Opinions/Editorials

Dear Editor:
I attended the showing of the documentary by Save the Boundary Waters at Vermilion Community College. It was full of testimonies from people about how much they love the B.W.C.A. and their fear of it being destroyed. I have paddled and fished in the B.W.C.A. for over 60 years and enjoy it as much as anyone. I’m genuinely grateful to be able to live in such a wonderful area. However, I’m not fearful of it being destroyed by the proposed Twin Metals underground mine.
From my experiences in the B.W.C.A. and knowledge of the direction of water flow, I’m confident that less than 10% of the watershed could possibly be affected by presumed acid mine drainage. None of the area from Basswood Falls all the way to the Gunflint could not possibly be affected. Neither could any of the area south of Crooked Lake be affected.

A study championed by copper-nickel mining opponents and detailed a couple of weeks ago before Ely’s Tuesday Group makes the case that despite the addition of several hundred new jobs, the Twin Metals Minnesota project would ultimately hurt - and not help - our local economy.
In the long run, we were told, the region would be better served by maintaining its current economic model.
There were charts and data to support this conclusion, although even the study - conducted by a Harvard professor - shows that the Twin Metals would provide an initial boost to the economy.
That boost would last anywhere from two-to-11 years, we were told, but from that point on any gains as a result of the Twin Metals project would be offset by “negative impacts on recreation industries and in-migration” to the study area - which went far beyond Ely to include all of St. Louis, Lake and Cook counties.

Dear Editor,

No one growing up in the last generation in Ely would have ever dreamed it could happen. The vanishing of St. Urho’s Day as one of the area’s most honored celebrations.
Held this year on March 13, the day before St. Patrick’s Day, the celebration of St. Urho is sadly turning into something of a footnote, with the exception of our friends down Highway 1 in Finland.
In Ely, Mill’s Clothing Store, under the proprietorship of the late Bill Mills (a Finn with an anglicized name) featured the day. Restaurants were decorated green and purple and featured Finnish foods such as kola mojakka.

Dear Editor:
An Indian Story:
The words that are used to cause maximum impact are many.
Several of them remain taboo in public so there will be no caustic idiom here, but I can demo an excellent example. It’s the “F” bomb. The “F” bomb is used in everyday language today and as a result, it’s lost its tough back-stiffening punch that it had 50 years ago.
Today it’s not unusual to hear school kids nonchalantly drop the F-bomb without a thought. It’s been overplayed in pop culture and it’s lost much of its impact if not its social disdain. That’s what happens when a word is overexposed.

Several people spoke at the end of the Ely city council meeting Tuesday night. They didn’t like the mayor’s position on mining and comments he had made.
That’s fine and thankfully in this country people can come forward and make their opinions known. What’s not fine and should be considered unacceptable is to throw around a word with a strong, hurtful meaning.
A couple of the speakers accused the mayor of racism when he discussed not supporting Fortune Bay after the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe came out in support of a bill that would stop copper-nickel mining before it has started in our area.
On a national stage we have heard Democrats use the word racism too often and too broadly. We believe this is the same situation. Was the mayor racist in his comments? No. Is criticizing a group of people for a differing opinion racism? No.
Let’s be clear. This was not at all about race and was all about mining. To suggest otherwise is nonsense.

Letter to the Editor:
The Ely Winter Festival very much appreciates the support of the community, the visitors to Ely, and most especially the amazing artists who fill our park with gigantic pieces of art.
You may have heard that on the first night of the International Snow Sculpting Symposium, most of our sculptures were vandalized with spray paint, which was easily shaved off. A few sculptures had pieces knocked off. Most disappointing was destruction of a sculpture that students from the high school and college had been working on with the mentoring of the some of our local professional carvers and the college art instructor. The vandal also vandalized many of the Amateur Blocks, and our brand new warming tent. The Ely Police Department is investigating.

Dear Editor,
This has got to stop.
Advocating for the regulatory review process in connection with copper-nickel mining in northeastern Minnesota doesn’t exactly light up “the base.” It’s not raw meat or exciting in any way. But it’s the right case to make, the right thing to do, especially compared with the alternative.
The quick-and-dirty “alternative” is what U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum is asking Congress to approve in her bill to block copper-nickel mining in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota. No debate, no research or analysis of specific projects, just an old-fashioned “Shut ‘em down!” Her bill would prevent Twin Metals Minnesota and any other upcoming new copper-nickel projects from even getting a hearing on its proposal for an underground copper, nickel and platinum group metals mine near Ely and Babbitt.

Dear Editor,
Who would have thought? In this Brave New World of almost daily breath-taking technological advances, it’s so awesome that we can come to Ely and get all of our computer, iPad, and cell phone problems solved more quickly, easily, and affordably than we can in South Florida, a home of Best Buy, Apple Superstores, and the Geek Squad.
Several months ago, while vacationing in Ely from our home in South Florida, our computer system was hacked: a potential problem out there for everyone reading this.
Some unscrupulous troll stole our identity and tried to scam all of our computer contacts. We immediately ran to Jim & Lisa Robbins at Voltz Technologies, right in the middle of town on Sheridan. “Help,” we cried, “we’ve been hacked!”

The flu bug is going around and the ever-present snow removal trucks around town reaffirm that Mother Nature has packed a punch this winter.
And while temperatures have moderated and even threaten to climb over the freezing mark this week - we nonetheless remain in the clutches of a winter that even in a perfect scenario has at least two months to go.
So let’s make the most of it.
Once again this year, organizers and volunteers have made sure there are no shortage of activities for us to get out of the house, fight that cabin fever and enjoy what the Ely area has to offer.
We find it hard to believe that many, if any, communities of Ely’s size have as much going on to beat the mid-winter blahs.
It starts this weekend with the Fun Run.
Now in its 20th year, the event appeals to snowmobilers and those who don’t even own a sled.