Letters to the editor

Published 2:30 am Friday, April 3, 2026

Don’t forget to vote in HEA election

I want to thank all the Homer Electric Association members for allowing me to serve as one of your directors in District 3 for the past nine years. It has been a great honor.

Peter Crimp is running for the seat I have occupied for the past nine years and would be a great addition to the board. Peter understands the benefits of alternative energy in minimizing the electricity cost to HEA members, and he has 20 years of experience working for the Alaska Energy Authority, including working with the State of Alaska Renewable Energy Grant Fund program. Peter also has significant experience with budgeting and will be able to review the budget thoroughly every year to ensure we are getting the best deal possible while maintaining the reliability of the system.

Natural gas from Cook Inlet has powered our electrical system very well for many years. But the cost of natural gas has been increasing substantially in the past few years and is becoming unaffordable. One third of our budget currently goes to paying for natural gas. That amounts to over $40 million every year just to buy gas. Sun, wind and water have no fuel cost. Alternative energy systems are less costly now than natural gas for producing electricity and the difference is only going to increase. Let’s give Peter the opportunity to move HEA into the future!

Voting starts April 3, and your ballot must arrive by May 6.

Jim Levine

Homer

Respect military lives

On March 7, our Grifter-in-Chief, while participating in a dignified transfer of our dead heroes at Dover Air Force Base, wore a baseball cap advertising himself. This stunning and disrespectful act showcases a draft dodger’s lack of dignity or appreciation for the moment. Besides promoting his hat sales, he showed that he doesn’t really care about who dies in his war of choice.

Senator Lindsey Graham served in the Air Force as a military advocate and attorney. On March 22, while cheerleading for Trump he said, “We did Iwo Jima, we can do this” referring to putting boots on the ground in Iran. This statement reflects a lack of respect for life when talking about our troops. He is acting as if they are expendable cattle. His own military risk was potentially a paper cut, or perhaps a coffee spill on his shoes. Apparently, like all chickenhawks, he has no problem sending America’s sons and daughters off to war.

As a Vietnam veteran, my perspective is different. Graham and other chickenhawks will never have to hear the wounded or dying scream out with anguished cries for their mothers, wives and children. When a friend was hit in a fire fight, I was usually asked, “Am I gonna be alright or am I gonna die?”

Then, I would lie to him because he may be too close to a hole in the ground and a folded flag. Who am I to extinguish his last flicker of hope?

Still, the chickenhawks and draft dodgers need to watch out for papercuts while remembering to tie their shoes.

Michael A LeMay, Veterans for Peace

Homer