In the 3-20-2019 issue of The Leader, there was a letter to the editor from a writer in Olympia about Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund. That letter characterizes CELDF as an organization which would like to “replace our voices with theirs.” That statement is false. For those who are interested in understanding the issues of our day in depth, I suggest that you check out CELDF thoroughly. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic party wants to allow other voices in our conversation about how best to address our current problems.

Both those factions fearfully cling to the status quo, always hoping to get the upper hand. Real democracy, a government which is truly of, for and by the people, is a casualty of these political manipulations. The unspoken goal of the Olympia letter is to encourage you to ignore the facts and to continue to stick with a system which ultimately benefits only the richest among us. If the Navy wants to fly noisy jets over your neighborhood or a foreign corporation wants to put a fish farm in Peninsula waters, do you and your neighbors have to power to stop those things, if that is what you all decide you want? No, you do not. CELDF’s sole mission is to teach us how to regain power over what happens in our own communities. CELDF has no power and is not seeking any. It is simply a group of people who want real democracy. If that sounds like the kind of government you want, check out CELDF.

Niles Powell
Port Townsend