Shah for judge

I have known Judge Ketu Shah for over 30 years. Ketu was a student of mine at Dimond High School while I was teaching English for the Anchorage School District. Even as a young ninth grader, I was impressed by Ketu’s intelligence and strong character. We have stayed in touch ever since, and it was a pleasant surprise when I moved to Mercer Island and discovered that we were now neighbors.

Judge Shah is endorsed by all of his fellow Northeast District Court Justices and judges from all levels of state court, including all nine Washington Supreme Court Justices. I hope your readers will join me in voting for Judge Shah this November.

Mary Beth Shaddy

KCLS and County priorities misguided

What is wrong with King County Library System and/or King County’s budget priorities?

Reconstructing libraries in the county that don’t need reconstructing seems like a wasteful endeavor.

Look at the plans to remodel the Mercer Island Library which is perfectly functional and where people are quite comfortable.

Perhaps the budget for KCLS is more than they can handle.

Those resources could be applied to the dire needs in our community such as, to name a few:

Costs of reducing class size would be too high?

Mental health looks to comprehensive care

Public health to combat communicable diseases

Linda Ojemann, MD

More on words and guns

I-594’s use of “transfer” is unfortunate and caused it to fall prey to those who oppose gun control of any kind and who also know that 70 to 90 percent of the citizenry approves of back ground checks for all gun purchases.

“Transfer” also provides a reason to define connotation and denotation.   The gun lobby is using “transfer”  to connote an emotional and imaginative association — to render an innocent a criminal.

“Denotation” is a restriction of the meaning of the term.  As “transfer” is used in I- 594, its intent is to convey an object from one or person to another, not to render an innocent a criminal.

One demonstrates one is a critical thinker by knowing the difference between connotation and denotation.

Yes, the downside of “transfer” is that it gave the gun lobby an opportunity to be disingenuous and attempt to confuse.

It also provides voters an opportunity to think critically.

The critical thinker will vote Yes on I-594 and No on I-591.

Cy Baumgartner