The recent Alaska Miners Association CVN paid commentary (11/7) misrepresents the integrity of our local doctors. The AMA director stated the letters to the CVN relating to a report of a large mine in Haines would lead to “brothels and prostitution rings”. The report said nothing of the sort.
In one of the letters to CVN, our local doctors’ expressed concerns based on a statistical review of the impacts of large mines on small, isolated towns. Juneau and Fairbanks-based mines were not included in that statistical review because their populations (~32,000 and ~100,000 respectively) present a very different situation and therefore very different potential impacts. The doctor’s letter was not a statement about local people who have been here for years.
To suggest our doctors might treat patients differently because of the patients’ livelihood says more about the accusers rather than the doctors whose integrity and dedication are apparent.
What was the real intent of the accusation of the doctor’s integrity? Divisive name calling turns off people from participating to avoid being lumped in kind with the flamer. Who wants to participate in a race to the bottom when our end game is the well-being of Haines?
While fact-free arguments that create the addictive “I’m right and you’re an idiot” knee jerk reactions have become the norm in our state and country, most of us are better than that in Haines. Let’s respect each other, and ourselves, and allow the open exchange of fact based information be our norm.
Michelle LaBrosse