Your July 5 article about Paul Nelson and his encounter with Mr. Gubergrits from Whitehorse should have the town appalled and disgusted.
There is a chance there was an honest misunderstanding between the two when it came to the cost of wrecker service and when the clock began running. There may have been a problem with language since Gubergrits and his wife are Ukrainian immigrants. But there is absolutely no reason a person would make a Nazi salute and say, “Heil, Hitler,” as Nelson did. There was no denial from Nelson that he had made this gesture and comment to Gubergrits and his wife.
As a business owner, I know the huge impact that visitors from the Yukon have on our economy. Word of this incident will make its way around Whitehorse and Haines Junction. If Nelson wants to ruin his business, that’s fine with me, but his actions are going to affect our entire community. I will no longer do business with Nelson and ask others not to.
The Haines Borough Assembly should look into the incident and consider the upside-down thinking it has. Look back on how Dave Button was treated when he asked for a business license and how quickly he was run out of town for much less than what Nelson has done.
Haines has gotten a lot of “at-a-boys” from state, national and international press but one “oh shucks” like this wipes a lot of them out.
Rodney Hinson