Neighbor faces deportation to Iraq

It is with extreme frustration and disbelief that I write to you. I am the neighbor of Sam Malkandi and his wonderful family. He has been detained without charges for over three years and is now facing probable deportation to Iraq, an Islamic country at war no less. Sam and family are Christians, which puts him in grave danger.

It has been the most shocking and shameful thing I have ever experienced as an American citizen. America could only be so lucky as to have a country full of Sam Malkandi’s.

Washington State senators, and congressmen have been written to many times and there has been a total lack of concern or care shown.

In a time of such fear there is such prejudice in America regarding many from the Middle East and it is purely the opinion of a few overzealous immigration officials who have put a nail in the coffin of this wonderful, innocent man, and ripped apart the hearts and lives of two beautiful children and a devoted wife.

I’d love to see all of those who have been a part of what has been done to Sam Malkandi and his family, live the lives that they have lived. I doubt any of them would continue to be the kind, honest, hard working people that Sam Malkandi and his family are.

Please take the time to do whatever you can to truly look into this situation and save this man and his family. Sam and family have hundreds of supporters, neighbors and friends counting on you.

Joleen Ash

Kirkland

Please be our Voice

Please save my husband, Sam Malkandi, and bring him home to be with me, our daughter Nicole and son Arvin. We really need him in our life; without him, we will be heart broken.

I love my husband with all my heart. For years, I have cried while I have ate, walked, worked, cooked, did homework with Arvin, went to school with him, went to football practice or a game with him, took Arvin to a park, then I always cried that Sam could not be with us.

When I see Nicole growing up without her father, it is very hard for me to watch her doing her best for her University of Washington education, it makes me cry. Nicole and Arvin need Sam, their beloved father who could be with them to hug them.

Please be our voice and bring Sam home.

Mali Malkandi

Kirkland

It’s a local paper, not a political blog

One of the refreshing things about a local newspaper is the feeling one gets of “we’re all in this together.” A local paper, though available to all as a forum for opinion, should be a unifying rather than a divisive force in a community. Opinions expressed should be those of the readers, not ones force fed to us by editors and publishers.

Recent editorial cartoons of a political nature, such as the one today regarding Dino Rossi, fall into the category of divisive. Forget the fact that the point of this particular cartoon was over my head. The fact that you are pushing anyone’s brand of politics my way is inappropriate for a community newspaper. If those readers on one side of an issue wish to voice an opinion with a letter to the editor, fine. But please refrain from reducing “our” local paper to a political blog. We get enough of that from the mainstream media.

Chuck Pilcher

Kirkland

Spend equal time on candidates

I received your paper yesterday (Oct. 8 issue) and the big news about Gregoire visiting downtown Kirkland and being droped off in front of The Grape Choice (a shameless plug for a dem. at the state level) and wanted to ask the question. Where the equal time for Rossi besides the cartoon on page 8?!

Cecil Osborne

Kirkland

Goodman supports teachers

When substitute teaching for the Lake Washington School District, I was dismayed at the hardships talented young teachers faced attempting to make ends meet. Often, the American dream of owning a home was only achieved by commuting from less expensive communities an hour or more from their school! This is just wrong.

I often saw that committed educators were very discouraged. They loved serving kids but to support their families they were forced to consider other, more lucrative professions and/or leaving the state to teach where the pay was higher and cost of living lower. In a state where we value education, we simply cannot afford high teacher turnover.

Staff room talk gave me even greater respect for the teachers who go through the rigorous and time consuming process of obtaining National Board Certification. These teachers deserve recognition for going above and beyond to improve their teaching skills. They are the most outstanding teachers in their fields.

We currently have a legislator who has a record of supporting teachers–of appreciating their devotion and recognizing their expertise. We need to keep him as our state representative. This is just one of the many reasons why I volunteer on State Representative Roger Goodman’s Re-election campaign.

Married to a former teacher and son of a college professor, Roger gets it. He stepped up to the plate and voted for an over 5% cost of living increase for teachers and voted to retain quality public school teachers by offering a 4.4% pay increase and bonuses for teachers obtaining National Board Certification.

I’m voting for Roger Goodman and I encourage you to vote for him as well.

Roberta Spiro

Kirkland

Nixon cares for the people

I was a democrat, now thanks to our new voting laws I am independent again. I do not care if there is a (D) or (R) or (GOP) next to the man or woman who is running to represent the people in our government. What I do care about is the fact that they will represent us. Represent us as idividuals as businesses and people. Toby Nixon has shown time and time again that it is the people that are on the top of his agenda. He believes in our States Constitution when it says:

All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.

This is the first of many Declarations of Rights in our States Constitution. It is first ,but always forgotten. By electing Toby Nixon the people of the 45th District will have a true representitive working for them. A man that will put the power of the people back into our government.

John Dick

Carnation