a feeling or emotion. Love is an action,” mom Laura told her daughters. The result was a touching ceremony for all involved.
